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Research Papers: Gas Turbines: Industrial & Cogeneration

Inlet Air Cooling Applied to Combined Cycle Power Plants: Influence of Site Climate and Thermal Storage Systems

[+] Author and Article Information
Nicola Palestra

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, BG Italynicola.palestra@unibg.it

Giovanna Barigozzi

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, BG Italygiovanna.barigozzi@unibg.it

Antonio Perdichizzi

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Bergamo, Viale Marconi 5, 24044 Dalmine, BG Italyantonio.perdichizzi@unibg.it

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power 130(2), 022002 (Feb 29, 2008) (9 pages) doi:10.1115/1.2771570 History: Received April 26, 2007; Revised May 10, 2007; Published February 29, 2008

Abstract

The paper presents the results of an investigation on inlet air cooling systems based on cool thermal storage, applied to combined cycle power plants. Such systems provide a significant increase of electric energy production in the peak hours; the charge of the cool thermal storage is performed instead during the night time. The inlet air cooling system also allows the plant to reduce power output dependence on ambient conditions. A $127MW$ combined cycle power plant operating in the Italian scenario is the object of this investigation. Two different technologies for cool thermal storage have been considered: ice harvester and stratified chilled water. To evaluate the performance of the combined cycle under different operating conditions, inlet cooling systems have been simulated with an in-house developed computational code. An economical analysis has been then performed. Different plant location sites have been considered, with the purpose to weigh up the influence of climatic conditions. Finally, a parametric analysis has been carried out in order to investigate how a variation of the thermal storage size affects the combined cycle performances and the investment profitability. It was found that both cool thermal storage technologies considered perform similarly in terms of gross extra production of energy. Despite this, the ice harvester shows higher parasitic load due to chillers consumptions. Warmer climates of the plant site resulted in a greater increase in the amount of operational hours than power output augmentation; investment profitability is different as well. Results of parametric analysis showed how important the size of inlet cooling storage may be for economical results.

Figures

Figure 1

Layout of the 130MW reference CC

Figure 2

Layout considered for cool thermal storage inlet air cooling system

Figure 3

Simulation program structure

Figure 4

Ambient temperature for a typical year in Northern Italy

Figure 5

Ambient temperature for a typical year in Southern Italy (Sicily)

Figure 6

Average unique national price

Figure 7

Inlet air cooling temperature—Case 1

Figure 8

Inlet air cooling temperature—Case 3

Figure 9

CC power output—Case 1

Figure 10

CC power output—Case 3

Figure 11

Ice stored into the tank—Case 2

Figure 12

Inlet air cooling temperature—Case 2

Figure 13

Chilled water stored into the tank—Case 1

Figure 14

Net power output augmentation—Case 1

Figure 15

Marginal net electric efficiency—Case 1

Figure 16

Gross electric energy overproduction

Figure 17

Auxiliaries’ energy consumptions

Figure 18

Storage tank cost as a function of its volume

Figure 19

Gross electric energy overproduction as a function of thermal storage volume

Figure 20

Payback time of the investment as a function of thermal storage volume

Figure 21

Net present value as function of the total capital cost

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