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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsGas turbines burn fuel inside the turbine system, while steam turbines use steam made by a separate boiler, heat-recovery steam generator, or other heat source. In a gas turbine, a compressor pressurizes air, fuel burns in that compressed air, and the expanding combustion gas turns turbine blades. A steam turbine receives high-pressure steam and extracts energy as the steam expands through its blades.
These are not always competing choices. In a combined-cycle power plant, the gas turbine generates electricity first, its hot exhaust makes steam in a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG), and that steam drives a steam turbine for additional power. The right comparison therefore depends on the plant configuration, fuel and heat available, electricity demand, and whether the site can use process steam or other recovered heat.
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The basic difference in one view
| Question | Gas turbine | Steam turbine |
|---|---|---|
| Working fluid through the turbine | Hot combustion gas produced inside the system | Steam supplied from an external source |
| Where heat is added | Fuel is burned in a combustion system after air is compressed | A boiler, HRSG, or another heat source makes the steam before it reaches the turbine |
| Main energy conversion | Expanding hot gas turns the turbine shaft | Expanding high-pressure steam turns the turbine shaft |
| What the turbine drives | The turbine drives its compressor and an electrical generator | The turbine shaft normally drives an electrical generator or another mechanical load |
| Typical plant arrangements | Simple-cycle, combined-cycle, or cogeneration | Standalone steam cycle, combined-cycle bottoming cycle, or cogeneration |
| Useful by-product | High-temperature exhaust that can supply an HRSG, steam load, or process heat | Steam can be routed to a generator, industrial process, or both, depending on plant design |
The key distinction is the working fluid and heat source. “Gas turbine” identifies a machine that compresses air and burns fuel to create its own hot working gas. “Steam turbine” identifies a machine that receives steam made elsewhere. “Combined cycle” describes how machines are arranged, not a third kind of turbine.
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1. The compressor pressurizes air
Ambient air enters the compressor. Rows of rotating and stationary blades raise the air pressure before combustion. The compressor consumes part of the shaft power produced by the turbine, so it is an integral part of the gas-turbine engine rather than an optional accessory.
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2. Fuel burns in compressed air
A combustion system injects fuel into the pressurized air and burns the mixture. The result is a high-temperature, high-pressure flow of combustion gas. The fuel options and exact performance depend on the equipment and site; the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) describes gas turbines as capable of operating on multiple fuels, subject to the design.
3. Expanding gas turns the turbine
The hot gas expands through turbine stages. As it accelerates and loses pressure, it turns the blades and shaft. That shaft supplies the compressor’s demand and the remaining mechanical power to an electrical generator or other load.
4. Exhaust leaves the machine or enters heat recovery
In a simple-cycle installation, the exhaust exits after passing through the turbine, and its remaining heat is not used to make more electricity. In a plant with heat recovery, the exhaust flows to an HRSG or another heat-use system. DOE distinguishes heavy-frame and aeroderivative land-based gas-turbine designs; those categories have different size and operating characteristics, so a generic gas-turbine specification cannot stand in for every machine.
How a steam turbine produces power
Steam is made outside the turbine
A steam turbine does not include the boiler that creates its working fluid. A boiler may burn fuel to make steam, an HRSG may use gas-turbine exhaust, or another heat source may supply the steam. The turbine’s job begins when high-pressure steam arrives at its inlet.
Expansion converts steam energy to shaft work
Steam expands through fixed and rotating blade rows. The pressure and thermal energy released during expansion turn the rotor and shaft. The shaft can drive an electrical generator or an industrial mechanical load. The turbine itself therefore cannot be evaluated separately from the equipment that supplies its steam: the steam source, pressure conditions, heat-recovery equipment, and intended load determine the plant’s behavior.
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Steam turbines fit several plant roles
DOE identifies steam turbines in central-station generation, industrial facilities, commercial sites, and combined heat and power (CHP). A steam turbine may be the main electricity-producing machine in a steam cycle, the second power-producing stage in a combined-cycle plant, or one part of a CHP system that also sends steam to a process.
Simple cycle, steam cycle, and combined cycle
Simple-cycle gas-turbine plant
A simple-cycle gas-turbine plant compresses air, burns fuel, expands the combustion gas, and sends the exhaust away. It has one principal power-producing turbine and does not use an HRSG to generate a second steam-turbine stage. The arrangement is conceptually direct, but the exhaust heat leaves without producing additional electrical output.
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A steam-cycle plant supplies heat to a boiler or another steam generator, sends the resulting steam through a steam turbine, and uses the turbine shaft to produce power. The steam source may be fuel-fired or may use heat recovered from another process. Calling the machine a steam turbine says nothing by itself about whether the boiler is fossil-fueled, nuclear, biomass-fired, electrically heated, or supplied by recovered heat.
Combined-cycle plant
A combined-cycle plant links the two cycles in sequence. The gas turbine is the first stage. Instead of discarding its hot exhaust, the plant sends that exhaust through an HRSG, which makes steam for a steam turbine. The steam turbine is the second stage and extracts additional energy from heat that the simple-cycle gas turbine would have rejected.
This is why “gas versus steam” can be a misleading question. A combined-cycle plant uses a gas turbine and a steam turbine in one integrated arrangement. The first machine receives fuel and air directly; the second receives steam made from recovered heat.
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Combined-cycle operation, step by step
- Air enters the gas turbine. The compressor raises its pressure.
- Fuel is added and burned. The combustion system creates hot, expanding gas.
- The gas turbine produces the first electrical output. Expanding gas turns the turbine shaft, which drives the compressor and generator.
- Exhaust heat enters the HRSG. Instead of leaving unused, the hot exhaust transfers heat to water and produces steam.
- The steam turbine produces additional output. Steam expands through the steam turbine and turns a second generator or a shared mechanical load.
The exact arrangement can vary. A plant may send steam to the steam turbine, to an industrial process, or divide it between power generation and process use. The useful result is not a universal “gas efficiency” or “steam efficiency”; it is the performance of a defined system boundary containing specific equipment and outputs.
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Efficiency: use the right boundary
DOE’s explanatory page states that a simple-cycle gas turbine can achieve energy-conversion efficiencies of 20% to 35%. The page is undated; the range was reported as the DOE page available in 2026. It is a stated range for simple-cycle gas turbines, not a guarantee for a particular model, site, fuel, ambient condition, or operating point.
That figure should not be treated as a universal ranking against every steam-turbine plant. A steam turbine’s electrical performance depends on the steam conditions and on the boiler or heat source that made the steam. A combined-cycle plant also has more equipment and a different boundary: gas-turbine exhaust heat is recovered in an HRSG and converted into additional power.
| Efficiency question | What it includes | Why the distinction matters |
|---|---|---|
| Simple-cycle gas-turbine conversion | Fuel input converted primarily to gas-turbine electricity | DOE gives a 20–35% explanatory range; exhaust heat is not credited as a second electrical stage |
| Combined-cycle electrical efficiency | Gas-turbine output plus steam-turbine output from recovered exhaust heat | The HRSG and steam cycle change both the equipment boundary and total output |
| CHP or cogeneration efficiency | Electricity plus useful steam or process heat | Useful thermal energy counts as an output, so it cannot be compared directly with electricity-only efficiency |
The DOE-hosted CIBO Energy Efficiency Handbook discusses cogeneration figures in which useful heat is counted alongside power. Those overall thermal-efficiency values answer a different question from electricity-only conversion efficiency. When comparing proposals, specify whether the denominator is fuel input and whether the numerator includes only electricity or also useful heat delivered to a process.
Fuel, heat, and site requirements
Gas-turbine considerations
A gas turbine needs a suitable fuel supply, combustion air, and a way to use or reject its exhaust. DOE’s CHP fact sheet notes that gas turbines can operate on multiple fuels, but the permitted fuels and resulting performance depend on the equipment and site. A plant that has no use for hot exhaust can operate in simple cycle; a plant with steam demand or an opportunity to recover heat may justify an HRSG.
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Steam-turbine considerations
A steam turbine needs an external steam system. The project must therefore provide a boiler, HRSG, or another heat source, along with water and the equipment needed to deliver steam at the required conditions. The turbine can be attractive where steam is already available for an industrial process or where a central heat source is practical, but the turbine cannot operate as a standalone fuel-burning engine.
Heat demand can change the answer
If a facility needs process steam, hot water, or other useful heat as well as electricity, CHP may be more important than electricity-only efficiency. Gas-turbine exhaust can supply high-temperature heat, while steam turbines can be integrated with industrial and commercial steam systems. The useful comparison is the plant’s total energy service: power, steam, process heat, or a combination.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Gas turbine versus steam turbine: decision framework
| Site question | What points toward a gas turbine | What points toward a steam turbine or steam cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Is fuel burned directly in the power machine? | The project can supply combustion fuel and wants direct gas-turbine generation | The project already has a boiler, HRSG, or another steam source |
| Is there valuable exhaust heat? | Hot gas-turbine exhaust can feed an HRSG or process load | Steam is already the site’s principal heat-transfer medium |
| Is electricity the only desired output? | Simple-cycle gas generation may fit the stated need | A steam cycle may fit when a suitable heat source is already present |
| Does the site need process steam or heat? | Gas-turbine exhaust can support CHP through heat recovery | Steam can be divided between the turbine and process users |
| Is the goal to recover gas-turbine exhaust? | Use an HRSG and add a steam-turbine bottoming cycle | The steam turbine becomes the second stage of the combined cycle |
| What efficiency metric is being quoted? | Check whether the figure is simple-cycle, combined-cycle, or CHP | Check whether the figure counts only electricity or also useful heat |
This framework does not produce a universal winner. A fuel-rich site with no steam demand, an industrial site with an existing boiler, and a facility that needs both electricity and process heat are solving different engineering problems.
CHP and industrial applications
CHP, also called cogeneration, produces electricity and makes useful heat available to a nearby process. Gas turbines are relevant because their exhaust is hot enough to support steam generation or direct process heating. A steam turbine is relevant because steam can be expanded for power and then routed, depending on the design, to a process load.
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In a combined-cycle cogeneration plant, operators may allocate steam among the steam turbine, a process user, and other heat loads. Sending more steam through the turbine can increase electrical production; sending more directly to a process can increase useful thermal service. The optimum split depends on the facility’s demand and the equipment configuration, not on the turbine label alone.
DOE’s 2024 gas-turbine CHP fact sheet emphasizes high-temperature exhaust and fuel flexibility. Its 2025 steam-turbine CHP fact sheet describes steam turbines as mature machines used in industrial, commercial, central-station, and CHP settings. Those application categories explain why both technologies remain relevant: one creates hot gas directly, while the other converts an available steam supply into shaft power.
Common misconceptions to avoid
“The steam turbine makes its own steam.”
It does not. The boiler, HRSG, or another heat source makes the steam. The steam turbine only expands that supplied steam and converts its energy to shaft work.
“Combined cycle is another turbine type.”
Combined cycle is a plant arrangement. It combines a gas-turbine topping cycle with a steam-turbine bottoming cycle and an HRSG that transfers exhaust heat between them.
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A gas turbine can operate in simple cycle, feed an HRSG in combined cycle, or provide exhaust heat in CHP. The word gas identifies the turbine’s working fluid and combustion process, not the complete plant layout.
“The highest percentage is automatically the best project.”
Percentages are meaningful only with their boundary and output defined. Electricity-only efficiency, combined-cycle efficiency, and CHP total-useful-energy efficiency are not interchangeable metrics.
“One manufacturer or design represents every gas or steam turbine.”
Gas turbines include heavy-frame and aeroderivative land-based designs, and steam-turbine installations vary with their steam source and application. Fuel, operating conditions, load, and heat-recovery equipment all affect the result.
Questions to settle before selecting a configuration
- What is the required output? Define electricity demand, process-steam demand, heat demand, and whether those loads are constant or variable.
- What heat source is available? Identify fuel supplies, existing boilers, waste heat, gas-turbine exhaust, and any restrictions on fuel choice.
- Where will exhaust or rejected heat go? A heat sink or process user can turn a thermal by-product into useful output; without one, the plant may need to reject it.
- What boundary will be used for comparison? State whether the calculation covers only the turbine, the full power block, a combined cycle, or a CHP system.
- What does the quoted efficiency include? Ask whether the figure is electricity-only or counts useful steam and process heat.
- Which equipment is included? For gas systems, check the compressor, combustor, turbine, generator, and HRSG where applicable. For steam systems, check the steam source, turbine, generator, and associated heat-recovery or process equipment.
- What operating arrangement is intended? Determine whether the plant will run as simple cycle, steam cycle, combined cycle, or CHP, and how steam will be divided among power and process loads.
Bottom line
A gas turbine compresses air, burns fuel, and expands hot combustion gas through its blades. A steam turbine receives steam made by a separate heat source and extracts energy as that steam expands. In a combined-cycle plant, the gas turbine produces the first power output, an HRSG uses its exhaust to make steam, and the steam turbine produces additional power. Choose between configurations by matching the working fluid, available fuel and heat, electricity demand, process-steam needs, and the efficiency boundary being measured—not by treating “gas” and “steam” as mutually exclusive plant choices.
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