Performance prediction of the combined cycle power plant with inlet air heating under part load conditions

A combined cycle power plant with inlet air heating (CCPP-IAH) system is proposed to solve the problems of ice and humidity blockages in winter climate. The performance of the CCPP-IAH system under part load conditions is analyzed via both experimental and simulation methods. The application of the inlet air heating technology significantly improves the part load efficiency and enhances the operational safety of the combined cycle power plant under complex meteorological conditions. Results show that a higher inlet air temperature will contribute a lower gas turbine thermal efficiency for proposed system. However, the heated inlet air by the recovered energy in heat recovery steam generator raises efficiencies for both the heat recovery steam generator and the overall system. The fuel consumption drops by 0.02 kg/s and 0.03 kg/s under the power load of 65% and 80%, respectively. The inlet air humidity decrease to 30% under the heated inlet air temperature of 303 K. Moreover, the exergy destruction for both Brayton cycle part and Rankine cycle part decrease with the inlet air temperature increasing. The daily fossil fuel will raise up to 2.9 ton/day and to 5.1 ton/day under the power load of 65% and 80%, respectively. The annual economic benefit from energy saving is more than $ 5.88 × 105 and the payback period is less than 3 years.