Gas turbine efficiency and power output are strongly
dependent on the inlet air condition. Thus, several authors
proposed the use of different inlet air cooling systems. Such
systems include, as examples, spraying water in the inflow air
stream or air cooling through a chiller during GT operation. In
the latter case, it is possible to operate the chiller at night time,
taking advantage of the remarkable price gap between peak and
off-peak hours.
A parametric analysis of such a system is presented,
focusing on the effect of price gap, chiller and storage design
parameters and climatic conditions on the optimal sizing of the
plant. Both the gas turbine performance changes, due to the
different inlet conditions, and thermal losses related to the
storage system are taken into account. The economic return of
the system is evaluated through the year-round integral of gas
turbine fuel consumption and chiller electricity requirements, for
given scenarios of electricity price tag, ambient temperature and
humidity profile. For different boundary conditions (market
constraints and climate) the optimal configurations are identified
and discussed.
