Figure 12: Breakdown of thermal power generation in twelve European countries in 1993
Although declining, petroleum products still account for a large percentage of electricity generation. In Europe, almost 18 % of the electricity produced by thermal means in 1993 (54 % of the total) was from petroleum products (Raimbault (1995)) . The interest in using heavy oils as fuels for generation of electricity stems from their economic advantage (Foster (1970), Lee et al. (1971)) . The ratio of distillate oil price to that of residual oil (John Brown Engineering) can be 1.6:1, and in some parts of the world 2:1.
One preferred means for the generation of electricity is gas turbines. The fundamental aspects of gas turbines are reviewed in the next sections.
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