Thermo-economic optimization of whole gas turbine plant (GTPOM)

This paper describes the GTPOM project that focused on the development and implementation of an integrated through-life economic performance optimization tool for gas turbine whole plant analysis, funded in part through the European Commissionʹs Fifth Framework Programme. PSEconomy, the software tool developed in GTPOM, is primarily intended for use at the preliminary design stage to enable the down-selection of potentially attractive new cycle configurations based on calculated through-life economic performance. However, its flexibility also enables the re-appraisal of existing power generation system design to improve economic, thermodynamic or emissions performance. PSEconomy comprises three key areas of functionality: • thermodynamic process modelling capability, • economic analysis capability, • optimization capability. This paper summarises the key objectives of the project, the structure of the software tool, and the functionality it offers the User. It also briefly describes an example case study performed with the tool to demonstrate the through-life economic optimization capabilities of the system, and suggests potential application areas for the software.