Design, optimization and energy effeciency of a natural gas combined cycle power plant

In Turkey, natural gas has come to indispensable main fossil fuel position due to usage in housing and electric production. Nowadays, natural gas usage in electric production has increased up to 50%. The main reasons to this increase are the advantages of natural gas combined circuit central much as lower investment cost, shorter foundation time, easier operation and maintenance, and higher efficiency values with respect to coal once. Energy investments are delayed in Turkey, and country faced short-term energy bottle-neck at the peaks of the oscillating economic condition. Natural gas combined cycle power plant investments are became very attractive to the local and foreign private companies with high price purchase guaranteed and build-operate-transfer model due to lack of governmental sources. On the other hand, with the rapid increasing it the price of natural gas, Russia and other petroleum and natural gas producers used these as a political pressure tool. Combined gas power plant entrepreneur reconsidered their investment opportunities under these conditions. Although natural gas combined cycle power plants are used for urgent electrical need, clean cool technologies combined heat-power (cogeneration) and combined cycle, are the new nominee for the long term power plant investments. The aim of this study is to investigate the combined cycle power plant structure and apply this to the energy efficiency studies which are suitable to technologies and current gas prices. So, new combined cycle power plant will be set in a more efficient may considering their operation economy and besides rehabilitation of old combined cycle power plant to reduce fuel consumption would be succeeded. The main energy efficiency application in order to increase system performance in the combined cycle power plant is to coal combustion air at the input of the compressor with fogging application and increase the flow rate. This application is also easier to apply and has lower investment cost. In this study, the structure of a combined cycle plant is investigated, modeled and optimized. Then, the effect of fogging application to the system performance is investigated. THERMOFLEX which is the thermodynamic module at the THERMOFLOW, is used analyze cyclic thermal performance. In order to do mechanical dimensioning and thermo-economic analyses, PEACE packet program is used. Results of the PEACE with the help of CAD-CAM applications such as SolidWorks make it possible to shift to production phase. Beside, the results of the PEACE can be transferred to the ANSYS and stress analyzes are performed for the critical parts. Thus systems working could be guaranteed throughout its lifetime. In addition to this, in Turkey have occurred delays in energy investments for a long time and in top points of flexible conditions in Turkey economy have been come across with short-term electric deficits. With deficiency of investment sources and giving electric purchasing guaranty in high prices with do-operate method to native and foreign investors, the natural gas combined circuit central has become much attractive. The increasing of natural gas prices in rapid and high rates, especially in Russia, entrepreneurs have consider again about combined circuit centrals because of using these as a means of politic and economic pressure of countries supplying natural gas and oil. In conditions needed urgent electric, even if the application natural gas combined circuit centrals continues, the compound heat-power (cogeneration) and combined circuit centrals leaning the clean coal technology have been seen the candidate again in electric production. The aim of this study, by comprehending the combined circuit central structure and the Ar-Ge changes in this structure; it is to apply these in our energy prices and in workings energy productivity and to its technologies are suitable. So, the other aim is to found the operating economy of combined circuit centrals which will be founded newly and the other is to supply their workings by using much little fuel and by realizing the rehabilitation of combined circuit centrals working for 20 years. With easiest and smallest investment and with irrigating in entrance compressor in combined circuit centrals is to heal the cooling of burning air and increasing its capacity with together its system performance. In this study, it has been examined the system structure of combined circuit central and it has been done studies about modeling of circuit structure and optimization. However, it has been examined the effect to its system performance of irrigating application in compressor entrance. It has been used THERMOFLEX packaged software about thermodynamics analysis of THERMOFLOW packaged software in cyclic thermal analysis. For its mechanic dimension and thermo-economic analysis, has required to use PEACE packaged software of this programmed. PEACE results can supply to pass opportunity to the design and production with application Solid Works etc?CAD-CAM. Furthermore, Solid Works results supply to do voltage analysis in important points of central by loading to ANSYS programmed. So, it can be ensured its working regularly for a long time.