Effect of Inlet Air Cooling by Ice Storage on Unit Sizing of a Gas Turbine Cogeneration Plant

Abstract

In the commercial sector, heat and power demands peak in the summer daytime because of high space cooling demands, and cogeneration plants are required to produce maximum heat and power to meet their demands. However, gas turbine cogeneration plants have the disadvantage of decreases in maximum power output in the summer daytime, which reduces the availability of gas turbines. One of the ways to avoid the aforementioned disadvantage is to cool inlet air and augment maximum power output. In addition, one of the ways for inlet air cooling is to make ice by driving electric compression refrigerators using off-peak power generated during the nighttime, store it in ice banks, and use its heat for inlet air cooling during the on-peak period. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of inlet air cooling by ice storage on the unit sizing and cost of a gas turbine cogeneration plant. An optimal unit sizing method based on the mixed-integer linear programming is used to rationally determine equipment capacities and operational strategies of the plant. A numerical study is conducted, in which the gas turbine cogeneration plants with and without inlet air cooled by ice storage are compared with each other, and the effect of inlet air cooling on the equipment capacities as well as the annual total cost and its items is clarified.