Technological and economical analysis of water recovery in steam injected gas turbines

Steam injected gas turbines are an interesting technology for co-generation applications. In these gas turbines the heat of the exhaust gases is used to produce steam. This steam is injected in the combustion chamber, resulting in a high specific power and a high thermal efficiency. A major disadvantage of steam injected gas turbines is the large water consumption. Placing a condenser in the cycle makes it possible to recover all the injected steam. An analysis is made of different types of condensers. Condensers based on finned tubes and direct-contact-condensers are considered. The dimensions of the condensers are determined for existing steam injected gas turbines. Furthermore, the investment costs and the exploitation costs for each type are compared. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.