Gas turbine power augmentation by inlet fogging

Gas Turbine (GT) power output decreases with increased ambient temperature, due to reduced inlet air density and mass flow rate. One way to recover the GT output loss is to cool the inlet air. It can also be, used to restore the aircraft thrust operating in high ambient temperature, or to boost thrust during take-off. Inlet fogging of GT engines is a good option to cool the inlet air due to its low cost and easy installation. The objective of this research is to study the effects of adding an inlet fogging system to an existing GT power plant. Simulation runs were made for adding an inlet fogging system to the GE frame 7111EA GT engine. Results show that power augmentation by inlet fogging for the GE frame 7111EA is in the range from 1.6 MW to 5.26 MW It is from 2% to 7% GT power increase in typical hot summer days. Moreover, the net efficiency is also increased by 0.1 % to 0.5%. Therefore, not only does inlet fogging augment the GT power output but also increases the net efficiency. Also included is a parametric study of GT performance with different effectiveness of the inlet fogging system based on average site ambient conditions. Results demonstrated can be used as a guideline for GT power augmentation by inlet fogging.