A review of inlet air-cooling technologies for enhancing the performance of combustion turbines in Saudi Arabia

Peak demand for electric power in Saudi Arabia occurs during the middle of the day in summer and is almost double the off-peak demand. The demand profile is ill-matched to the performance profile of combustion turbines as their power output decreases with increased inlet-air temperature. Approximately 42% of the Saudi Electric Company’s (SEC) annual energy sales are generated by combustion turbines, yet the turbines experience a 24% decrease in system capacity during the summer due to ambient air temperatures up to 50 °C. Methods of increasing the energy contribution of existing plant by changing their performance profiles through inlet air cooling could make a substantial contribution to the additional 35 GW in peak demand capacity required by 2023. An extensive review of the various combustion turbine inlet cooling technology (CTIAC) options open to SEC has been made, and their key benefits and drawbacks in relation to the environmental conditions and generational requirements of Saudi Arabia have been identified.