Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931

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Applied Thermal Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apthermeng

Gas turbine efficiency enhancement using waste heat powered

absorption chillers in the oil and gas industry
Sahil Popli, Peter Rodgers*, Valerie Eveloy
The Petroleum Institute, PO Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

h i g h l i g h t s

< Efficiency enhancement of oil/gas plant utilizing gas turbines for power generation.
< Gas turbine inlet air cooling scheme for high ambient temperature and RH conditions.
< Proposed scheme uses absorption chillers powered by GT exhaust gases waste heat.
< Scheme performance superior to evaporative coolers and vapor compression chillers.
< Favorable scheme economic payback period and significant reduction in NG consumption.

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: In hot climates, the efficiency of energy-intensive industrial facilities utilizing gas turbines for power
Received 22 June 2011 generation, such as oil refineries and natural gas processing plants (NGPPs), can be enhanced by reducing
Accepted 10 June 2012 gas turbine compressor inlet air temperature. This is typically achieved using either evaporative media
Available online 26 June 2012
coolers or electrically-driven mechanical vapor-compression chillers. However, the performance of evap-
orative media coolers is constrained in high relative humidity (RH) conditions, such as encountered in the
Keywords:
Middle East and tropical regions, and such coolers require demineralized water supply, while electrically-
Absorption chiller
driven mechanical vapor-compression chillers consume a significant amount of electric power. In this
Compressor inlet air cooling
Evaporative cooling
study, the use of gas turbine exhaust gas waste-heat powered, single-effect waterelithium bromide (H2O
Gas turbine eLiBr) absorption chillers is thermo-economically evaluated for gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling
Waste heat scheme, with particular applicability to Middle East NGPPs. The thermodynamic performance of the
proposed scheme, integrated in a NGPP, is compared with that of conventional evaporative coolers and
mechanical vapor-compression chillers, in terms of key operating parameters, and either demineralized
water or electricity consumption, respectively. The results show that in extreme ambient conditions
representative of summer in the Persian Gulf (i.e., 55
C, 80% RH), three steam-fired, single-effect H2OeLiBr
absorption chillers utilizing 17 MW of gas turbine exhaust heat, could provide 12.3 MW of cooling to cool
compressor inlet air to 10
C. In the same ambient conditions, evaporative coolers would only provide
2.3 MW cooling capacity, and necessitate consumption of approximately 0.8 kg/s of demineralized water to
be vaporized. In addition, mechanical vapor-compression chillers would require an additional 2.7 MW of
electric energy to provide the same amount of cooling as H2OeLiBr absorption chillers. The additional
electricity generated through gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling using the waste heat powered
absorption refrigeration scheme is of approximately 5264 MWh per year, compared to 1774 MWh for
evaporative cooling. When integrated with other plant process cooling applications, the proposed scheme
would not only permit to both meet gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling loads throughout the year,
including peak summer loads, but also provide other process cooling during off-peaks time periods. The
economic paypack period of the waste heat recovery scheme is estimated to range from 1.3 to 3.4 years for
a three-chiller system based on present and project utility prices for NGPPs in the United Arab Emirates.
This study suggests that waste heat absorption refrigeration is an attractive solution to enhance electrical
power generation in Middle East NGPPs through gas turbine inlet air cooling, both in terms of thermo-
dynamic and economic feasibility. This strategy would also reduce plant natural gas consumption for
power generation, hence production costs and emissions.
Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: prodgers@pi.ac.ae (P. Rodgers).

1359-4311/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2012.06.018
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
Nomenclature
COP coefficient of performance ()
h enthalpy (J/kg)
K superheating and sub-cooling correction factor ()
m _ mass flow rate (kg/s)
P pressure (kPa)
Q heat exchanger capacity (kW)
t temperature (
C)
v_ specific volume (m3/kg)
W work done (kW)
x concentration of LiBr (%)
c dryness fraction of steam ()
1. Introduction
It is estimated that the Middle East holds over 60% and 40% of
the World’s oil and gas reserves, respectively [1]. Considering that
both liquid hydrocarbons and NG production in the Middle East are
expected to increase by 9 million barrels per day and 16 trillion
cubic feet respectively from 2007 to 2035 [2], any prospective
enhancement in the overall energy efficiency of oil and gas pro-
cessing facilities is likely to play an important role in determining
future energy prices. The oil and gas industry in the Middle East
utilizes natural gas (NG) turbines for both on-site electric and
mechanical power generation [2]. At International Standard Orga-
nization (ISO) ambient conditions, NG turbine energy efficiencies
are typically on order of 30% [3]. However, turbine energy efficiency
is adversely affected by high ambient temperature and relative
humidity (RH), which significantly deviate from standard condi-
tions in the Middle East. Ambient air temperatures in the Persian
Gulf average 29
C yearly, with typical daily maximum and monthly
average temperatures of 51
C and 36
C, respectively [4]. Relative
humidity averages 52% yearly, with daily maximum and monthly
average RH levels peaking at 90% and 57%, respectively [5]. Since
gas turbines are constant volume machines, power output reduces
when air density, hence air mass flow rate, decreases at elevated
ambient temperature [6e8]. In addition, high humidity conditions
increase the heat consumption of the gas turbine combustion
chamber due to the high specific heat of water. Typically, for every

C rise in ambient temperature, gas turbine output power reduces
by approximately 0.5e0.9% [8]. Consequently, either evaporative
media coolers or mechanical vapor-compression chillers are
generally employed to provide gas turbine compressor inlet air
cooling. However, evaporative cooling is constrained in high RH
conditions, and requires demineralized water supply to avoid
corrosion due to dissolved salts typically present in water. On the
other hand, electrically-driven compression chillers consume
a significant amount of electric power [3,9]. In addition, a major
part of the NG energy fed to the turbine is dissipated to the envi-
ronment in the form of high-temperature exhaust gases. In this
context, an attractive approach to boost NG turbine performance
and enhance overall plant energy efficiency would be to provide
refrigeration using a waste heat-driven absorption refrigeration
system (ARS). This approach is investigated in this study.
Absorption chillers require a tenth of the energy consumed by
vapor compression chillers, are environmentally-friendly, noise-
free [10], and can be easily integrated within existing natural gas
processing facilities. The working principle of absorption chillers is
similar to that of vapor compression refrigeration, with the main
difference being the form of input energy. Compression chillers
919
Subscripts
abs absorber
amb ambient
comp compressor
evap, cooling evaporative cooling
cond condenser
cycle cycle
des desorber
dp dew point
evap evaporator
exh exhaust
isen isentropic
net net
turb turbine
wb wet bulb
require mechanical work, while absorption chillers use heat [11]. In
the approach proposed here, the necessary heat is supplied by
waste heat recuperated from NG turbine exhaust gases, to provide
not only gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling, but also addi-
tional process cooling capacity to the plant during off-peak
compressor inlet air cooling load periods.
Until recently, waste heat recovery has not played a significant
role in improving the efficiency of Middle East NG plants, where its
application has generally been limited to a fraction of the available
waste heat within the plant. This may be attributable to i) a lack of
financial incentives to reduce the energy consumption of plants in
the region, and ii) the fact that licensed process technologies often
effectively prevent integration of energy efficiency enhancements
into existing facilities, which results in recovery applications being
confined to utilities (i.e., enhancement of process cooling/heating,
electrical/mechanical power generation, and steam production),
rather than main plant process operations, and iii) perceived safety
issues associated with recovery of certain waste heat sources.
However, growing environmental concerns and global energy
shortages may place increasing pressure on plants to integrate
waste heat recovery technologies. Furthermore, most NG plants
have already achieved a high level of process heat integration, with
the result that further energy efficiency improvements can essen-
tially only be improved through waste heat utilization. An objective
of this study is therefore to highlight the potential of such tech-
nologies, in particular waste heat powered absorption chillers, to
enhance the energy efficiency of natural gas processing plants
(NGPPs), with emphasis placed on facilities located in the Persian
Gulf or exposed to hot climates.
Absorption chillers have been successfully applied in the
chemical processing industry [12]. In addition, their effectiveness to
provide additional cooling capacity to NGPPs, oil refineries and
petrochemical facilities, has been well-established [13e18]. For
example, Erickson and co-workers [13e15] analyzed the perfor-
mance of a waste-heat powered NH3eH2O ARS in an oil refinery.
The absorption chiller recovered waste energy from a reformer
reactor effluent (146
C) and delivered 298 kW of refrigeration
(35
C) for cooling the desulphurized, hydrogen rich reformer gas
used for desulphurizing naphtha. This permitted to recover 64,000
barrels per year of liquid hydrocarbon product. An additional
630 kW of refrigeration was produced (3.5
C) for other cooling
applications. Mortazavi et al. [16] investigated the application of
absorption chillers for chilled water production at an Air Products
and Chemicals (APCI) liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, where such
chillers were used either for sub-cooling the propane after the
condenser, or reducing the propane cycle condenser pressure by
pre-cooling the cooling water. Using a process simulation model of
920 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
the APCI LNG plant, Mortazavi et al. [16] found that the coefficient
of performance (COP) and cooling capacity of the propane cycle at
the sub-cooler could be enhanced by 13% and 23%, respectively. In
addition, by reducing the temperature of the condenser and de-
superheater cooling water, condenser pressure decreased, which
reduced compressor work and the corresponding compressor
steam requirement by 27% and 35 ton/hr, respectively. With both
options combined, propane cooling capacity and cycle efficiency
increased by approximately 23% and 68%, respectively. In a subse-
quent study, Kalinowski et al. [17] found that 5.2 MW of waste heat
could be recovered from a 9 MW electricity generation process,
thereby producing additional cooling and saving 1.9 MW of elec-
tricity consumption for the LNG plant. Using the APCI LNG plant
model developed in Ref. [16], Mortazavi et al. [18] recently reported
that by replacing the plant’s 22
C and 9
C evaporators, cooling the
condenser of the propane cycle at 14
C, and inter-cooling the
compressor of the mixed refrigerant cycle with a waste heat pow-
ered ARS, both compressor power and fuel consumption could be
reduced by 21%.
The above efforts highlight the potential of waste heat powered
absorption refrigeration to improve the efficiency of petrochemical
facilities, with several candidate applications presented. However,
the application of this technology to gas turbine compressor inlet
air cooling in NG plants has not yet been thermodynamically and
economically evaluated, and is the focus of the present study.
Before describing the proposed waste heat utilization strategy, gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling technologies are reviewed.
2. Gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling technologies
Several gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling technologies
have been investigated analytically and/or numerically in the
literature [19e22], for application in both power and chemical
processing plants. These technologies are compiled in Fig. 1, and
their pros and cons are discussed in this section.
Oil and gas processing plants operating in hot climates such as
South America, Africa, and the Middle East, typically utilize evap-
orative coolers because of low initial investment and operating
costs, and short economic payback periods. Evaporative cooling
utilizes either media coolers or a high-pressure fogging system to
humidify compressor inlet air up to the corresponding web bulb
Fig. 1. Gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling technologies and working fluids investigated in the literature for application in power and chemical processing plants.
temperature at the ambient conditions considered. Sanaye and
Tahani [19] investigated inlet air cooling for 16 NG turbines having
capacities ranging from 20 to 180 MW, using turbine compressor
inlet air duct fogging, supplemented by an additional 2% overspray
above saturation conditions in the turbine compressor at ambient
temperatures and RH up to 43
C and 40%, respectively. Hosseini
[20] showed that gas turbine compressor inlet air temperature
could be reduced by 19
C using evaporative coolers, which resulted
in a power output enhancement of approximately 5280 MWh in
a combined cycle power plant in Iran. Utamura et al. [21] obtained
10% electric power enhancement if conventional evaporative
coolers are replaced by humidified air turbines to increase inlet air
density for ambient air at 35
C and 53% RH. Their analytical
predictions were validated using experiments conducted for
a 15 MW axial flow compressor. Although evaporative coolers
enhance gas turbine power output in hot and dry ambient condi-
tions, their cooling capacity is however constrained if both
temperature and RH are high.
Although a desiccant-based evaporative cooling system could
also be considered for reducing compressor inlet air temperature,
such systems increase initial investment costs [22].
Mechanical chillers typically utilize a propane vapor-
compression refrigeration system to cool the gas turbine
compressor inlet air. The operational reliability and low mainte-
nance cost of propane chillers in the oil and gas industry has been
demonstrated in the published literature [9]. However, their
application to gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling may not be
economically justified due to high capital cost and large electric
power demand during peak loads.
Absorption chillers have been successfully applied to gas turbine
compressor inlet air cooling in power plants [12]. In addition,
several studies have highlighted their advantages over evaporative
coolers in waste heat powered cogeneration schemes [23e28].
For example, based on analytical predictions, Dawoud et al. [23]
reported approximately 20% enhancement in power production if
absorption chillers are used for inlet air cooling instead of evapo-
rative coolers for a GE gas turbine in Oman, but did not discuss the
effect of RH on cooling system performance. Kakaras et al. [24] also
highlighted numerically the advantage of H2OeLiBr absorption
chillers over evaporative coolers for both simple and combined NG
turbine cycles.
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
Yang et al. [25] analytically compared gas turbine compressor
inlet air cooling using a H2OeLiBr absorption chiller and evapora-
tive inlet fogging for a generic gas and steam combined power
cycle. They concluded that absorption cooling is preferable over
inlet fogging when ambient temperature and RH are higher than
25
C and 40%, respectively. Boonnasa [26] proposed a waste heat-
powered steam ARS for cooling the inlet air of a combined cycle gas
turbine to 15
C, and analytically predicted approximately 11% and
6% increase in turbine and combined cycle power output, respec-
tively, with a payback time of 3.8 years.
Ameri and Hejazi [27] estimated that approximately 1900 MW
energy losses are incurred due to high temperature in summer in
Iran, for 170 NG turbine units having a combined capacity of
9500 MW. Furthermore, an economic analysis of the use of waste
heat powered absorption chillers for gas turbine compressor inlet
air cooling at the Iranian Chabahar power plant showed that
14,000 MWh per annum of additional electric power production
could be generated at a return rate of 23% with a payback period of
4.2 years.
Mohanty and Paloso [28] considered a waste heat powered
double-effect H2OeLiBr ARS for reducing compressor inlet air
temperature to 15
C, which increased NG turbine power output
from 8 to 13%, and generated approximately 11 MW of additional
electric power from the same turbine.
Al-Ibrahim and Varnham [9] reviewed various combustion
turbine compressor inlet air cooling technology options, and
compared their key benefits and drawbacks in relation to the
environmental conditions and energy requirements of Saudi Elec-
tric Company in Saudi Arabia. They found that the high water
consumption associated with both evaporative cooling and high-
pressure fogging limits their application in the desert climate. In
addition, vapor compression refrigeration using chilled water or ice
thermal storage media was found to be more economical than
absorption chillers for power generation plants, which experience
peak loads in the middle of the day in summer. With peak load
being almost double off-peak demand, the power generation load is
not uniformly distributed during the day. In such conditions, the
high capital cost of absorption chillers is justified if NG turbine
power generation load is not limited to peak times, as found in
typical NGPPs.
In addition to the above approaches, other NG turbine
compressor inlet air cooling schemes have also been investigated.
Sanjay et al. [29] investigated the performance of a General Electric
(GE) MS9001 gas turbine-based cogeneration cycle with different
blade cooling options, utilizing waste heat recovered from NG
turbine exhaust gases. It was found that steam-internal convection
cooling offered the highest enhancement in fuel utilization effi-
ciency and power-to-heat ratio at a given compressor inlet air
temperature. Blanco et al. [30] suggested spraying higher vapor
pressure refrigerants, such as ammonia, instead of water, in the
compressor inlet air duct. Although evaporation time was reduced
with ammonia, no significant energy savings were achieved.
Chacartegui et al. [31] compared the performance of different gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling methods. They recommended
mechanical vapor compression chillers with thermal energy storage
as the most economical option for NG turbine compressor inlet air
cooling at a combined cycle power plant in Spain.
Shi et al. [32] proposed the use of LNG cold energy for
compressor inlet air cooling, and inter-cooling of a conventional
combined cycle power plant. They reported overall power output
and electric efficiency enhancements of approximately 76 MW and
3%, respectively.
Based on the above studies, absorption cooling is a more
promising approach of gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling
than either evaporative cooling or mechanical chillers, particularly
921
in tropical ambient conditions. Mechanical chillers consume a high
amount of electric power, while evaporative cooling is sensitive to
the wet-bulb temperature of the inlet air to the compressor.
From the combined literature review presented in this paper,
limited use of waste heat utilization has been made in Middle East
NG plants to date. Although waste heat recovery, in particular
cogeneration, has been adopted in certain NG facilities elsewhere,
the use of waste heat-powered absorption refrigeration for gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling has not yet been investigated
in NGPPs. Most thermodynamic analyzes of gas turbine compressor
inlet air cooling [19e28] have either been industry-generic or for
facilities other than NGPPs, and did not consider the full range of
environmental conditions encountered in the Persian Gulf, which
holds a significant share of the World’s gas reserves [1]. In addition,
few studies have evaluated economic feasibility, particularly for
absorption cooling.
With the objectives to reduce NG plant energy consumption,
improve overall plant efficiency and increase hydrocarbon product
recovery, the objectives of the present study are to i) highlight the
potential of waste heat powered absorption refrigeration specifi-
cally for the oil and gas industry, ii) provide a generic thermody-
namic model for both waste heat-powered H2OeLiBr absorption
chillers and evaporative coolers, applicable to any oil and gas plant,
and iii) investigate the thermodynamic performance and economic
feasibility of waste heat powered absorption refrigeration for gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling in a Persian Gulf NGPP, relative
to evaporative coolers and mechanical vapor compression chillers.
The amount of waste heat recovered from a 9 MW NG turbine to
power single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chillers, operating char-
acteristics of the gas turbine with compressor inlet air cooling, and
performance of both the ARS and evaporative coolers are analyzed
using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) [33].
3. Proposed gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling strategy
Fig. 2 schematically illustrates the proposed NG turbine
compressor inlet air cooling strategy, generically applicable to oil and
gas plants. Waste heat recovered from gas turbine exhaust gases is
utilized to generate steam in a waste heat recovery steam generator
(WHRSG) and power a single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS. Although in
general it is possible to utilize gas turbine exhaust gases directly to
power an absorption chiller, in the present study a WHRSG is
employed to isolate the power generation and cooling systems, so as
to prevent any leakage of corrosive acids formed due to condensa-
tion of NOx or SOx present in gas turbine exhaust gases. Almost all of
the steam generated by the WHRSG is utilized to power the ARS,
while the remaining steam could be used for plant process cooling
applications. The thermally driven ARS utilizes the heat content of
steam to achieve refrigerant phase transformation and to provide
refrigeration to the plant. As this study focuses on gas turbine
compressor inlet air cooling, almost all of the refrigeration provided
is for this application at 10
C. The residual cooling capacity could
however serve for other process cooling applications at e.g. 5
C (i.e.,
chilled water ARS evaporator outlet temperature). The number of
chillers required in the ARS is to be determined from the steam mass
flow rate generated by the WHRSG and the amount of gas turbine
compressor inlet air cooling to be provided. While the proposed
energy recovery system would have applicability to a variety of
enhanced cooling capacity applications, such as air-conditioning,
steam turbine condenser cooling, and sub-cooling of the refrig-
erant at the condenser outlet of vapor compression chillers, the
present work focuses on NG turbine compressor inlet air cooling.
The waste heat recovery analysis presented is based on both an
initial heat source temperature and flow rate that are characteristic
of a heavy-duty single shaft gas turbine having an ISO rated capacity
922 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
Fig. 2. Schematic layout of evaporative cooler and single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chiller for gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling in a typical oil and gas processing plant.
Numbers 1e24 refer to the system state points.
of approximately 9 MW. The initial temperature of the heat source
can be assumed to be equal to the average gas turbine exhaust gas
temperature (i.e., 350e550
C) [11]. Table 1 summarizes the speci-
fications of the gas turbine, along with other initial turbine simula-
tion parameters, which are based on manufacturer specifications at
ISO conditions [34].
3.1. Absorption refrigeration system
Commercially-available single and double-effect NH3eH2O
absorption chillers typically have coefficients of performance
Table 1
Gas turbine design parameters at ISO conditions [34].
Parameter and unit
Compressor pressure ratio (e)
Compressor isentropic efficiency (%)
GT expander efficiency (%)
Exhaust gas mass flow rate (kg/s)
GT ISO rated power (MW)
GT exhaust gas temperature (
C)
Pump isentropic efficiency (%)
Note: ISO conditions are: 101.3 kPa ambient pressure, 15
temperature, and 60% relative humidity.
(COPs) of 0.3e0.5, and 1.2, respectively, while single and double-
effect H2OeLiBr absorption chillers have COPs of approximately
0.7, and 1.2e1.4, respectively [35]. Although a double-effect ARS
uses the heat input at the generator twice within the same cycle,
and therefore has a higher COP than a single-effect system, the
complexity and cost of a second effect system may not be justified
unless significant other cooling requirements exist within the
plant. Therefore, as a single-effect absorption chiller would meet
the compressor inlet air cooling demand at a lower initial financial
investment than a second-effect system, the former type of chiller
was selected for the purpose of this study, which focuses on gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling [31].
Although approximately 40 refrigerant and 200 absorbent
compounds have been cited in the literature [36], the majority of
absorption chillers use H2OeLiBr and NH3eH2O as absorbent
Value erefrigerant working fluid pairs. H2OeLiBr is selected in this study
10.0 on the basis of the non-toxicity of LiBr and H2O, low volatility of LiBr,
83.0 absence of requirement for an extra component (i.e., rectifier), as well
87.0
as lower installation, maintenance and operating costs relative to
45.0
8.96 NH3eH2O systems.
508.0 As depicted in Fig. 2, in the proposed scheme, a single-effect
85.0 H2OeLiBr ARS is powered by steam generated in a WHRSG from


C ambient the waste heat of gas turbine exhaust gases. The ARS incorporates
several single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chillers to meet gas
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931 923

turbine compressor inlet air cooling requirement (i.e., 10
C). The schemes consisting of ARS and gas turbine cycles [10,39], are made
steam generated is utilized to evaporate the H2OeLiBr mixture in for both the present single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS and gas turbine:
the desorber of the ARS. Superheated water vapor is then cooled in
the high temperature condenser. As shown in Fig. 2, saturated i. Each component of both the ARS and gas turbine is analyzed
liquid at state point 8 is expanded through expansion valves to as a control volume assumed to be at steady state, with its
produce a two-phase refrigerant. The refrigerant is then vaporized pressure drop neglected. Heat losses to the environment are
in the evaporator, and provides cooling to the gas turbine neglected.
compressor inlet air at 5
C (i.e., chilled water ARS evaporator outlet ii. Kinetic and potential energy effects are negligible.
temperature). iii. Combustion is considered as a constant pressure heat addi-
The concentrated aqueous LiBr mixture enters the desorber, tion process.
where it evaporates the H2OeLiBr mixture. The water vapor thus iv. All fluid thermo-physical properties are modeled as temper-
released from the aqueous LiBr solution enters the condenser, ature- and pressure-dependent.
while the concentrated aqueous LiBr solution generated in the
desorber expands through the expansion valve and enters the In addition for the ARS, the following assumptions are also
absorber. The refrigerant vapor from the evaporator mixes with the made:
concentrated aqueous LiBr solution in the absorber. The above cycle
is repeated at two pressure levels, namely 0.7 kPa in the absorber v. The expansion valve is considered as a throttling valve, with
and evaporator, and 7.6 kPa in the desorber and condenser. the flow across the valve assumed to be isenthalpic.
In terms of ARS operation, the refrigerant (i.e., water) operates vi. The condenser outlet state is saturated liquid.
between state points 11e13 and 17e20, while the concentrated vii. The working fluid at the evaporator outlet is saturated vapor.
aqueous LiBr solution operates between state points 11e16 (Fig. 2). Evaporator pressure is determined by evaporator
Absorption cooling is limited by condenser cooling capacity in temperature.
high ambient air temperature conditions [9,16]. Consequently, the viii. The absorbenterefrigerant solution concentration is deter-
applicability of air-cooled condensers to the full range of environ- mined by the absorber outlet temperature and pressure.
mental conditions considered in this study may be questionable. ix. The isentropic efficiency of the pump is 85%.
The highest ambient air temperature considered here (i.e., 55
C) is
however extreme, and representative of worst case conditions in The modeling assumptions made for the ARS at state points
summer in the Middle East. In Abu Dhabi (24.43
N, 54.45
E), UAE, 11e24 are listed in Table 2. The energy and mass balance equations
the daily maximum and monthly average temperatures typically used to model the gas turbine and waste heat powered ARS are
recorded in summer are of 51
C and 36
C, while monthly average presented in Tables 3 and 4, respectively. These equations are
daily temperatures vary from 20
C to 36
C throughout the year [4]. typical of the analysis of energy systems, and are used in Sections
However for eight months of the year, monthly averages of daily 3.2.1e3.2.5 to determine the amount of recoverable waste heat
maximum temperatures typically range from 25 to 37
C [37]. As available in the NG plant, the steam flow rate generated by the
proposed by Mortazavi et al. [16,18], condenser sea water cooling is WHRSG, as well as gas turbine, evaporative cooler and ARS
a potential solution that would permit condenser operating performance.
temperatures to be maintained below 35
C in summer conditions.
Thus, surface sea-water temperatures in the Persian Gulf typically 3.2.1. Maximum and recoverable waste heat
range from 15
C to 32
C throughout the year [38]. Many plants in The total amount of recoverable waste heat that could be
the Persian Gulf have access to and already make use of sea or fresh utilized for waste heat recovery applications, QRWH, is estimated as:
water for applications such as heat exchanger cooling. As an
existing sea or fresh water pumping system already used for other _ 5 Cp; turb; exh ðt5  tamb Þ
QRWH ¼ m (1)
water cooling applications could be employed for ARS condenser
The amount of waste heat that could be recovered using the
cooling, the additional capital and operating expenses associated
WHRSG and absorption chillers, QWHRSG, is calculated as [11]:
with water supply would be minimal and would not significantly
impact the economic payback period of the gas turbine compressor

_ 5 Cp; turb; exh t5  tsteam; ARS
QWHRSG ¼ m (2)
inlet air cooling scheme, particularly considering that ARS
condenser cooling would only be required in summer months. The where tsteam, ARS is the mean temperature of saturated steam
use of such a condenser cooling approach is therefore assumed in supplied to the absorption chiller desorber (i.e., generator). The use
this study, to permit the application of single-effect LiBreH2O
absorption chillers to gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling at Table 2
Single effect H2OeLiBr ARS state point modeling assumptions.
ambient air temperatures exceeding 35
C.
State point Assumption
11 Saturated liquid solution, c ¼ 0
3.2. Thermodynamic model 12 Sub cooled liquid solution
13 Sub cooled liquid solution
14 Saturated liquid solution, c ¼ 0
The thermodynamic performance of both the evaporative 15 Sub cooled liquid solution
coolers and waste-heat powered single-effect ARS shown in Fig. 2 is 16 Two-phase solution state
analyzed using EES [33]. EES is a numerical solver that provides 17 Superheated water vapor
built-in mathematical and thermodynamic property functions to 18 Saturated liquid water, c ¼ 0
19 Two-phase water state
solve algebraic equations, with an extensive database of fluid
20 Saturated water vapor, c ¼ 1
thermodynamic properties. This modeling software has been 21 Saturated steam
widely used for the analysis of energy systems, particularly for 22 Two-phase water vapor
waste energy recovery. 23 Refrigerant liquid
The following modeling assumptions, which are typically 24 Two-phase refrigerant solution

employed for the thermodynamic analysis of energy recovery Note: State points 11e24 are defined in Fig. 2.
924 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931

Table 3 desirable so that the condensate does not flash to steam in the
Mass and energy balances for the gas turbine cycle. return lines. The K factor value (i.e., 1.1) was taken from Dorgan
Cycle component Mass and energy balance et al. [11], where it is specified based on the number of effects and
_2 ¼ m
m _3 cooling capacity of the chiller.
Compressor Wcomp ¼ m _ 3 h3  m _ 2 h2 It is important to ensure that the exhaust gas at the outlet of the
Wcomp; isen ¼ m _ 3 hs3  m _ 2 h2 WHRSG is not reduced to a temperature below the dew point of
_ 3 þm
m _7 ¼ m _4 NOx or SOx. The exhaust gas temperature at the WHRSG outlet, t6, is
Combustor _ 4 h4  m
_ 3 h3  m
_ 7 h7
Qcomb ¼ m
calculated as [11]:
_4 ¼ m
m _5
Gas turbine Wgas; turb ¼ m _ 4 h4  m _ 5 h5 Qdes
Wgas; turb; isen ¼ m _ 4 hs4  m _ 5 h5 t6 ¼ t5    (5)
_ 5 þm _ 22 ¼ m _ 6 þm
_ 21
_ 5 Cp; turb; exh
m
m
WHRSG
_ 5 h5 þ m
m _ 22 h22 ¼ m_ 6 h6 þ m
_ 21 h21
In this analysis, the calculated temperature of the exhaust gas
Note: Subscripts 1e10 for mass flow rate, heat load, and enthalpy refer to the state
dissipated to the atmosphere, t6, was found to be 151
C.
points defined in Fig. 2.

3.2.3. Gas turbine performance

of a mean steam temperature serves to account for heat losses Standard mass and energy balance equations [39,40] typically
between the outlet of the WHRSG and the inlet of the absorption employed for the analysis of GT cycles are presented in Table 3. The
refrigeration unit desorber. The mean pressure and temperature of isentropic efficiencies of the compressor, hcomp, and gas turbine,
saturated steam in the WHRSG are assumed to be 180 kPa and hturb, are calculated as:
122
C, respectively [11].
Wcomp; isen
hcomp ¼ (6)
3.2.2. Steam mass flow rate at WHRSG outlet Wcomp
As illustrated in Fig. 2, the ARS is indirectly powered by steam
generated in the WHRSG from gas turbine exhaust gases. The Wturb
amount of waste heat recuperated by the WHRSG is calculated
hturb ¼ (7)
Wturb; isen
using Equation (2).
As the absorption chiller pressure increases, the corresponding The net work done by the gas turbine cycle, Wnet, and the net gas
temperature of saturated steam also increases. Since the waste heat turbine efficiency, hcycle, are estimated as:
recovered by the steam generator is provided to the ARS high-
Wnet ¼ Wturb  Wcomp (8)
temperature desorber (i.e., generator),

QWHRSG ¼ Qdes (3) Wnet

hcycle ¼ (9)
Qcomb
The energy recovered in the WHRSG, can be converted into
_ 21 :
a steam flow rate, m When compressor inlet air cooling using either waste heat
powered absorption refrigeration or vapor compression refrigera-
Qdes tion is employed, compressor inlet air is cooled to 10
C regardless
_ 21 ¼
m (4)
ðh21  h22 ÞK of ambient temperature and RH conditions. Evaporative cooling
The correction factor K in Equation (4) takes into account the reduces the compressor inlet air temperature to the wet bulb
superheating and sub-cooling effect of the steam, and must be temperature of air at the ambient air dry bulb temperature and RH
taken into consideration [11]. Superheating of the steam ensures considered, which will be calculated by the thermodynamic model
that it does not condense as its temperature is lowered when as outlined in Section 3.2.4.
passing through the piping system. Sub-cooling of the system is
3.2.4. Evaporative cooler performance
Evaporative coolers work on the principle of an adiabatic satu-
ration process and provide cooling by absorbing heat which is
Table 4
equivalent to the latent heat of vaporization for water from hot
Mass and energy balances for the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS.
streams such as air [40].
ARS component Mass and energy balance Therefore, air at the evaporative cooler outlet or the NG turbine
Evaporator
_ 19 ¼ m
m _ 20 compressor inlet, t9, is saturated vapor (RH ¼ 100%), and its temper-
Qevap ¼ m_ 20 h20  m
_ 19 h19
ature corresponds the wet bulb temperature of air at 328 K, Twb:
_ 20 þ m
m _ 16 ¼ m _ 11
Absorber _ 16 x16 ¼ m
m _ 11 x11
_ 20 h20 þ m _ 16 h16  m
_ 11 h11
t9 ¼ Twb (10)
Qabs ¼ m
m _ 14 ¼ m
_ 12 þ m _ 13 þ m_ 15 The amount of water added to the compressor inlet, Wwater, is
SHX _ 12 h12 þ m_ 14 h14  m
_ 13 h13  m
_ 15 h15
QSHX ¼ m calculated as:
_ 15 ¼ m
m _ 16
Solution valve _ 15 h15 ¼ m
m _ 16 h16 _ 8 ðwwb  w8 Þ
Wwater ¼ m (11)
m _ 14 þ m
_ 17 þ m _ 22 ¼ m _ 13 þ m
_ 21
Desorber _ 17 h17 þ m_ 14 h14 þ m
_ 22 h22  m
_ 13 h13  m
_ 21 h21 _ 8 is the compressor inlet air flow rate, and wwb and w9 are
Qdes ¼ m where m
_ 19 ¼ m
m _ 18 the humidity ratio of air at temperatures t9 and t8, respectively. The
H2O valve
_ 19 h19 ¼ m
m _ 18 h18 amount of compressor inlet air cooling provided by evaporative
_ 17 ¼ m
m _ 18 cooling, Qevap, cooling, is calculated as:
Condenser
Qcond ¼ m_ 18 h18  m
_ 17 h17

Note: Subscripts 11e22 for mass flow rate, heat load, and enthalpy refer to the state
_ 8 ðh8  hwb Þ
Qevap; cooling ¼ m (12)
points defined in Fig. 2.
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931 925

The efficiency of evaporative coolers is measured using their
cooling effectiveness, which is defined as the ratio of the actual
cooling provided by the evaporative cooler to the maximum cooling
that could be provided by the evaporative cooler if the compressor
inlet air temperature was reduced to its dew point [19]. The cooling
efficiency of an evaporative cooler, hevap, cooling, is calculated as:
2% of corresponding experimental measurements. In addition,
detailed sensitivity analyzes of the effects of chilled water outlet
temperature, condenser temperature, and LiBr concentration
difference between the generator and absorber, on both ARS COP
and cooling capacity, were performed, which provided further
confidence in the model [43].

ðt  Twb Þ
hevap; cooling ¼  8  (13) 5. Thermodynamic modeling results
t8  Tdp
The validated thermodynamic model presented in Section 3 is
employed to analyze performance parameters of the gas turbine,
single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS and evaporative cooling system, in
3.2.5. ARS performance
environmental conditions (55
C, 80% RH) representative of worst-
The standard mass and energy balance equations listed in
case operating conditions in summer in the Middle East, in terms of
Table 4 are used to model the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS. ARS
GT efficiency and power output [27]. In addition, their performance
performance can be assessed using a coefficient of performance,
is also analyzed for a complete year using monthly-representative
COPARS, calculated as:
daily hour-by-hour ambient air temperature and RH profile histo-
Qevap ries in Abu Dhabi, UAE, taken for year 2011 [5]. It should be noted
COPARS ¼ (14) that the official hour-by-hour climatic data employed for this
Qdes
analysis, which were recorded in Abu Dhabi international airport,
The total pumping work required, Wpump, is the pumping work are conservative, i.e. do not include the extreme typically encoun-
_ 11 v_ 11 ðp11  p12 Þ, divided by the isentropic efficiency of
required, m tered in UAE gas plants in summer. For example, the highest
the pump: ambient air temperature officially recorded at Abu Dhabi interna-
tional airport in summer 2011 was of 47
C [5], whereas field
_ 11 v_ 11 ðp11  p12 Þ
m temperatures can reach 55
C. The worst case environmental
Wpump ¼ (15)
hpump conditions considered (55
C, 80% RH) were taken from NGPP
climatic data. Unfortunately, on-site monitoring of climatic data
Subscripts 11 and 12 in Equation (15) refer to the corresponding
was not sufficiently comprehensive to permit a hour-by-hour
state points in Fig. 2.
yearly analysis in this study, which was therefore performed
Finally, the amount of compressor inlet air cooling provided by
based on Abu Dhabi international airport data.
absorption cooling, QARS, cooling, is calculated as [39,40]:

_ 1 ðh1  h2 Þ
QARS; cooling ¼ m (16) 5.1. Summer peak compressor inlet air cooling loads

In Equation (16), the aireH2O fluid mixture mass flow rate to the
compressor inlet and its temperature-, RH- and pressure-
dependent thermodynamic properties from EES database are
used to calculate the amount of cooling provided by the ARS to the
GT compressor air inlet. In all cases, the ARS is assumed to reduce
compressor inlet air temperature to 10
C.
4. Model validation
The gas turbine and ARS models developed in Sections
3.2.1e3.2.5 were validated using manufacturer specifications [34]
and the experimental data of Gommed and Grossman [41],
respectively.
The gas turbine model was validated in ISO conditions. Table 5
presents a comparison of predicted and measured performance
parameters obtained for the gas turbine. Prediction discrepancies
are within 2%, thereby demonstrating good agreement.
The single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS model was validated in previous
work [42], with the predicted heat transfer rates found to be within
The predicted gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling loads
over the range of ambient air temperature and RH conditions
encountered in the UAE are presented in Fig. 3. In worst-case
summer operating conditions (55
C, 80% RH), the cooling load
reaches 11.6 MW.
In such conditions, the model predicts that evaporative coolers
spraying approximately 1 kg/s of water in the compressor inlet air
duct, only provide 2.3 MW cooling capacity. Compressor inlet air
temperature is reduced by only 5
C, to 50
C.
The predicted pressure, temperature, and LiBr concentration, for
the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS at each state point in Fig. 2, are
plotted on a pressureetemperature plot (i.e., Duhring state plot) in
Fig. 4. These results show that the waste heat powered ARS oper-
ates at two pressure levels (i.e., 0.7 kPa and 7.6 kPa) between the
12
10% RH
10
30% RH
60% RH
Cooling Load (MW)

80% RH
8

Table 5 6
Comparison of measured and predicted performance parameters for gas turbine at
ISO conditions. 4
Performance parameter Measureda [34] Predicted Discrepancyb (%)
2
GT power output (MW) 8.96 9.09 1.4
GT efficiency (%) 27.0 27.5 1.8
0
Turbine inlet temperature (
C) 975.0 975.0 0
288 293 298 303 308 313 318 323 328
Turbine outlet temperature (
C) 508.0 508.0 0
Temperature (K)
a
Measured values are at ISO conditions: 101.3 kPa ambient pressure, 15
C
ambient temperature, and 60% RH. Fig. 3. Predicted compressor inlet air cooling loads over the range of ambient air
b
Discrepancy (%) ¼ (Measured  Predicted)  100/Measured. temperature and RH conditions typically encountered in the Persian Gulf.
926 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931

Fig. 4. Dühring state plot for single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chiller. State points are
defined in Fig. 2.
Fig. 5. Effect of compressor inlet air temperature on both gas turbine power output
and efficiency.
LiBr crystallization line on the right and the pure water line on the
left.
variations in ambient temperature and RH. An increase in either
Table 6 summarizes the predicted operating characteristics ob-
temperature or RH results in reduced output power and efficiency.
tained for the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS. The total recoverable
These results are in line with previously published analyzes
waste heat from gas turbine exhaust gases estimated using Equa-
[7,8,20,23e28].
tion (1) is of 17.3 MW. This waste heat is utilized to generate steam
Table 7 compares gas turbine performance parameters for the
in a waste heat recovery boiler at a pressure of 180 kPa and flow
proposed compressor inlet air cooling scheme, with the base case
rate of 7.8 kg/s. The mass flow rate of steam required per 4.1 MW
in which ambient air at 55
C and 80% RH is fed to the compressor
absorption chiller is of 2.5 kg/s [11], while the peak compressor
inlet, in absence of gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling. In such
inlet air cooling capacity required (i.e., at 55
C, 80% RH) is of
conditions, turbine power output and energy efficiency decrease by
11.6 MW. Using both these constraints, the required number of
22% and 8%, respectively (Table 7), relative to ISO ratings (Table 5).
4.1 MW ARS units can be calculated by dividing the available steam
This is in line with the findings of, for example, Meher-Homji et al.
flow rate generated from waste heat, by the steam flow rate
[8] and Ameri and Hejazi [27]. In the same ambient conditions,
required per 4.1 MW ARS. Approximately 17 MW of recovered
evaporative cooling only reduces compressor inlet air temperature
energy in the form of steam is therefore fed to the desorbers of
to 50
C and provides 2.3 MW cooling capacity, which enhances gas
three single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chillers. In worst-case
turbine power output and energy efficiency by 4.2% and 1.6%,
operating conditions (i.e., ambient air temperature of 55
C, 80%
respectively. At high ambient temperature the performance of
RH), almost all of the total cooling capacity produced by the three
evaporative coolers can be increased by spraying a large amount of
absorption chillers (i.e., 12.3 MW) would be used for gas turbine
water above the dew point at the compressor inlet. However, if the
compressor inlet air cooling, to meet the peak cooling load of
excess water is not completely vaporized before entering the
11.6 MW. In less extreme conditions, part of the total ARS cooling
compressor, liquid droplets can erode compressor components and
capacity would be employed for gas turbine compressor inlet air
reduce turbine performance [44]. Furthermore, as previously
cooling, and the excess cooling capacity could be used for other
mentioned, evaporative coolers require demineralized water
plant process cooling applications (e.g., chilled water production).
supply.
The modeling predictions in Figs. 5 and 6 highlight how gas
The ARS modeling predictions in Table 7 show that three,
turbine performance is affected both by local and seasonal
4.1 MW single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption chillers, could utilize

Table 6
Predicted operating characteristics for the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS in peak
cooling load conditions in summer (55
C, 80% RH).

Variable and unit Value

Waste heat available to ARS (MW) 17.3
Absorption chiller cooling capacity (MW) 4.1
Number of 4.1 MW absorption chillers 3.0
required to utilize the recoverable waste heat (e)
Total mass flow rate of steam (kg/s) 7.8
Flue gas temperature vented to the environment (
C) 151
Total waste heat utilized by absorption chiller (MW) 17.0
Maximum cooling capacity required (MW) 11.6
Total cooling capacity provided (MW) 12.3
Mass flow rate of steam required per 2.5
4.1 MW absorption chiller (kg/s)
Heat transfer rate in absorber (MW) 5.0
Heat transfer rate in condenser (MW) 4.4
Heat transfer rate in desorber (MW) 5.3
ARS pump work required (kW) 0.1
ARS coefficient of performance (e) 0.77 Fig. 6. Effect of compressor inlet air RH on gas turbine power output and efficiency.
Ambient air temperature T ¼ 328 K.
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931 927

Table 7 5.2. Yearly compressor inlet air cooling loads

Comparison of predicted gas turbine performance parameters using the proposed
waste heat powered ARS based compressor inlet air cooling scheme and evaporative
cooling in peak cooling load conditions in summer (55
C, 80% RH).
Gas turbine parameter Base case
(No inlet
air cooling)
Compressor inlet air 55.0
temperature (
C)
Turbine outlet 565
temperature (
C)
Compressor inlet air 39.5
flow rate (kg/s)
Net power output (MW) 7.0
Energy Efficiency (%) 24.8
Compressor work (MW) 16.7
Total cooling required (MW) 11.6
Total cooling provided (MW) 0.0
17 MW of gas turbine exhaust gas waste heat, that would otherwise
be dissipated to the environment. This waste heat could be
employed to provide 12.3 MW of gas turbine compressor inlet air
cooling, at a COP of 0.77 and refrigeration temperature of 5
C (i.e.,
chilled water ARS evaporator outlet temperature). In addition,
absorption chillers provide compressor inlet air cooling at
a constant temperature of 10
C, which enhances gas turbine power
output and energy efficiency by 23.2% and 13%, respectively. These
improvements are in line with [27,41].
To further demonstrate the advantage of using waste heat
powered absorption chillers for gas turbine compressor inlet air
cooling, the following parametric sensitivity analysis was per-
formed. The predicted compressor inlet air temperature and
amount of inlet air cooling provided by evaporative coolers and
absorption chillers were compared for RH values ranging from 45%
to 95% in Fig. 7. As RH increases, evaporative cooling capacity
decreases, due to an increase in the wet bulb temperature of the
compressor inlet air. This is also evident from Fig. 8, which presents
the amount of cooling provided by evaporative coolers for a range
of ambient air temperature and RH conditions. Therefore, absorp-
tion chillers offer a distinct advantage by providing higher cooling
capacity at a fixed compressor inlet air temperature.
If a vapor compression chiller was used to provide the same
amount of cooling, approximately 2.7e4.5 MW of electric power
would be required depending on the COP of the compression
chiller (i.e., 3e5).
The performance of the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS and evap-
orative cooling system were also analyzed for a complete year using
Inlet air cooling technology monthly-representative daily hour-by-hour ambient air tempera-
Evaporative Absorption ture (Fig. 9a) and RH (Fig. 9b) profile histories for Abu Dhabi, UAE, in
cooler chiller 2011 [5].
50.0 10.0 The monthly-representative hour-by-hour gas turbine
compressor inlet air cooling load profiles obtained from the
548 490
climatic data in Fig. 9, are presented in Fig. 10. The cooling loads
40.1 45.8 range from approximately 0.45 MW in December to 3.4 MW in
August. As previously noted, this maximum cooling load, which is
7.3 9.0 based on 2011 official climatic records at the site of measurement,
25.2 28.5
are below the extreme encountered in oil and gas plants, which are
16.5 14.5
11.6 11.6 estimated at 11.6 MW for 55
C and 80% RH (Fig. 3). Although based
2.3 12.3 on the data in Fig. 10, a single absorption chiller with a rated
capacity of 4.1 MW could meet compressor inlet air loads
throughout the year, peak summer loads, which can reach 11.6 MW,
would not be met.
The predicted additional gas turbine electricity generated by
a single gas turbine over a complete year using compressor inlet air
cooling relative to the base case (i.e., no compressor inlet air cool-
ing) is compared in Fig. 11 for single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption
refrigeration and evaporative cooling. The predictions for absorp-
tion refrigeration are valid for an ARS incorporating either one or
three 4.1 MW chillers, since the maximum cooling load encoun-
tered in Fig. 10 does not exceed 3.5 MW. From December to March,
absorption refrigeration offers marginal improvements over evap-
orative cooling. However, from April to November, monthly elec-
trical power generation is approximately two to four times higher
for absorption chillers than evaporative cooling. The additional
electrical power produced over the complete year is of 5264 MWh
and 1774 MWh using absorption refrigeration and evaporative
cooling, respectively. This data demonstrates the technical feasi-
bility and advantages of waste heat powered absorption refrigera-
tion for gas turbine compressor inlet air cooling in the Middle East,
not only based on peak summer cooling loads, but also throughout
the year.
6. Economic evaluation
The economic payback period of the waste heat powered gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling scheme, which incorporates
a single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS and WHRSG, was evaluated for two

Absorption Cooling
Evaporative Cooling
330 14
Inlet air cooling provided (MW)

12
Inlet air temperature (K)

320
10

310
8

6
300

4
290
2

280 0
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
Relative Humidity (% )

Fig. 7. Comparison of compressor inlet air temperature and cooling provided by

absorption chillers and conventional evaporative coolers, as a function of ambient RH. Fig. 8. Psychometric plot of evaporative cooling as a function of ambient temperature
Ambient air temperature T ¼ 328 K. and RH.
928 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931

Jan Feb March April May June 900

a 50

Additional Power Generation (MW-hr)

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Absorption cooling
800 Evaporative cooling
Temperature (°C)

40 700
600
30
500
20 400
300
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 200
Hour of the Day
100
Ambient air temperature 0
b Jan Feb March April May June J F M A M J J A S O N D
Month
Relative Humidity (% )

July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

100
80 Fig. 11. Comparison of predicted additional gas turbine electrical power generation
over a complete year for waste heat powered single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption
60
refrigeration and evaporative cooling, Ambient air temperature T ¼ 328 K. Relative to
40 base case (i.e., no compressor inlet air cooling). Analysis based on climatic data pre-
20 sented in Fig. 9.

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour of the Day
Relative humidity (RH)
Fig. 9. Typical hour-by-hour climatic data for each calendar month in 2011 in Abu
Dhabi, UAE [5].
candidate options of implementation, and compared with that of
a typical evaporative cooling system. In the first and second waste
heat recovery option, the ARS consists of one and three single-effect
H2OeLiBr absorption chillers, respectively, having total cooling
capacities of 4.1 MW and 12.3 MW, respectively. The first option
represents lower initial capital investment than the second, and
permits to meet hour-by-hour compressor inlet air cooling loads
throughout the year (Fig. 10), with the exception of extreme cooling
loads, which can reach 11.6 MW (Fig. 3). Considering that i) the
excess cooling capacity generated by one-chiller system is limited
in summer (i.e., approximately 0.6 MW, Fig. 10), particularly
considering the absence of true extreme in the climatic data pre-
sented in Fig. 9, and ii) for the purpose of preserving an operating
margin, it is assumed that this excess capacity is not utilized for
other plant process cooling applications. Thus, the first system is
only employed for compressor inlet air cooling. The three-chiller
system permits to meet hourly compressor inlet air cooling loads
at any time of the year, including extreme peak loads (i.e., 11.6 MW),
while during off-peaks periods, the excess ARS cooling capacity is
utilized for other plant process cooling applications that would
otherwise typically be driven by conventional mechanical vapor
compression chillers.
The economic payback period of both waste heat recovery
options and evaporative cooler were assessed based on the official
hour-by-hour ambient air temperature and RH profile data for 2011
recorded in Ref. [5]. Since ambient air temperatures in the UAE
exceed the desired compressor inlet air temperature (i.e., 10
C)
throughout the year, the economic feasibility of each system was
estimated by assuming that it operates continuously, i.e. for 7200 h/
year.
The estimated equipment capital expenditure (CAPEX) for the
first and second waste heat recovery options, and evaporative
cooler, are presented in Table 8. Based on the data of Zabala [45],
the equipment CAPEX for every kW of cooling provided was taken
as approximately US$ 95 for the single-effect H2OeLiBr ARS, US$ 30
for cooling-towers, US$ 1 for process heat exchangers, and US$ 11
for other installation costs such as piping. The WHRSG CAPEX was
assumed to be approximately 55 US$/kg/s steam at 800 kPa [11].
The CAPEX of evaporative cooling was taken as 50 US$/kW cooling
[46]. The estimated CAPEX of the first and second waste heat
recovery options in Table 8 are approximately five and fifteen time
higher than for evaporative cooling.
Table 9 presents the annual operating cost expenditures (OPEX)
and payback periods of the first and second waste heat recovery
options, as well as that of a typical evaporative cooler. In addition,
the OPEX of the second waste heat recovery option for providing
electrical power to plant process cooling during off-peak

Table 8
Jan Feb March April May June Equipment CAPEX for the proposed waste heat recovery (WHR) options and evap-
July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec orative cooler.
3.5
Process equipment Cost [millions US$]
Cooling Load (MW)

3
2.5 WHR Option 1 WHR Option 2

2 Absorption chillera 0.39 1.17

Cooling towera 0.12 0.37
1.5 Process heat exchangera 0.01 0.01
1 Other installation costa 0.05 0.14
0.5 WHRSG generatorb 0.45 1.35
Total WHR system CAPEX 1.01 3.04
0
Evaporative cooler CAPEXc 0.20 0.20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Hour of the Day Note: Option 1 and 2 include one and three single-effect H2OeLiBr absorption
chillers, respectively.
a
Fig. 10. Typical hour-by-hour compressor inlet air cooling load profiles for each Single-effect ARS CAPEX ¼ 95 US$/kW cooling [45].
b
calendar month in 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, based on the climatic data presented in WHRSG CAPEX ¼ 55 US$/kg/s steam at 800 kPa [11].
c
Fig. 9. Evaporative cooler CAPEX ¼ 50 US$/kW cooling [46].
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931 929

compressor inlet air cooling loads, is compared with that of a vapor with an annual water consumption estimated as 20,575,101 kg/year
compression chiller, which would otherwise typically be used to using Equation (11) and the hour-by-hour climatic data in Fig. 9.
provide the same amount of process cooling. The OPEX of each The equivalent yearly-average water consumption rate, 0.79 kg/s, is
waste heat recovery option is the sum the annual cost of both in line with the rate of 1.1 kg/s quoted by Ref. [52] in Saudi Arabia.
electricity and water required by the absorption chiller, and water The payback periods (in years) of each waste heat recovery option
required by the WHRSG. Electric power is required by the ARS and evaporative cooler were estimated as the corresponding system
solution pumps, chilled water pumps and cooling water pumps, CAPEX, divided by the net annual OPEX savings realized [53]:
while process water is required by the cooling towers for ARS
condenser cooling, and by the WHRSG in the form of make-up Equipment CAPEX
Payback period ¼ (17)
water. The annual electricity and water related OPEX for the Net annual OPEX savings
waste heat powered ARSs were estimated based on the costs of
[45,47], i.e. 4.1 US$/kW and 2.0 US$/kW of cooling provided, The net OPEX savings realized with either Option 1 or evapo-
respectively, adjusted based on the costs of electric power and rative cooling consist of electricity savings achieved with
process water for large industrial consumers (e.g., NGPPs) in the compressor inlet air cooling relative to uncooled inlet air, minus the
UAE. These costs range from 0.04085 US$/kWh and 0.6 US$/ton, total OPEX of the inlet air cooling system considered. For waste heat
respectively, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi [48], to 0.1035 US$/kWh recovery Option 2, the net OPEX savings also consist of electricity
and 12.5 US$/ton in the Emirate of Dubai, respectively [49]. savings achieved with compressor inlet air cooling, as well as
Although most UAE oil and gas plants are located in the Emirate of electricity savings associated with additional process cooling rela-
Abu Dhabi, where utilities are low-cost, it is anticipated that with tive to the use of vapor compression refrigeration, minus the total
the on-going rise in electricity and water prices in Abu Dhabi’s OPEX of Option 2.
Emirate [50,51], present utility prices in Dubai may be considered The total capital and operating costs of Option 1 are found to be
a realistic projection of those in Abu Dhabi region in the near future. approximately 1.012 million US$ and 0.011e0.029 million US$,
Therefore, all economic payback periods are estimated based on respectively, with a payback period ranging from 2 to 5 years based
present and projected utility prices for NGPPs in Abu Dhabi region. on present and projected local costs of electric power and water for
The annual OPEX of the vapor compression chiller consists of UAE NGPPs, respectively. Such payback periods are significantly
electrical power, and was assumed to be approximately 188.86 US$/ shorter than the operating lives of gas plants, which are of several
kW of cooling provided [47]. This cost was adjusted based on decades. Furthermore, considering the on-going rise in utility pri-
present and projected costs of electric power in the UAE as ces in the UAE, the two year payback period may be considered
described above. The evaporative cooler OPEX consists of water, a more realistic figure for Option 1 in the near future.
The total capital and operating costs of Option 2 are found to be
approximately 3.045 million US$ and 0.034e0.087 million US$,
respectively, with a payback period ranging from 1.3 to 3.4 years
Table 9
based on present and projected local costs of electric power and
Annual OPEX and payback periods of the proposed waste heat recovery (WHR)
options and evaporative cooler. water, respectively. Again, the 1.3 years payback period may be
considered a more realistic figure in the near future considering the
Process equipment and utility Cost [millions US$/year]
local rise in utility prices. Therefore, despite higher initial capital
WHR Option 1 WHR Option 2 investment for Option 2, the above analysis shows that the payback
Present a
Projected b
Presenta Projectedb period of the waste heat recovery scheme can be reduced by
Absorption chiller, electricityc 0.008 0.019 0.023 0.058 integrating it with other plant process cooling applications that are
Absorption chiller and 0.004 0.010 0.011 0.029 to be enhanced during off-peak compressor inlet air cooling load
WHRSG, waterc periods. It should be noted that the payback period estimates for
Total WHR OPEX 0.011 0.029 0.034 0.087
Option 2 are conservative, as they do not account for the additional
Vapor compression chiller N/A N/A 0.711 1.801
OPEX, electricityd
electrical lower generated during extreme compressor inlet air
Annual cost of additional 0.215 0.545 0.215 0.545 cooling load periods (e.g., at 55
C, 80% RH). This additional power
GT electric power could not be accounted for in the present yearly analysis, as the
Net annual savings achieved 0.204 0.516 0.891 2.259 official climatic data recorded [5] does not include the ambient air
with WHR system
temperature and RH extreme that occur at UAE NGPP sites.
WHR system payback period 5.0 2.0 3.4 1.3
(years) However, based on conservative climatic data, this study indicates
Evaporative cooler that the implementation of either waste heat recovery Option 1 or 2
Presenta Projectedb in an actual NGPP would be clearly justified on the basis of both
Evaporative cooler 0.012 0.057
thermodynamic performance and economic feasibility.
OPEX, watere
Net annual savings 0.060 0.127
The additional electric power generated by the GT cycle with
achieved with compressor inlet air cooling would permit annual savings of
evaporative cooler approximately 0.204e0.516 million US$ to be realized for Option 1,
Evaporative cooler payback 3.500 1.654 and 0.891e2.259 million US$ for Option 2, based on present and
period (years)
projected local utility prices, respectively.
Note: WHR Options 1 and 2 are based on one and three single-effect H2OeLiBr Despite low initial capital investment, the payback period of
absorption chillers, respectively. All systems operate continuously, i.e. 7200 h/year.
a
a typical GT compressor inlet air evaporative cooling system (i.e.,
Present estimates are based on utility prices in Abu Dhabi Emirate: Electric
power ¼ 0.0408 US$/kWh, water ¼ 0.6 $/ton [48].
1.7e3.5 years, based on present and projected local water prices,
b
Projected estimates are based on utility prices in Dubai Emirate: Electric respectively) is of the same order of magnitude as that of the
power ¼ 0.1035 US$/kWh, water ¼ 12.5 $/ton, respectively [49]. proposed waste heat-powered absorption refrigeration system
c
Single-effect ARS OPEX: electricity ¼ 4.1 US$/year/kW cooling, water ¼ 2.0 US$/ (particularly, Option 2). This is attributable to the limited yearly GT
year/kW cooling [45,47], adjusted based on local utility prices.a,b
d additional electric power generated by evaporative cooling in the
Vapor compression chiller OPEX ¼ 188.6 US$/year/kW cooling [47], adjusted
based on local utility prices.a,b Persian Gulf climate. As previously noted, the cooling capacity of
e
Evaporative cooler water consumption ¼ 20,575,101 kg/year. evaporative coolers is significantly limited in high RH conditions,
930 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
and would be two to four times less than that of either waste heat
recovery option for approximately eight months of the year
(Fig. 11). Over a period longer than their respective payback times,
either waste heat recovery option would offer undisputed GT
performance and economic benefits for the plant over evaporative
cooling. These economic benefits would translate into reduced
primary energy consumption, hence environmental emissions. GT
operation in compressor inlet air conditions closer to ISO condi-
tions is also likely to result in improved GT reliability and life, hence
further economic benefits.
The proposed absorption refrigeration-based scheme may also
be compared with a vapor compression refrigeration system.
Although vapor compression systems have COPs (i.e., 2e6.75 [44])
higher than those of absorption refrigeration systems, the former
cannot utilize waste heat, and require a higher grade of energy to
power them, i.e. a higher amount of electricity. Thus, there is
a significant difference between the energy required by an
absorption cycle and a vapor compression cycle. For example, in
order to provide 12.3 MW of cooling in peak compressor inlet air
cooling load periods, a vapor compression cycle working at a COP of
6 would require an additional 2 MW of electric energy relative to an
absorption cycle (i.e., Option 2). This translates to equivalent
primary fuel savings of approximately 114 million standard cubic
meters (MSCM) of NG, that is $16276, based on a NG sale price of
$4.02/MMBtu [2], for the proposed waste heat powered ARS (i.e.,
Option 2), relative to a vapor compression cycle. If it is assumed that
the cost of electricity is approximately five times the net value of
heat recovered from GT exhaust gases [11], on a kW/$ basis, the
absorption chiller would have an operating cost advantage.
With the availability of waste heat and low-cost absorption
refrigeration technology, a range of applications could now become
feasible in the oil and gas industry. Apart from GT compressor inlet
air cooling, the waste heat powered ARS shown in Fig. 2 could be
integrated with a range of other on-site candidate applications.
Examples include replacement or enhancement of either vapor
compression chillers (as in the case of Option 2) or propane chillers
in NG processing plants, enhancement of light end recovery in oil
refineries, sea water desalination, space cooling, air liquefaction,
and CO2 sequestration. Economic savings of a similar order of
magnitude as those predicted in the present analysis could be
anticipated for such applications.
Although in general, economic payback period is an important
consideration for the potential adoption of efficiency enhancement
schemes in oil and gas plants, at present the need to reduce envi-
ronmental impact and the reliance on licensed process technolo-
gies may be of higher priority for many Middle East facilities. The
former consideration would favor implementation of waste heat
recovery, while the second would be prohibitive. However, with
rising energy prices, economics may become a more important
motivating factor for Middle East plants in the future to adopt waste
heat recovery technologies, such as that proposed in this study.
7. Conclusions
The use of waste heat powered absorption refrigeration for gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling was thermodynamically and
economically evaluated for application in natural gas processing
plants (NGPPs) operated in hot and humid conditions representa-
tive of the Persian Gulf climate. In the proposed scheme, the waste
heat is recovered from gas turbine exhaust gases to generate steam
in a waste heat recovery steam generator, and drive a single-effect
lithium-bromide (LiBr) absorption refrigeration system (ARS). The
thermodynamic performance of this scheme was compared with
that of conventional evaporative coolers and mechanical vapor-
compression chillers, in terms of key operating parameters, and
either demineralized water or electricity consumption. Economic
feasibility was assessed for two candidate options of implementa-
tion, that were based on the use of either one or three absorption
chillers. The former option solely provides gas turbine compressor
inlet air cooling, while the second option also provides plant
process cooling during off-peak compressor inlet air cooling
periods.
In worst-case summer conditions (55
C, 80% RH), evaporative
coolers were found to provide 2.3 MW cooling capacity by vapor-
izing approximately 0.8 kg/s of water in the compressor inlet air
duct for cooling ambient air to the corresponding wet bulb
temperature. However in such ambient conditions, additional
humidification does not produce the desired cooling effect due to
the high wet-bulb temperature of the compressor inlet air.
Alternatively, using three waste heat powered single-effect
H2OeLiBr absorption chillers, 17 MW of waste heat can be recov-
ered from gas turbine exhaust gases and utilized to provide
12.3 MW of cooling at a coefficient of performance of 0.77. Since
absorption cooling is not affected by RH, gas turbine compressor
inlet air cooling can be provided at a constant temperature of 10
C.
Consequently, in the same ambient conditions, evaporative cooling
enhances gas turbine power output and energy efficiency by 4.2%
and 1.6%, respectively, whereas absorption cooling enhances these
parameters by 23.2% and 13%, respectively. The additional electric
power generated over a complete year by the waste heat powered
ARS and evaporative cooler is of 5264 MWh and 1774 MWh,
respectively. This demonstrates the technical feasibility and
advantages of waste heat powered absorption refrigeration for gas
turbine compressor inlet air cooling in the Middle East, not only
based on peak summer cooling loads, but also throughout the year.
When compared to a vapor compression chiller that would provide
the same amount of cooling as the ARS, the proposed scheme
would permit to save approximately 2 MW of electric power,
assuming a COP of 6 for the vapor compression chiller.
The additional electric power generated by the GT cycle with
compressor inlet air cooling would permit annual savings of
approximately 0.204e0.516 million US$ to be realized for the first
waste heat recovery option (i.e., one absorption chiller), and
0.891e2.259 million US$ for the second option (i.e., three
absorption chillers). The payback period of Option 1 is estimated
to range from 2 to 5.1 years depending upon on local variations
in the cost of electric power and water consumed in the UAE.
Despite higher initial capital investment for Option 2, the
payback period of the waste heat recovery scheme is reduced to
1.3e3.4 years by integrating the waste heat powered ARS with
other plant process cooling applications to be enhanced during off-
peak compressor inlet air cooling load periods. Such payback
periods are a fraction of the operating lives of NGPPs, which are on
the order of decades. Furthermore, considering the on-going rise in
electricity and water prices in the Middle East, the estimated
payback periods are likely to decrease in the near future. Despite
low initial capital investment, the payback period of a typical GT
compressor inlet air evaporative cooling system would be compa-
rable to that of Option 2, i.e., 1.7e3.5 years. This is attributable to the
limited additional GT electric power generated by evaporative
cooling in the Persian Gulf climate. This finding should be
contrasted with the industry’s typical perception that evaporative
coolers are the most economically justifiable solution for GT
compressor inlet air cooling.
This study indicates that the implementation of waste heat
powered absorption refrigeration for gas turbine compressor inlet
air cooling in NGPPs would be clearly justified on the basis of
thermo-economic feasibility.
The proposed waste heat utilization scheme would have appli-
cability to a range of other potential waste heat powered absorption
 S. Popli et al. / Applied Thermal Engineering 50 (2013) 918e931
refrigeration applications in oil and gas plants, such as replacement
or enhancement of propane chillers in NGPPs, enhancement of light
end recovery in oil refineries, sea water desalination, space cooling,
air liquefaction, and CO2 sequestration. Future work could also
consider analysis of gas turbine part load operation, as well as
exergy, environmental impact, and the design and analysis of an
ARS condenser water-cooling system for application in the Middle
East climate.
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