Gas turbine power plant in Aktobe: cooling at the turbine inlet
In brief. At a gas turbine power plant in Aktobe, a Thermax 2D 5M C absorption chiller runs directly on gas turbine exhaust and cools the turbine inlet air. Cooling is about 3.2 MW, water 15/8 °C.
At the ZhGTES gas turbine power plant in Aktobe, one Thermax 2D 5M C lithium bromide absorption chiller runs on the turbines' exhaust gas and cools the air at the gas turbine inlet. The cooling capacity is about 3.2 MW, with water at 15/8 °C. We supplied the chiller and carried out commissioning.
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Industry | Power generation, a gas turbine power plant with a total capacity of 110 MW running on associated petroleum gas |
| City | Aktobe, Kazakhstan |
| Generation | Gas turbines, 110 MW |
| Heat | Exhaust gas from the same gas turbines |
| Absorption chiller | 1 × Thermax 2D 5M C, exhaust-fired, about 3.2 MW, water 15/8 °C |
| Heat rejection | 2 open wet cooling towers |
| What the cooling is for | Cooling the gas turbine intake air through air coolers |
| Our work | Supply, commissioning |
What was the task?
A gas turbine loses output in hot weather: the air density drops, and less air by mass passes through the compressor. To avoid losing generation in summer, the inlet air is cooled. The engineering logic is this: an electric chiller would take part of the plant's output, while the hot exhaust is already there.
How does the scheme work?
Gas turbine and an exhaust-fired chiller
Gas turbine exhaust goes through a damper to an exhaust-fired chiller; when cooling demand is low, the gas goes to the bypass. The chilled water goes to the air coolers. The chiller's heat is rejected by the cooling towers.
Cooling at the turbine inlet: more output in summer
Chilled water cools the air before the compressor, and the electrical output in summer rises thanks to the turbine's own waste heat.
What was the result?
Inlet cooling makes turbine operation less dependent on the outdoor air temperature. The contract was signed in June 2015. The materials give no figures on the effect.
Site photos
Video on Rutube: Thermax absorption chiller at a gas turbine power plant in Kazakhstan (in Russian)
If you have a similar task, order a feasibility study or estimate the figures in the calculator. Related pages: gas turbines and industry and power generation. The chiller design is described on the page Thermax absorption chiller, and other examples are collected in the "Our projects" section, along with many others.
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