Because of the increasing share of renewables in the energy market, part load operation of gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power plants has become a major issue. In combination with the variable ambient conditions and fuel quality, load variations cause these plants to be operated across a wide range of conditions and settings. However, efficiency improvement and optimization studies are often focused on single operating points. The current study assesses efficiency improvement possibilities for the KA26 GTCC plant, as recently built in Lelystad, The Netherlands, taking into account that the plant is operated under frequently varying conditions and load settings. In this context, free operational parameters play an important role: these are the process parameters, which can be adjusted by the operator without compromising safety and other operational objectives. The study applies a steady state thermodynamic model with second-law analysis for exploring the entire operational space. A method is presented for revealing correlations between the exergy losses in major system components, indicating component interactions. This is achieved with a set of numerical simulations, in which operational conditions and settings are randomly varied, recording plant efficiency and exergy losses in major components. The resulting data is used to identify distinct operational regimes for the GTCC. Finally, the free operational parameters are used as decision variables in a genetic algorithm, optimizing plant efficiency in the operational regimes identified earlier. The results show that the optimal settings for decision variables depend on the regime of operation.
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April 2015
Research-Article
A Holistic Approach to GTCC Operational Efficiency Improvement Studies
Sowande Z. Boksteen,
Sowande Z. Boksteen
1
Institute for Engineering and Applied Science,
e-mail: s.z.boksteen@hr.nl
Rotterdam University
,G.J. de Jonghweg 4-6
,Rotterdam 3015 GG
, The Netherlands
e-mail: s.z.boksteen@hr.nl
1Corresponding author.
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Jos P. van Buijtenen,
Jos P. van Buijtenen
Professor
Faculty of Mechanical,
Maritime and Materials Engineering,
Faculty of Mechanical,
Maritime and Materials Engineering,
Delft University of Technology
,Delft 2628 CD
, The Netherlands
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Dick van der Vecht
GDF SUEZ Energie Europe,
Dick van der Vecht
Maintenance Projects and Competences
,GDF SUEZ Energie Europe,
Zwolle 8041 BL
, The Netherlands
Search for other works by this author on:
Sowande Z. Boksteen
Institute for Engineering and Applied Science,
e-mail: s.z.boksteen@hr.nl
Rotterdam University
,G.J. de Jonghweg 4-6
,Rotterdam 3015 GG
, The Netherlands
e-mail: s.z.boksteen@hr.nl
Jos P. van Buijtenen
Professor
Faculty of Mechanical,
Maritime and Materials Engineering,
Faculty of Mechanical,
Maritime and Materials Engineering,
Delft University of Technology
,Delft 2628 CD
, The Netherlands
Dick van der Vecht
Maintenance Projects and Competences
,GDF SUEZ Energie Europe,
Zwolle 8041 BL
, The Netherlands
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Aircraft Engine Committee of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER. Manuscript received July 15, 2014; final manuscript received August 29, 2014; published online October 28, 2014. Editor: David Wisler.
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Apr 2015, 137(4): 041204 (10 pages)
Published Online: October 28, 2014
Article history
Received:
July 15, 2014
Revision Received:
August 29, 2014
Citation
Boksteen, S. Z., van Buijtenen, J. P., and van der Vecht, D. (October 28, 2014). "A Holistic Approach to GTCC Operational Efficiency Improvement Studies." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. April 2015; 137(4): 041204. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4028567
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