Thermodynamic and Environmental Comparison of Various Recuperated Cycles for Gas Turbine Applications

The considerable amount of energy contained in the exhaust gases of gas turbines represents a valuable potential that cannot be overlooked. The objective of this study is to identify the cycle that contributes the most to improving the performance of the simple gas turbine cycle (Joule-Brayton cycle) and reducing CO2 emissions to the environment through the recovery of exhaust gases. Many studies have focused on methods for better exploiting this potential. In this context, three different cycles with exhaust gas recovery were analyzed in this work: the cycle with conventional recovery, the cycle with alternative recovery, and the cycle with staged recovery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of the best cycle with exhaust gas recovery based on energy performance and environmental impact. The energy analysis shows a significant improvement in energy efficiency compared to that of the cycle without recovery. To better understand the behavior of these technologies and achieve their best integration, we analyze the influence of certain key parameters such as compression ratio, ambient temperature, and heat exchanger effectiveness. The results of the environmental analysis show that the amount of CO2 emissions in the cycles with recovery is significantly reduced.