Rockwood Gas Turbine Unit 1 and Unit 2 Power Augmentation System (Project No. 200259)
Summary
SCH Number
2022080051
Public Agency
Imperial Irrigation District
Document Title
Rockwood Gas Turbine Unit 1 and Unit 2 Power Augmentation System (Project No. 200259)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/3/2022
Document Description
Rockwood Generating Station is part of Imperial Irrigation District’s fossil fuel power generation system with 50 Megawatts (MW) of installed capacity. The Rockwood Gas Turbine plant consists of two Pratt & Whitney FT4C-3F Gas Turbine Unit 1 and Unit 2 generating units commissioned in 1978. Rockwood Generating Station Units 1 and Unit 2 are industrial aero derivative type turbines originally designed by United Technologies rated at 25,000 KW.
Turbine output and efficiency of the gas turbine engines are reduced during periods of high ambient temperature. All this has an effect on gas turbine output. As ambient temperatures rise, gas turbine output decreases. Each 10°F (-12.2°C) rise in temperature can result in as much as a 3-4% decrease in output and a 1% rise in heat rate (The heat rate is the amount of energy used by an electrical generator/power plant to generate one kilowatt-hour [kWh] of electricity). This creates an incentive to attempt to overcome the inherent loss of gas turbine power output during periods of high ambient temperature by using high-pressure inlet fogging.
Fog intercooling which has been applied from the early days of gas turbine and jet engine technology (injection of water into the axial flow compressor) is a technique that consists of over-injecting fog into the inlet air stream (i.e., spraying more fog than will evaporate under the given current ambient temperature and humidity conditions). The desired quantum of unevaporated fog is carried with the air stream into the compressor where it evaporates and gives an intercooling effect. The resulting reduction in the work of compression can result in a significant additional power boost. The compression process consumes as much as 66% of the total work produced by the gas turbine and therefore any means of reducing the work of compression will enhance the power output of the gas turbine.
MeeFog Systems, Inc. will install fog intercooling at the Rockwood unit 1 and unit 2.
Contact Information
Name
Donald Vargas
Agency Name
Imperial Irrigation District
Job Title
Environmental Compliance Administrator
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Parties Undertaking Project
Address
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Brawley
Counties
Imperial
Regions
Citywide, Countywide
Other Location Info
West side of Dogwood Road and 200 ft. south of Mead Road, Brawley, CA
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Sec.15303 (Class 3)
Reasons for Exemption
The project is exempt under Section 15303 (Class 3 exemption) for the reason that it entails the construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities or structures; installation of small new equipment and facilities in small structures; and the conversion of existing small structures from one use to another where only minor modifications are made in the exterior of the structure.
County Clerk
Imperial
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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