Exergy costing analysis and performance evaluation of selected gas turbine power plants

• Main Authors: S.O. Oyedepo, R.O. Fagbenle, S.S. Adefila, Md.Mahbub Alam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2015-12-01
• Series: Cogent Engineering
• Subjects: exergy analysis; economic analysis; gas turbine; exergy cost; levelized cost; F-rule; P-rule
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311916.2015.1101048

In this study, exergy costing analysis and performance evaluation of selected gas turbine power plants in Nigeria are carried out. The results of exergy analysis confirmed that the combustion chamber is the most exergy destructive component compared to other cycle components. The exergetic efficiency of the plants was found to depend significantly on a change in gas turbine inlet temperature (GTIT). The increase in exergetic efficiency with the increase in turbine inlet temperature is limited by turbine material temperature limit. This was observed from the plant efficiency defect curve. As the turbine inlet temperature increases, the plant efficiency defect decreases to minimum value at certain GTIT (1,200 K), after which it increases with GTIT. This shows degradation in performance of gas turbine plant at high turbine inlet temperature. Exergy costing analysis shows that the combustion chamber has the greatest cost of exergy destruction compared to other components. Increasing the GTIT, both the exergy destruction and the cost of exergy destruction of this component are found to decrease. Also, from exergy costing analysis, the unit cost of electricity produced in the power plants varies from cents 1.99/kWh (N3.16/kWh) to cents 5.65/kWh (N8.98/kWh).