Gas turbine arrangement, power plant and method for the operation thereof

A method for operating a power plant having a gas turbine arrangement, in which fuel is burnt together with combustion air compressed by a compressor and a turbine coupled mechanically to the compressor, the method comprising:

• driving the turbine by way of combustion gases, the combustion gases being discharged into the surroundings via an exhaust gas tract;
• converting residual heat from the exhaust gases at least partially into electrical energy by way of at least one thermoelectric generator,
• wherein the at least one thermoelectric generator is in thermal communication with a heat transmission unit that is in thermal communication with the exhaust gases, and
• wherein a heat conductivity on a surface of the heat transmission element which protrudes into the exhaust gas tract is lower than the heat conductivity on a side of the heat transmission element which faces the at least one thermoelectric generator.

A gas turbine arrangement for a power plant, comprising:

• a compressor coupled by a shaft to a turbine;
• an exhaust gas tract configured to provide fluid communication between the turbine and the surroundings for combustion gases;
• an upstream thermoelectric generator in thermal communication with relatively upstream combustion gases;
• an upstream heat transmission element in thermal communication with the upstream thermoelectric generator and comprising an upstream element gas surface that faces the combustion gases and an upstream element generator surface that faces the hot side of the thermoelectric generator, wherein the upstream heat transmission element is characterized by an upstream element ratio between the upstream element gas surface and the upstream element generator surface;
• a downstream thermoelectric generator in thermal communication with relatively downstream combustion gases;
• and
• a downstream heat transmission element in thermal communication with the downstream thermoelectric generator and comprising a downstream element gas surface that faces the combustion gases and a downstream element generator surface that faces the hot side of the thermoelectric generator, wherein the downstream heat transmission element is characterized by a downstream element ratio between the downstream element gas surface and the downstream element generator surface;
• wherein the upstream element ratio is lower than the downstream element ratio.