Apparatus and method for gas turbine air filtration and fuel evaporation

Abstract

An apparatus and method may be configured for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. The intake air may be filtered through the filter chamber. When passing through the filter chamber, liquid fuel may pass through the filter chamber to be evaporated or partially evaporated therein via heat exchange with the air passing through the filter chamber, which may also cool the air as it passes through the filter chamber. Filtered cooling air may be output from the filter chamber to be fed to a gas turbine as a combustion improver, while the at least partially vaporized fuel may also be output from the filter chamber to be fed to the gas turbine for combustion therein.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas turbine, the operation of a gas turbine and a method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to the gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. Background Art

[0002] Gas turbines can combust fuel to generate electricity or work. Examples of different types of gas turbines and arrangements for gas turbines can be understood from U.S. Patent Nos. 11,592,178 and 6,752,620, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2022 / 0268444 and 2013 / 0127163, and Chinese Patent Publication No. CN114876641A. Summary of the invention

[0003] We determined that a gas turbine arrangement may be configured to utilize fuel that may result in an inefficient use of energy used to vaporize the fuel for feeding to the gas turbine. For example, the fuel may be stored as a cryogenic liquid (e.g., liquid natural gas or liquid hydrogen) or a cold liquid (e.g., liquid ammonia), and when the fuel is vaporized (e.g., via an ambient air vaporizer), the energy used to form the cold liquid may be lost. We determined that at least some of the liquid fuel may be fed to an intake filter to be vaporized in a filter device while the intake air passes through the filter device to be fed to the gas turbine as a combustion aid. We determined that this type of approach may allow the air to be cooled while being filtered to provide improved performance as a combustion aid in the gas turbine while also providing a heating medium for vaporizing at least some of the fuel for feeding the fuel to the gas turbine for combustion therein. We also determined that this approach may help prevent heat exchanger fouling by promoting heat exchange between the air and the fuel after the air has passed through at least one filter mechanism to remove particles from the air.

[0004] We have determined that embodiments of our apparatus and methods can facilitate improved gas turbine operation to allow for a more efficient, cost-effective method to vaporize fuel and pre-treat air for feeding to a gas turbine as a combustion aid. Embodiments can also provide enhanced operational flexibility such that fuel vaporization via an air intake filter can occur only when needed to help cool the air to a desired feed temperature to provide greater flexibility to account for changes in ambient conditions and gas turbine operating requirements.

[0005] We have determined that embodiments may also allow for more efficient use of the cold of cryogenic liquid fuels (e.g., liquid natural gas or liquid hydrogen) or the cold of liquefied fuels that may be at relatively cold temperatures (e.g., liquid ammonia, which may be stored at temperatures between -6°C to -35°C or -30°C to -33°C) that are stored as a fuel source for a gas turbine so that less energy is lost to cooling the fuel to a liquid when the fuel is fed to the gas turbine for combustion therein. Improved energy efficiency may allow for more environmentally friendly gas turbine operation, which also provides for reduced operating costs.

[0006] In some embodiments, the fuel that can be used can be ammonia and / or natural gas. Such fuel can be stored as a cryogenic liquid or cold liquid, and then evaporated to be fed to the gas turbine for combustion therein. In the case where the fuel is ammonia, the ammonia can be provided via a green ammonia manufacturing process (e.g., using renewable electricity to form ammonia from the electrolysis of water to form hydrogen and air separation to provide nitrogen for forming ammonia). Such embodiments can provide gas turbine operation that can occur more efficiently, while also providing relatively minimal environmental impact or significantly reduced environmental impact.

[0007] In a first aspect, a device for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine is provided. The device may include an inlet filter unit having at least one filter element including a first filter element. The inlet filter unit may also have a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the first filter element to receive liquid fuel from a fuel storage tank to evaporate the fuel and cool the air via air passing through the inlet filter unit. The inlet filter unit can be positioned to output air after the air passes through the at least one filter element and the heat exchanger to feed the air to a combustion chamber of a gas turbine. The heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit can be configured and positioned to output the fuel so that the fuel is at least partially evaporated to be fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine.

[0008] In some embodiments, the fuel may be ammonia, hydrogen or natural gas, or may be composed of ammonia, hydrogen or natural gas (e.g., methane). The fuel may be liquid or primarily liquid when fed to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit, and may be completely evaporated when output from the heat exchanger. In other embodiments, the fuel may be partially evaporated (e.g., a mixture of heated liquid and gas) when output from the heat exchanger. In such embodiments, such partially evaporated fuel may be mixed with other evaporated fuels to completely evaporate the fuel before feeding the fuel to the combustion chamber as a gaseous fuel.

[0009] In a second aspect, the at least one filter element may include more than the first filter element. For example, the at least one filter element may further include a second filter element. The heat exchanger may be positioned between the first filter element and the second filter element.

[0010] In other embodiments, the first filter element can be configured to remove particles from the air, and the second filter element downstream of the first filter element can be configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air. The heat exchanger can be positioned downstream of the first filter element, and can also be positioned downstream of the second filter element.

[0011] As another example, the at least one filter element may further include a third filter element downstream of the second filter element. The first filter element may be configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element may be configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element may be configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

[0012] In some embodiments, the third filter element can be positioned downstream of the heat exchanger, and the third filter element can be configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air. For example, the third filter element can be spaced apart from the heat exchanger or a condensate drain system downstream of the heat exchanger by a preselected condensate drop distance (CFD).

[0013] As another example, the at least one filter element may include a second filter element, and the heat exchanger may be positioned downstream of the first filter element, and may also be positioned upstream of the second filter element. The second filter element may be spaced apart from the heat exchanger or a condensate drain system downstream of the heat exchanger by a preselected condensate drop distance (CFD). In some configurations, the at least one filter element may also include a third filter element downstream of the second filter element, and the first filter element may be configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element may be configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element may be configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

[0014] In yet other embodiments, the at least one filter unit may include more than three filter elements.Each additional filter element may be positioned to help remove particles and / or liquids from the air that is cooled via evaporation of the fuel that may occur via the heat exchanger.

[0015] In a third aspect, the inlet filter unit may have a condensate drain system positioned downstream of the heat exchanger. The condensate drain system may also (or alternatively) be integrated with the heat exchanger to facilitate draining of condensate, which may be formed via cooling of the air, which may occur via evaporation of the fuel due to heat transfer from the air to the liquid fuel to evaporate the fuel.

[0016] In a fourth aspect, the device of the first aspect may include one or more features of the second aspect and / or the third aspect. Therefore, it should be understood that different embodiments may include other features or combinations of features. Examples of different features that may be included in an exemplary embodiment can be understood from the discussion of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0017] In a fifth aspect, a method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine is provided. The method may include feeding air into an inlet filter unit to filter the air, feeding a portion of liquid fuel into a heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit to evaporate the portion of the fuel via heat exchange with the air passing through the inlet filter unit, outputting at least a portion of the evaporated fuel from the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit to the gas turbine, and outputting the filtered air from the inlet filter unit to the gas turbine, the filtered air being cooled via heat exchange with the fuel.

[0018] Embodiments of the method may be used in conjunction with different types of fuels. In some embodiments, the fuel may include or be, for example, ammonia, hydrogen, or natural gas (eg, methane).

[0019] In some embodiments of the method, the fuel may be liquid or primarily liquid when fed to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit and may be fully vaporized when output from the heat exchanger. In other embodiments, the fuel may be partially vaporized (e.g., a mixture of heated liquid and gas) when output from the heat exchanger. In such embodiments, such partially vaporized fuel may be mixed with other vaporized fuel to fully vaporize the fuel before feeding the fuel as a gaseous fuel into the combustion chamber.

[0020] In a sixth aspect, the method may include other steps. For example, the method may also include removing condensate formed when the air passes through the inlet filter unit. As another example, the method may include feeding another portion of the liquid fuel to an evaporator to evaporate the fuel, and mixing the evaporated fuel output from the evaporator with the fuel output from the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit before the fuel is fed to the gas turbine. As yet another example, the method may also include filtering the air to remove particles from the air when the air passes through the inlet filter unit.

[0021] As yet another example, the method may include cycling between cooling of the air and evaporation of the fuel via the inlet filter unit, and then stopping the feed of fuel to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit to cool the air so that all of the fuel is evaporated via another evaporation mechanism (e.g., an ambient air evaporator, etc.). For example, such cycling may be configured to occur based on gas turbine operating data and / or ambient air condition data.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, the method may include removing liquid water and / or condensate from the air as it passes through the inlet filter unit.

[0023] In an eighth aspect, the method may be implemented using or via an embodiment of our apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine.

[0024] In such an embodiment, the inlet filter unit may include a plurality of filter elements, the plurality of filter elements including a first filter element and a second filter element, wherein at least one of the filter elements is upstream of the heat exchanger. As discussed above, the filter element may also include additional filter elements (e.g., a third filter element, a fourth filter element, etc.). In some embodiments, the first filter element may be configured to remove particles from the air, and the second filter element may be configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, or the second element may be configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air. In some configurations, the third filter element may also be positioned downstream of the heat exchanger, and the first filter element may be configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element may be configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element may be configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

[0025] In a ninth aspect, the method of the fifth aspect may include one or more features of the sixth aspect, the seventh aspect, and / or the eighth aspect. Therefore, it should be understood that different embodiments may include other features or combinations of features. Examples of different features that may be included in an exemplary embodiment can be understood from the discussion of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein.

[0026] In a tenth aspect, a turbine device is provided. The turbine device may include an inlet filter unit having at least one filter element, the at least one filter element including a first filter element and a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger being positioned downstream of the first filter element to receive liquid fuel, thereby evaporating the fuel via air passing through the inlet filter unit to cool the air. The inlet filter unit may be positioned to output the air after the air passes through the filter unit to feed the air to a combustion chamber of a gas turbine. The heat exchanger may be configured and positioned to output the fuel so that the fuel is evaporated to feed the combustion chamber of the gas turbine.

[0027] Embodiments of a gas turbine plant may be configured to implement embodiments of a method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. Embodiments of the turbine plant may also be configured to include embodiments of an inlet filter unit of an embodiment of an apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine.

[0028] It should be understood that embodiments of the method and apparatus may utilize various piping arrangements and process control elements. Embodiments may utilize sensors (e.g., pressure sensors, temperature sensors, flow sensors, concentration sensors, etc.), controllers, valves, piping, and other process control elements. For example, some embodiments may utilize automated process control systems and / or distributed control systems (DCS). Various different piping arrangements and process control systems may be utilized to meet a specific set of design criteria.

[0029] As the following description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof proceeds, other details, objects and advantages of our gas turbine apparatus, apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, method for gas turbine operation, method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, and methods of making and using the same will become apparent. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Exemplary embodiments of our method for gas turbine operation, gas turbine apparatus, system for gas turbine operation, method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, and methods of making and using the same are shown in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the same reference numerals used in the drawings may identify the same components.

[0031] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of a gas turbine plant 1 which may include an exemplary embodiment of a plant for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine 21 .

[0032] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a first exemplary embodiment of an inlet filter unit 9 that can be used in a first exemplary embodiment of a gas turbine plant 21 .

[0033] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of an inlet filter unit 9 that can be used in the first exemplary embodiment of a gas turbine plant 21 .

[0034] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a third exemplary embodiment of an inlet filter unit 9 which can be used in the first exemplary embodiment of the gas turbine plant 21 .

[0035] Figure 5is a block diagram of a fourth exemplary embodiment of an inlet filter unit 9 which can be used in the first exemplary embodiment of the gas turbine plant 21 .

[0036] Figure 6 1 is a flow chart showing a first exemplary embodiment of a method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. Embodiments of the method can be implemented in embodiments of an inlet filter unit 9, a gas turbine device 1 and / or a device for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Reference Figures 1 to 5 , the gas turbine device 1 may include a fuel source that may be stored in a fuel storage tank 3. The fuel storage tank 3 may include at least one container configured to store the fuel as a cryogenic liquid (e.g., liquid natural gas) or a liquid (e.g., liquid ammonia). The fluid of the fuel storage tank 3 may include a liquid and may be output from the fuel storage tank via a feed pump 5, which is connected to the fuel storage tank 3 via a feed pump pipeline 2 connected between the feed pump 5 and the fuel storage tank 3. The feed pump 5 may be positioned to help drive the flow of fuel toward the gas turbine 11. For example, the feed pump 5 may increase the pressure of the fuel in the fuel storage tank 3 to a preselected operating pressure for feeding the fuel to the gas turbine 11. Such a preselected operating pressure may be a pressure in the range between 40atm and 80atm, between 20atm and 60atm, between 20atm and 80atm, or other suitable pressure ranges.

[0038] For example, the feed pump 5 may be connected to an evaporator feed conduit 4a, which is connected between the feed pump 5 and the evaporator 7. At least a portion of the fuel may be fed to the evaporator via the evaporator feed conduit 4a for evaporation, so that the fuel may be output from the evaporator 7 via an evaporator output conduit 6, which is connected to the evaporator, so that the fuel may be output from the evaporator 7 as a gas for being fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine as a gas fuel. The heating medium of the evaporator 7 for heating the fuel to evaporate it may be ambient air, an industrial process gas or other suitable heating medium. The combustion chamber feed conduit 6b (at Figure 1 The vaporized fuel output from the vaporizer is fed to the gas turbine 11 through the vaporizer output pipeline 6.

[0039] The feed pump 5 may also be connected to an inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b, which is connected between the inlet filter unit 9 and the feed pump 5. A portion of the fuel output from the feed pump 5 may be delivered to the inlet filter unit 9 via the conduit to be evaporated via air passing through the inlet filter unit 9. The valve V may be positioned to adjust how much fuel output from the feed pump 5 is delivered to the inlet filter unit 9. For example, the valve V may be connected to the inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b at a position between the inlet filter unit 9 and the feed pump 5. The valve V may be adjusted from a closed position, in which no fuel is fed to the inlet filter unit 9, and an open position, in which a portion of the fuel is delivered to the inlet filter unit 9 to be evaporated therein. A controller (not shown) having a processor connected to a non-transitory memory and at least one transceiver may be communicatively connected to the valve to actuate adjustment of the valve to different positions between its closed position and open position.

[0040] When a portion of the fuel is delivered to the inlet filter unit 9, another portion of the fuel can still be delivered to the evaporator 7 to be evaporated and then fed to the gas turbine 11. With the valve V closed, all the fuel output from the feed pump 5 can be delivered to the evaporator 7 to be evaporated and then fed to the gas turbine 11.

[0041] In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the valve V and the conduit connected to the feed pump 5 may be arranged so that when the valve V is in a fully open position, all of the fuel is delivered to the inlet filter unit 9 to be evaporated therein, and in this operating state, the evaporator 7 is not used to evaporate fuel. In such an embodiment, the evaporator feed conduit 4a may also include a valve that can be closed to help facilitate this flow of fuel to the inlet filter unit 9.

[0042] The air may be delivered to the inlet filter unit 9 to be filtered and then output as a filtered air flow FA to be fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine as an oxidant flow. A compressor or fan may be connected to an air feed duct connected to the inlet filter unit 9 to feed air to the inlet filter unit 9. The air output as the filtered air flow FA may be at a preselected air feed temperature. The preselected air feed temperature may be a temperature within a suitable preselected feed temperature range (e.g., a temperature between 15°C and 20°C, a temperature between 0°C and 30°C, etc.).

[0043] The oxidant feed conduit may be positioned between the gas turbine 11 and the inlet filter unit 9 to feed the filtered air flow FA output from the inlet filter unit 9 to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine 11. The inlet filter unit may include a plurality of filter units (e.g., a first filter element 9a and a second filter element 9b, a first filter element 9a, a second filter element 9b, and a third filter element 9c, etc.), and also include a filter unit heat exchanger HX, which may be integrated into the inlet filter unit 9 to cool the filtered air and also evaporate a portion of the fuel delivered to the inlet filter unit 9 via the inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b.

[0044] The fuel evaporated in the inlet filter unit 9 may be output as a gas from the inlet filter unit 9 to be fed to the gas turbine via the combustor feed conduit 8, so that a first feed 10 of evaporated fuel may be fed to the combustor of the gas turbine 11. In some embodiments, the first feed of evaporated fuel may include fuel output from the vaporizer 7. In other embodiments, a second feed of evaporated fuel may be fed to the combustor via a combustor feed conduit 6b connected between the gas turbine 11 and the vaporizer 7, so that the gaseous fuel output from the vaporizer 7 is the second feed of fuel.

[0045] For example, in some arrangements or operating conditions, the combustor feed conduit 6b may not be utilized (or not exist at all), and the gaseous fuel output from the vaporizer 7 may be fed to the gas turbine via the combustor feed conduit 8. In this configuration or arrangement, the combustor feed conduit connecting conduit 6a may be connected between the combustor feed conduit 8 and the vaporizer output conduit 6, so that the gaseous fuel output from the vaporizer may be delivered to the combustor feed conduit 8 to be fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine as a first feed 10 of vaporized fuel or as a portion of the first feed 10 of vaporized fuel, which portion of the first feed of vaporized fuel is mixed with another portion of the vaporized fuel output from the inlet filter unit 9 (when the fuel is fed to the inlet filter unit 9 for vaporization and subsequently fed to the gas turbine 11).

[0046] In the event that the fuel output from the inlet filter unit 9 is mixed with the gaseous fuel output from the vaporizer 7, the mixing may be provided via a mixing device (e.g., an inline mixer, other type of mixing device) included in the combustor feed conduit 8. For example, this may occur when the valve V of the inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b is opened or in an open position to feed fuel to the inlet filter unit for heating therein. Such mixing may be beneficial in some circumstances or operating conditions to help ensure that the heated fuel output from the inlet filter unit is completely vaporized via mixing, as the heat of the fuel output from the vaporizer may be transferred to any fuel output from the inlet filter unit 9 that may not be completely vaporized.

[0047] The gas turbine 11 may receive the filtered air flow FA and the gas fuel feed output from the evaporator 7 and / or the inlet filter unit 9 to combust the fuel in a combustion chamber of the gas turbine 11. The combustion of the fuel may drive the rotation of at least one shaft as exhaust gas including combustion products from the combusted fuel is output as an exhaust gas flow (exhaust gas) from the gas turbine 11. The exhaust gas may be discharged into the atmosphere directly or after passing through an exhaust gas treatment system.

[0048] The inlet filter unit 9 with a plurality of filter elements and a heat exchanger HX for evaporating gas turbine fuel which may be fed into the heat exchanger may have different configurations. Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 Different examples of different inlet filter unit 9 configurations are shown which can be used in a turbine plant 1 and in a plant for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to a gas turbine 21 which can be included in the turbine plant 1. Such an inlet filter unit 9 can be considered a filter house or as another type of filter device.

[0049] Figure 2A first exemplary embodiment of an inlet filter unit 9 is shown, which is configured to filter air via a plurality of filter elements and also cool the air via heat transfer with the fuel passing through the heat exchanger HX of the inlet filter unit 9, which is positioned between the filter elements of the inlet filter unit 9. For example, air can pass through a first filter element 9a positioned upstream of the heat exchanger HX. The first filter element 9a may include one or more mesh elements or other types of particle removal members to remove particles from the air. Some embodiments of the first filter element 9a may also be configured to remove rainwater from the air. Removing particles and / or rainwater from the air can help protect the heat exchanger HX by preventing the heat exchanger elements from scaling. The air passing through the first filter element 9a can pass through the heat exchanger HX as a hot medium HM, which can transfer the heat of the hotter air to the liquid fuel passing through the heat exchanger (fuel) to evaporate the fuel. The air leaving the heat exchanger HX may be a cooled air flow CA, which then passes through the second filter element 9b and the third filter element 9c.

[0050] In some embodiments, the second filter element 9b can be configured to coalesce or otherwise separate liquid water from the air to prevent liquid water that may be in the air from migrating as liquid water out of the inlet filter unit 9 to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine 11 (e.g., maintaining liquid water in the filtered air flow FA output from the inlet filter unit 9 at a level at or below a preselected liquid water content threshold, such as no liquid water or a minimal amount of liquid water). The second filter element 9b can be a water coalescer, a moisture separator, or other type of suitable water removal filter.

[0051] The third filter element 9c may be a hydrophobic filter configured to remove fine particles from the air while also helping to remove liquid water from the air. The downstream third filter element 9c may help maintain the filtered air output from the inlet filter unit 9 so that it has a liquid water content at or below a preselected liquid water content threshold and also has a particle content at or below a preselected particle content of the filtered air flow FA. In some embodiments, the filter elements may be arranged and configured so that a relatively small amount of tiny particles may exit the inlet filter unit (e.g., sub-micron sized particulate material, etc.).

[0052] The inlet filter unit 9 may also include a condensate drain system 12 positioned near and downstream of the heat exchanger HX to help remove condensate that may form when air contacts one or more cold coils or heat transfer pipes of the heat exchanger HX through which the liquid fuel may pass. The condensate that is formed and discharged may include liquid water, for example, liquid water may be condensed from the air when the air contacts one or more heat transfer pipes through which the fuel may pass.

[0053] The inlet filter unit 9 may be arranged and configured such that there is a preselected condensate drop distance CFD between the heat exchanger HX (or condensate drain system 12) and the second filter element 9b downstream of the heat exchanger. The condensate drop distance CFD may be selected to facilitate the condensate to drop from within the cooling air flow CA so that the condensate may drop and / or gather to help facilitate filtration via the second filter element 9b and / or third filter element 9c downstream of the heat exchanger HX. Preferably, the preselected condensate drop distance CFD is selected so that most of the condensate may drop from the air before reaching the downstream second filter element 9b, which may also help reduce the pressure drop that may be caused by the air passing through the filter element.

[0054] exist Figure 2 In the inlet filter unit 9, the second filter element 9b and the third filter element 9c can be positioned or staged on the same filter wall to help reduce the size of the inlet filter unit 9, which can help reduce capital costs. Figure 3 An alternative is shown in which the second and third filter elements are positioned in spaced relationship, wherein the second filter element 9b is positioned within the housing of the inlet filter unit 9 between the heat exchanger HX and the third filter element and spaced from the downstream third filter element.

[0055] Figure 4 Another embodiment of the inlet filter unit 9 is shown, in which the heat exchanger HX of the inlet filter unit 9 can be downstream of both the first filter element 9a and the second filter element 9b. In this exemplary embodiment, the first filter element 9a can be positioned upstream of the heat exchanger HX and upstream of the second filter element 9b. The first filter element 9a can include one or more mesh elements or other types of particle removal members to remove particles from the air.

[0056] The second filter element 9b upstream of the heat exchanger HX and downstream of the first filter element 9a can be configured as a hydrophobic filter configured to remove fine particles from the air while also helping to remove liquid water from the air. The second filter element 9b can be positioned to help maintain the filtered air output from the inlet filter unit 9 so that it has a liquid water content at or below a preselected liquid water content threshold and also has a particle content at or below a preselected particle content of the filtered air flow FA.

[0057] Heat exchanger HX may be positioned downstream of second filter element 9b so that air passing through second filter element 9b may be used as heating medium HM and passed along one or more coils or other heat transfer conduits of the heat exchanger through which fuel passes to heat the fuel (thereby cooling the air) to form cooled air stream CA. Condensate drain system 12 may be positioned downstream of heat exchanger HX to help remove any condensate that may form when air contacts the cold heat transfer conduits of heat exchanger HX through which the fuel passes. Cooled air stream CA may be output from inlet filter unit 9 as filtered air stream FA after passing through heat exchanger HX or after passing through condensate drain system 12 without passing through any other downstream filter elements.

[0058] Although Figure 4 The embodiment of may be used in some embodiments, but it may not be ideal for some operating situations. For example, it is contemplated that having a heat exchanger HX downstream of the first filter element 9a and the second filter element 9b may result in allowing some moisture to exit the inlet filter unit 9 and into the filtered air flow FA. In some cases, the liquid water content that may be present may exceed the desired or preferred liquid water content level for the filter air flow FA to be fed to the gas turbine 11. This is not preferred because the presence of liquid water may cause corrosion or other problems on the compression side of the gas turbine 11 and / or may cause other problems that may be undesirable for gas turbine performance.

[0059] Figure 5 A further embodiment of the inlet filter unit 9 is shown, wherein the heat exchanger HX of the inlet filter unit 9 may be downstream of both the first filter element 9a and the second filter element 9b, and may also be upstream of the third filter element 9c. Figure 5In an exemplary configuration, the first filter element 9a can be positioned upstream of the heat exchanger HX and upstream of the second filter element 9b. The first filter element 9a can include one or more mesh elements or other types of particle removal components to remove particles from the air. In addition, the second filter element 9b upstream of the heat exchanger HX and downstream of the first filter element 9a can be configured as a hydrophobic filter to remove fine particles from the air while also helping to remove liquid water from the air. The second filter element 9b can be positioned to help maintain the filtered air output from the inlet filter unit 9 so that it has a liquid water content at or below a preselected liquid water content threshold (e.g., no liquid water and no liquid condensate, etc.), and also has a particle content at or below the preselected particle content of the filtered air flow FA. In some embodiments, preventing liquid water from passing through all filter units of the inlet filter unit 9 can be beneficial by helping to prevent salt that may be in the air from flowing out through the filter element and slipping through the inlet filter unit 9, which may cause corrosion or other degradation of downstream gas turbine equipment.

[0060] Heat exchanger HX may be positioned downstream of second filter element 9b, and may also be positioned upstream of third filter element 9c, so that air passing through second filter element 9b may be used as heating medium HM and passed along one or more coils or other heat transfer conduits of the heat exchanger through which fuel passes to heat the fuel (thereby cooling the air) to form cooled air flow CA. Condensate drain system 12 may be positioned downstream of heat exchanger HX to help remove any condensate that may form when air contacts the cold heat transfer conduits of heat exchanger HX through which the fuel passes.

[0061] The third filter element 9c may be positioned downstream of the heat exchanger. The third filter element 9c may also be spaced apart from the heat exchanger HX or the condensate drain system 12 by a preselected condensate drop distance CFD so that condensate from within the cooled air flow CA may drop and / or gather to help facilitate filtering via the third filter element 9c downstream of the heat exchanger HX. Preferably, the preselected condensate drop distance CFD is selected so that most of the condensate may drop from the air before reaching the downstream third filter element 9c, which may also help reduce the pressure drop that may be caused by the air passing through the filter element. The third filter element 9c may be configured to coalesce or otherwise separate liquid water from the air of the cooled air flow CA after the cooled air flow CA has passed downstream of the heat exchanger HX to prevent liquid water that may be within the air from migrating from the inlet filter unit 9 to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine 11 (e.g., maintaining liquid water within the filtered air flow FA output from the inlet filter unit 9 at a level at or below a preselected liquid water content threshold). The third filter element 9c may be a water coalescer, a moisture separator or other type of suitable water removal filter.

[0062] Figure 6 , an embodiment of our method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine is shown, which can be implemented via an embodiment of a turbine device 1 and / or a device 21 for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine. It should be understood that in addition to Figure 6 In addition to the steps shown in , the method may also include other steps to meet a specific set of design goals.

[0063] In a first step S1, air may be fed into an inlet filter unit 9 (e.g., a filter chamber or other type of inlet filter unit 9) for filtering. The filtering of the air may remove particles, or particles and liquid water may be removed from the air. For example, as discussed above, such filtering may be provided by a first filter element 9a, a second filter element 9b, and / or a third filter element 9c.

[0064] In a second step S2, a portion of the liquid fuel may be fed into an inlet filter unit 9 (e.g., a filter chamber or other type of inlet filter unit 9). For example, as discussed above, the fuel may be fed into the inlet filter unit to evaporate the fuel via heat exchange with air passing through the inlet filter unit 9. Delivery of the fuel to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit 9 may occur while the air is being filtered in the inlet filter unit 9.

[0065] In the third step S3, at least part of the evaporated fuel may be output from the heat exchanger HX of the inlet filter unit, and the cooled filtered air (e.g., filtered air flow FA) may be output from the inlet filter unit 9 to feed the evaporated fuel and the filtered cooling air to the gas turbine 11. An example of outputting the filtered cooling air and the evaporated fuel from the inlet filter unit 9 to the gas turbine 11 is discussed above.

[0066] In an optional fourth step S4, at least some condensate that may be formed by cooling of the air in the inlet filter unit 9 may be removed. For example, as discussed above, the removal of condensate may be provided via at least one filter element and / or a condensate drain system 12. The removal of condensate may remove at least some condensate from the air so that the air output from the inlet filter unit no longer has such condensate or has a relatively small amount of condensate entrained therein.

[0067] Embodiments of the method and apparatus may utilize a distributed control system (DCS) or an automated process control system to monitor and / or control operations. A controller of such a system may be used to control how much fuel is fed to the gas turbine 11, how much proportion of the fuel is fed to the evaporator 7 for evaporation, and how much fuel is fed to the inlet filter unit 9 for fuel evaporation and air cooling. Such control operations may be based on sensor data obtained from various sensors of the apparatus and / or operator inputs that may be provided to the controller of the control system. For example, a temperature sensor may be positioned near the discharge outlet of the inlet filter unit 9 to measure the filtered air temperature of the filter air flow FA output from the inlet filter unit 9. Such temperature data may be provided to the controller for use in regulating the flow of liquid fuel fed to the inlet filter unit 9 (e.g., if the temperature of the filtered air flow is above a preselected high temperature threshold, more fuel may be fed to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit, and if the temperature is below a preselected low temperature threshold, less fuel may be fed to the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit).

[0068] Embodiments of our method and apparatus can be configured so that the heat that may be required to evaporate the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine can utilize the air to be fed to the gas turbine as the combustion aid flow to provide a more energy-efficient fuel evaporation solution that can help reduce the costs and environmental impacts associated with users of other options for heating fuel (e.g., electric thermal evaporators, etc.). In addition, cooling of the combustion aid to be fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine can provide benefits because it can help increase the air mass flow rate fed to the combustion chamber of the gas turbine 11, which can improve gas turbine performance. This can be particularly advantageous in warmer climates with higher temperature ambient air.

[0069] In addition, we have found that by vaporizing the fuel in the inlet filter unit, the heat exchange process for vaporization can be more efficient and require less maintenance. For example, removing particulates upstream of the heat exchanger HX in the inlet filter unit 9 can remove particulates from the air, which can avoid fouling or other degradation problems. We have found that using the inlet air in the inlet filter unit 9 to vaporize the fuel can help reduce the energy required to vaporize the fuel while cooling the inlet air to be fed to the gas turbine as a combustion aid to improve turbine performance.

[0070] Embodiments may also provide improved operational flexibility for the turbine installation 1. For example, in some operating situations, it may not be desirable to vaporize the fuel using the inlet filter unit. This may occur, for example, during turbine startup operations or due to maintenance work that may be required on the heat exchanger HX of the inlet filter unit 9. In this case, the valve V of the inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b may be closed so that all fuel can be fed to the vaporizer 7 to provide the vaporized fuel to the gas turbine 11.

[0071] The valve V of the inlet filter unit feed conduit 4b may then be adjusted to an open position when it is advantageous to cause at least some of the fuel to be vaporized via the air passing through the inlet filter unit 9. The use of the inlet filter unit 9 to cool the air and vaporize at least some of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine 11 may be adapted to meet ambient operating conditions and the operating requirements of the gas turbine 11 to provide improved operating flexibility, which may reduce turbine downtime and provide improved turbine performance.

[0072] As described above, the turbine plant 11 can be configured to operate at a preselected operating pressure. The preselected operating pressure can be a suitable pressure selected taking into account the size of the turbine plant, the fuel to be burned therein, and other design criteria. The operating temperature within the preselected temperature range can also be selected based on the type of fuel to be burned, the air flow to be fed to the gas turbine 11, the size of the gas turbine 11, and other design criteria.

[0073] Embodiments of our methods, apparatus, and systems may be adapted to different turbine equipment design standards. For example, it should be understood that other embodiments may utilize different types of piping arrangements, fuel storage tanks, liquid fuel types (e.g., liquid ammonia, liquid natural gas, etc.). As another example, some inlet filter units 9 may include only a single filter element (e.g., a jet pulse filter, etc.), while other inlet filter units may include more than 2 filter elements, more than 3 filter elements, or more than 4 filter elements. As yet another example, some inlet filter units 9 may include a vane separator or other type of moisture removal device near the inlet of the inlet filter unit 9 to help remove moisture from the air. It should also be understood that other modifications may also be made to meet a set of specific standards for different embodiments of the turbine equipment 1 or an apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine 21.

[0074] Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments clearly shown and discussed herein can be modified to meet a set of specific design goals or a set of specific design standards. For example, the arrangement of valves, pipelines and other pipeline elements (e.g., pipeline connection mechanisms, pipelines, seals, valves, etc.) for the fluid communication of the fluid flow between different elements (e.g., pumps, valves, pipelines, compressors, etc.) for interconnecting different units of the equipment can be arranged to meet the specific plant layout design considering the available area of ​​the equipment, the size of the equipment and other design considerations. As another example, the flow rate, pressure and temperature of the fluid through various equipment or system elements can be changed to consider different design configurations and other design standards.

[0075] The embodiments of the gas turbine device 1, the method for operating a gas turbine, the device for filtering and cooling air to be fed to the gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, and the method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to the gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine can each be configured to include process control elements that are positioned and configured to monitor and control operations (e.g., temperature and pressure sensors, flow sensors, an automated process control system having at least one workstation, the workstation including a processor, a non-transitory memory and at least one transceiver for communicating with the sensor elements, valves, and a controller for providing a user interface for the automated process control system that can be run at the workstation and / or another computer device in the factory, etc.). It should be understood that the embodiments can also utilize a distributed control system (DCS) to implement the operation of one or more processes and / or control devices or processes.

[0076] As another example, it is contemplated that specific features described individually or as part of an embodiment may be combined with other individually described features or parts of other embodiments. Thus, the elements and actions of the various embodiments described herein may be combined to provide further embodiments. Therefore, although certain exemplary embodiments of processes, devices, systems, and methods of making and using them have been shown and described above, it should be clearly understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise embodied and practiced differently within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, the apparatus comprising: an inlet filter unit having at least one filter element including a first filter element, the inlet filter unit further having a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the first filter element to receive liquid fuel from a fuel storage tank to evaporate the fuel via air passing through the inlet filter unit and to cool the air; The inlet filter unit can be positioned to output air after the air passes through the at least one filter element and the heat exchanger to feed the air into a combustion chamber of a gas turbine; as well as The heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit is configured and positioned to output the fuel such that the fuel is at least partially vaporized for feeding into the combustion chamber of the gas turbine. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one filter element further comprises a second filter element, and the heat exchanger is positioned between the first filter element and the second filter element. 3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one filter element comprises a third filter element downstream of the second filter element.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first filter element is configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element is configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element is configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first filter element is configured to remove particles from the air, and the at least one filter element further comprises a second filter element downstream of the first filter element, the second filter element being configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the heat exchanger is positioned downstream of the first filter element and is also positioned downstream of the second filter element.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one filter element comprises a third filter element downstream of the heat exchanger, the third filter element being configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the third filter element is spaced a preselected condensate drop distance (CFD) from the heat exchanger or a condensate drain system downstream of the heat exchanger.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inlet filter unit has a condensate drain system positioned downstream of the heat exchanger.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one filter element further comprises a second filter element, and the heat exchanger is positioned downstream of the first filter element and also positioned upstream of the second filter element, the second filter element being spaced apart a preselected condensate drop distance (CFD) from the heat exchanger or a condensate drain system downstream of the heat exchanger.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one filter element comprises a third filter element downstream of the second filter element; and The first filter element is configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element is configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element is configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

12. A method for filtering and cooling air to be fed to a gas turbine while also evaporating at least a portion of the fuel to be fed to the gas turbine, the method comprising: feeding air into an inlet filter unit to filter the air; feeding a portion of liquid fuel into a heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit to vaporize the portion of the fuel via heat exchange with the air passing through the inlet filter unit; At least part of the evaporated fuel is output from the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit to a gas turbine, and filtered air is output from the inlet filter unit to the gas turbine, the filtered air being cooled via heat exchange with the fuel.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising: Condensate formed as the air passes through the inlet filter unit is removed.

14. The method according to claim 12, comprising: feeding another portion of the liquid fuel to an evaporator to evaporate the fuel; as well as The evaporated fuel output from the evaporator is mixed with the fuel output from the heat exchanger of the inlet filter unit before the fuel is fed to the gas turbine.

15. The method according to claim 12, comprising: As the air passes through the inlet filter unit, the air is filtered to remove particles from the air.

16. The method according to claim 15, comprising: Liquid water and / or condensate is removed from the air as the air passes through the inlet filter unit.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the inlet filter unit has a plurality of filter elements including a first filter element and a second filter element, at least one of the filter elements being upstream of the heat exchanger.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first filter element is configured to remove particles from the air and the second filter element is configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, or the second element is configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the filter element further comprises a third filter element downstream of the heat exchanger; and The first filter element is configured to remove particles from the air, the second filter element is configured to remove liquid water and / or condensate from the air, and the third filter element is configured to remove particles and / or liquid water from the air.

20. A turbine equipment, comprising: an inlet filter unit having at least one filter element including a first filter element and a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the first filter element to receive liquid fuel to evaporate the fuel via air passing through the inlet filter unit to cool the air; The inlet filter unit can be positioned to output air after the air passes through the filter element to feed the air into a combustion chamber of a gas turbine; as well as The heat exchanger is configured and positioned to output the fuel such that the fuel is vaporized for feeding into the combustion chamber of the gas turbine.

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