Optimization of heat recovery steam generators for combined cycle gas turbine power plants

The heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is one of the few components of combined cycle gas turbine power plants tailored for each specific application. Any change in its design would directly affect all the variables of the cycle and therefore the availability of tools for its optimization is of the greatest relevance. This paper presents a method for the optimization of the HRSG based on the application of influence coefficients. The influence coefficients are a useful mathematical tool in design optimization problems. They are obtained after solving the equations of the system through the Newton–Raphson method. The main advantage of the proposed method is that it permits a better understanding of the influence of the design parameters on the cycle performance. The study of the optimization of the distribution of the boiler area between its different components is presented as an example of the proposed technique.     

Thermoeconomic evaluation of the feasibility of highly efficient combined cycle power plants

The paper proposes an analysis of the feasibility of highly efficient combined plants. The aim of the paper is to discuss and analyze different strategies for the increase of the efficiency of the combined cycle power plants with respect to those usually proposed in the literature. Resorting to the optimization of the components, joined with the use of regeneration and postcombustion (reheat) in the topping cycle it is shown how the combined plant efficiency can rise well over the actually well known limit of 60%. The possibility of obtaining such a high efficiency value is confirmed also by the proposed thermoeconomic optimization, based on the minimization of the total cost of the plant per unit power, obtained referring to a common economic basis the cost of the exergy losses and the costs of the components. The feasibility of obtaining combined plant with efficiency higher than 62%, simply by best fitting the available technology and without waiting for meaningful technological improvement of the gas turbines, is demonstrated.     

Families of optimal thermodynamic solutions for combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants

Optimal designs of a CCGT power plant characterized by maximum second law efficiency values are determined for a wide range of power demands and different values of the available heat transfer area. These thermodynamic optimal solutions are found within a feasible operation region by means of a non-linear mathematical programming (NLP) model, where decision variables (i.e. transfer areas, power production, mass flow rates, temperatures and pressures) can vary freely. Technical relationships among them are used to systematize optimal values of design and operative variables of a CCGT power plant into optimal solution sets, named here as optimal solution families. From an operative and design point of view, the families of optimal solutions let knowing in advance optimal values of the CCGT variables when facing changes of power demand or adjusting the design to an available heat transfer area.     

Thermoeconomic evaluation of CO2 alkali absorption system applied to semi-closed gas turbine combined cycle

A new carbon dioxide separation system based on CO₂ absorption in aqueous solutions of alkaline salts (sodium and potassium carbonate) was studied with reference to semi-closed gas turbine/combined cycle (SCGT/CC), and compared to results obtained with existing technologies. Use of calcium hydroxide for the regeneration of the exhaust solution was studied in order to obtain a tail-end product, calcium carbonate in the form of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) with a wide spread and continuously growing market. The alkali CO₂ absorption process was compared with a conventional amine absorption process (DEA+MDEA), referring to the same SCGT/CC based on the same CO₂ removal efficiency. The comparison allows foregrounding of the possible goals of the CO₂ alkali absorption process with respect to previous amine cycle analyses. The modeling approach focuses on a thermodynamical and economical first comparison of the proposed cycle to previous studies carried out on CO₂ absorption (Energy Convers. Manage. 40 (1999) 1917; Absorption of CO₂ with amines in a semi closed GT cycle: plant performance and operating costs, ASME Paper 98-GT-395, American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME Publishing, New York, 1998; Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies Conference, Interlaken, Switzerland, Pergamon, Oxford, 1999).     

Horizontal axis wind turbine systems: optimization using genetic algorithms

A method for the optimization of a grid‐connected wind turbine system is presented. The behaviour of the system components is coupled in a non‐linear way, and optimization must take into account technical and economical aspects of the complete system design. The annual electrical energy cost is estimated using a cost model for the wind turbine rotor, nacelle and tower and an energy output model based on the performance envelopes of the power coefficient of the rotor, C_P, on the Weibull parameters k and c and on the power law coefficient α of the wind profile. In this study the site is defined with these three parameters and the extreme wind speed V_max. The model parameters vary within a range of possible values. Other elements of the project (foundation, grid connection, financing cost, etc.) are taken into account through coefficients. The optimal values of the parameters are determined using genetic algorithms, which appear to be efficient for such a problem. These optimal values were found to be very different for a Mediterranean site and a northern European site using our numerical model. Optimal wind turbines at the Mediterranean sites considered in this article have an excellent profitability compared with reference northern European wind turbines. Most of the existing wind turbines appear to be well designed for northern European sites but not for Mediterranean sites. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimization of heat recovery steam generator through exergy analysis for combined cycle gas turbine power plants

This paper proposes a new approach to finding the optimum design parameters of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) system to maximize the efficiency of the steam turbine (bottom) cycle of the combined cycle power plant (CCPP), but without performing the bottom cycle analysis. This could be achieved by minimizing the unavailable exergy (the sum of the destroyed and the lost exergies) resulted from the heat transfer process of the HRSG system. The present approach is relatively simple and straightforward because the process of the trial-and-error method, typical in performing the bottom cycle analysis for the system optimization, could be avoided. To demonstrate the usefulness of the present method, a single-stage HRSG system was chosen, and the optimum evaporation temperature was obtained corresponding to maximum useful work for given conditions of water and gas temperatures at the inlets of the HRSG system. Results show that the optimum evaporation temperature obtained based on the present exergy analysis appears similar to that based on the bottom cycle analysis. Also shown is the dependency of number of transfer unit (NTU) on the evaporation temperature, which is another important factor in determining the optimum condition when the construction cost is taken into account in addition to the operating cost. The present approach turned out to be a powerful tool for optimization of the single-stage HRSG systems and can easily be extended to multi-stage systems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用燃气—蒸汽联合循环改造老电厂

利用燃气－蒸汽联合循环对老电厂进行改造,能够提高能源的综合使用率,降低能耗,并有效利用老电厂的现有设备,可以减少投资并见效快,文章对利用燃气－蒸汽联合循环对老电厂进行改造的主要方式和热效率进行了分析。     

Modelling of combined cycle power plants using biomass

The olive tree in Spain can generate large quantities of by-product biomass suitable for gasification. Gasification technologies under development would enable these fuels to be used in gas turbines. Biomass conversion to a clean essentially ash-free form, usually by gasification and purification, is necessary to obtain high efficiency. This paper reports results of detailed full-load performance modelling of cogeneration systems based on gasifier/gas turbine technologies.     

The impact of the new investments in combined cycle gas turbine power plants on the Italian electricity price

The paper measures the variation of the electricity price in Italy within the next 10 years due to the recent investment flow in combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants. It starts by investigating the possibility of decoupling gas and oil prices on the basis of hypotheses about the amount of existing resources and plausible technical substitutability assumptions of the latter with the former. In particular, it is supposed that, in the Italian market, natural gas will play a crucial role which oil has had in power generation. The price of electricity stemming from natural gas is then calculated taking into account the role of the power mix restructuring that derives from the CCGT power plants investments. Under reasonable assumptions, it is shown that a net reduction of at least 17% on the electric price is likely to be expected.     

Multi-objective optimization of solid oxide fuel cell/gas turbine combined heat and power system: A comparison between particle swarm and genetic algorithms

Many studies have attempted to optimize integrated Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine (SOFC-GT), although different and somehow conflicting results are reported employing various algorithms. In this study, Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) is employed to approach the optimal design of SOFC-GT considering all prevailing factors. The emphasis is placed on the evaluation of the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) performance as two effective approaches for solving the multi-objective and non-linear optimization problems. Multi- objective optimization is carried out on two vital objectives; the electrical efficiency and the overall output power of the system. The considerable achievements are the set of optimal points that aim to identify the system optimal performance which provides a practical basis for the decision-makers to choose the appropriate target functions. For the studied conditions, the two algorithms nearly exhibit similar performance, while the PSO is faster and more efficient in terms of computational effort. The PSO appears to achieve its ultimate parameter values in fewer generations compared to the GA algorithm under the examined circumstances. It is found that the maximum power of 410 kW is accomplished employing the GA optimization method with an efficiency of 64%, while PSO method yields the maximum power of 419.19 kW at the efficiency of 58.9%. The results stress that PSO offers more satisfactory convergence and fidelity of the solution for the SOFC-GT MOO problems.     

Thermoeconomic optimization of an ice thermal storage system for gas turbine inlet cooling

The gas turbine power output and efficiency decrease with increasing ambient temperature. With compressor inlet air cooling, the air density and mass flow rate as well as the gas turbine net power output increase. The inlet cooling techniques include vapor or absorption refrigeration systems, evaporative cooling systems and thermal energy storage (TES) systems. In this paper the thermoeconomic analysis of ice (latent) thermal energy storage system for gas turbine inlet cooling application was performed. The optimum values of system design parameters were obtained using genetic algorithm optimization technique. The objective function included the capital and operational costs of the gas turbine, vapor compression refrigeration system, without (objective function I) and with (objective function II) corresponding cost due to the system exergy destruction. For gas turbines with net power output in the range of 25-100 MW, the inlet air cooling using a TES system increased the power output in the range of 3.9-25.7%, increased the efficiency in the range 2.1-5.2%, while increased the payback period from about 4 to 7.7 years.     

Thermoeconomic optimization of heat recovery steam generators operating parameters for combined plants

The optimization of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is particularly interesting for the combined plants design in order to maximise the work obtained in the vapour cycle. A detailed optimization of the HRSG is a very difficult problem, depending on several variables. The first step is represented by the optimization of the operating parameters. These are the number of pressure levels, the pressures, the mass flow ratio, and the inlet temperatures to the HRSG sections. The operating parameters can be determined by means both of a thermodynamic and of a thermoeconomic analysis, minimising a suitable objective function by analytical or numerical mathematical methods. In the paper, thermodynamic optimization is based on the minimization of exergy losses, while the thermoeconomic optimization is based on the minimization of the total HRSG cost, after the reduction to a common monetary base of the costs of exergy losses and of installation.     

燃气轮机联合循环电厂孤网运行浅析

为保障电网安全,电网提出当省网220kV回路故障时,由联合循环电厂独立承担局部地区供电任务。本文是对联合循环机组正常运行时,如果电网系统突发故障,联合循环电厂如何调节,才能使局部供电稳定,在技术方面进行探讨。     

Influence of the heat recovery steam generator design parameters on the thermoeconomic performances of combined cycle gas turbine power plants

This paper proposes a methodology to identify the most relevant design parameters that impact on the thermal efficiency and the economic results of combined cycle gas turbine power plants. The analysis focuses on the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) design and more specifically on those operating parameters that have a direct influence on the economic results of the power plant. These results are obtained both at full and part load conditions using a dedicated code capable of simulating a wide number of different plant configurations. Two different thermoeconomic models aimed to select the best design point are proposed and compared: the first one analyzes the generating cost of the energy while the second one analyzes the annual cash flow of the plant. Their objective is to determine whether an increase in the investment in order to improve the thermal efficiency is worth from an economic point of view. Both models and the different HRSG configurations analysed are compared in the results section. Some parametric analysis show how the design parameters might be varied in order to improve the power plant efficiency or the economic results. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermo-environmental analysis of an open cycle gas turbine power plant with regression modeling and optimization

In this paper, a gas turbine cycle is modeled to investigate the effects of important operating parameters like compressor inlet temperature (CIT), turbine inlet temperature (TIT) and pressure ratio (PR) on the overall cycle performance and CO₂ emissions. Such effects are also investigated on the exergy destruction and exergy efficiency of the cycle components. Furthermore, multiple polynomial regression models are developed to correlate the response variables (performance characteristics) and predictor variables (operating parameters). The operating parameters are then optimized. According to the results, operating parameters have a significant effect on the cycle performance and CO₂ emissions. The largest exergy destruction is found in the combustion chamber with lowest exergy efficiency. The regression models have appeared to be a good estimator of the response variables. The optimal operating parameters for maximum performance have been determined as 288 K for CIT, 1600 K for TIT and 23.2 for PR.     

Analytical method for evaluation of gas turbine inlet air cooling in combined cycle power plant

Gas turbine inlet air cooling technologies (GTIAC), mainly including chilling with LiBr/water absorption chiller and fogging as well, are being used during hot seasons to augment the power output. To evaluate the general applicability of inlet air cooling for gas–steam combined cycle power plant (GTCCIAC), parameters such as efficiency ratio, profit ratio and relative payback period were defined and analyzed through off-design performances of both gas turbine and inlet air cooling systems. An analytical method for applicability evaluation of GTCCIAC with absorption chiller (inlet chilling) and saturated evaporative cooler (inlet fogging) was presented. The applicability study based on typical off-design performances of the components in GTCCIAC shows that, the applicability of GTCCIAC with chilling and fogging depends on the design economic efficiency of GTCC power plant. In addition, it relies heavily on the climatic data and the design capacity of inlet air cooling systems. Generally, GTCCIAC is preferable in the zones with high ambient air temperature and low humidity. Furthermore, it is more appropriate for those GTCC units with lower design economic efficiency. Comparison of the applicability between chilling and fogging shows that, inlet fogging is superior in power efficiency at t_a = 15–20 °C though it gains smaller profit margin than inlet chilling. GTCC inlet chilling with absorption chiller is preferable in the zones with t_a > 25 °C and RH > 0.4.     

低热值煤气燃气轮机联合循环发电在钢铁厂的应用

燃气轮机联合循环发电效率比常规电厂高10个百分点左右，钢铁厂用的低热值煤气燃气轮机主要有单管燃烧室和分管燃烧室二种类型。容量应按钢铁厂富余煤气量呈正态分布的规律计算确定。还介绍了轴制、煤气预处理、电网联网等特殊问题。50MW左右的机组已有国产化的实例。     

On the cost optimization of a district heating facility using a steam-injected gas turbine cycle

The application of a steam-injected gas turbine cycle to a district heating system is analyzed from the thermodynamic and economic viewpoints. A commercially available software was used to predict the part load behavior of the plant. Good agreement of the simulation results and the measured data was found. Cost-optimal operation is achieved at the maximum allowable firing temperature, if a degree of freedom with respect to power production exists. The electricity–credit/fuel–cost ratio was identified as the most significant variable influencing the economic performance of the plant.     

9FA型燃气轮机联合循环性能研究

1引言西气东输工程促进了沿线燃气轮机联合循环电厂的建设,减轻了中东部地区的环境排放压力。燃气轮机联合循环发电系统高效低污染、启停迅速、调峰能力强。西气东输管道沿线有25台F级燃气轮机联合循环机组,其中GE公司9FA型燃气轮机联合循环发电机组13台。如何保证系统的稳定安     

闭式循环气轮机装置使用的无气体产生燃料

无气体产生燃料在AIP装置上的应用具有优势,如不会释放燃烧反应气体,不存在燃烧产物排放问题,不会形成排气尾迹。针对闭式循环气轮机装置使用的无气体产生燃料,提出了无气体产生燃料及其氧化剂选择和需满足的技术要求,给出了一些无气体产生燃料及其相应氧化剂的种类和性质,介绍了无气体产生燃料的燃烧方式和燃烧设备,描述了使用无气体产生燃料的闭式循环蒸汽轮机装置和燃气轮机装置的系统组成及工作原理,并对一些应用上问题进行了分析。