TP22-01: Combined Cycle Power Plant Finds Solutions for Reducing Ingestion Through CFD Modeling

The subject Combined Cycle Power Plant located in the north-eastern United States operates a 9-cell counter-flow cooling tower. The tower provides cooling water for its steam turbine. The plant utilizes evaporative coolers for its combustion turbine air inlet conditioning system. The tower is positioned on the north side of the Turbine Building and the evaporative coolers are positioned on the northeast side of the building. The prevailing wind, out of the northwest, results in recirculation of the cooling tower plume and interference with the evaporative coolers. In the summer, these phenomena result in thermal performance degradation of the steam turbine, reduced mass flow through the combustion turbines, and overall reduction in megawatt capacity of the Combined Cycle Plant. In the winter the cooling tower plume creates ice formations on the Turbine Inlets, Generator Step-Up Transformers, and on the High Voltage Electrical Equipment in the Switchyard.