Modeling and Optimization of Heat Exchangers Within Gas Turbine Systems

The paper presents an analysis of a recuperative gas turbine system used for micro-cogeneration based on energetic and exergetic principles. The system is composed of two compressors (one for the fuel, the other for air), a combustion chamber, a gas turbine, a recuperator used to preheat the air before entering the combustion chamber and a heat exchanger for heating water. The analysis compares three different configurations obtained by placing the recuperator upstream of, downstream of, or in parallel with the water heater. It is subject to the following assumptions: the fuel is injected steadily and ideally (without irreversibility), the air is a perfect gas, the heat exchangers are adiabatically isolated from the surroundings and the compressors and the turbine are adiabatic. A detailed analysis of the thermal and mechanical irreversibilities of the cycle is also presented. The optimization goal is to minimize the entropy generation or to maximize the useful exergy output of the system. With this approach the best configuration for a specified operating regime of micro-cogeneration can be determined.