Performance Evaluation of a 1500 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant using Energy and Exergy Analysis

Abstract

The majority of electricity produced worldwide is produced by thermal power plants and these power plants have lower efficiency in comparison to other types of power plants, significant energy and exergy losses occur in thermal power plants, so it is important to reduce these losses, enhance plant performance, and protect the environment. The present study provides a thorough energy and exergy analysis of the Erbil Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) using real operation data to give suggestions and recommendation points to enhance overall efficiency. The plant consists of 8 gas turbines, 8 heat recovery units, 2 steam turbines, and 2 condensers. The exergy study findings indicate that the Combustion Chamber (CC) exhibits the highest level of exergy destruction in comparison to the other components of the plant at 74% of the overall exergy losses while the condenser exhibits the highest level of energy losses compared to the other components of the plant at 1043 MW. The power plant efficiency has significantly enhanced with the transition from a gas turbine cycle to a combined cycle, with energy efficiency increasing by 30.2% to 46.1% and exergy efficiency rising by 28.7% to 43.7%. The gas turbine achieved the highest exergy efficiency in the plant, reaching a value of 95.9%. The plant components were negatively influenced by ambient temperature, when it was increased the exergy efficiency of the components decreased. The flue gas had an exergy of 43.2 MW, which is considerably high and may be used again.