On existence of trends applicable to thermoeconomic optimisation of combined cycle gas turbine power plants

Abstract

This paper aims at the influence of the nominal power on the design configuration of combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants. This is achieved by means of a thermoeconomic model aimed at the minimisation of the power plant cost. The present work starts with the establishment of trends in existing commercial gas turbines. Based on these, other trends are found for the design of the whole CCGT, leading to the assessment of the most suitable heat recovery steam generator type and the optimal design parameters. Finally, an analysis of the influence of fuel price on the design configuration is carried out. This serves two purposes: to observe the dependence of economic results with fuel prices and to determine whether fuel price variations might influence the previously established trends in the CCGT design.