A Study on the Effect of Using Absorption Systems on the Performance of an Alstom Gas Unit in Yazd Combined-Cycle Power Plant

One of the main issues of Iran is power deficiency in hot months. Due to the ever-increasing demand for energy and its consumption, it is of critical importance to optimize power-generating systems, improve their efficiency, address their drawbacks. This research aims at studying the effect of adsorption systems on the performance of the unit (its production power and efficiency) in the climate of Yazd by simulating a G13 Alstom generator in thermoflow. The results showed that using absorption systems-reduced the inlet air temperature by 20ºC, which, in turn, increased overall production power by 20.38% in comparison to when there was no cooling of the inlet air. This system also improved the aforementioned unit’s efficiency by 1.88%. The fog system was also simulated in this research. The results demonstrated that the absorption system showed a better efficiency in comparison to the fog system by 5.32%. To ascertain the validity of the model, it was validated against the real operational data for the G13 unit in base load and in different environmental conditions, as well as against the data present in the documents associated with the Yazd Power Plant. One of the novelties of this study is using heat in the craft unit outlet, which is currently released to air. If this system is applied to the unit, the efficiency of the craft unit and power plant will be improved. Moreover, this will reduce the emission of environmental pollutants into the air, which will ultimately cause a major reduction in social expenses.