Inlet Conditioning Enhances Performance of Modern Combined Cycle Plants for Cost-Effective Power Generation

Abstract

This paper will examine the performance enhancement and cost benefits of inlet air conditioning applied to a modern combined cycle plant at high ambients, resulting in lower electricity production costs. Site specific cases are presented to demonstrate a broad range of application and cost benefits. The successful project in today’s aggressive competitive power marketplace is most typically defined as “lowest $/kW”. Traditional combined cycle plants have been driven to higher levels of efficiency by increasing gas turbine heat recovery using large, multiple pressure level heat recovery steam generators and improving heat sink technologies with aggressive cooling towers or air cooled condensers. This methodology rapidly produced less competitive results as the price of new generation was reduced. The driving technology behind this change was the development of high output, high efficiency advanced gas turbines. Improved metallurgy, cooling schemes and blade coating systems permitted each GT manufacturer to offer improved output and efficiencies. These improvements, coupled with industry uncertainty due to the threat of deregulation and consequential reduction in new generation opportunities, has allowed new performance standards to be realized for equal or lower unit prices, leading to an unparalleled reduction of installed cost for new power plants.