Anti-icing and bleed heat system for gas turbine system
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024114890
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-08-16
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-28
Smart Images
Figure 2025027989000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Background technology]
[0001] The presently disclosed technology relates to anti-icing and bleed air heating systems for gas turbine systems.
[0002] Generally, a gas turbine system includes a compressor, one or more combustors, and an expansion turbine for generating electrical power. More specifically, the compressor compresses air to generate compressed air, which is channeled to one or more combustors. The one or more combustors mix the compressed air with a fuel to generate hot combustion gases. The combustion gases are channeled to the expansion turbine, which drives the rotation of turbine blades and a shaft coupled to the turbine blades. The rotation of the shaft drives the rotation of the compressor blades coupled to the shaft as well as driving a load, such as a generator coupled to the shaft.
[0003] In cold weather conditions or environments, icing can occur on the inlet filter housing, where air is drawn into the compressor, which can adversely affect the performance of the compressor and the efficiency of the overall gas turbine system. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The following summarizes certain embodiments within the scope of the invention as originally claimed. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but rather to provide a brief summary of possible forms of the invention. Indeed, the invention encompasses a variety of embodiments that are similar to the embodiments described below, as well as those that are different from them.
[0005] In one embodiment, an ice protection system for a gas turbine system includes a plurality of nozzles and a bypass duct, each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles includes one or more outlets configured to inject a first portion of a heating fluid into an airflow in an intake conduit of the gas turbine system upstream of a filter, and the bypass duct is configured to inject a second portion of the heating fluid into the airflow in the intake conduit downstream of the filter.
[0006] In one embodiment, a gas turbine system includes a compressor and an air intake system including an air intake conduit, a filter system, and an anti-icing system configured to provide a heated airflow to the compressor. The anti-icing system includes a plurality of nozzles and a bypass conduit. Each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles includes one or more outlets configured to inject a first portion of a heating fluid into the airflow in the air intake conduit upstream of the filter system. The bypass conduit is configured to inject a second portion of the heating fluid into the airflow in the air intake conduit downstream of the filter system.
[0007] In one embodiment, a method of operating an anti-icing system for a gas turbine system includes extracting a heated fluid from a compressor of the gas turbine system; injecting a first portion of the heated fluid through a plurality of nozzles into an air flow in an intake conduit of the gas turbine system upstream of a filter; and injecting a second portion of the heated fluid from a bypass conduit into the air flow in the intake conduit of the gas turbine system downstream of the filter. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0008] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present ice protection system and method will become better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are numbered like throughout, and in which: [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a gas turbine system having an air intake system. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of an anti-icing system that may be used in the air intake system of FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the intake duct of the anti-icing system of FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation process of the anti-icing system of FIGS. 1 to 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. In order to describe these embodiments concisely, not all features of an actual implementation may be described herein. It will be apparent that the development of an implementation, as with any engineering or design project, will require many implementation-specific decisions to be made to achieve the developer's specific goals (e.g., complying with system and business-related constraints), which may vary from implementation to implementation. Moreover, such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, but will be apparent to those skilled in the art having access to the disclosure herein, by way of routine design, assembly and manufacture.
[0010] When introducing elements of various embodiments disclosed herein, the singular articles "a," "an," and "they" mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
[0011] A gas turbine system receives an airflow (e.g., an ambient airflow) through an air intake system that directs the airflow to a compressor of the gas turbine system. Disclosed embodiments relate to an anti-icing system configured to prevent ice formation on a filter in the air intake system. The anti-icing system includes a nozzle configured to inject a heated fluid to heat the airflow, thereby increasing a temperature adjacent a filter in the air intake system and creating a heated airflow that prevents ice buildup on the filter in the air intake conduit system. The anti-icing system also includes a bypass conduit that provides the heated fluid to the air intake conduit downstream of the filter. The anti-icing system may also include a bleed conduit for directing a flow of the heated fluid extracted from the compressor toward an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system. The bleed conduit may include one or more valves that may be controlled by a controller to control a flow of the heated fluid through the bleed conduit to a manifold fluidly coupled to the nozzles and the bypass conduit. The manifold may receive a first flow of the heated fluid and distribute the first flow of the heated fluid to a plurality of nozzles. The bypass conduit may be configured to receive a second flow of heated fluid and to inject the second flow of heated fluid into the intake conduit downstream of the filter to further heat the air flow after it has passed through the filter.
[0012] Anti-icing systems are generally described as being used to heat an airflow in cold ambient conditions and to increase the temperature of the airflow using a heated fluid (e.g., to convert the airflow to a heated airflow for anti-icing functions). However, for ease of discussion, anti-icing systems may be broadly referred to as inlet bleed heating (IBH) systems and provide heat exchange between the airflow and a heated fluid to prevent very high temperatures (e.g., hot spots that exceed the upper temperature limit of the filter) at the intake system filters in other conditions (e.g., hot ambient conditions and / or maximum IBH flow conditions). Thus, anti-icing systems may also protect the filters from localized areas of extremely high temperatures that could result in premature degradation and / or damage (e.g., burns) to the filter material.
[0013] For example, the anti-icing system may heat the airflow such that at least 55% (or at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%) of the surface of the filter is heated by a heated airflow having a temperature at least 2° C. (or at least 3° C., 4° C. or 5° C.) higher than the dew point temperature of the air. The anti-icing system may also heat the airflow by injecting a heated fluid such that less than 50% (or 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% or 5%) of the surface of the filter is heated to excessively high temperatures (e.g., less than 50% or no hot spots above 75° C. or 80° C. on the filter face).
[0014] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gas turbine system 10 (e.g., a gas turbine engine). The gas turbine system 10 includes an air intake system 12 (e.g., a housing) having an air intake conduit 14. The gas turbine system 10 also includes a compressor 16, one or more combustors 18, and a turbine 20 (e.g., an expansion turbine). The gas turbine system 10 takes in an air flow 22 (e.g., ambient air) into the air intake system 12, mixes the air flow 22 with a heated fluid in the air intake system 12 to form a heated air flow 24, compresses the heated air flow 24 via the compressor 16 to form compressed air 26, and combusts fuel with the compressed air flow 26 in one or more combustors 18. Each combustor 18 has one or more fuel nozzles 28 configured to inject liquid and / or gaseous fuel (e.g., natural gas or syngas) from one or more fuel supplies 30 into a combustion chamber 32. Although not shown, in some embodiments, the fuel nozzles 28 may include primary and secondary fuel nozzles that inject fuel in primary and secondary fuel injection zones, respectively.
[0015] Each combustor 18 combusts fuel injected by a fuel nozzle 28 with compressed air 26 to generate hot, pressurized combustion gases 34, which are then channeled to a turbine 20. The turbine 20 has turbine blades connected to a shaft 36, which is connected to a load, such as an electrical generator 38. As the combustion gases 34 flow into and through the turbine 20, they drive the rotation of the turbine blades and shaft 36, which drives the electrical generator 38. In some embodiments, the shaft 36 may be connected to another load, such as a propeller or compressor of a machine, aircraft, or vessel. Finally, the combustion gases 34 exit the gas turbine system 10 as exhaust gases through an exhaust 40 (e.g., an exhaust diffuser, exhaust duct, stack or tower, an emissions control system such as a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, etc.). In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 36 is coupled to a compressor shaft of the compressor 16, and the compressor blades are coupled to the compressor shaft in one or more stages (e.g., stages 1-30 at different axial positions). Rotation of the compressor blades within the compressor 16 causes compression of the airflow 24 from the intake system 12.
[0016] Additionally, the gas turbine system 10 extracts or bleeds a portion of the compressed airflow from the compressor 16 (e.g., a heating fluid or flow of heating fluid indicated by arrow 42) via an extraction or bleed conduit 44 to an ice protection system 46 (e.g., an inlet bleed heat (IBH) system). In particular, the ice protection system 46 includes a number of nozzles 48 (e.g., anti-icing nozzles, inlet bleed heat (IBH) nozzles), a manifold 50 (e.g., an inlet bleed heat (IBH) manifold), and one or more bypass conduits 52. The heating fluid from the bleed conduit 44 is provided to the manifold 50, which routes the heating fluid to the number of nozzles 48, which spray the heating fluid into the airflow 22 to form the heated airflow 24. A portion of the heating fluid may be channeled via the one or more bypass conduits 52 and injected into the intake conduit 14 downstream of one or more filters 54 to further heat the heated airflow 24. As described in more detail below, the ice protection system 46 may include one or more valves 68 for controlling the flow of heated fluid through the manifold 50 and the bypass conduit 52 to prevent ice formation on the filter 54 and / or generally maintain the heated air flow 24 at a temperature within desired limits across the surface of the filter 54 (e.g., across all or a majority of the surface of the filter 54 to enable proper operation of the inlet conduit system 12 and sufficient performance of the gas turbine system 10).
[0017] The bleed duct 44 may be one or more bleed ducts coupled to the compressor 16 at or downstream of one or more compressor stages. The compressor 16 increases the pressure and temperature of the compressed air stream 26 with each subsequent compressor stage, and thus the bleed duct 44 may extract the compressed air stream 26 at a particular compressor stage at a pressure and temperature suitable for use by the anti-icing system 46. In certain embodiments, the anti-icing system 46 may selectively extract the compressed air stream 26 through the bleed duct 44 based on the temperature of the air stream 22 entering the air intake system 12 (e.g., as monitored by one or more sensors 64, labeled "S" in FIG. 1 , labeled "S" in FIG. 1 ). The temperature of the heated air stream 24 at the filter 54 and / or the temperature of the heated air stream 24 at the compressor 16. For example, if the ambient temperature is progressively lower, the anti-icing system 46 may extract compressed air flow through more bleed ducts 44 and / or through the bleed ducts 44 at progressively later compression stages of the compressor 16 .
[0018] During operation, the air intake system 12 receives the airflow 22 through an air hood 56 that is coupled to the air intake duct 14. In some embodiments, the airflow 22 may pass through or traverse one or more additional air intake duct components, such as a number of silencer baffles 58, one or more coalescers 60, the nozzle 48, the manifold 50, and the filter 54. Together, the nozzle 48 and the manifold 50 may be considered an ice protection assembly 62 (e.g., an inlet bleed heat (IBH) assembly).
[0019] As mentioned above, the anti-icing system 46 also includes a number of sensors 64 configured to monitor operating conditions, such as temperature, humidity, or various conditions conducive to ice formation. For example, the anti-icing system 46 may include one or more sensors 64 disposed inside or outside the air hood 56 to monitor ambient conditions of the air (e.g., ambient temperature, humidity, etc.). The anti-icing system 46 may include one or more sensors 64 disposed in or upstream of the manifold 50, such as between the manifold 50 and the air hood 56. The anti-icing system 46 may also include one or more sensors 64 located at or downstream of the manifold 50, such as at the filter 54 or between the manifold 50 and the filter 54. Additionally, the anti-icing system 46 may include one or more sensors 64 disposed downstream of the filter 54, such as upstream of an intake duct of the compressor 16. The anti-icing system 46 may also include one or more sensors 64 disposed along each of the bleed air ducts 44.
[0020] The ice protection system 46 also includes a controller 66 communicatively coupled to the sensors 64, one or more valves 68 disposed along each bleed conduit 44, valves 68 controlling fluid flow to the manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52, and various components of the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., valves controlling the supply of fuel from the fuel supply 30 to the fuel nozzles 28). The controller 66 has a processor 70, a memory 72, and computer readable instructions 74 stored in the memory 72 and executable by the processor 70. The controller 66 obtains sensor readings from the sensors 64, and the controller 66 can use the computer readable instructions 74 to adjust operation of the ice protection system 46 based on the sensor readings, upper and lower temperature thresholds (e.g., desired limits or targets), a computer model, and / or user input.
[0021] For example, if the temperature at one or more of the sensors falls below a lower temperature threshold (e.g., 0° C., the dew point of airflow 22, or some threshold temperature relative to the dew point of airflow 22), controller 66 may send a control signal to one or more actuators (e.g., electric actuators) of valve 68 to partially or fully open valve 68 to allow the flow of heated fluid to pass through bleed conduit 44 to manifold 50 and / or bypass conduit 52. In other embodiments, controller 66 may adjust one or more valves to adjust the ratio of the flow rates of heated fluid through manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52 to adjust the ratio of how much heating of airflow 22 occurs upstream of filter 54 and downstream of filter 54. Although FIG. 1 illustrates compressed air flow from compressor 16 as the heated fluid supplied to manifold 50, certain embodiments of anti-icing system 46 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to one or more other sources of heated fluid (e.g., other sources of heated air flow, exhaust gas).
[0022] In this manner, controller 66 may monitor anti-icing system 46 and control the flow rate and / or temperature of heated fluid to manifold 50 (and through nozzle 48 to intake conduit 14) and to bypass conduit 52 to regulate the temperature within intake conduit 14 to inhibit and / or eliminate ice formation at filter 54 or elsewhere within intake conduit system 12 or compressor 16.
[0023] 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an anti-icing system 46 coupled to air intake system 12. For ease of discussion, anti-icing system 46 and air intake conduit system 12 may be described with reference to longitudinal axes or directions 100, lateral axes or directions 102, vertical axes or directions 104, and / or circumferential axes or directions 106.
[0024] As shown, the anti-icing system 46 includes an anti-icing assembly 62 having a nozzle 48, a manifold 50, and a bypass duct 52. The airflow 22 enters the air intake system 12 through an air hood 56, which may include a number of angled baffles to block the ingress of rain and snow. The airflow 22 may also pass through a number of silencer baffles 58 and / or a coalescer 60 upstream of the anti-icing assembly 62. The silencer baffle 58 has one or more acoustic attenuating features (e.g., acoustic attenuating surface features, internal materials) to help reduce acoustic noise caused by the airflow 22 passing through the air intake duct system 12. The coalescer 60 is configured to remove water from the airflow 22. The coalescer 60 may include a mechanical coalescer, an electrostatic coalescer, or a combination thereof.
[0025] After the airflow 22 mixes with the heating fluid to form the heated airflow 24, the heated airflow 24 may then pass through a filter 54. The filter 54 may include any number and type of filters. The filter 54 may be configured to filter particulates and moisture. However, the filter 54 may be susceptible to ice formation at certain low temperatures and / or heat damage at certain high temperatures. Although the above components are illustrated in sequence (e.g., from upstream to downstream) in the intake conduit 14, various embodiments may rearrange the aforementioned components in any suitable order, except that the nozzles 48 and manifold 50 remain upstream of the filter 54, and one or more bypass conduits 52 inject the heating fluid 108 into the intake conduit 14 downstream of the filter 54. In some embodiments, the bypass conduit 52 may be fluidly coupled to a second manifold and / or a second set of nozzles for injecting the heating fluid 108 into the intake conduit 14 downstream of the filter 54.
[0026] As shown, the heated fluid 108 extracted from the compressor 16 flows through the bleed duct 44 of the ice protection system 46. The compressor extraction ratio may be 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 20% or any other percentage of the total air flow 22 to the compressor 16 regardless of the load and ambient conditions of the gas turbine system 10. As an example, a typical compressor extraction ratio is 6% at 80% gas turbine load on a cold day, and the same compressor extraction ratio (6%) can be used at 30% gas turbine load on a hot day. Thus, the percentage flow rate through the bleed duct 44 is calculated with respect to the compressor flow rate at a given operating condition, which itself may vary with load and ambient conditions.
[0027] In some embodiments, one or more valves 68 may control the flow of heating fluid 108 through the bleed conduit 44 and into the manifold 50 and / or the bypass conduit 52. In some embodiments, as shown and described with respect to FIG. 1 , the ice protection system 46 may include three valves 68, a first valve 68 fluidly coupled to the bleed conduit 44 and configured to control the flow of heating fluid 42 through the bleed conduit 44, a second valve 68 fluidly coupled to the manifold 50 and configured to control the flow of heating fluid 42 to the manifold 50, and a third valve 68 fluidly coupled to the bypass conduit 52 and configured to control the flow of heating fluid 42 through the bypass conduit 52.
[0028] However, it should be understood that other embodiments are contemplated. For example, the ice protection system 46 may include two valves 68, with a first valve 68 fluidly coupled to either the bleed conduit 44 (and configured to control the flow of the heating fluid 108 through the bleed conduit 44) or the manifold 50 (and configured to control the flow of the heating fluid 108 to the manifold 50) and a second valve 68 fluidly coupled to the bypass conduit 52 (and configured to control the flow of the heating fluid 108 through the bypass conduit 52). Alternatively, in some embodiments, the ice protection system 46 may utilize a single valve (e.g., located at or near the junction of the bleed conduit 44 and the bypass conduit 52) configured to control the flow of the heating fluid 108 into the manifold 50 and to the bypass conduit 52. As shown and described with respect to FIG. 1, the valve 68 may be controlled by a controller 66.
[0029] The manifold 50 may receive a flow of heated fluid 108 from the bleed conduit 44 and provide the heated fluid 108 to the nozzles 48 for injection into the intake conduit 14 to heat the air flow 22 upstream of the filter 54. Meanwhile, the bypass conduit 52 may receive a flow of heated fluid 108 from the bleed conduit 44 and inject the heated fluid 108 into the intake conduit 14 downstream of the filter 54 (e.g., via one or more nozzles or other fluid delivery mechanisms) to further heat the air flow 22 before the air flow reaches the intake conduit of the compressor 16.
[0030] In some embodiments, as described above, the flow of heating fluid 108 through manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52 may be controlled via one or more valves 68 to achieve a desired set of conditions for heated air stream 24. For example, an operator may desire that the temperature of heated air stream 24 fall within a desired temperature range. In such embodiments, the lower limit of the desired temperature range may be a temperature high enough to reduce or eliminate ice formation on filter surface 110. Such a lower limit temperature may be an absolute temperature or may be a temperature determined based on the dew point of the air stream. For example, the lower limit of the desired temperature range may be at (equal to) the dew point of the airflow, or may be 1° C. above the dew point, 2° C. above the dew point, 3° C. above the dew point, 4° C. above the dew point, 5° C. above the dew point, 6° C. above the dew point, 7° C. above the dew point, 8° C. above the dew point, 9° C. above the dew point, 10° C. above the dew point, 11° C. above the dew point, 12° C. above the dew point, 13° C. above the dew point, 14° C. above the dew point, 15° C. above the dew point, 16° C. above the dew point, 17° C. above the dew point, 18° C. above the dew point, 19° C. above the dew point, 20° C. above the dew point, 25° C. above the dew point, 30° C. above the dew point, 35° C. above the dew point, 40° C. above the dew point, or some other temperature.
[0031] The upper limit of the desired temperature range may be a temperature that is not high enough to cause or induce melting on the surface 110 of the filter 54 or other damage to the filter. Such an upper temperature limit may be an absolute temperature of 65° C., 66° C., 67° C., 68° C., 69° C., 70° C., 71° C., 72° C., 73° C., 74° C., 75° C., 76° C., 77° C., 78° C., 79° C., 80° C., 81° C., 82° C., 83° C., 84° C., 85° C., 86° C., 87° C., 88° C., 89° C., 90° C., or other temperature.
[0032] Additionally, the nozzles 48 may be positioned and the flow of the heating fluid 108 through the manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52 controlled via the valves 68 to achieve a temperature uniformity of 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, or any other value. As used herein, "temperature uniformity" refers to a temperature distribution over a defined (usually small) area at or near the surface 110 of the filter 54. To achieve such a result, the nozzles 48 may occupy a set percentage of the cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit 14 and / or the cross-sectional area of the surface 110 of the filter 54. For example, the nozzles 48 may occupy 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, or any other percentage of the cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit 14 and / or the cross-sectional area of the surface 110 of the filter 54. As shown in Figure 2, the nozzles 48 may be positioned upstream of the filter 54 with respect to the airflow (e.g., in the direction 100). For example, the nozzles 48 may be positioned within 4 meters of the filter 54, within 3 meters of the filter 54, within 2 meters of the filter 54, within 1 meter of the filter 54, within 0.5 meters of the filter 54, within 0.25 meters of the filter 54, or within any other distance from the filter 54 that does not create an unacceptably large pressure drop in the airflow while still allowing for the desired temperature rise and uniformity.
[0033] As before, the ice protection system 46 may be configured to partially heat the airflow 22 upstream of the filter 54 and then further heat the heated airflow 24 downstream of the filter 54. Thus, the ice protection system 46 may be operated to heat the airflow 22 to achieve a heated airflow 24 having a desired set of characteristics, reduce and / or eliminate icing on the surface 110 of the filter 54, reduce and / or eliminate melting and / or other damage to the filter 54, and enable further heating of the airflow downstream of the filter 54. For example, the heating of the airflow 22 upstream and downstream of the filter 54 may be controlled by controlling the flow rate of the heating fluid 108 through the manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52 using the valve 68.
[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, the heating fluid 108 comprises a compressed air stream extracted from the compressor 16, as described above with reference to FIG. 1. The compressed air from the compressor 16 is at approximately 200-600° C. and has a pressure of approximately 800-900 kPa. However, the anti-icing system 46 may use any one or more heating fluids, directly or indirectly, to increase the temperature of the air stream 22. For example, as illustrated, the heating fluid 108 may be any suitable heating fluid capable of increasing the temperature of the air stream 22 via the manifold 50 and bypass conduit 52, including, but not limited to, heated air from the compressor 16, heated gas from another source, or exhaust gas.
[0035] As before, the mixing of the airflow 22 and the heating fluid 108 forms the heated airflow 24 and provides a more uniform and desirable temperature of the heated airflow 24 at the surface 110 (e.g., longitudinally facing surface; upstream surface) of the filter 54, thereby mitigating or preventing ice build-up on the filter 54 and / or other areas of the air intake system 12. The nozzles 48 may be arranged laterally 102 and vertically 104 (e.g., spaced apart in a grid pattern). In the illustrated embodiment, each nozzle 48 is coupled to the manifold 50 on an upstream side of the manifold 50, which is located in the longitudinal direction 100 between the nozzle 48 and the filter 54. However, it should be understood that each nozzle 48 may be coupled to the manifold 50 on a downstream side of the manifold 50, i.e., the nozzle 48 may be located in the longitudinal direction 100 between the manifold 50 and the filter 54.
[0036] Each nozzle 48 includes one or more outlets 112. The outlets 112 may have any suitable configuration. For example, the outlets 112 may include one or more continuous rings extending circumferentially around the nozzle 48 (as shown in the figures) or the outlets 112 may be discrete openings spaced circumferentially around the nozzle 48. The outlets 112 may also be located at any suitable location between the first upstream end of the nozzle 48 and the second downstream end of the nozzle 48 (e.g., at any suitable location in the longitudinal direction 100). For example, the outlets 112 may be located closer to the first upstream end (e.g., closer to the first upstream end) to provide more space (e.g., distance in the longitudinal direction 100; compared to being located closer to the second downstream end) for mixing the airflow 22 with the heating fluid 108 upstream of the filter 54. It should be appreciated that locating the nozzles 48 upstream of the manifold 50 also provides more space (e.g., distance in the longitudinal direction 100; compared to each nozzle 48 being coupled to a manifold downstream of the manifold 50) for mixing the airflow 22 with the heating fluid 108 upstream of the filter 54. Thus, the components of the anti-icing assembly 62 may be positioned to provide an efficient anti-icing process within a given size of the intake conduit 14 (e.g., where space within the intake conduit 14 is limited; retrofitted) and / or may allow for the use of a smaller sized intake conduit 14 (e.g., compared to an intake conduit 14 lacking an anti-icing assembly 62). Regardless of its configuration and / or location, the outlets 112 may inject (e.g., spray) the heating fluid 108 radially outward from the nozzles 48 and / or laterally relative to the airflow 22.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the intake conduit 14 of the ice protection system 46 of FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3, illustrating the nozzles 48 of the manifold 50 and various conduits 200, 202 positioned across a flow path within the intake conduit 14 according to one embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the conduits 200, 202 of the manifold 50 include a primary branch or supply conduit 200 and a number of secondary branch or distribution conduits 202. The illustrated supply conduit 200 may include a first supply conduit section and a second supply conduit section, the first and second supply conduit sections being oriented transversely relative to the other sections (e.g., defining a T-shaped conduit). For example, the first supply conduit section may be a vertical conduit section and the second supply conduit section may be a horizontal conduit section. The distribution conduit 202 is mechanically and fluidly coupled to the supply conduit 200 (e.g., at the second supply conduit section).
[0038] In the illustrated embodiment, the distribution conduits 202 are arranged parallel (or substantially parallel) to one another with uniform spacing between adjacent distribution conduits 202. Multiple nozzles 48 may be coupled to multiple distribution conduits 202 and / or the supply conduit 200. Multiple nozzles 48 may be equally spaced from one another to define a two-dimensional grid across the intake conduit 14 upstream of the filter 54. In the illustrated embodiment, multiple nozzles 48 are staggered from one distribution conduit 202 to another. In some embodiments, multiple nozzles 48 may be aligned with one another from one distribution conduit 202 to another.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process 300 for operating the anti-icing system 46 shown in FIGS. 1-3. In block 302, a heating fluid is extracted from the compressor 16. The compressor extraction rate may be 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 12%, 15%, 20%, or any other percentage of the total airflow 22 to the compressor 16 at the operating conditions of the gas turbine system 10. The compressed air from the compressor 16 is at about 200-600° C. and has a pressure of about 800-900 kPa. However, one or more other heating fluids may be utilized. For example, the heating fluid may include any suitable heating fluid that can be directed through the anti-icing system 46 to increase the temperature of the airflow 22, including, but not limited to, heated air from the compressor 16, heated gas from another source, or exhaust gas.
[0040] In block 304, the heated fluid 42, 108 is directed through the bleed conduit 52 and the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 through the bleed conduit 52 is controlled. For example, the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 through the bleed conduit 52 may be controlled by the controller 66 via one or more valves 68 based on readings of the sensors 64. When the temperature at one or more of the sensors 64 falls below a lower temperature threshold (e.g., 0° C., the dew point of the ambient air, or some other threshold temperature above the dew point of the ambient air), the controller 66 sends a control signal to an actuator (e.g., an electrically operated actuator) of the valve 68 to partially or fully open the valve 68 and allow the heated fluid 42, 108 to pass through the bleed conduit 52. Correspondingly, if the temperature at one or more of the sensors 64 exceeds an upper temperature threshold (e.g., the maximum temperature that air can flow through the filter 54 without damaging the filter 54, another threshold temperature below the maximum temperature that air can flow through the filter 54 without damaging the filter 54), then the controller 66 can send a control signal to an actuator of the valve 68 to partially or fully close the valve 68 to slow or stop the flow of heated fluid 42, 108 through the bleed conduit 52.
[0041] For example, a desired temperature range may be provided for the heated air flow 42, 108. In such an embodiment, the lower limit of the desired temperature range may be a temperature high enough to reduce or eliminate ice build-up on the surface 110 of the filter 54. Such a lower limit temperature may be an absolute temperature or may be a temperature determined based on the dew point of the air flow 22. For example, the lower limit of the desired temperature range may be at (equal to) the dew point of the airflow, or may be 1° C. above the dew point, 2° C. above the dew point, 3° C. above the dew point, 4° C. above the dew point, 5° C. above the dew point, 6° C. above the dew point, 7° C. above the dew point, 8° C. above the dew point, 9° C. above the dew point, 10° C. above the dew point, 11° C. above the dew point, 12° C. above the dew point, 13° C. above the dew point, 14° C. above the dew point, 15° C. above the dew point, 16° C. above the dew point, 17° C. above the dew point, 18° C. above the dew point, 19° C. above the dew point, 20° C. above the dew point, 25° C. above the dew point, 30° C. above the dew point, 35° C. above the dew point, 40° C. above the dew point, or some other temperature.
[0042] The upper limit of the desired temperature range may be a temperature that is not high enough to cause or induce melting on the surface 110 of the filter 54 or other damage to the filter 54. Such an upper temperature limit may be an absolute temperature such as 65° C., 66° C., 67° C., 68° C., 69° C., 70° C., 71° C., 72° C., 73° C., 74° C., 75° C., 76° C., 77° C., 78° C., 79° C., 80° C., 81° C., 82° C., 83° C., 84° C., 85° C., 86° C., 87° C., 88° C., 89° C., 90° C., or other temperature.
[0043] At block 306, the flow of heating fluid 42, 108 is directed through a manifold 50. The manifold 50 receives the flow of heating fluid 42, 108 from the bleed conduit 44 and delivers the heating fluid 42, 108 to one or more nozzles 48. In embodiments having multiple nozzles 48, the manifold 50 may separate the flow of heating fluid into multiple flows of heating fluid 42, 108 and then deliver the multiple flows of heating fluid 42, 108 to multiple nozzles 48. As before, in some embodiments, the flow of heating fluid 42, 108 through the manifold 50 may be controlled by one or more valves 68. The valves 68 may be controlled by a controller 66 to heat the air flow to achieve a heated air flow having a desired temperature range upstream and downstream of the filter 54.
[0044] At block 308, the flow of heated fluid 42, 108 is directed into the inlet conduit 14 via the nozzles 48. The heated fluid from the nozzles 48 acts to heat the airflow 22 as it flows between, around and / or through the nozzles 48, resulting in a heated airflow. The nozzles 48 may be positioned and the flow of heated fluid 42, 108 through the nozzles 48 may be controlled to achieve a temperature uniformity of 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65% or any other number within or near the surface 110 of the filter 54 to achieve a desired temperature rise and uniformity without unacceptably large pressure losses in the airflow. To achieve such a result, the nozzle 48 may occupy a set percentage of the cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit 14 and / or the cross-sectional area of the surface 110 of the filter 54. For example, the nozzle 48 may occupy 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 54% or 56% or any other percentage of the cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit passageway and / or the cross-sectional area of the surface 110 of the filter 54 that allows for the desired heating of the airflow without adversely affecting the pressure drop of the airflow.
[0045] Nozzle 48 may also be located, relative to the airflow, upstream of filter 54. For example, nozzle 48 may be located within 4 m of filter 54, within 3 m of filter 54, within 2 m of filter 54, within 1 m of filter 54, within 0.5 m of filter 54, within 0.25 m of filter 54, or within any other distance from filter 54. In embodiments having multiple filters, such distances are intended to refer to the distance between the multiple finned conduits and the nearest (i.e., most upstream) filter.
[0046] At block 310, the heated fluid 42, 108 is directed through a bypass conduit 52. The bypass conduit 52 receives a flow of heated fluid from the bleed conduit 44 and provides the heated fluid 42, 108 to the intake conduit 14 (e.g., via block 312, one or more nozzles 48, or an outlet), downstream of the one or more filters 54. In some embodiments, the heated fluid 42, 108 may be provided to the intake conduit 14 at multiple locations (e.g., around the air intake conduit, one or more internal locations, and / or some combination thereof). As before, in some embodiments, the flow of heated fluid 42, 108 through the bypass conduit 52 may be controlled by one or more valves 68. The valves 68 may be controlled by the controller 66 to heat the air flow to achieve a heated air flow having a desired temperature range upstream and downstream of the filter 54. Injecting the heated fluid 42, 108 into the intake conduit 14 downstream of the filter 54 may further heat the air flow downstream of the filter 54. Thus, the ice protection system 46 may be configured to partially heat the airflow upstream of the filter 54 and then further heat the heated airflow downstream of the filter 54 .
[0047] Air from the intake conduit 14 then flows into the compressor 16. For example, if the heated air flow is approaching, within, or exceeding a desired range at or near the surface 110 of the filter 54, but is below the desired range at or near the inlet of the compressor 16, the controller 66 may be configured to adjust the valve 68 to reduce the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the manifold 50 and / or increase the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the bypass conduit 52. If the heated air flow is below the desired range at or near the surface 110 of the filter 54, the controller 66 may be configured to adjust the valve 68 to increase the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the manifold 50 and / or decrease the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the bypass conduit 52. If the heated air flow is below the desired range at or near the surface 110 of the filter 54 and below the desired range at or near the inlet of the compressor 16, the controller 66 may be configured to adjust the valve 68 to increase the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the manifold 50 and / or to increase the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the bypass conduit 52. If the heated air flow is above the desired range at or near the surface of the filter 54 and above the desired range at or near the inlet of the compressor 16, the controller 66 may be configured to adjust the valve 68 to decrease the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the manifold 50 and / or to decrease the flow of the heated fluid 42, 108 to the bypass conduit 52.
[0048] The present disclosure includes a gas turbine system that receives an airflow (e.g., an ambient airflow) through an air intake system, which directs the airflow to a compressor of the gas turbine system. Disclosed embodiments relate to an anti-icing system configured to prevent ice formation on a filter in the air intake system. The anti-icing system includes a nozzle configured to inject a heated fluid to heat the airflow, thereby increasing a temperature adjacent a filter in the air intake system and creating a heated airflow that prevents ice buildup on the filter in the air intake conduit system. The anti-icing system also includes a bypass conduit that provides heated fluid to the air intake conduit downstream of the filter. The anti-icing system may also include a bleed conduit for directing a flow of heated fluid extracted from the compressor toward an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system. The bleed conduit may include one or more valves, which may be controlled by a controller, to control a flow of heated fluid through the bleed conduit to a manifold fluidly coupled to the nozzle. The manifold may receive the flow of heated fluid and distribute the flow of heated fluid to a plurality of nozzles. The bypass conduit may also include one or more valves, which may be controlled by the controller, and may be configured to receive a flow of heated fluid and inject the heated fluid into the intake conduit downstream of the filter to further heat the air flow after it has passed through the filter.
[0049] Although anti-icing systems are generally described as being used to heat the airflow in cold ambient conditions and to increase the temperature of the airflow using a heated fluid (e.g., to convert the airflow to a heated airflow for anti-icing functions), anti-icing systems may be broadly referred to as inlet bleed heating (IBH) systems and may provide heat exchange between the airflow and a heated fluid to prevent excessively high temperatures (e.g., hot spots that exceed the upper temperature limit of the filter) at the intake system filters in other conditions (e.g., hot ambient conditions and / or maximum IBH flow conditions). Thus, anti-icing systems may also protect the filters from extremely high temperatures that could result in premature degradation of the filter material and / or damage to the filter material (e.g., burns).
[0050] For example, the anti-icing system may heat the airflow such that at least 55% (or at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 95%) of the filter's surface is heated by a heated airflow having a temperature at least 2° C. (or at least 3° C., 4° C. or 5° C.) higher than the dew point temperature of the air. The anti-icing system may also heat the airflow by injecting a heated fluid such that less than 50% (or 40%, 30%, 20%, 10% or 5%) of the filter's surface is heated to excessively high temperatures (e.g., less than 50% or no hot spots above 75° C. or 80° C. on the filter's surface).
[0051] Technical effects of the anti-icing techniques disclosed herein include providing more effective heating of the airflow using a heated fluid in the air intake system. Under certain conditions (e.g., cold environmental conditions), mixing may more effectively remove, reduce, and / or block ice build-up on filters in the air intake system of a gas turbine system compared to conventional systems. Under certain conditions (e.g., hot ambient conditions and / or IBH maximum flow rates), heat transfer may more effectively reduce and / or block hot spots on filters in the air intake system of a gas turbine system compared to conventional systems. The anti-icing assembly may be cost-effective in that the parts can be configured to fit within and / or interface with existing anti-icing systems and / or existing air intake systems (e.g., facilitating retrofitting).
[0052] The above-described technology is shown in the following embodiment section. [Embodiment 1] An ice protection system for a gas turbine system, the ice protection system including a plurality of nozzles and a bypass duct, each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles including one or more outlets configured to inject a first portion of a heating fluid into an airflow in an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system upstream of a filter, the bypass duct configured to direct a second portion of the heating fluid into the airflow in the air intake conduit downstream of the filter. [Embodiment 2] The ice protection system of embodiment 1, wherein the plurality of nozzles is connected to a manifold configured to distribute heated fluid to the plurality of nozzles. [Embodiment 3] The anti-icing system of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the nozzles are arranged in a two-dimensional grid and are located upstream of the manifold. [Embodiment 4] The anti-icing system of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of nozzles are configured to heat the airflow in the intake duct of the gas turbine system to a first temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of the airflow through the intake duct of the gas turbine system at or upstream of a surface of the filter. [Embodiment 5] The anti-icing system of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles are configured to heat the airflow in the intake conduit of the gas turbine system to a temperature below a second threshold temperature at or upstream of the surface of the filter. [Embodiment 6] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 5, further comprising one or more sensors configured to measure a temperature of the airflow at one or more locations within the intake conduit. [Embodiment 7] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 6, further comprising a first valve configured to control a first flow rate of a first portion of the heating fluid to the manifold. [Embodiment 8] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 7, further comprising a second valve configured to control a second flow rate of the second portion of the heating fluid through the bypass conduit. [Embodiment Item 9] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, further comprising a third valve configured to control a third flow rate of the heating fluid through the bleed conduit, the bleed conduit being fluidly coupled to the manifold, the bypass conduit, and the compressor of the gas turbine system. [Embodiment 10] The ice protection system of any one of embodiment paragraphs 1 to 9, wherein the heating fluid is extracted from the compressor of the gas turbine system through a bleed conduit based on a compressor extraction ratio of 6% of the total compressor airflow. [Embodiment 11] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the first valve, the second valve, and the third valve. [Embodiment 12] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the first and second valves based on measurements by one or more sensors. [Embodiment 13] The gas turbine system includes a compressor and an air intake system. The air intake system includes an air intake conduit, a filter system, and an anti-icing system. The air intake system is configured to provide a heated airflow to the compressor. The anti-icing system includes a plurality of nozzles and a bypass conduit. Each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles includes one or more outlets configured to inject a first portion of a heated fluid into the airflow in the air intake conduit upstream of the filter system. The bypass conduit is configured to direct a second portion of the heated fluid into the airflow in the air intake conduit downstream of the filter system. [Embodiment 14] 14. The gas turbine system of embodiment 13, wherein the heating fluid comprises compressed air bled from a compressor of the gas turbine system through a bleed conduit fluidly coupled to the anti-icing system. [Embodiment Item 15] The gas turbine system of embodiment 13 or embodiment 14, wherein the anti-icing system includes a first valve configured to control a first flow rate of a first portion of the heating fluid through the bypass duct, a second valve configured to control a second flow rate of a second portion of the heating fluid to the plurality of nozzles, one or more sensors configured to measure a temperature of the airflow at one or more locations within the intake duct, and a controller configured to control operation of the first and second valves based on measurements by the one or more sensors. [Embodiment 16] A method of operating an anti-icing system for a gas turbine system includes extracting a heated fluid from a compressor of the gas turbine system, injecting a first portion of the heated fluid through a plurality of nozzles into an air flow in an intake conduit of the gas turbine system upstream of a filter, and injecting a second portion of the heated fluid from a bypass conduit into the air flow in the intake conduit of the gas turbine system downstream of the filter. [Embodiment 17] The method of embodiment 16, comprising the steps of receiving one or more measurements from one or more sensors disposed within an intake conduit of a gas turbine system, indicative of a measured temperature of an airflow at one or more locations within the intake conduit; controlling operation of a first valve configured to control a first flow rate of a first portion of the heating fluid to a plurality of nozzles; and controlling operation of a second valve configured to control a second flow rate of a second portion of the heating fluid through a bypass conduit. [Embodiment 18] The method of embodiment 16 or embodiment 17, wherein the step of injecting a first portion of the heating fluid is configured to heat the air flow in the intake conduit of the gas turbine system to a first temperature that is greater than a first threshold temperature that exceeds a dew point of the air flow through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, but less than a second threshold temperature at or upstream of the surface of the filter.
[0053] The present specification has been described by way of examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode thereof, and to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using the devices or systems and practicing the methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that are obvious to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are within the scope of the claims if they have elements that are not literally different from the claims, or have equivalent elements that are only insubstantial different from the claims. [Explanation of symbols]
[0054] 10 Gas Turbine System 12 Intake system 14 Intake duct 16 Compressor 22 Air Flow 24 Heated Air Flow 44 Bleeding duct 46 Anti-Icing System 48 Nozzles 50 Manifold 52 Bypass duct 54 Filters 64 Sensors 66 Controller 68 Valves 108 Heating fluid 112 Exit
Claims
1. An ice protection system (46) for a gas turbine system (10), the ice protection system (46) comprising: a plurality of nozzles (48), each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles (48) including one or more outlets (112) configured to inject a first portion of a heated fluid (108) into an air flow in an intake conduit (14) of a gas turbine system (10) upstream of a filter (54) to generate a heated air flow (24); a bypass conduit (52) configured to direct a second portion of the heating fluid (108) into the heated air flow (24) in the inlet conduit (14) downstream of the filter (54); An anti-icing system (46) comprising:
2. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nozzles (48) are coupled to a manifold (50) configured to distribute the heating fluid (108) to the plurality of nozzles (48).
3. The ice protection system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of nozzles (48) are arranged in a two-dimensional grid across the air intake conduit (14).
4. 4. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1, wherein the plurality of nozzles (48) are configured to heat the airflow (22) in the intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) to a first temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of the airflow (22) through the intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) at or upstream of a surface of the filter (54).
5. 5. The ice protection system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of nozzles are configured to heat the airflow in the intake conduit of the gas turbine system to a temperature below a second threshold temperature at or upstream of a surface of the filter.
6. The ice protection system (46) of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising one or more sensors (64) configured to measure a temperature of the airflow (22) at one or more locations within the air intake conduit (14).
7. 7. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1, comprising: a first valve (68) configured to control a first flow rate of a first portion of a heating fluid (108) to a manifold (50) coupled to the plurality of nozzles (48); and a second valve (68) configured to control a second flow rate of a second portion of the heating fluid (108) through the bypass conduit (52).
8. 8. The ice protection system of claim 7, further comprising a third valve configured to control a third flow rate of the heating fluid through a bleed conduit, the bleed conduit fluidly coupled to the manifold, the bypass conduit, and a compressor of the gas turbine system.
9. 9. The ice protection system (46) of claim 8, wherein the heating fluid (108) is extracted from a compressor (16) of the gas turbine system (10) through the bleed conduit (44) based on a compressor extraction ratio of 6% of a total compressor airflow (22).
10. The ice protection system (46) of claim 8, comprising a controller (66) configured to control operation of the first valve (68), the second valve (68), and the third valve (68).
11. 9. The ice protection system (46) of claim 7 or claim 8, further comprising a controller (66) configured to control operation of the first and second valves (68) based on measurements by one or more sensors (64) configured to measure a temperature of the air flow (22, 24) at one or more locations within the air intake conduit (14).
12. A gas turbine system (10), comprising: A compressor (16); An air intake system (12) comprising an air intake conduit (14), a filter system (54) and an anti-icing system (46), the air intake system (12) being configured to supply a heated air flow (24) to the compressor (16), the anti-icing system (46) being as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11. A gas turbine system (10) comprising:
13. A method of operating an ice protection system (46) for a gas turbine system (10), the method comprising: Extracting a heating fluid (108) from a compressor (16) of a gas turbine system (10); injecting a first portion of the heating fluid (108) through a plurality of nozzles (48) into an air flow (22) in an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) upstream of a filter (54) to generate a heated air flow (24); injecting a second portion of the heating fluid (108) from a bypass conduit (52) into a heated air flow (24) in an intake conduit (14) of a gas turbine system (10) downstream of the filter (54); A method comprising:
14. receiving one or more measurements from one or more sensors (64) disposed within an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) indicative of a measured temperature of the airflow (22, 24) at one or more locations within the intake conduit (14); controlling, by a controller (66), operation of a first valve (68) configured to control a first flow rate of a first portion of the heating fluid (108) to the plurality of nozzles (48); and controlling, by the controller (66), operation of a second valve (68) configured to control a second flow rate of the second portion of the heating fluid (108) through the bypass conduit (52).
15. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein injecting a first portion of the heating fluid is configured to heat the airflow in an intake conduit of the gas turbine system to a first temperature above a first threshold temperature above a dew point of the airflow through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, but below a second threshold temperature at or upstream of a surface of the filter.