Premier Industries, Inc.
Gas Turbine Inlet Air Pre-coolers
INTRODUCTION TO SITE:
This site is dedicated to the application of Evaporative Cooling (wetted
media type) to cool the inlet air to Gas (Combustion) Turbines. This type cooling is
the most common and widely used CTIAC method. It is the
lowest cost method available to install and operate. Cooling efficiency
of 96% (saturation efficiency) is standard with 16" thick rigid
cooling media @ 500 feet per minute face velocity. The filtering of the
air is excellent with about 90% of particulate down to 10 micron size trapped.
Payback from this type system is usually as quick as
up to 2 years depending on the climate and operating hours. Other cooling
methods are not included in this site, except as possible reference. Our intent is
to provide general and technical information on the use of Evaporative
Cooling Technology for this application.
In simple terms, this cooling method
consists of cooling media contained within a housing and utilizes a recirculating pump to
circulate water over the top surface of the media. In actual use however, many
accessories, components and controls are available to enhance the operation of the
cooling system.
Some of these (but not all) are;
Moisture drift eliminators to prevent raw moisture entrainment
into the turbine. Remote control and monitoring is
available with transmitting Magnehelic gauges (pressure drop across the
system), TDS (total dissolved solids) controllers to automatically
sense mineral content of the sump water and initiate dumping action as required
(also transmit data to central control), Temperature sensors (transmitting
type), Freeze protection, low water level pump protection, sump
overflow alarm and other features are available.
Dry Filters are necessary to
protect the turbine. The ideal dry filter is one which provides 95% or better
efficiency, low static pressure drop, prefilter socks and positive sealing when installed.
Airguard(R) Vari+Plus model VPL-95 or VPL-98 is a good filter
design for this
application.
Face Louver panels with Birdscreen
are highly recommended to protect the cooling media and prevent rain water from
wetting the media during freeze conditions (below 400(f) outdoor ambient
dry
bulb temperature. Note: Due to
excessive acceleration of air velocity, ice crystals can form in the air at about 380(f)
causing possible damage to the turbine blades.
Typical Inlet Pre-coolers added to a GE Filter Housing
Click here for frequently asked questions about Gas Turbine Inlet Precooling:
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Need a quick estimate of savings to be earned by adding evaporative cooling to the turbine inlet air? All we need is some basic information from you and we will send you predicted savings.
Click here to submit a request for an estimate on line
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