Augmentation of gas turbine performance using air coolers

This paper studies the performance enhancement of gas turbine power plants by cooling the air at plant intake. A comparison between using two different types of air coolers, namely water spraying system and cooling coil, is performed. The power plant performance characterized by the plant efficiency and net power generated is examined in addition to the mass of water condensable from the exhaust gases for the purpose of reusing it in cooling after proper recycling. The performance characteristics are examined for a set of design and operational parameters including ambient temperature, relative humidity, turbine inlet temperature and pressure ratio. The results show that spray coolers are capable of boosting the power and enhancing the efficiency of the gas turbine power plant in a way that is much cheaper than the cooling coils, however, it operates more efficiently at hot and dry climates. Condensing water from the exhaust may help, partially, in providing the make-up water for such a system in dry climates. Cooling coils give a full control on the compressor inlet conditions, however they consume considerable amount of power, causing a large drop in the overall plant performance.