GAS TURBINE-BASED COMBINED CYCLE POWER PLANT MODELING AND EFFECTS OF AMBIENT TEMPERATURE

This paper presents results of the combined cycle power plant (CCPP) modeling when the ambient temperature is varying. The model of the CCPP was developed using a gas turbine and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) models that had been already developed and validated. The model of the components was developed based on an actual existing power plant and then the operational data of the power plant was used to validate the model. The results of running the model for various ambient temperatures demonstrated that the performance of the gas turbine part of the cycle was heavily affected by the changes in the ambient temperature, particularly the output power of the gas turbines. However, the performance of the steam cycle was almost untouched by the changes of ambient temperature. This suggests that operation of the CCPP is more stable than stand-alone gas turbine in hot summer days especially if the cycle is not equipped with an inlet air cooling system.