Exergo-economic analysis and optimization of cooled CGAM cycle: A gas turbine based co-generation cycle

Abstract

CGAM cycle (A cycle named on contributing researchers C. Frangopoulos, G. Tsatsaronis, A. Valero and M. R. Von Spakovsky) is a well-known thermodynamic cycle in the area of exergoeconomic investigation. The cycle has been investigated by various researchers using different exergo-economic methodologies and optimization techniques. In this work, the CGAM cycle has been modified by incorporating turbine blade cooling. The cycle has been exergo-economically investigated with the help of the ‘Average Cost Theory’ method. The cycle has also been optimized for the minimum total cost with the help of the ‘Generate and Test’ optimization technique. As CGAM cycle has been investigated many times using different methodologies and optimization techniques and all arrived at the same result. In this work, different sets of decision variables have been presented for optimum results, which is the novelty of this work and likely to be of great scientific significance. A 30 MW power plant has been simulated for exergoeconomic investigation and has been optimized for a minimum total cost rate. The results shows that for optimized total cost rate of 0.3542 $/s the optimum operating parameters are r_pc = 13.73, T₃ = 874.75 K, T₄ = 1506.10 K, ${\eta }_{\mathrm{AC}}$  = 85.98% and ${\eta }_{\mathrm{GT}}$  = 87.47% respectively.