It is common knowledge that the widespread use of air conditioning during high temperatures can put major stresses on the electrical grid. But those hot summer days can also cause another power problem that many people don’t know about.

When it comes to gas-fired power plants, hot air entering the gas turbines can have a severely negative effect on the power generated by those turbines. In fact, the power output of a gas turbine is inversely proportional to the inlet air temperature. In other words, as the inlet air temperature increases, the turbine power output decreases.

Combine this lower output level with the increased demand generated by millions of homes and businesses trying to cool indoor spaces at the exact same time during extreme heat, and it’s easy to see how a plant’s capacity can fall short of the power needed.

Fortunately, that’s where Marlo comes in with an effective solution. Our turbine inlet cooling coils condition the incoming air to a lower temperature, thereby increasing air density and mass flow rate – which can restore the performance of the turbine to its peak capacity, regardless of the ambient temperature, humidity and availability of water.

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