Capstone Turbine for Combined Heat and Power

 Capstone turbine generate electricity and heat simultaneously in the form of hot water for users.
Hot water produced can be used to power an absorption refrigerator which produces chilled water for air conditioning plants.
Capstone most important patent refers to the absence of lubricating oil through the use of air bearings capable of supporting the turbine shaft to rotate without mechanical contact. The bearings run on a thin film of air generated by special airfoils on turbine axis itself. The friction therefore occurs only at the stage of starting and stopping the machine. Friction phenomena are stress-free as they are amortized by a support structure specifically engineered and sized  to ensure durability and functionality the metal parts over time.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Another advantage is that Capstone turbines present lowest available today emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere: NOx <5 ppmv and 9 ppmv, respectively, powered by natural gas and biogas. Unlike what happens in the case of reciprocating engines, turbines allow their installation and use without any catalyst reduction of emitted pollutants.

LOW MAINTENANCE COSTS
The absence of lubricating oil means less maintenance. There are two main technical issues that explain the advantage of turbines compared to conventional engines: - the absence of mechanical / hydraulic parts inside the turbine, which normally need to be lubricated by oil - the simplicity of construction.

VARIABLE SPEED
Capstone turbine offers the possibility to modulate electricity and heat production as instantaneously required by users. - It ´s indeed capable of generating power modulating from 0 to 100% of its rated power. This is achieved by varying turbine speed from 45,000 (start generation) to 96,000 rpm (rated) on a patented air bearing.
- This leads to better returns on partial and total loads up to over 80% (including electricity from 26 to 33% depending on the model).