Compressor intake-air cooling in gas turbine plants

The generated power and efficiency of gas turbine plants depend on the temperature of the inlet air. At high ambient temperatures, a power loss of more than 20%, combined with a significant increase in specific fuel consumption, compared to ISO standard conditions (15degreesC), can be observed. The purpose of this work is to present a computer simulation of the integration of an innovative technology for reducing the intake-air temperature in gas turbine plants. Following a description of the air-cooling system, simulation results for two test cases are presented: a simple cycle gas turbine and a combined cycle plant. First, the effect of ambient air temperature variation on the power output and efficiency is presented for both cases. Next, the results from the integration of an evaporative cooler and of the air-cooling system under consideration are presented and discussed, demonstrating the gain in power output and efficiency that can be achieved. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.