Design Study of Part-Flow Evaporative Gas Turbine Cycles: Performance and Equipment Sizing—Part I: Aeroderivative Core

Abstract

The evaporative gas turbine cycle is a new high-efficiency power cycle that has reached the pilot testing stage. This paper presents calculation results of a new humidification strategy based on part flow humidification. This strategy involves using only a fraction of the compressed air for humidification. Thermodynamically, it can be shown that not all the air needs to be passed through the humidification system to attain the intrinsic good flue gas heat recovery of an EvGT cycle. The system presented also includes live steam production and superheating by heat from the hottest flue gas region. The humidifier only uses the lower temperature levels flue gas heat, where it is best suited. The analyzed system is based on data for the aeroderivative Rolls Royce Trent as a gas turbine core. Part II of this two-part paper presents the results based on data for the industrial gas turbine ABB GTX100. Simulation results include electric efficiency and other process datas as functions of degree of part flow. A detailed model of the humidifier is also used and described, which produces sizing results both for column height and diameter. Full flow humidification generates an electric efficiency of 51.5% (simple cycle 41%). The efficiency increases when the humidification air flow is reduced, to reach a maximum of 52.9% when air flow to the humidification amounts to around 12% of the intake air to the compressor. At the same time, total heat exchanger area is reduced by 50% and humidifier volume by 36% compared to full flow humidification. This calls for a recommendation not to use all the compressed air for humidification.