Development of a steady-state thermodynamic model in microsoft excel for performance analysis of industrial gas turbines

In this paper, an off-design performance prediction model for a single shaft industrial gas turbine (IGT) using Microsoft Excel with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) programming is presented. The modelling architecture is comprised of fundamental thermodynamic equations describing the performance of IGTs. A graphical user interface has been constructed to allow an easy interaction of the model to predict IGT performance at different operating conditions. Component characteristic maps for the compressor and turbine with a bilinear interpolation method have been implemented in the Excel modelling architecture. A commercial thermodynamic toolbox (Thermolib, EUtech Scientific Engineering GmbH) which is compatible with Simulink environment has been considered to validate Excel model of the IGT system. This Excel modelling architecture could be a valuable reference tool for engineers and students to understand IGT performance at different ambient and operating conditions.