The installation of an inlet air cooling section was
planned to enhance plant performance during summer
months. The compression refrigeration option turned out
to be hardly viable in the present application. Since the
plant is designed for base load operation, a compression
refrigeration system, without TES, would consume
electricity during the day, when it is most expensive, and its
efficiency is strongly affected by part-load operating
conditions. On the other hand, an ice-based TES for
cooling inlet air back to 10°C, during the whole day in
summer's hottest months, would require large equipment
size, increasing plant complexity and investment costs.