Editing Gas turbine (section)

===Industrial gas turbines for power generation===
[[File:Gateway Generating Station rectified.jpg|thumb|[[Gateway Generating Station]], a [[combined cycle power generation|combined-cycle]] [[gas-fired power plant|gas-fired power station]] in California, uses two GE 7F.04 combustion turbines to burn [[natural gas]].]]
[[File:GE H series Gas Turbine.jpg|thumb|GE H series power generation gas turbine: in [[combined cycle]] configuration, its highest [[thermodynamic efficiency]] is 62.22%]]{{See also|Gas-fired power plant}}
Industrial gas turbines differ from aeronautical designs in that the frames, bearings, and blading are of heavier construction. They are also much more closely integrated with the devices they power—often an [[electric generator]]—and the secondary-energy equipment that is used to recover residual energy (largely heat).

They range in size from portable mobile plants to large, complex systems weighing more than a hundred tonnes housed in purpose-built buildings. When the gas turbine is used solely for shaft power, its thermal efficiency is about 30%. However, it may be cheaper to buy electricity than to generate it. Therefore, many engines are used in CHP (Combined Heat and Power) configurations that can be small enough to be integrated into portable [[Intermodal container|container]] configurations.

Gas turbines can be particularly efficient when [[waste heat]] from the turbine is recovered by a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) to power a conventional steam turbine in a [[combined cycle]] configuration.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://memagazineblog.org/2012/07/01/efficiency-by-the-numbers/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130207053320/http://memagazineblog.org/2012/07/01/efficiency-by-the-numbers/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= 7 February 2013 |title= Efficiency by the Numbers |first=Lee S. |last=Langston |date= July 2012 }}</ref> The 605 MW [[General Electric]] 9HA achieved a 62.22% efficiency rate with temperatures as high as {{convert|2800|°F|°C|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.gereports.com/bouchain/ |title=Here's Why The Latest Guinness World Record Will Keep France Lit Up Long After Soccer Fans Leave |first=Tomas |last=Kellner |publisher=[[General Electric]] |date=17 June 2016 |access-date=21 June 2016 |archive-date=16 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616021542/http://www.gereports.com/bouchain/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
For 2018, GE offers its 826 MW HA at over 64% efficiency in combined cycle due to advances in [[additive manufacturing]] and combustion breakthroughs, up from 63.7% in 2017 orders and on track to achieve 65% by the early 2020s.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.genewsroom.com/press-releases/ha-technology-now-available-industry-first-64-percent-efficiency-284144 |title= HA technology now available at industry-first 64 percent efficiency |date=4 December 2017 |publisher= GE Power}}</ref>
In March 2018, GE Power achieved a 63.08% gross efficiency for its 7HA turbine.<ref>{{cite press release |url= https://www.ge.com/news/press-releases/ges-ha-gas-turbine-delivers-second-world-record-efficiency/ |title= GE's HA Gas Turbine Delivers Second World Record for Efficiency |publisher= GE Power |date= March 27, 2018}}</ref>

Aeroderivative gas turbines can also be used in combined cycles, leading to a higher efficiency, but it will not be as high as a specifically designed industrial gas turbine. They can also be run in a [[cogeneration]] configuration: the exhaust is used for space or water heating, or drives an [[absorption chiller]] for cooling the inlet air and increase the power output, technology known as [[turbine inlet air cooling]].

Another significant advantage is their ability to be turned on and off within minutes, supplying power during peak, or unscheduled, demand. Since single cycle (gas turbine only) power plants are less efficient than combined cycle plants, they are usually used as [[peaking power plant]]s, which operate anywhere from several hours per day to a few dozen hours per year—depending on the electricity demand and the generating capacity of the region. In areas with a shortage of base-load and [[load following power plant]] capacity or with low fuel costs, a gas turbine powerplant may regularly operate most hours of the day. A large single-cycle gas turbine typically produces 100 to 400&nbsp;megawatts of electric power and has 35–40% [[thermodynamic efficiency]].<ref name=siemens>{{cite web |first1=Phil |last1=Ratliff |first2=Paul |last2=Garbett |first3=Willibald |last3=Fischer |title=The New Siemens Gas Turbine SGT5-8000H for More Customer Benefit |work=VGB PowerTech |publisher=Siemens Power Generation |date=September 2007 |url=http://www.energy.siemens.com/us/pool/hq/power-generation/gas-turbines/downloads/SGT5-8000H_benefits.pdf |access-date=17 July 2010 |archive-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813030259/http://www.energy.siemens.com/us/pool/hq/power-generation/gas-turbines/downloads/SGT5-8000H_benefits.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>