Heat recuperation is often used to improve the overall cycle efficiency of gas turbines. However, generally in small- scale gas turbines, it has a negative effect on turbine inlet temperature, pressure ratio and pressure drops, and thus decreases the overall cycle efficiency. In this paper, a thermodynamic model is performed to evaluate recovered heat as a function of heat exchanger effectiveness, pressure drops, and defines the overall cycle energy and exergy efficiency. A high heat exchanger effectiveness, and low pressure drops are favorable to achieve maximal cycle energy efficiency. The main challenge in recuperator designis to find compromise between these conflicting requirements. Hence, a thermodynamic model is developed to determine recuperator design with an aim to maximize overall cycle energy and exergy efficiency. Further, to analyze Iran's manufacturing and its technological capabilities, a pre-requisite is considered for the proposed model. Hence, Iran's capability level could be determined. Finally, a case study of selecting recuperator of a 200kW gas turbine is conducted. Industrial gas turbines show performance characteristics that distinctly depend on ambient and operating conditions. They are influenced by site elevation, ambient temperature, and relative humidity. Proper application of gas turbines requires consideration of these factors. Thus, in this study, the effect of ambient conditions on overall cycle energy and exergy efficiency is performed by the proposed thermodynamic model.

This research aims to find suitable measurements to detect the occurrence of turbine erosion in Micro Gas Turbine engines. For this purpose, the off-design operation of this engine under the turbine's normal and eroded conditions has been modeled and the behavior of different parameters of the gas path has been analyzed. Turbine erosion is one of the most popular issues in gas turbine performance degradation. Accordingly, to have proportional health condition monitoring and diagnostics, it is necessary to know the effects of turbine erosion. Characteristic curves of an eroded turbine is utilized by the proposed off-design model to find the best parameters to detect turbine erosion. In the course of this research, two operation scenarios, one with maintaining the output power and the other with maintaining turbine inlet temperature, are examined. In both scenarios, the running line shifts to a new location with higher airflow and lower pressure ratio. When turbine inlet temperature is maintained, fuel flow, pressure ratio, and output power fall dramatically (9.8%, 11.1%, and 14.3% respectively) while in the other scenario temperature in the combustion chamber inlet and the turbine exhaust with 7% and 7.6% rise and pressure ratio with 4.4% reduction show most deviations from the healthy condition. So depending on the control scenario, the proper parameters can be selected from these sensitive parameters to detect turbine erosion in the Micro Gas Turbine.

Among renewable energy sources, the electrical generation from micro-wind turbines has not yet disclosed its huge potential especially in urban settings. Increasing the spread of micro-wind turbines not only promotes the decentralized generation of energy, but also helps tackle fuel poverty and to achieve reductions in the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs).This work proposes an innovative methodology to exploit wind flow fields, calculated by means of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes in urban environments, within the geographical information system (GIS) platform. In this way, the platform of users is amplified, even non-specialist users, that can utilize wind data to evaluate the potential production of electricity using micro-wind turbines. A pilot study was conducted for assessing the applicability of the approach in a Sicilian city. The results of this case study show the energy yield produced from a building-mounted wind turbine (BUWT). The developed methodology permits to enrich the information usually stored in the GIS platform allowing to supply useful information about suitable sites where micro-wind energy plants can be installed and to assess the production of renewable energy in the urban settings.

Distributed electricity generation has been a long-standing focus for researchers and policymakers. With the global rise in electricity demand, various generation methods such as solar, wind, fuel cells, and internal combustion engines—are being implemented, each with distinct advantages and drawbacks. Micro gas turbines have emerged as a viable candidate for a reliable, cost-effective, and accessible energy production system. To enhance overall system efficiency, the heat produced from fuel combustion in these turbines can also be used to generate hot water. This study investigates micro gas turbines fueled by biogas, analyzing the effects of several critical parameters: Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT), Compressor Pressure Ratio (CPR), and recuperator effectiveness within the cycle. The thermodynamic modeling uses the thermally perfect gas model and was conducted in EES (Engineering Equation Solver), with a selected commercial gas microturbine used for validation. Variable fluid thermodynamic properties are accounted for based on temperature, providing accuracy under diverse operational scenarios. It is found that to achieve the maximum overall efficiency, there is an optimal value for the CPR while it increases with increment in the TIT and recuperator effectiveness.