© MAY 2022 | IRE Journals | Volume 5 Issue 11 | ISSN: 2456-8880

Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature of The

Performance of a Gas Turbine Power Plant Utilized for
Electricity
IGOMA, EMUGHIPHEL NELSON1, ABDURRAHMAN ALI DUZE2
1, 2
Department of Marine Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Nigeria Maritime University,
Okerenkoko, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract- The influence of turbine inlet temperature inlet temperature, compression ratio, combustion inlet
of the performance of a gas turbine power plant temperature and turbine inlet temperature[4][5].
utilized for electricity has been done. The In an earlier study, the authors carried out an
investigation which comprises of recorded turbine evaluation of the influence of ambient temperature on
data that were used to compute the parameters of a gas turbine plant situated in the coastal region of
power output, power differential, compressor work, Nigeria, with a characteristic warm and humid climate
turbine work, heat supplied, net work, SFC, AFR, [6]. Results of that study showed improvements in
and thermal efficiency of the gas turbine power plant performance with reduced ambient temperature,
plant. Correlation of these parameters with the in consonance with results of other studies, albeit at
turbine inlet temperature showed close dependence varying levels of improvement [1][7][8]. The present
on this temperature. The resulting equations are study analyses the influence of the turbine inlet
therefore useful in predicting any of the parameters temperature (which derives from the exhaust
with known values of turbine inlet temperature for temperature of the combustion chamber) on the
the particular type of this turbine plant excepting that performance of that gas turbine plant.
of the power output, air-fuel ratio and thermal
efficiency which showed decreasing trends with II. METHODOLOGY
increase of turbine inlet temperature.
The methodology involved the collection of
Indexed Terms- Influence, Turbine inlet operational data from logsheets of the turbine unit,
temperature, Plant parameters, Performance generator and the plant auxiliaries of the ‘MS5001
Nuovopignone’ turbine plant of the Trans-Amadi Gas
I. INTRODUCTION Turbine Station Phase II at Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Relevant plant parameters which were not in the
Gas turbines generate their power from burning a fuel- available records were obtained using appropriate
air mixture in a combustion chamber, whence the fast- thermodynamic principles and equations [9][10].
flowing combustion gases are used to move the Utilizing the provided nomenclature and referring to
turbine[1].One of the most important advancements in Fig. 1, the relevant equations are obtained as follows:
gas turbine technology is the increase in turbine inlet The plant network can be obtained as
temperature, achievable due to advances in turbine
blade cooling techniques and metallurgical 𝑊̇ = 𝑊̇𝑇 − 𝑊̇𝐶 (1)
improvements[1][2]. Several other approaches had
been proposed and applied, through research, to Where, Turbine Work
achieve improvements in performance of gas turbines; 𝑊̇𝑇 = 𝑚̇g 𝐶pg (𝑇3 − 𝑇4 ) (2)
some of the established performance criteria of gas
power plants being the thermal efficiency, specific Compressor Work
fuel consumption, power output and work ratio. These 𝑊̇𝐶 = 𝑚̇a 𝐶pa (𝑇2 − 𝑇1 ) (3)
criteria are affected by such parameters as compressor

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calculated parameters(using a ‘Matlab’ software),

namely turbine inlet temperature, compressor work,
turbine work, network, heat supplied, specific fuel
consumption, air – fuel ratio and thermal efficiency,
utilizing the data in Table 2, are shown in Table 3. This
table also shows values of the power differential,
obtained as the difference between the design power
of 25MW and the recorded power output shown in
Table 2.

The influence of the turbine inlet temperature on the

Figure: T – S Diagram for the Simple Gas Turbine
recorded power output, power differential, compressor
Operation [9][10][12][15]
work, turbine work, heat supplied, network, specific
fuel consumption, air – fuel ratio and thermal
The energy balance in the combustion chamber is
efficiency are depicted in the respective graphs of
given as [8].
Figures. 2 to 10, obtained using a ‘Microsoft Excel’
ṁa Cpa T2 + ṁf × LHV + ṁf Cpf Tf = (ṁa + ṁf )Cpg ×
program.
T3 (4)
• Discussion
Where LHV = 47541.6KJ/Kg [11] The graphs show that for an increase in turbine inlet
Considering that the term ṁf Cpf Tf is negligible in temperature from 1041oC to 1165oC the following
relation to ṁa Cpa T2 [11] in Eqn. 4, the turbine inlet respective changes in the parameters of power output,
temperature T3 is obtained as power differential, compressor work, turbine work,
heat supplied, network, specific fuel consumption, air-
ṁa Cpa T2 +ṁf LHV
T3 = (5) fuel ratio and thermal efficiency occurred: 11.13MW
(ṁa +ṁf )Cpg
to 11.05MW, 13.87MW to 13.95MW, 220KW to
The heat added in the combustion chamber can be
230KW, 760KW to 910KW, 2130KW to 2710KW,
approximated as [13]
540KW to 680KW, 0.300Kg/KWh to 0.310Kg/KWh,
𝑄𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑 = 𝑚̇g Cpg (𝑇3 − 𝑇2 ) (6)
22.4 to 17.5 and 25.4% to 24.7%. With the exception
of the graphs of Figures. 2, 9 and 10 (which,
The plant thermal efficiency can be expressed as respectively, depict decreasing trends for power
Net Work 𝑊
Ƞth = = (7) output, air-fuel ratio and thermal efficiency) all graphs
Heat Supplied 𝑄𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑
show increasing trends for the various parameters. The
Furthermore, the specific fuel consumption can be least coefficient of determination R2 for the graphs,
expressed as [14] obtained from the ‘Excel’ program, is 0.673 (for the
parameter of specific fuel consumption). From
3600 statistical data (Lipson & Sheth, 2007), R2 required for
SFC = (8)
AFR×𝑊̇ a 95% confidence level is 0.500. Since this is less than
with the AFR given as 0.673, there is 95% confidence that all the graphs can
LHV
AFR = be utilized in obtaining the various values of
𝑄𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑
parameters which they represent, with a knowledge of
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION any turbine inlet temperature.

• Results CONCLUSION
Table 1 shows the design parameters of the test
‘MS5001 Nuovopignone’ gas turbine while Table 2 The influence of turbine inlet temperature on various
shows operational data as obtained from the logsheets plant parameters has been performed. The graphical
of the turbine unit, generator and plant auxiliaries. The results indicate good correlation of parameters with
changing turbine inlet temperature and are, therefore,

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useful in predicting values of parameters for any given

turbine inlet temperature of this plant.
Table: Design Values of MS5001 Nuovopignone Gas Turbine Plant
S/N Parameters Units Design Data
1 Power Output MW 25
2 Thermal Efficiency % 26.6
3 Heat Rate Kcal/W.h 2.833
4 Specific Fuel Consumption kg/KW.h 0.308
0
5 Ambient Temperature C 25.0-45.0
6 Specific Heat at Constant Pressure of gas kJ/kgK 1.155
7 Specific Heat at Constant Pressure of Air kJ/kgK 1.005
8 Isentropic Constants for air None 1.40
9 Isentropic Constants for gas None 1.33
10 Mass Flow Rate of air kg/s 122.9

Table 2: Plant Operating Values from Direct Reading of Logsheets

S/N Ambient Compressor Exhaust Fuel Power

Temperature Exit Temperature Supply Output
T10C Temperature T40C ṁf (MW)
T20C (kg/s)
1 28 246 385 2.66 11.13
2 29 247 387 2.67 11.13
3 30 248 390 2.68 11.13
4 31 250 392 2.69 11.12
5 32 254 394 2.80 11.11
6 33 257 388 2.82 11.10
7 34 258 400 2.90 11.09
8 35 260 389 2.92 11.08
9 36 262 388 2.98 11.07
10 37 265 379 3.00 11.04

Table 3: Calculated Plant Parameters

S/N Turbine Compressor Turbine Heat Net Air Thermal Specific Power
Inlet Work Work Supplied Work Fuel Efficiency Fuel Differential
Temperature Ẇc(KW) ẆT(KW) Q
added
Ẇnet Ratio th (%) Consumption (MW)
T30C (KW) AFR SFC
(KW)
(kg/KWh)
1 1041 219 758 2125 539 22.37 25.37 0.299 13.87
2 1045 219 760 2141 541 22.21 25.27 0.300 13.87
3 1049 219 761 2157 542 22.04 25.13 0.301 13.87
4 1054 220 765 2174 545 21.87 25.07 0.302 13.88
5 1092 223 806 2358 583 20.16 24.72 0.306 13.89
6 1101 225 824 2392 599 19.88 25.04 0.302 13.90
7 1127 225 840 2533 615 18.77 24.28 0.312 13.91
8 1135 226 862 2568 635 18.51 24.72 0.306 13.92
9 1156 227 887 2677 660 17.76 24.65 0.307 13.93

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10 1165 229 908 2714 679 17.52 25.02 0.303 13.96

Figure 2 : Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Power Output

Figure 3: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Power Differential

Figure 4: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Compressor Work

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Figure 5: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Turbine Work

Figure 6: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Heat Supplied

Figure 7: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Net Work

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Figure 8: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Specific Fuel Consumption

Figure 9: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Air Fuel Ratio

Figure 10: Influence of Turbine Inlet Temperature on the Thermal Efficiency

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