Base Technology Subjects
Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
Brief Overview
Aiming to establish high efﬁcient power generation and demand systems, the Energy Engineering
Research Laboratory (EERL) is engaged in the development of energy conversion, storage and utilization technology, environmental impact reduction technology, and biomass utilization technology, etc. The EERL is also
engaged in relevant technology research on systems and equipment, facility diagnostics, and plant operation andmaintenance.

Achievements by Research ThemeHigh Efﬁciency Power Generation【Objectives】
The evaluation and maintenance technology for the hot gas path parts of gas turbines (GT) and combustion technology for new type liquid fuels are developed to advance the further efﬁciency increase and improvement of operability of thermal power plants.
【Principal Results】･To develop a Non-Destructive Examination (NDE) technique for heat resistance degradation of thermal barrier
coatings (TBC) on gas turbine blades, a new evaluation system using a temperature measurement and a numerical analysis has been developed aimed at temperature changes in laser heated TBC surfaces (Fig. 1). Using
this system, appropriate ranges of measurement conditions were demonstrated and measurement accuracy wasveriﬁed [M09007].
・To advance the crack propagation prediction method for gas turbine ﬁrst stage nozzle vane, temperature estimation method based on steady-state conjugate heat transfer analysis was developed. Temperature distribution
estimated here was found to be useful in the understanding of the crack propagation mechanism [M09005].
Advanced Fuel Utilization【Objectives】
For the diversiﬁcation of fuels applied to coal ﬁred power plants, some basic research related to theupgrading of low grade fuels, and the sampling and analysis of trace elements applied to coal gasiﬁcation gases
and coal combustion ﬂue gases were conducted. New applications of the catalytic decomposition of volatileorganic compounds are also under development.
【Principal Results】
・Extraction technology using DME was found to have various applications such as upgrading of low grade fuelscontaining moisture and/or oil, oil recovery from alga, and remediation of contaminated soil.
・To establish measurement methods for gaseous boron and selenium, which are useful in improving the quality of environmental protection performance of thermal power plants, the interferences during sampling werespeciﬁed.
・The catalytic decomposition of volatile organic compounds using ceria catalyst was applied to deodorization,
and was found to be effective to decompose major odors such as mercaptan and acetaldehyde.
Energy Conversion Engineering【Objectives】
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Energy Engineering Research Laboratory
Development of system analysis, heat pump/heat storage, fuel cell and innovative basic technologies,
aimed at the realization of popularization/expanding of energy saving technology from the demand side andsuper-high efﬁciency power generating systems.
【Principal Results】
・Improvement of the Energy Chain Evaluation Program (ECEP) for analyze and evaluation of energy demandand supply systems and equipment based on energy load data in demand side.
・Development of analysis method for energy efﬁciency degradation factors at thermal and gas combined power
plants with EnergyWin, which is our software for analysis of static thermal characteristics in power generation
plants [M09013].
・Development of basic technology and know-how on cathodes for higher performance and cost reduction of
the Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (MCFC). Improvement of degradation factor analysis and development ofcommon performance evaluation method on the Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) and the Solid Oxide
Fuel Cell (SOFC).
Numerical Analysis of Turbulent Heat Transfer and Reacting Flows【Objectives】
In order to theoretically estimate and optimize performance of thermal power generation plants, advanced
numerical analysis technology is developed. This technology is established by combining various numericalanalysis technologies and developing models of turbulent heat transfer and chemical reactions on equipments(e.g., pulverized coal combustion boilers, gasiﬁers and gas turbines) at thermal power generation plants.
【Principal Results】
・Turbulence models that can accurately predict heat transfer characteristics around gas turbine blades wereinstalled to the developing code. From the comparison to the experimental results, the turbulence models werefound to be reliable for the simulation of gas turbine thermal ﬂow ﬁelds.
・A multi-phase combustion model which can accurately estimate radiative heat transfer among the solid, liquidand gaseous phase was developed and the validity of the model was investigated by performing direct numerical simulation (DNS).
・The effects of inner ﬂow structure on de-NOx reaction on the catalyst wall were investigated by performing
large eddy simulation (LES). The results contribute to the establishment of prediction method for degradation
characteristics of de-NOx catalyst in thermal power generation plants.

Measurement
X-ray CT system

CO2 Laser

Multijointarm

IR camera

Measuredtemp.

Numerical analysis

Relationship
6curve5
HeatresistanceHeat resistanceGeometry measurement

TBC surf ace
temp. calculation

43210150

Turbine bladeIRSurf ace
geometry dataRobotLaserbeamTurbineblade

Rotary stage

Blade model

250

350

450

Temperature

Relationship between
TBC surf ace temp.
and heat resistance
Developed system

Setting heat
resistance of TBC

高温

低温

Heat conduction
analysis under
the same conditions

Fig. 1 Conﬁguration of the NDE system for heat resistance of TBCs on gas turbine blades
A TBC heat resistance is decided using the TBC surface temperature when the blade is heated using a laser beam under
the same heating conditions and a relationship curve that is calculated by a numerical analysis. Based on the results, thetemperature distribution on the blade base metal can be estimated, and the remaining life assessment of the blade can beperformed.

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