Associated gas is a very useful source of fuel for energy generation; this is due to its high methane content. This study presents a model and methodology for optimizing the power/energy from a fleet of engines running on associated gas fuel. The effect of engine degradation on optimized power, energy and revenue from the sold electricity are also evaluated. The approach presented would serve as a guide for associated gas investors and governments in the economic utilization of this fuel resource.The Cranfield University gas turbine performance simulation tool, TURBOMATCH, has been used to model a hypothetical but realistic 296MW reheat gas turbine engine. One clean fleet and three degradation scenarios – optimistic (bad), medium (worse), and pessimistic (worst) fleets were considered. Genetic algorithm was employed in optimizing the power generation from the different fleets subject to the same constraint of the quantity of fuel availability for a project life of 20 years.Results from the optimization of the fleets show that the clean, optimistic, medium, and pessimistic degraded fleets have total optimized power generated to be 7324.6, 7245.1, 7164.0, and 7074.4MW respectively. The total energy generated is 64.2, 63.5, 62.8, and 61.9 billion KWh for the clean, optimistic, medium, and pessimistic degraded fleets respectively. 8.487, 8.390, 8.298, and 8.192 billion US dollars are the revenue generated from the sold electricity from the clean, optimistic, medium, and pessimistic degraded fleets respectively. Engine degradation resulted in 1.09%, 2.19%, and 3.42% decrease in energy for the optimistic, medium and pessimistic degraded fleets respectively. Also, degradation resulted in 1.15%, 2.23%, and 3.48% decrease in the revenue generated by the optimistic, medium, and pessimistic degraded fleets respectively.The model, methodology and results presented in this paper would serve as a guide for associated gas investors and governments in the economic utilization of this fuel resource.

Associated Gas Utilization Using a Reheat Gas Turbine – Part 1: The Impact of Engine Degradation on the Optimized Power, Energy, and Revenue From Sold Electricity

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/GT/GT2021/volume/84898

Turbo Expo 2021

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