The effect of gas turbine inlet cooling on part load

performance of Benghazi / Libya combined cycle

power plant (452.75 MW)

JAMAL ATIA ABDUSAMAD

School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering
Newcastle University
NE1 7RU UK
E-mail: jamal.abdusamad@ncl.ac.uk
Abstract
This paper presents a literature review to examine ways of improving the
performance of existing combined cycle power plant (CCPP). It also proposes
modelling techniques that will be carried out to improve the performance of an
existing power plant (452.75 MW) situated at Benghazi-Libya. This plant will be
schematically modelled and mathematically simulated using two different model
libraries, (power plant and refrigeration) of a well known package called IPSEpro.
In spite of design innovation the actual performance of the equipment is still
penalized by high ambient intake air temperature (especially in a tropical humid
climate). High ambient temperature limits the air mass intake, which reduces the gas
turbine output.
A single effect or half effect lithium bromide water mixture absorption chillers will
be retrofitted to the existing power plant component to reduce and stabilize the
compressor inlet air temperature, hence improving total output generated power of
the plant and overall efficiency. The simulated results will be compared to the
relevant technical standards and will be compared to the recent published work.
KEY WORDS: combined cycle power plant, single effect or half effect lithium
bromide absorption chillers, IPSEpro.

1. Introduction:
As we are aware that the population of the world is increasing dramatically, and the demand for
energy is greater than ever before. Fossil fuels are the main source of our energy, and are not
renewable resources meaning that once used they cannot be replaced or recreated.
They also present environmental problems during their extraction and transportation. In
contrast, clean energy relies on renewable resources and minimal impact on the environment.
Based on current known reserves and consumption of these fuels, the following amounts of
each fossil fuel remains available as of 2003:

Oil:
Approximately 1,000 billion barrels, enough to last 39 years.
Natural Gas: Approximately 5,400 trillion cubic feet, enough to last 59 years.
Coal:
Approximately 1,000 billion metric tons, enough to last 245 years [1-2].

However all the forecasts suggest that more fuels will be burned in the future and 85% of it
will be fossil fuel, and almost every step of the process of supplying energy damages the
environment. Fossil fuel combustion emits gaseous pollutions that cause global warming, and
carbon dioxide is responsible for at least half of warming, and 80% of global carbon dioxide
emission comes from power plants as shown in figure 1 [2].

Fig.1. A coal- fired power plant (cc).

2. Gas turbine performance:

Gas turbine performance is of paramount importance to the users and manufacturers. The
combustion gas turbine being installed in many of todays natural gas fuelled power plants
consists of inlet section, compressor, combustion system, turbine, exhaust system, and exhaust
diffuser as in fig.1.

The compressor draws air into the engine, pressurizes it and feeds it to combustion at
high speed.
The combustion system is made of fuel injectors that inject steady streams of fuel into
the combustion chambers where it mixes with air. The mixture is burned at a
temperature of more 1093 C.
Turbine has a stationary and rotating aerofoil-section, as hot combustion gas expands
through the turbine, it spines the rotating blades. The rotating blades perform dual
function, they drive the compressor to draw more pressurized air into the combustion
system, and they spin a generator to produce electricity.
The exhaust gases exiting the engine could be recovered and put to good use [3].

Figure1. Gas Turbine Unit (Courtesy of Siemens Westinghouse)

The main parameters that affect the performance of the gas turbine are the intake air
temperature, intake air pressure, and exhaust gases. As seen in figure 2. There is an obvious
drop in the power output as the ambient air temperature increases, if an increase of inlet air
temperature from (ISO) condition (15C) to a temperature of (30C) this would result in 10%
decrease in the net power output. This is particularly relevant in tropical climates where the
temperature is between 25 and 35C through the year [4]. The most popular way to improve the
capacity of the combined cycle power plant is to lower intake air temperature to around 15C
(ISO) and 100% RH before entering the air compressor of the gas turbine (GT) [5].

Fig.2. Gas turbine parameter as function of ambient temperature.

3. Combined-cycle power plant:

Combined-cycle power plant consists of one or more gas turbine generators, equipped with
heat recovery steam generator unit (HRSG), and steam powered turbine. These plants are very
large, typically rated in the hundred of mega-watts, as shown in figure 3. The combined cycle
unit combines Rankine (steam turbine) and Brayton (gas turbine) thermodynamic cycle by
using boilers to capture the energy in the gas turbine gases for steam production. The
combustion turbines energy conversion typically ranges between 25% to 35% efficiency as a
simple cycle [6]. The boiler is known as heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). High pressure
steam from these boilers can also generate power with steam turbine, which is called a
combined cycle.
Combined cycles have a higher thermal efficiency than the steam or gas turbine cycles
operating alone, on the other hand recent development in gas turbine technology have made the
combined gas steam cycle economically very attractive. The combined cycle increases the
efficiency.
Today, the gas turbine is a formidable competitor as achieving thermal efficiencies of over
40% in simple (open) cycle configuration and up to 60% in (combined) cycle mode [7].
An extensive study was undertaken on the effect of turbine inlet temperature on engine
performance. The gas turbine can be used in a cogeneration system, utilizing the heat waste
from exhaust gases to drive an absorption refrigeration unit to cool the gas turbine inlet air.
The increased density of the cooled air increases the mass flow through gas turbine, a typical
combined cycle gas turbine and absorption refrigeration cycle using waste energy in improving
the thermal efficiency of gas turbine plant. It has been demonstrated that an appreciable
improvement in the thermal efficiency of a gas turbine power plant, operating under relative
high ambient temperature (above 32 C), could be achieved by utilizing the waste heat of the
gas turbine, and waste heat was used to operate an absorption chillers unit the cooling effect
reduces the air temperature at inlet to the compressor [8].

Fig.3. Multi-shaft combined cycle plant.

4. Absorption refrigeration:
Absorption chillers are cooling machines that use thermal energy (steam or hot water) instead
of mechanical compressors which consume electricity [9].
The absorption refrigeration is a refrigerant that utilizes a heat source to provide energy needed
to drive the cooling system. There are three distinct absorption technologies that are currently
used:
Water/lithium bromide chillers.
Ammonia/water chillers
Ammonia/water hydrogen refrigerant.

Water / lithium bromide chillers absorption cycle uses water as the refrigerant and lithium
bromide salt as the absorbent. Heat is used to separate the two fluids, when they are mixed in a
near vacuum environment. Absorption chillers are half, single, double, or triple-effect, the half
effect is used when the temperature of the available source is less than the minimum
necessarily to fire a single effect cycle. And consist of high desorber, low desorber, high
absorber, low absorber, condenser, and evaporator. Single effect cycle refers to the transfer of
fluid through the four major components of the refrigeration machine-evaporator, absorber,
generator and condenser, as shown in the pressure-temperature diagram in figure 4. Double
effect has two condensers and two generators to allow for more refrigerant boil-off from the
absorption solution. Triple effect cycle is logical improvement over the double-effect, and has
low-temperature condenser, middle-temperature condenser, high-temperature condenser,
middle-temperature generator, low-temperature generator and absorber [10].

Figure 4.Single effect absorption refrigeration cycle.

4.1 Absorption chillers capacity:

To obtain cooling load, the amount of energy per hour, which is used to change the temperature
and humidity from a given condition of 15C and relative humidity of 100%, can be calculated.
Therefore the chillers capacity is a function of the temperature and the relative humidity of the
ambient air. Some of the cooling load is used to decrease the ambient temperature till relative
humidity reaches 100%. And the remaining of the cooling load is used to reduce the air
temperature below the dew point. Fig.5 illustrates the path that air takes as it changes from
ambient condition to the desired cooled state [11].

Figure 5. Air cooling process in psychometric diagram.

4.2 The Tools:

IPSEpro software is the tool that will be used in this study. IPSEpro is highly flexible and
comprehensive environment for modelling and analyzing processes in energy engineering,
chemical engineering and many other related areas. There are 2 levels, process level: (PSE)
Process Simulation Environment and component level (MDK) Model Development Kit.
Process simulation environment (PSE) allows complete freedom in arranging the available
component in order to represent a process scheme. Model development kit (MDK) provides
unlimited flexibility in defining the characteristics of the component models. It allows complete
customization of all components [12].

4.3 Proposed simulated model:

The research work will be emphasised on the improvement of the capacity and the efficiency of
Benghazi (north) power plant by retrofitting two water cooled single effect lithium bromide
absorption chillers to the plant, the purpose of the absorption chillers (AC) is to increase the
power output of the combined cycle by cooling the intake air entering the gas turbine
compressor. Cooling the inlet air would increase the air mass density flow hence the power
output. Benghazi (north) combined cycle power plant (CCPP) consists of 2 gas turbine (GT)
units and one steam turbine (ST), which produces approximately (452.75 MW).
The main operating parameter of gas turbine units are as follows:

Gas turbine 1- (GT13 E1) consumes 7.763 kg/s of natural gas (fuel), and 452.8 kg/s of
air at ambient temperature 37C, to produce 149.5 MW of electricity and emits 460.5
kg/s of exhaust gas at a temperature of 535C .
Gas turbine 2- (GT13 E2) consumes 7.761 kg/s of a natural gas (fuel), and 469.8 kg/s of
air at ambient temperature of 37 C, to produce 150 MW of electricity and emits 476.8
kg/s of exhaust gas at a temperature of 548 C.

The heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is installed just after the exhaust of the gas turbine
unit to recover exhaust hot energy by generating superheat steam to operate the steam turbine
units. The first half of the (HRSG) consists of high pressure supper heater (HP-S/H), high
pressure evaporator (HP-EVAP), low pressure supper heater (LP-S/H) and high pressure
economizer. And also the second half of the HRSG are consist of high pressure economizer,
low pressure evaporator, high pressure economizer, low pressure economizer, preheater, drum
and dearator.
The remaining exhaust hot energy will be further utilized by passing it to the generator of the
single effect absorption chillers.
Two lithium bromide absorption chillers are selected for each gas turbine unit as shown in fig.
6. Water cooled single effect lithium bromide H2O absorption chillers units will be
systematically modelled and thermodynamically simulated. Using two different model
libraries, (power plant and refrigeration) of IPSEpro software package, the design structure of
the system IPSEpro allows users to calculate any process that can be represented, the advanced
power plant library was designed for modelling a wide range of thermal systems. This library
contains models for both designed and off-design analysis of any power plant. The simulated
results will be validated according to the relevant technical standards and will be compared to
the recent published work.
The absorption chillers on the other hand can make use of the heat of the exhaust gas at the gas
turbine outlet and meet the cooling requirement of the inlet air. B.Mohanty and G. Paloso Jr
[13] concluded that reducing the air intake temperature from ambient condition to 15C can
raise the gas turbine power generation capacity by 8-13%. Consequently, the plant energy
output can increased by 11%.

Fig.6. Simulated model of Benghazi (north) power plant.

Acknowledgement:
I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Brain Agnew for his help, support and guidance
throughout the work.

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