Combustion Turbine Inlet Air Cooling

Increasing the combustion turbine inlet airflow rate is a common modification to increase the power and net efficiency of power-generating equipment, including automotive engines with inlet air compressors (turbos) and power-producing combustion turbines with supercharging or inlet air cooling. There are many designs available for combustion turbine inlet air cooling. This design guide is intended to provide some of the information that needs to be considered in applying technologies to combustion turbine inlet air cooling (CTIAC) systems. The use of inlet air cooling as a viable design option to increase the capacity of combustion turbines and combined-cycle systems is widely accepted. A presentation of some of the accepted methods and techniques used in CTIAC applications is provided to help designers, engineers, utilities, and customers understand CTIAC fundamental designs. Design parameters, possible equipment options, controls, operation, maintenance, and economics are considered, along with a review of some successful installations.

Some of the parameters that affect the selection, installation, and operation of a CTIAC system include the type of combustion turbine (industrial single shaft or aeroderivative), climate, hours of operation, the ratio of airflow rate to power generation, the rate of generation increase with decreasing temperature, the air cooling method, inlet pressure loss due to cooling coils or wetted media, controls, fuel costs and availability, maintenance costs, pumping requirements, thermal storage type and charging/discharging strategies, the value of power sales, and the cost of purchased power.

Cooling Designs to Increase Turbine Capacity

CTIAC systems are designed to...