Value Engineering
- TAS can provide detailed evaluations of the economics of gas turbine power augmentation options.
- Experienced energy analysts call this type of evaluation an “8760”, which is the number of hours in a year (365 X 24).
- The study provides a detailed “before and after” look at a GT-based simple cycle or combined cycle power plant which provides an hour-by-hour simulation of how a plant will operate with and without Turbine Inlet Chilling. Multiple options are usually investigated.
- The methodology full encompasses variations in air temperature, humidity, and other site conditions. The calculations further overlay the real-time value of power and the cost of fuel. Other economic factors such as capacity payments, economic dispatch, water usage, and the cost of hot / cold engine starts.
- TAS customers get the benefit of 8760 analyses of their chiller plants to optimize the target compressor inlet temperature (T2), the range of the chilled water temperature (“delta T”), the heat transfer configuration of the chilled water / air coils, the size of the chiller system, the efficiency of the chiller plant, and the capacity of the Thermal Energy Storage tank when the Generation Storage option is used.
- The use of these studies assists our customers to realize the highest value of their potential TIC investment, and to focus their decisions to the optimum hardware configuration that maximizes both the operational flexibility and their maximum profits.
- Study outputs provide tabular and graphical results of simple metrics such as incremental capacity (MW), incremental energy (MWHrs), CapEx requirements, and net revenue. We can also provide financial results through the “unlevered IRR” method. Finally, we demonstrate why TIC technology always results in the lowest “$/kW” for the entire power plant, even though it might not be the lowest $/kW incremental cost of the possible augmentation options. We show why the “NPV” of the technology option is superior to a “simple payback” calculation.