Anti-icing and bleed heat system for gas turbine
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024114976
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-08-16
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-11
Smart Images
Figure 2025032055000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Background technology]
[0001] The presently disclosed technology relates to anti-icing and bleed heat systems for gas turbine systems.
[0002] Generally, gas turbine systems combust a mixture of compressed air and fuel to generate hot combustion gases. More specifically, gas turbine systems include a compressor that compresses air to generate compressed air. Gas turbine systems also include a combustor that mixes the compressed air with fuel to generate combustion gases. The combustion gases are channeled to a turbine to drive rotation of turbine blades and a shaft coupled to the turbine blades. The rotation of the shaft drives a load, such as an electrical 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 heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending axially along the heating fluid conduit and a finned conduit including a plurality of fins spaced along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit, The finned conduit is configured to be located in an intake conduit of the gas turbine system and to receive a heating fluid flowing along the flow path and to transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system.
[0006] In one embodiment, a gas turbine system includes a compressor and an air intake system configured to provide a heated air flow to the compressor. The air intake system includes an air intake conduit, a filter system, and an anti-icing system. The anti-icing system includes a plurality of finned conduits disposed within the air intake system upstream of the filter system. Each of the one or more finned conduits includes a heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending axially along the heating fluid conduit and a plurality of fins spaced along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit. Each of the one or more finned conduits is configured to receive a heating fluid extracted from the compressor and flowing along the flow path and transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system.
[0007] In one embodiment, a method of operating an anti-icing system for a gas turbine system includes extracting a heating fluid from a compressor of the gas turbine system, directing the heating fluid through a heating fluid conduit of a finned conduit, the finned conduit being disposed in the intake conduit upstream of a filter with respect to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, the finned conduit including a plurality of fins spaced axially along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit, the finned conduit being configured to transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, and injecting the heating fluid into the intake conduit at a location 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 one or more finned conduits configured to heat the airflow via convection to create a heated airflow that increases a temperature adjacent a filter in the air intake system and prevents ice formation on the filter in the air intake system. Each of the finned conduits includes a heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending along an axis of the heating fluid conduit and a plurality of fins spaced along the conduit and extending radially outward from the conduit relative to the axis of the conduit. The finned conduit is disposed within an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system and configured to receive a heating fluid flowing along the flow path and transfer heat from the heating fluid to the airflow through the air intake system of the gas turbine system. The anti-icing system may also include a bleed conduit for directing a flow of heating fluid bled from the compressor toward an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system. The bleed conduit may include a valve, which may be controlled by the controller, to control the flow of heated fluid through the bleed conduit. The intake manifold may receive the flow of heated fluid and distribute the flow of heated fluid to the multiple finned conduits. Additionally, the exhaust manifold may receive multiple flows of heated fluid from the multiple finned conduits and combine the multiple flows into a single flow of heated fluid via a bypass conduit. The bypass conduit may be configured to inject heated fluid into the intake conduit downstream of the filter to further heat the airflow after it has passed through the filter.
[0012] 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), 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 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 the 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 exchange heat between the airflow and the heated fluid such that less than 50% (or at least 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] Additionally, anti-icing systems generally positively impact the compressor by improving mixing and reducing thermal distortion of the heated airflow at the compressor inlet. It is understood that the anti-icing systems disclosed herein may be used at additional operating conditions, such as with the anti-icing system deactivated (e.g., turned off) at non-icing temperatures and gas turbine base load. In such cases, the structural components of the anti-icing system (e.g., finned ducts) may generate a pressure loss that is not significantly greater than a system without such structural components.
[0015] 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, heats the air flow 22 to form a heated air flow 24, compresses the heated air flow 24 via the compressor 16 to form compressed air 26, and uses the compressed air flow 26 to combust fuel 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.
[0016] Each combustor 18 combusts fuel injected by a fuel nozzle 28 with compressed air 26 to generate hot, pressurized combustion gases 34 that are channeled to a turbine 20. The turbine 20 has turbine blades connected to a shaft 36 that 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.
[0017] 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 plurality of finned conduits 48 (e.g., finned pipes, finned tubes), a first manifold 50 (e.g., an intake manifold) and a second manifold 52 (e.g., an exhaust manifold). The heated fluid from the bleed conduit 44 is provided to the first manifold 50 which routes the heated fluid through the plurality of finned conduits 48 to heat the airflow 22 as it flows through the plurality of finned conduits 48 to form the heated airflow 24.
[0018] Each of the plurality of finned conduits 48 defines one or more flow passages 54 (e.g., defined by pipes, tubes, or other conduits 56) that extend axially through the conduit 48 and / or along the axis of the conduit 48, with a plurality of fins 58 spaced axially along the conduit 48 and extending radially outward from the conduit 56 such that the direction of the flow passages 54 is perpendicular to the plane of the fins 58. Heating fluid from the bleed conduit 44 flows through the first manifold 50 and into one of the plurality of finned conduits 48. As the heating fluid flows through the finned conduits 48, heat is drawn from the heating fluid into the finned conduits 48 and the fins 58. The fins 58 act as a heat sink to transfer heat to the airflow 22 as it is passed by the finned conduits 48. Thus, heat from the heating fluid flows through the walls of the conduits 56, into the fins 58, and then into the airflow 22 as it flows past the finned conduits 48, resulting in the heated airflow 24. The heated fluid flows from the finned conduits 48 through the second manifold 52 into the bypass conduit 60, where it flows into the bypass conduit 60 and downstream of one or more filters 62 (e.g., first and second stage filters) to further heat the heated airflow 24 after it has passed through the filters 62.
[0019] Thus, the anti-icing system 46 operates to uniformly heat the airflow 22 to reduce or eliminate ice formation on the filter 62 and / or generally maintain the heated airflow 24 at a temperature within a specified range across the entire surface of the filter 62 (e.g., all or a majority of the surface of the filter 62) to enable proper operation of the intake system 12 and provide sufficient performance of the gas turbine system 10.
[0020] 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 ), the temperature of the heated air stream 24 at one or more filters 62 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 flows 26, 42 through more bleed ducts 44 and / or through bleed ducts 44 at progressively later compression stages of the compressor 16.
[0021] During operation, the air intake system 12 receives the air flow 22 through an air hood 66 that is connected to the air intake conduit 14. In some embodiments, the air flow 22 may pass through one or more additional air intake conduit components, such as a number of silencer baffles 68, one or more coalescers 70, a number of finned conduits 48, first and second manifolds 50, 52, and one or more filters 62.
[0022] 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 located inside or outside the air hood 66 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 located upstream of the first and / or second manifolds 50, 52. The anti-icing system 46 may also include one or more sensors 64 located downstream from the first and / or second manifolds 50, 52, for example, one or more filters 62 or one or more sensors 64 axially positioned between the first and / or second manifolds 50, 52 and one of the filters 62. Additionally, the anti-icing system 46 may include one or more sensors 64 located downstream of one of the filters 62, for example, upstream or upstream of the inlet of the compressor 16. The ice protection system 46 may also include one or more sensors 64 disposed along each of the bleed ducts 44 and / or the bypass ducts 60 .
[0023] The ice protection system 46 also includes a controller 72 communicatively coupled to the sensors 64, valves 74 disposed along each bleed conduit 44, and various components of the gas turbine system 10 (e.g., valves controlling the delivery of fuel from the fuel supply 30 to the fuel nozzles 28). The controller 72 has processing circuitry (e.g., one or more processors 76), memory 78, and computer readable instructions 80 stored in the memory 78 and executable by the processor 76. The controller 72 obtains sensor readings from the sensors 64, and the controller 72 can use the computer readable instructions 80 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), computer models, and / or user input.
[0024] For example, if the temperature at one or more of the sensors 64 falls below a lower temperature threshold (e.g., 0° C., the ambient air dew point, some other threshold temperature above the ambient air dew point, etc.), the controller 72 may send a control signal to an actuator (e.g., an electrically powered actuator) to partially or fully open the valve 74 to allow the flow of heated fluid through the bleed conduit 44 and into the first manifold 50.
[0025] Correspondingly, if the temperature at one or more of the sensors 64 exceeds an upper temperature threshold (e.g., a maximum temperature that air can flow through the filter 62 without damaging the filter 62, another threshold temperature below the maximum temperature that air can flow through the filter 62 without damaging the filter 62), then the controller 72 may send a control signal to an actuator of the valve 74 to partially or fully close the valve 74 to slow or stop the flow of heated fluid through the bleed conduit 44 to the first manifold 50. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a compressed air flow from the compressor 16 as the heated fluid provided to the first manifold 50, certain embodiments of the ice protection 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 gases).
[0026] In this manner, the controller 72 may monitor the ice protection system 46 and control the flow rate and / or temperature of the heated fluid within the first manifold 50 and through the finned conduit 48 to regulate the temperature within the intake conduit 14 to inhibit and / or eliminate ice formation on the filter 62 or elsewhere within the intake system 12 and / or compressor 16 and / or excessive heating of the filter 62. As described in more detail below, the finned conduit 48 transfers heat from the heated fluid flowing through the bleed conduit to the airflow 22, thereby regulating the temperature of the heated airflow 24 and / or making the temperature of the heated airflow 24 more uniform within the region of the intake conduit 14 downstream of the plurality of finned conduits 48 (e.g., between the plurality of finned conduits 48 and the filter 62, and particularly across the surface of the filter 62).
[0027] 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an anti-icing system 46 coupled to an air intake system 12. For ease of discussion, the anti-icing system 46 and the air intake system 12 may be described with reference to longitudinal or axial axes 102, transverse axes or directions 104, vertical or radial axes 106, and / or circumferential axes or directions 108.
[0028] As shown, the ice protection system 46 includes one or more finned ducts 48, a first manifold 50, and a second manifold 52 that may be oriented along a vertical axis / direction 106 or a horizontal axis / direction 104. The airflow 22 enters the air intake system 12 through an air hood 66 and 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 68 and / or a coalescer 70 upstream of the finned ducts 48. The silencer baffle 68 has one or more acoustic attenuating features (e.g., acoustic attenuating surface features, interior materials) to help reduce acoustic noise caused by the airflow 22 passing through the air intake system 12. The coalescer 70 is configured to remove water from the airflow 22. The coalescer 70 may include a mechanical coalescer, an electrostatic coalescer, or a combination thereof.
[0029] After passing through, the airflow 22 is heated by the finned conduit 48 to form the heated airflow 24, which may then pass through one or more filters 62. The one or more filters 62 may include any number and type of filters. Each of the one or more filters 62 may be configured to filter particulates and moisture. However, each filter 62 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 order (e.g., from upstream to downstream) in the inlet conduit 14, various embodiments may rearrange the aforementioned components in any suitable order, except that the finned conduit 48 remains upstream from the one or more filters 62.
[0030] As shown, the heated fluid 110 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.
[0031] In some embodiments, the valve 74 may control the flow of heating fluid 110 through the bleed conduit 44 and into the one or more finned conduits 48 via the first manifold 50. In some embodiments, the valve 74 may be controlled by the controller 72, as shown and described with respect to FIG. 1. The first manifold 50 may receive the flow of heating fluid 110 from the bleed conduit 44, separate the flow of heating fluid 110 into one or more respective streams, and then direct the heating fluid 110 to one or more finned conduits 48 by directing each of the one or more respective streams of heating fluid 110 to the one or more finned conduits 48, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, a particular flow of heating fluid 110 may flow through one or more finned conduits 48 between the first manifold 50 and the second manifold 52. Thus, the anti-icing system 46 may include a plurality of finned conduits 48 disposed between the first manifold 50 and the second manifold 52 such that the anti-icing system 46 may include a plurality of parallel flow paths of the heating fluid 110, each of which may flow through a single finned conduit 48 or multiple finned conduits 48 disposed in series, in parallel, or combinations thereof.
[0032] As previously mentioned, each finned conduit 48 includes a conduit 56 that defines a flow path 54 in fluid communication with the bleed conduit 44 via the first manifold 50. The heating fluid 110 thereby flows through the conduit 56 along the flow path 54 (e.g., vertically 106 or horizontally 104). The finned conduit 48 also includes a number of fins 58. As previously mentioned, as the heating fluid 110 flows through the conduit 56 of the finned conduit 48, heat may be transferred from the heating fluid 110 to the conduit 56 via convection. Heat may then be further transferred from the conduit 56 to the fins 58 via conduction. As the airflow 22 flows through the intake conduit 14, the airflow 22 flows around the finned conduit 48. For example, a portion of the airflow 22 may flow between the fins 58 of the finned conduit 48. As airflow 22 flows through fins 58 of finned conduit 48 , heat is transferred from fins 58 to airflow 22 via convection, resulting in heated airflow 24 .
[0033] In some embodiments, the flow of heating fluid 110 through the plurality of finned conduits 48 may be controlled via valve 74 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 build-up on surface 112 of filter 62. Such a lower limit temperature may be in absolute degrees 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.
[0034] 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 112 of the filter 62 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.
[0035] Additionally, multiple finned conduits 48 may be arranged and the flow of heating fluid 110 through the multiple finned conduits 48 may be controlled via valves 74 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 112 of the filter 62. To achieve such a result, the multiple finned conduits 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 112 of the filter 62. For example, the multiple finned conduits 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 intake conduit 14 and / or the cross-sectional area of the surface 112 of the filter 62, which does not create an unacceptably large pressure drop in the airflow while still allowing for desired temperature rise and uniformity.
[0036] The fins 58 of the multiple finned conduits 48 may be the same size and shape across a single finned conduit 48 or across all of the multiple finned conduits 48. However, in some embodiments, the size and / or shape of the fins may vary over the length of a particular finned conduit 48 and / or from one finned conduit 48 to another. In some embodiments, the fins 58 may be planar (e.g., flat), while in other embodiments, the fins may vary along one, two or three dimensions (e.g., having a sinusoidal profile, another curved profile, or some other feature). In some embodiments, the fins 58 may extend parallel to one another, while in other dimensions, the fins 58 may not be parallel to one another. Embodiments are contemplated in which the fins 58 are one or more shapes of a circle, ellipse, square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, or any other polygon.
[0037] 2, the multiple finned conduits 48 may be positioned with respect to the airflow upstream (e.g., in direction 102) of the filter 62. For example, the multiple finned conduits 48 may be positioned within 4 m of the filter 62, 3 m of the filter 62, 2 m of the filter 62, 1 m of the filter 62, 0.5 m of the filter 62, 0.25 m of the filter 62, or within some other distance from the filter 62. 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.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the heating fluid 110 flows from the plurality of finned conduits 48 into the second manifold 52, which combines the flows from the plurality of finned conduits 48 into one flow and directs the flow of the heating fluid 110 into the bypass conduit 60. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the heating fluid 110 flowing through the bypass conduit 60 may be injected into the intake conduit downstream of the filter 62, which may further heat the heated airflow 24. Thus, the ice protection system 46 may be configured to partially heat the airflow 22 upstream of the filter 62, and then further heat the heated airflow 24 downstream of the filter 62. Thus, the ice protection system 46 may operate to heat the airflow 22 to achieve a desired set of characteristics for the heated airflow 24, to reduce and / or eliminate ice formation on the surface 112 of the filter 62, as well as to reduce and / or eliminate melting and / or other damage to the filter 62. Additional heating of the airflow downstream of the filter 62 may also be enabled. For example, the valve 74 may be used to control the flow rate of the heating fluid 110 through the plurality of finned conduits 48 to control the heating of the airflow 22 upstream and downstream of the filter 62 .
[0039] In the illustrated embodiment, the heating fluid 110 comprises a compressed air stream extracted from the compressor 16, as described above with reference to FIG. 1. The compressed air extracted from the compressor 16 may be at approximately 200-600° C. and have 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 110 may be any suitable heating fluid capable of increasing the temperature of the air stream 22 via the finned conduits 48, and may include, but is not limited to, heated air or exhaust gas.
[0040] 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of the intake conduit 14 of the ice protection system 46 of FIG. 2, with, in one embodiment, first and second manifolds 50, 52 and finned conduits 48 positioned across a flow path within the intake conduit 14. Each of the plurality of finned conduits 48 may be mechanically and fluidly coupled to the first and second manifolds 50, 52 and / or one or more other finned conduits 48 directly or indirectly via one or more spacer fittings configured to couple the finned conduits 48 to one another.
[0041] In the illustrated embodiment, the finned conduits 48 are arranged parallel (or substantially parallel) to one another with uniform spacing between adjacent finned conduits 48. In some embodiments, the row of finned conduits 48 extending between the first and second manifolds 50, 52 may include multiple finned conduits 48 in series and / or parallel. To achieve a desired amount of heating and uniformity of heating, the multiple finned conduits 48 may occupy a percentage of the cross-sectional area of the intake conduit 14. For example, the multiple finned conduits 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 intake conduit 14 that does not create an unacceptably large pressure drop in the airflow while still allowing for a desired temperature rise and uniformity.
[0042] As previously mentioned, the heating fluid 110 is extracted from the compressor 16 and flows through the bleed conduit 44 of the ice protection system 46. 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 air flow 22 to the compressor 16 at the operating conditions of the gas turbine system 10. The valve 74 may be operated via the controller 75 to control the flow of the heating fluid 110 through the bleed conduit 44 to the first manifold 50. The first manifold 50 receives the flow of the heating fluid 110 from the bleed conduit 44, separates the flow of the heating fluid 110 into one or more respective streams, and then directs the heating fluid 110 to the one or more finned conduits 48 by directing each of the one or more respective streams of the heating fluid 110 to the one or more finned conduits 48. 3, the ice protection system 46 may include multiple finned conduits 48 disposed between the first manifold 50 and the second manifold 52 such that the ice protection system 46 may include multiple parallel flow paths of the heating fluid 110. Each of the parallel flow paths may flow through a single finned conduit 48 or multiple finned conduits 48 arranged in series, in parallel, or any combination thereof.
[0043] Each finned conduit 48 includes a respective conduit defining a flow path in fluid communication with the bleed conduit 44 via the first manifold 50. Thus, the heating fluid 110 flows within the conduit along the flow path. The finned conduit 48 also includes a plurality of fins such that as the heating fluid 110 flows through the conduits 56 of the finned conduits 48, heat may transfer from the heating fluid 110 to the conduits 56 via convection. The heat may then further transfer from the conduits 56 to the fins 58 via conduction. As the airflow flows through the intake conduit tube 14, the airflow flows around / between the finned conduits 48 and heat is transferred from the fins 58 of the finned conduits 48 to the airflow 22 via convection, resulting in the heated airflow 24. The flow of the heating fluid 110 through the plurality of finned conduits 48 may be controlled by the controller 72 via the valves 74 to achieve a desired set of conditions for the heated airflow.
[0044] The heated fluid 110 flows from the plurality of finned conduits 48 into a second manifold 52, which combines the flows from the plurality of finned conduits 48 into one flow and directs the flow of heated fluid 110 into the bypass conduit 60. Note that, although not shown in FIG. 3, the heated fluid 110 flowing through the bypass conduit 60 may be injected into the intake conduit downstream of the filter 62, thereby further heating the heated airflow. (See FIG. 1.) Thus, the ice protection system 46 may be operated to heat the airflow to achieve a heated airflow 24 having a desired set of characteristics to reduce and / or eliminate ice formation at the filter 62, while also reducing and / or eliminating melting and / or other damage to the filter 62, while allowing for additional heating of the airflow downstream of the filter 62.
[0045] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process 200 for operating the anti-icing system 46 shown in FIGS. 1-3. In block 202, a heating fluid is extracted from the compressor. 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 compressor airflow at the operating conditions of the gas turbine system 10. The compressed air extracted from the compressor is at about 200-600 degrees Celsius and at 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 capable of being directed through the finned conduit to increase the temperature of the airflow, including, but not limited to, heated air or exhaust gas from another source.
[0046] In block 204, the heated fluid is directed through the bleed conduit and the flow of the heated fluid through the bleed conduit is controlled. For example, the flow of the heated fluid through the bleed conduit may be controlled by a controller through one or more valves based on sensor readings. If the temperature of one or more sensors falls below a lower temperature threshold (e.g., 0° C., the dew point of the ambient air or other threshold temperature above the dew point of the ambient air, etc.), the controller may send a control signal to an actuator (e.g., an electrically operated actuator) of the valve to partially or fully open the valve to allow the flow of the heated fluid through the bleed conduit. Correspondingly, if the temperature of one or more sensors exceeds an upper temperature threshold (e.g., the maximum temperature that air can pass through the filter without damaging the filter, other threshold temperature below the maximum temperature that air can pass through the filter without damaging the filter, etc.), the controller may send a control signal to an actuator of the valve to partially or fully close the valve to slow or stop the flow of the heated fluid through the bleed conduit.
[0047] For example, a desired temperature range may be provided for the heated airflow. 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 of the filter. Such a lower limit temperature may be an absolute temperature or may be a temperature determined based on the dew point of the airflow. 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.
[0048] The upper limit of the desired temperature range may be a temperature that is not high enough to cause or induce melting at the surface of the filter or other damage to the filter. 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 temperatures.
[0049] At block 206, the flow of heating fluid is directed through a first manifold. The first manifold receives the flow of heating fluid from the bleed conduit. The first manifold is configured to supply the heating fluid to the one or more finned conduits (e.g., in fluid communication with each of the one or more finned conduits). In an embodiment having multiple finned conduits, the manifold may separate the flow of heating fluid into multiple flows of heating fluid and then supply the multiple flows of heating fluid to the multiple finned conduits (block 208).
[0050] At block 208, a flow of heating fluid is directed through one or more finned conduits. Each of the finned conduits defines one or more flow passages (e.g., defined by a pipe, tube, or other conduit) and a number of fins extending outwardly from the conduit. As the heating fluid flows through the finned conduits, heat is drawn from the heating fluid into the finned conduits. The fins act as a heat sink, transferring heat to the airflow as it flows through, around, and / or by the finned conduits. Thus, heat from the heating fluid flows through the walls of the conduits into the fins and then into the airflow as it flows past the finned conduits, resulting in a heated airflow.
[0051] A plurality of finned conduits may be arranged and the flow of heating fluid through the plurality of finned conduits may be controlled to achieve 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, or any other number of temperature uniformities at or near the surface of the filter. To achieve such results, the plurality of finned conduits may occupy a certain percentage of the cross-sectional area of the inlet conduit and / or the cross-sectional area of the filter face. For example, the plurality of finned conduits 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 and / or the cross-sectional area of the filter face that does not create an unacceptably large pressure drop in the air flow, yet allows for the desired temperature rise and uniformity.
[0052] The fins of a plurality of finned conduits may be the same size and shape across a single finned conduit or across all of a plurality of finned conduits. However, in some embodiments, the size and / or shape of the fins may vary across the length of a particular finned conduit and / or may vary from finned conduit to finned conduit. In some embodiments, the fins may be planar (e.g., flat), while in other embodiments, the fins may vary along one, two, or three dimensions (e.g., having a sinusoidal profile, another curved profile, or some other feature). In some embodiments, the fins may extend parallel to one another, while in other dimensions, the fins may not be parallel to one another. Embodiments are contemplated in which the fins are one or more shapes of a circle, ellipse, square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, or any other polygon.
[0053] Additionally, the finned conduits may be located upstream of the filter with respect to airflow through the compressor intake system. For example, the finned conduits may be located within 4 m of the filter, within 3 m of the filter, within 2 m of the filter, within 1 m of the filter, within 0.5 m of the filter, within 0.25 m of the filter, or within some other distance from the filter. In embodiments having multiple filters, such distances are intended to refer to the distance between the finned conduits and the nearest (i.e., most upstream) filter.
[0054] At block 210, the heating fluid is routed from one or more of the finned conduits to a second manifold that combines the flows from the multiple finned conduits into one flow and directs the flow of heating fluid to a bypass conduit.
[0055] At block 212, heated fluid is injected from the bypass conduit into the intake conduit downstream of the filter. Injecting heated fluid into the intake conduit downstream of the filter may further heat the airflow downstream of the filter. Thus, the anti-icing system may be configured to partially heat the airflow upstream of the filter and then further heat the heated airflow downstream of the filter. Air from the intake conduit then flows into the compressor.
[0056] The present disclosure includes a gas turbine system that 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 one or more finned conduits configured to heat the airflow via convection to create a heated airflow that increases a temperature adjacent a filter in the air intake system and prevents ice formation on the filter in the air intake system. Each of the finned conduits includes a heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending along the heating fluid conduit and a plurality of fins spaced along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit. The finned conduit is disposed within an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system and configured to receive a heating fluid flowing along the flow path and transfer heat from the heating fluid to the airflow through the air intake system of the gas turbine system.
[0057] The ice protection system may also include a bleed conduit for directing a flow of heated fluid extracted from the compressor toward an intake conduit of the gas turbine system. The bleed conduit may include a valve, which may be controlled by the controller, to control the flow of heated fluid through the bleed conduit. The intake manifold may receive the flow of heated fluid and distribute the flow of heated fluid to the multiple finned conduits. Additionally, the exhaust manifold may receive multiple flows of heated fluid from the multiple finned conduits and combine the multiple flows into a single flow of heated fluid via a bypass conduit. The bypass conduit may be configured to inject heated fluid into the intake conduit downstream of the filter to further heat the airflow after passing through the filter.
[0058] 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).
[0059] 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 the 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 exchange heat between the airflow and the heated fluid such that less than 50% (or at least 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).
[0060] Additionally, anti-icing systems generally positively impact the compressor by improving mixing and reducing thermal distortion of the heated airflow at the compressor inlet. It is understood that the anti-icing systems disclosed herein may be used at additional operating conditions, such as with the anti-icing system deactivated (e.g., turned off) at non-icing temperatures and gas turbine base load. In such cases, the structural components of the anti-icing system (such as finned ducts) may generate pressure losses comparable to, and not significantly greater than, a system without the structural components.
[0061] Technical effects of the anti-icing techniques disclosed herein include providing more effective heat transfer between the airflow in the air intake system and the heating fluid. Under certain conditions (e.g., cold environmental conditions), the mixing may more effectively remove, reduce, and / or block ice build-up on the filters of the air intake system of the gas turbine system compared to conventional systems. Under certain conditions (e.g., hot ambient conditions and / or IBH maximum flow rates), the heat transfer may more effectively reduce and / or block hot spots on the filters of the air intake system of the 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).
[0062] The above-described technology is shown in the following embodiment section. [Embodiment 1] An ice protection system for a gas turbine system includes a finned conduit including a heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending axially along the heating fluid conduit and a plurality of fins spaced along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit, the finned conduit being configured to be located within an intake conduit of the gas turbine system and to receive a heating fluid flowing along the flow path and to transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system. [Embodiment 2] The ice protection system of embodiment 1, comprising a plurality of finned conduits, including the finned conduit. [Embodiment 3] The ice protection system of embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, comprising an intake manifold configured to receive a heated fluid and distribute the heated fluid to two or more of the plurality of finned conduits. [Embodiment 4] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, further comprising a valve configured to control the flow of heated fluid to the intake manifold. [Embodiment 5] The ice protection system of any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a controller configured to control operation of the valve. [Embodiment 6] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 through 5, including an exhaust manifold configured to receive heated fluid from two or more of the plurality of finned conduits and direct the heated fluid to a bypass duct. [Embodiment 7] The ice protection system of embodiment 6, wherein the bypass duct is configured to inject a heated fluid into an intake duct of the gas turbine system downstream of the plurality of finned ducts and the filter for air flowing through the intake duct. [Embodiment 8] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the heating fluid is extracted from a compressor of the gas turbine system. [Embodiment Item 9] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the heating fluid is extracted from the compressor of the gas turbine system based on a compressor extraction ratio of 6% of the total compressor air flow. [Embodiment 10] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 through 9, wherein each of the plurality of fins is planar. [Embodiment 11] The anti-ice system of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein each of the plurality of fins protrudes along the axis of the heating fluid conduit and has a shape that is circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, or a combination thereof. [Embodiment 12] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the finned duct is configured to heat air flowing through an intake duct of the gas turbine system to a temperature above a first threshold temperature above a dew point of the air flowing through the intake duct of the gas turbine system. [Embodiment 13] The ice protection system of any one of embodiments 1 through 12, wherein the finned duct is configured to heat air flowing through an intake duct of the gas turbine system to a temperature below a second threshold temperature. [Embodiment 14] The gas turbine system includes a compressor and an air intake system, the air intake system including an air intake conduit, a filter system, and an anti-icing system. The air intake system is configured to provide a heated air flow to the compressor. The anti-icing system includes a plurality of finned conduits disposed within the air intake system upstream of the filter system. Each of the finned conduits includes a heating fluid conduit defining a flow path extending axially along the heating fluid conduit and a plurality of fins spaced along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit. Each of the plurality of finned conduits is configured to receive a heating fluid extracted from the compressor and flowing along the flow path and to transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through an air intake conduit of the gas turbine system. [Embodiment Item 15] The gas turbine system of embodiment 14, wherein the anti-icing system comprises an intake manifold configured to receive heating fluid and distribute the heating fluid to two or more of the plurality of finned conduits, and an exhaust manifold configured to receive heating fluid from two or more of the plurality of finned conduits and direct the heating fluid to a bypass duct. [Embodiment 16] 16. The gas turbine system of embodiment 15, wherein the anti-icing system includes a valve configured to control a flow of heating fluid to the intake manifold, and a controller configured to control operation of the valve. [Embodiment Item 17] The gas turbine system of any one of embodiments 14 to 16, wherein the bypass duct is configured to inject a heated fluid into an intake duct of the gas turbine system downstream of the plurality of finned ducts and the filter for air flowing through the intake duct. [Embodiment 18] A method of operating an anti-icing system for a gas turbine system includes extracting a heating fluid from a compressor of the gas turbine system, directing the heating fluid through a heating fluid conduit of a finned conduit, the finned conduit being disposed within the intake conduit upstream of a filter with respect to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, the finned conduit including a plurality of fins spaced axially along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit, the finned conduit being configured to transfer heat from the heating fluid to air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system, and injecting the heating fluid into the intake conduit at a location downstream of the filter. [Embodiment 19] The method of embodiment 18, wherein the finned conduit is configured to heat air flowing through an inlet conduit of the gas turbine system to a temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of the air flowing through the inlet conduit of the gas turbine system and below a second threshold temperature. [Embodiment 20] The method of embodiment 18 or embodiment 19, comprising controlling a flow of heating fluid through a heating fluid conduit such that air flowing through an intake conduit of the gas turbine system is heated to a temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system and below a second threshold temperature.
[0063] 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]
[0064] 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 Finned Conduit 50 Intake manifold 54 Flow Path 56 Heated Fluid Conduit 58 Finn 60 Bypass duct 64 Sensors 72 Controller 74 Valve 110 Heating fluid
Claims
1. An ice protection system (46) for a gas turbine system (10), the ice protection system (46) comprising: A plurality of finned conduits (48), at least one of the finned conduits (48) comprising: a heating fluid conduit (56) defining a flow path (54) extending axially along the heating fluid conduit (56); a plurality of fins (58) spaced along the heating fluid conduit (56), the plurality of fins (58) extending radially outward from the heating fluid conduit (56); the one or more finned conduits (48) are positioned within an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) and are configured to receive a heating fluid (110) flowing along the flowpath (54) and to transfer heat from the heating fluid (110) to air (22) flowing through the intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10).
2. 2. The ice protection system of claim 1, comprising an intake manifold configured to receive the heating fluid and distribute the heating fluid to two or more of the plurality of finned conduits.
3. 3. The ice protection system of claim 2, comprising: a valve configured to control a flow of the heating fluid to the intake manifold; and a controller configured to control operation of the valve.
4. 3. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1 or claim 2, comprising an exhaust manifold (52) configured to receive the heating fluid (110) from two or more of the plurality of finned conduits (48) and direct the heating fluid (110) to a bypass conduit (60).
5. 5. The ice protection system of claim 4, wherein the bypass duct is configured to inject the heated fluid into the intake duct of a gas turbine system downstream of the plurality of finned ducts and a filter relative to air flowing through the intake duct.
6. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1, wherein the heating fluid (110) is extracted from a compressor (16) of the gas turbine system (10).
7. The ice protection system (46) of claim 6, wherein the heating fluid (110) is extracted from a compressor (16) of the gas turbine system (10) based on a compressor extraction ratio of 6% of total compressor air flow.
8. 2. The ice protection system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fins (58) has a shape that projects along an axis of the heating fluid conduit (56) and that is circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, or a combination thereof.
9. 2. The ice protection system (46) of claim 1, wherein the one or more finned conduits (48) are configured to heat air (22) flowing through an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) to a temperature above a first threshold temperature above a dew point of the air (22) flowing through the intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10).
10. 10. The ice protection system (46) of claim 9, wherein the one or more finned conduits (48) are configured to heat air (22) flowing through an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) to a temperature below a second threshold temperature.
11. A gas turbine system (10), comprising: A compressor (16); An air intake system (12) comprising an air intake conduit (14), a filter system (62) and an anti-icing system (46) according to any one of claims 1 to 10; A gas turbine system (10) comprising:
12. A method of operating an ice protection system (46) for a gas turbine system (10), the method comprising: Extracting a heating fluid (110) from a compressor (16) of a gas turbine system (10); directing the heating fluid through a heating fluid conduit of a finned conduit, the finned conduit being disposed within the intake conduit of the gas turbine system upstream of a filter with respect to air flowing through the intake conduit, the finned conduit including a plurality of fins spaced axially along the heating fluid conduit and extending radially outwardly from the heating fluid conduit, the finned conduit being configured to transfer heat from the heating fluid to the air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system; injecting the heated fluid (110) into the air inlet conduit (14) at a location downstream of the filter (62); The method includes:
13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein directing the heating fluid through the heating fluid conduits of the finned conduits heats the air flowing through an intake conduit of the gas turbine system to a temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of the air flowing through the intake conduit of the gas turbine system and below a second threshold temperature.
14. 14. The method of claim 13, comprising controlling, by a controller (72) and a valve (74), a flow of heating fluid (110) through the heating fluid conduit (56) such that air (22) flowing through an intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) is heated to a temperature above a threshold temperature above a dew point of the air (22) flowing through the intake conduit (14) of the gas turbine system (10) and below a second threshold temperature.