THE MeeFog™ CONCEPT–ELEGANT IDEA–DRAMATIC RESULTS

Gas Turbine output is a strong function of the ambient air temperature with power output dropping by 0.3-0.5% for every 1°F (0.5-0.9% for every 1°C) rise in ambient temperature. On several heavy frame gas turbines, power output drops of around 20% can be experienced when ambient air reaches 95°F (35°C), coupled with a heat rate increase of about 5%. Aeroderivative gas turbines exhibit even a greater sensitivity to ambient conditions. This power loss in output presents a significant problem to Utilities, Cogenerators and Independent Power Producers (IPPs) when electric demands are high during the hot summer months.

In the Petrochemical and Process industries, the reduction in output of mechanical drive gas turbines often curtails plant output. For example, at some LNG plants, production may have to be curtailed during the hot afternoons when refrigeration capacity is limited by gas turbine driver power. One way to counter this power loss is to cool the inlet air. Fogging has seen large-scale application because of the advantage of low first cost when compared to other techniques including media evaporative cooling and refrigeration technologies.