Steam turbine designed to facilitate late modification for operation with power plant incorporating carbon capture facilities

Abstract

A steam turbine 1 for a carbon-capture ready fossil fuel power plant includes an intermediate pressure (IP) turbine 10 manufactured to operate with a particular expansion ratio and supply a low pressure turbine with a particular volumetric flow rate of steam. The IP turbine 10 is manufactured with extra lengths r and c in its rotor 12 and casing 14 to enable the later addition of extra turbine stages effective to increase the turbine's expansion ratio and volumetric flow rate at its exit without increasing its overall as-manufactured length. After addition of the extra stages, the additional volumetric flow of process steam can be bled off from the IP turbine exit to service a post- combustion carbon-capture process, without affecting the ability of the IP turbine to supply the original volumetric flow rate of steam to the low pressure turbine.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to steam turbines, and in particular to steam turbines designed to facilitate subsequent retrofitting to work with power plants that include carbon capture facilities. Background technique [0002] Recently, there has been a growing consensus that global warming and the resulting climate change are serious threats to future socioeconomic stability. This has sparked interest in carbon capture and storage - so-called "carbon sequestration" - as a way to sustain the use of fossil fuels without releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, carbon capture and sequestration technology is not yet fully developed. Furthermore, designing power plants to capture the carbon they produce is likely to significantly reduce their efficiency. Thus, most fossil fuel power plants are still built without future carbon capture. Therefore, the government is likely to create regulations and / or provide incentives so that power ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, carbon capture and sequestration is not yet fully developed

Furthermore, designing power plants to capture the carbon they produce is likely to significantly reduce their efficiency

As a result, most fossil fuel power plants are still built without future carbon capture

Images