2011 results about "Combined cycle" patented technology

A method and apparatus for increasing the efficiency of a combined cycle generation plant by assisting the vaporization of cold liquid including liquefied natural gas ("LNG") or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in a combined cycle power plant. Cold liquid vaporization is assisted by circulating a warm heat transfer fluid to transfer heat to a LNG/LPG vaporizer. The heat transfer fluid is chilled by LNG/LPG cold liquid vaporization and warmed by heat from a gas turbine. The heat transfer fluid absorbs heat from the air intake of a gas turbine and from a secondary heat transfer fluid circulating in a combined cycle power plant. Chilling the gas turbine air intake densifies the air and increases the gas turbine output. Chilling the steam condenser cooling water increases steam turbine output. The effects of chill recovery is higher output and better efficiency of the combined cycle plant.

This invention is related to so-called combined cycle co-generation installations, and it addresses present concerns of the industry. Among these, combustion stability, corrosion (due to large water content in the flue gases), large heat transfer areas, and the like. In some embodiments, an additional heat exchanger is added to heat combustion air with a portion of the exhaust gases resulting from an engine, preferably a gas turbine. As a result, the efficiency of the cycle will improve, the oxidant will be enriched by above 50% oxygen, the combustion process will be enhanced, and the dimensions of the boiler may be reduced. It is considered that the combustion air will require between 10% and 80% of the total flue gas volume, more preferably between 20% and 40%. This is the portion of the flue gases sent through the heat exchanger. A control system designed to optimize the flow of the different streams is also presented. Other inventive embodiments forego heat exchanges in lieu of precise control of two flows of exhaust gas, with preferred addition of additional oxidant to the boiler bumers.

A system involving a two-step gasification of a carbonaceous source to produce bulk hydrogen that avoids the early formation of CO₂ and obviates the traditional water gas shift (WGSR) step, carbochlorination of a metallic ore the production of metals found in the ore that utilizes carbon monoxide as an oxygen sink, rather than the traditional coke, and carbon oxides management that eliminates major impediments to emission-neutral power generation and the reduction of major metals. The gasification uses a rotary kiln reactor and gas-gas cyclonic separation process to separate synthesis gas into purified hydrogen and purified carbon monoxide. Purified bulk carbon monoxide issued in metallurgical reduction, and purified bulk hydrogen as fuel for an emission-neutral hydrogen combined cycle (HCC) turbine power generation station. The carbochlorination is integrated with: a) the concurrent separation and purification of all metal-chlorides (metchlors) and capture of CO₂ for passage to the carbon oxides management system; b) the direct reduction of metchlors to nanoscale metallurgical powders and/or to dendritically-shaped particles, including metchlor reduction for the ultrahigh-performance semiconductor metals of the III-V group; and, c) the reforming of metal-oxides with improved crystalline structure from metchlors. The carbon oxides management collects, stores and directs to points of usage, carbon oxides that arise in various processes of the integrated system, and captures carbon monoxide for process enhancement and economic uses and captures carbon dioxide as a process intermediate and for economic uses.

The present invention relates to an integrated process for preparing combustible gaseous products via the hydromethanation of carbonaceous feedstocks in the presence of steam, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, a hydromethanation catalyst and optionally oxygen, and generating electrical power from those combustible gaseous products as well as a hydrogen and/or methane by-product stream.

A novel process and apparatus for power generation from biomass and other carbonaceous feedstocks are provided. The process integrates a pulse combustor steam reformer with a gas turbine to generate electricity such that (i) efficiency is higher than those of conventional and current advanced power systems, (ii) emissions are lower than those proposed in the new environmental regulations, and (iii) performance is comparable to that of combined cycle, even though a bottoming cycle is not included here. The pulse combustor steam reformer generates a hydrogen-rich, medium-Btu fuel gas that is fired in a gas turbine to generate electricity. The apparatus may be configured to produce only power or combined heat and power.

Methods and systems for low emission power generation in combined cycle power plants are provided. One system includes a gas turbine system that stoichiometrically combusts a fuel and an oxidant in the presence of a compressed recycle stream to provide mechanical power and a gaseous exhaust. The compressed recycle stream acts as a diluent to moderate the temperature of the combustion process. A boost compressor can boost the pressure of the gaseous exhaust before being compressed into the compressed recycle stream. A purge stream is tapped off from the compressed recycle stream and directed to a C0₂ separator which discharges C0₂ and a nitrogen-rich gas which can be expanded in a gas expander to generate additional mechanical power.

A method and system for augmenting the output of a combined cycle power plant having a base gas turbine (22) driving a generator (36) and a heat recovery steam generator (42) that recovers exhaust heat (30) from the base gas turbine (22) to drive a steam turbine (60). A complementary gas turbine engine (12) is added to the power plant to drive a complementary generator (14). The exhaust (A, B, C) of the complementary gas turbine (12) is merged into the flow path of exhaust gas (30) from the base gas turbine (22) upstream of a selected one or more heat exchangers (46, 50, 52) in the heat recovery steam generator (42). Such a complementary system (10) may be used together with supplemental duct burners (48) in a hybrid augmentation embodiment.

A semi-closed combined cycle power system 100 is provided which can also convert an open combined cycle gas turbine 10 into a non-polluting zero emissions power system. The prior art open combined cycle gas turbine 10 includes a compressor 20 which compresses air A' and combusts the air A' with a fuel, such as natural gas. The products of combustion and the remaining portions of the air form the exhaust E' which is expanded through the turbine 40. The turbine 40 drives the compressor 20 and outputs power. The exhaust E' exits the turbine 40 and then can optionally be routed through a heat recovery steam generator 50 to function as a combined cycle. According to this invention, the exhaust E' is not emitted into the atmosphere, but rather is routed to a divider 110. The divider 110 includes two outlets for the exhaust E' including a return duct 120 and a separation duct 130 which both receive a portion of the exhaust E'. The return duct 120 routes a portion of the exhaust E' back to the compressor 20. Before reaching the compressor 20, an oxygen duct 150 adds additional oxygen to the exhaust E' to form a gas mixture C which includes CO2 and steam from the exhaust E' and oxygen from the oxygen duct 150. This gas mixture C has characteristics which mimic those of air, so that the compressor 20 need not be modified to effectively compress the gas mixture C. The gas mixture C is compressed within the compressor 20 and routed to the combustor 30 where the fuel combusts with the oxygen of the gas mixture C' and produces exhaust E' which is substantially entirely CO2 and steam. This exhaust E' is routed through the turbine 40 and expanded to drive the compressor 20 and output power. The exhaust E' exits the turbine 40 and is routed back to the divider 110, preferably by way of a heat recovery steam generator 50 or other heat removal device, so that the semi-closed cycle operates as a combined cycle power system 100. The divider 110 directs a portion of the exhaust E' to a separation duct 130 which leads to a condenser 140. In the condenser 140 the exhaust E' is separated by condensation of the steam/water portion of the exhaust and removal of the remaining CO2 as gas from the condenser 140. The only exhaust from the semi-closed power system 100 is water and CO2 from the condenser. The CO2 exhaust is substantially pure and ready for appropriate further handling and disposal. Hence, no pollutants are emitted from the semi-closed power system 100. The return duct 120 can

Embodiments of the invention provide an IGCC which achieves improved plant thermal efficiency by using a cooling steam supply system that cools the high-temperature sections of the gas turbine 34. Embodiments of the invention further provide and IGCC in which the cooling steam recovery system recovers steam after cooling the gas-turbine high-temperature section and makes practical re-use of the energy and substances within the system. Therefore, embodiments of the invention can reduce or eliminate the degradation of certain equipment by cooling the high-temperature sections. Methods are provided for increasing the thermal efficiency o an IGCC.

A method of assembling a combustion system includes providing a gas turbine engine that includes a gas turbine section coupled downstream from a combustion chamber and coupling a source of oxygen to the gas turbine engine such that a stream of oxygen discharged from the source facilitates displacing nitrogen in the working fluid of the gas turbine engine and facilitates decreasing emissions generated within the gas turbine engine.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for starting up a combined cycle plant using a startup duct to connect an auxiliary engine to the inlet of a plurality of HRSGs or other heat recovery systems. Each HRSG is fed by a combustion turbine. Dampers are supplied to isolate each HRSG from the startup duct and its CTG. The auxiliary engine is also ported to a stack allowing simple cycle operation. Dampers are also supplied to isolate the auxiliary engine from the startup duct and from its stack. During startups, the large CTGs will be isolated and the auxiliary engine will be connected to the HRSGs and started, allowing the HRSG to pressurize. As each HRSG pressurizes, it is isolated from the startup duct and connected to its respective CTG. The CTG is then started and loaded. The auxiliary engine is turned off and isolated when the last HRSG pressurizes.

The present invention generally relates to units of engines and more particularly to units containing a unique combined-cycle (combustion-detonation) “counter-rotation, anti-gyration, gyroscopic,” turbine fan-jet/free-piston engine configuration for induced air supercharging and boosting the performance of novel Ramjet engines or Ramjet engine configurations by improving internal air-stream dynamics. These dynamics are the result of co-operative air stream intermixing through convergent, supercharge-attenuated, inducted, compressed, tuned, pre-heated ambient air. Achieved through the varying of the geometric structural form and the utilization of unique engines and air induction and propulsion conformations, aided with supplemental air, fuel, oxygen and optiomal water and electrolyte charging.

Aspects of the invention relate to a system and method for actively controlling compressor clearances in a turbine engine by passing a thermal fluid in heat exchanging relation through a compressor vane carrier. During some operational conditions, such as hot restart or spin cool, it may be desirable to heat the vane carrier to enlarge or at least prevent a decrease in compressor clearances. In such cases, a heated thermal fluid can be provided by reclaiming residual exhaust energy from a heat recovery steam generator. At any condition where improved performance is desired, such as at base load operation, the vane carrier can be cooled to minimize compressor clearances. A cooled thermal fluid can be bleed air from an upstream portion of the compressor, water-cooled high pressure bleed air from a downstream portion of the compressor, or feed water from the bottoming cycle in a combined cycle engine.

Methods and systems for operating combined cycle electrical generating plants is provided. The method includes simulating the electrical power plant performance, simulating the steam utilizing process plant performance, parameterizing plant equipment and plant performance using the power plant and process plant simulation results, and solving parameterized simultaneous equations and constraints with an objective function to determine parameter settings that facilitate enhancing an efficiency of the combined cycle electrical generating/steam-utilizing process plant.

The method of the invention comprises enhancing the flow of geothermal fluid (water and/or steam and/or mixtures thereof) from at least one injection well to at least one production well, by the following steps: providing a first, horizontal, geothermal well, which is used as said injection well; injecting water into said injection well; providing a second, horizontal, geothermal well, which issued as said production well such that said second, horizontal, production, geothermal well is substantially horizontally and vertically spaced from said first, horizontal, injection, geothermal well and located at a shallower depth than said first, horizontal, injection, geothermal well; recovering geothermal fluid from said production well; and generating a water density difference and a pressure difference between said first horizontal, injection well and said second horizontal, production well. Furthermore, the invention comprises an apparatus for enhancing the flow of geothermal fluid from at least one injection well to at least one production well, which comprises a first horizontal geothermal well, which is used as said injection well and into which water is injected; a second horizontal, geothermal well, which is used as said production well and from which geothermal fluid issues, wherein said second, horizontal, production, geothermal well is substantially horizontally and vertically spaced from said first, horizontal, injection, geothermal well and located at a shallower depth than said first, horizontal, injection, geothermal well; and means for producing a pressure difference between said first horizontal, injection well and said second horizontal, production well and utilizing the water density difference induced by the temperature difference. Preferably, binary geothermal power plants or combined cycle geothermal power plants can be used to produce power from geothermal fluid recovered from the production well.

A combined cycle power plant includes a compressor section including a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, and a turbine section operatively connected to the compressor section. The turbine section includes a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet. A heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is fluidly connected to the turbine outlet. A combustor includes a head end and a combustor discharge. The head end is fluidly connected to the compressor outlet and the combustor discharge is fluidly connected to the turbine inlet. A carbon dioxide collection system is fluidly connected to one of the compressor outlet and the head end of the combustor. The carbon dioxide collection system is configured and disposed to extract a first fluid comprising carbon dioxide and a second fluid from a substantially oxygen free fluid flow passed from the one of the compressor outlet and the head end of the combustor.

Abstract: A refrigeration cycle is integrated into a combined cycle power plant to form a triple cycle power plant in which gas turbine generator inlet air is chilled and dehydrated to increase the mass flow of the inlet air, and in which duct firing in HRSG is increased in dependence of the increased mass flow. In further preferred integration aspects, the heat from the inlet chiller refrigerant is provided to the HRSG.