he high-pressure main steam valve is manually operated via a handwheel. Five high-pressure regulating valves and X extraction steam regulating valves are each driven by a hydraulic actuator through a lever mechanism.
China has achieved a new breakthrough in the development of small gas turbines. The domestically developed 3-megawatt-class (CGT3) gas turbine was recently unveiled, expanding China's gas turbine family and marking the country's full mastery of small and medium-sized gas turbine technology. The market prospects for small and medium-sized gas turbines are vast, with applications spanning offshore platforms, island power generation, emergency power supply, and more. At the 2026 China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Gas Turbine Day held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province from January 16 to 17, a series of independently developed innovations were showcased. Over the past five years, China has achieved breakthroughs in over 200 key core technologies, including single/dual-fuel low-emission combustion, hydrogen-ammonia fuel combustion, mobile power generation, and big data-based intelligent health management for gas turbines, achieving multiple “zero” breakthroughs. The newly released CGT3 gas turbine fully aligns with international advanced standards in all performance metrics, overcoming multiple key technological hurdles. This breakthrough signifies China's entry into the advanced tier of independent R&D in the gas turbine field.
As core power equipment for electricity, aviation, maritime, and industrial sectors, the development level of gas turbines directly impacts national security and industrial competitiveness, serving as a cornerstone for advancing the strategy of building a manufacturing powerhouse. The United States designated advanced gas turbine technology as one of 19 critical technologies affecting national security in its 2022 and 2024 Lists of Critical and Emerging Technologies, ranking it among the top priorities. Gas turbines are thus hailed as the “crown jewel” of equipment manufacturing. Currently, only a handful of countries—including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, and China—possess independent R&D capabilities in this field.
“Gas turbines feature ‘three highs and one low’: high temperature, high rotational speed, high power density, and low emissions,” Liu Bingbing, Deputy Director of the Compressor Technology Center at the 703rd Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, told the Global Times. Gas turbines primarily consist of three core components: compressors, combustion chambers, and turbines. By compressing air and combusting fuel, they drive turbines to generate power, finding extensive applications in industrial power generation and other fields. Liu explained: "First is high temperature. After fuel is fully combusted in the combustion chamber, it creates an environment exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius, imposing extremely high demands on fuel quality and equipment material performance. Second is high rotational speed. The faster the turbine spins, the greater the centrifugal force generated during operation, posing significant technical challenges for material performance and structural design. Third is high power density, which is both a technical hurdle and a key design advantage of gas turbines." Liu Bingbing illustrated with an example: for equipment with a 25-megawatt output, a diesel engine of equivalent power could weigh hundreds of tons, whereas a gas turbine requires only tens of tons to deliver the same power. In applications sensitive to weight, such as ships, this significantly reduces the overall equipment weight, effectively enhancing the platform's space utilization and endurance.
Beyond the “three highs,” gas turbine technology also boasts a “low” advantage: low emissions that meet current environmental standards. Currently fueled by natural gas, gas turbines can control emissions below 20ppm or even 15ppm, demonstrating outstanding environmental performance. Future fuel sources could evolve toward cleaner options like pure hydrogen.
Consequently, gas turbine R&D demands high starting points, presents significant development challenges, requires extended timelines, and relies heavily on fundamental research, extensive testing, advanced materials, and sophisticated manufacturing processes.
CGT Series Market Share Steadily Increases
According to industry experts, China's industrial gas turbines long faced stringent foreign technology barriers and product monopolies. Taking natural gas transmission and offshore oil and gas development as examples, hundreds of industrial gas turbines in operation prior to 2018 relied on imports.
Throughout China's gas turbine development journey, the nation has comprehensively conquered and mastered core gas turbine design technologies, establishing a complete industrial ecosystem spanning R&D design, manufacturing, testing and validation, system integration, product supply, and full-lifecycle service support.
“CGT (China Gas Turbine) industrial gas turbines are China's own gas turbines,” stated Liu Bingbing. When he joined the research institute in 2012, only one gas turbine model was under development. Today, the CGT series spans a product range from 3 to 50 megawatts, achieving multi-domain, full-scenario applications across distributed energy, combined heat and power, emergency power generation, offshore platforms, and industrial drive systems.
“Although China's gas turbine industry started relatively late with a weaker foundation, it has maintained steady and rapid development in recent years. In our view, particularly in the small-to-medium-sized gas turbine sector, we have progressively transitioned from following others to achieving independent innovation,” said Sun Peng, Deputy Director of the 703rd Research Institute under China State Shipbuilding Corporation.
Currently, while the global gas turbine market remains dominated by giants like General Electric and Siemens, China has begun to make significant strides. The CGT series products have steadily increased their market share, gaining traction both domestically and internationally. This not only advances the process of achieving self-reliance and control over major equipment in China's energy sector but also showcases the strength of Chinese brands in the global energy and power market.
Gas Turbine Mobile Power Station: The “Wild Card” in Emergency Power Generation
With the rapid growth of global electricity demand, the gas turbine market is experiencing historic expansion. Data indicates that over the past five years, cumulative global gas turbine sales reached approximately 2,100 units, with small and medium-sized gas turbines accounting for 68% (by unit count). In the first half of 2025, global gas turbine orders totaled 427 units, a 124% year-on-year increase, with demand for small and medium-sized gas turbines reaching 330 units, up 180% year-on-year.
“Small and medium-sized gas turbines offer advantages such as compact size, mobility, and portability, while also supporting dual-fuel systems for oil and natural gas. Furthermore, driven by the ‘dual carbon’ goals, the global energy structure is accelerating its transition toward clean and low-carbon solutions. Gas turbines, primarily fueled by natural gas, exhibit lower carbon emissions intensity compared to coal-fired power generation,” explained Liu Bingbing, outlining the reasons behind the surging demand for small and medium-sized gas turbines.
According to Global Times reporters, the newly released 3-megawatt gas turbine boasts compact dimensions, lightweight construction, high power density, and low noise levels. Its power density is ten times that of traditional steam turbines, making it a low-carbon, environmentally friendly energy solution. Its market applications are extensive, spanning distributed energy generation, offshore platforms, island power generation, and emergency power supply.
In the emergency power generation sector, the 25-megawatt gas turbine mobile power station (CGT25-T) and the 2.5-megawatt vehicle-mounted emergency generator set have strong market demand. The 2.5-megawatt vehicle-mounted unit uses a gas turbine as its prime mover, delivering a rated output power of 2,500 kilowatts. The generator set resembles a large box truck in overall appearance, featuring robust load-bearing capacity and mobility. It can travel rapidly across diverse road conditions and operate stably even in complex terrain. Key characteristics include black start capability and rapid power supply response.
According to reports, in the civilian sector, this generator set can serve as an emergency backup power source for data centers in industries such as telecommunications and banking, or provide backup power assurance for large-scale conferences and sporting events.
he high-pressure main steam valve is manually operated via a handwheel. Five high-pressure regulating valves and X extraction steam regulating valves are each driven by a hydraulic actuator through a lever mechanism.
Turbine maintenance is a systematic process involving planned, targeted inspections, cleaning, repairs, and testing to identify potential equipment defects, eliminate operational failures, and restore rated performance.
First, understand a key fluid dynamics concept—the boundary layer. According to Prandtl's boundary layer theory, when viscous steam flows over a blade surface, an extremely thin fluid layer forms near the wall.
Condenser vacuum is a core parameter in the thermal cycle of steam turbine units. Vacuum leakage represents one of the most common failures in power plant turbines, occurring when external air or non-condensable gases infiltrate the condenser or vacuum system through equipment gaps.
Shaft displacement Refers to the displacement of the shaft. Generally, axial displacement changes are small in magnitude. When axial displacement is positive, the shaft moves toward the generator.
Main steam pressure refers to the pressure value of the high-temperature, high-pressure steam generated by the boiler before it enters the steam turbine, typically measured in megapascals (MPa).
Currently, global AI computing power infrastructure is entering an explosive growth phase, where high-power, high-stability power supply has become the “lifeline” for computing clusters.
