Performance analysis of combined humidified gas turbine power generation and multi-effect thermal vapor compression desalination systems — Part 1: The desalination unit and its combination with a steam-injected gas turbine power system

Abstract Humidified gas turbines (HGT) have been identified as a promising way of producing power. The use of the steam-injected gas turbine (STIG) HGT cycle in a combined power and water desalination system was analyzed using energy and exergy performance criteria. A brief description and rationale of the background of HGT cycles and dual-purpose power and water systems is given. A thermal desalination unit was modeled and analyzed, and the results led to the selection of a multi-effect thermal vapor compression (METVC) unit for producing fresh water from seawater for both general use and humidification; then the performance of a STIG-based combined system was investigated. The analysis performed improved the understanding of the combined STIG power and water desalination process and of ways to improve and optimize it. Some specific conclusions are that: (1) a METVC desalination system is preferred to a multieffect evaporation one when the pressure of the motive steam is high enough, >∼3 bar, to run a steam jet ejector; (2) the steam injection rate in the STIG cycle has a strong effect on water and power production, offering good flexibility for design and operation; (3) higher pressure ratios and higher steam injection rates in the STIG cycle increase power generation, but decrease water production rates, and higher turbine inlet temperatures increased both power and water production; (4) a distinct water production gain can be obtained by recovering the stack gas energy. The results indicate that such dual-purpose systems have good synergy, not only in fuel utilization, but also in operation and design flexibility.