# US 11,078,808 B2 · Plant and operation method therefor

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- Number: US 11,078,808 B2
- Document ID: US11078808B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/088,157
- Filed: 2017-03-08
- Published: 2019-06-13
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Power, Ltd.
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Hideyuki Uechi; Naoki Hisada
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078808B2

## CPC

- F01K 13/02: Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting
- F01K 23/10: with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle (F01K17/025 takes precedence)
- F01K 9/00: Plants characterised by condensers arranged or modified to co-operate with the engines (by condensers structurally combined with engines F01K11/00; steam condensers per se F28B)(F01K23/04 takes precedence)
- F01K 9/003: {condenser cooling circuits}
- F01K 23/101: {Regulating means specially adapted therefor (F01K23/105, F01K23/108 take precedence)}
- F01K 23/106: {with water evaporated or preheated at different pressures in exhaust boiler}
- F02C 6/18: using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants (using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10)
- F02C 7/141: of working fluid
- F02C 7/18: the medium being gaseous, e.g. air {(F02C7/125 takes precedence)}
- F02C 7/185: {Cooling means for reducing the temperature of the cooling air or gas}
- F05D 2220/72: a steam turbine
- F05D 2260/232: characterized by the cooling medium
- Y02E 20/16: Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
- F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D)
- F02C: GAS-TURBINE PLANTS; AIR INTAKES FOR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS; CONTROLLING FUEL SUPPLY IN AIR-BREATHING JET-PROPULSION PLANTS (construction of turbines F01D; jet-propulsion plants F02K; construction of compressors or fans F04; generating combustion products of high pressure or high velocity F23R; using gas turbines in compression refrigeration plants F25B11/00)
- F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Provided is a plant that includes: a boiler (30); a device connected to the boiler (30); a water supply source (41) that is configured to pool water; a water supply line (44) that supplies water from the water supply source (41) to the boiler (30); a cooler (50, 60g, 60s, 70g, 70s, 80) that transfers heat from a medium to be cooled to supply-water (W), which is the water flowing along the water supply line (44); a thermometer (59, 69, 79, 89) that determines a temperature of the medium to be cooled or the supply-water; and a temperature regulator (53, 62, 72, 82) that is configured to regulate the temperature of the medium to be cooled on the basis of the temperature determined by the thermometer (59, 69, 79, 89).

## Claims

### Claim 1

A plant comprising:
a boiler configured to heat water to generate steam;
a gas turbine configured to burn fuel to produce combustion gas and configured to be driven by the combustion gas, the gas turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam turbine configured to be driven by steam, the steam turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam condenser configured to condense steam exhausted from the steam turbine into liquid water and to pool the liquid water;
a water supply line configured to supply the water from the steam condenser to the boiler;
a medium-to-be-cooled line along which a medium to be cooled from the gas turbine flows;
one or more gas turbine coolers configured to transfer heat from the medium to be cooled to supply-water from the water supply line, and to heat the supply-water while cooling the medium to be cooled;
a thermometer configured to determine a temperature of the medium to be cooled or the supply-water; and
a temperature regulator configured to regulate the temperature of the medium to be cooled based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the temperature regulator has a flow rate regulator that is configured to regulate a flow rate of supply-water flowing along a supply-water return line based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the water supply line has a switching unit, a supply-water main line that connects the steam condenser to the boiler, and the supply-water return line, the supply-water return line configured to branch off from the supply-water main line and configured to return at least a portion of supply-water from the supply-water main line to the steam condenser,
wherein all of the one or more gas turbine coolers are located upstream, relative to a flow of supply-water in the supply-water main line, from a branch position at which the supply-water return line branches from the supply-water main line,
wherein the switching unit is configured to switch the flow of supply-water between a supply-water return state in which supply-water in the supply-water main line is returned to the steam condenser via the supply-water return line and a supply-water state in which the supply-water in the supply-water main line is sent to the boiler without being returned to the steam condenser, and
wherein the branch position is arranged upstream of the boiler such that in the supply-water return state, no supply-water flows into the boiler.

### Claim 2

A plant comprising:
a boiler configured to heat water to generate steam;
a gas turbine configured to burn fuel to produce combustion gas and configured to be driven by the combustion gas, the gas turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam turbine configured to be driven by steam, the steam turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam condenser configured to condense steam exhausted from the steam turbine into liquid water and to pool the liquid water;
a water supply line configured to supply the water from the steam condenser to the boiler;
a plurality of medium-to-be-cooled lines along which a medium to be cooled from the gas turbine flows;
a gas turbine cooler provided on each of the plurality of medium-to-be-cooled lines and configured to transfer heat from the medium to be cooled to supply-water in the water supply line, and to heat the supply-water while cooling the medium to be cooled;
a thermometer configured to determine a temperature of the medium to be cooled or the supply-water; and
a temperature regulator configured to regulate the temperature of the medium to be cooled based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the temperature regulator has a flow rate regulator that is configured to regulate a flow rate of supply-water flowing along a supply-water return line based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the plant is configured such that, during operation, temperatures of the medium to be cooled flowing into the respective gas turbine coolers are different from one another,
wherein a first gas turbine cooler on a first medium-to-be-cooled line of the plurality of medium-to-be-cooled lines is disposed at a position downstream, relative to a flow of supply-water in the water supply line, from a second gas turbine cooler on a second medium-to-be-cooled line of the plurality of medium-to-be-cooled lines,
wherein the plant is configured such that, during operation, a temperature of the medium to be cooled flowing into the first gas turbine cooler is higher than a temperature of the medium to be cooled flowing into the second gas turbine cooler,
wherein the water supply line has a switching unit, a supply-water main line that connects the steam condenser to the boiler, and the supply-water return line, the supply-water return line configured to branch off from the supply-water main line and configured to return at least a portion of supply-water from the supply-water main line to the steam condenser,
wherein all of the gas turbine coolers are located upstream, relative to a flow of supply-water in the supply-water main line, from a branch position at which the supply-water return line branches from the supply-water main line,
wherein the switching unit is configured to switch the flow of supply-water between a supply-water return state in which supply-water in the supply-water main line is returned to the steam condenser via the supply-water return line and a supply-water state in which the supply-water in the supply-water main line is sent to the boiler without being returned to the steam condenser, and
wherein the branch position is arranged upstream of the boiler such that in the supply-water return state, no supply-water flows into the boiler.

### Claim 3

A plant comprising:
a boiler configured to heat water to generate steam;
a gas turbine configured to burn fuel to produce combustion gas and configured to be driven by the combustion gas, the gas turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam turbine configured to be driven by steam, the steam turbine directly or indirectly connected to the boiler;
a steam condenser configured to condense steam exhausted from the steam turbine into liquid water and to pool the liquid water;
a water supply line configured to supply the water from the steam condenser to the boiler;
a medium-to-be-cooled line along which a medium to be cooled from the gas turbine flows;
one or more gas turbine coolers configured to transfer heat from the medium to be cooled to supply-water in the water supply line, and to heat the supply-water while cooling the medium to be cooled;
a thermometer configured to determine a temperature of the medium to be cooled or the supply-water; and
a temperature regulator configured to regulate the temperature of the medium to be cooled based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the temperature regulator has a first flow rate regulator that is configured to regulate a flow rate of supply-water flowing along a supply-water return line based on the temperature determined by the thermometer,
wherein the temperature regulator has an auxiliary heat exchanger that is configured to exchange heat between the medium to be cooled or the supply-water and an external medium and a heat exchange amount regulator that is configured to regulate an amount of heat exchange in the auxiliary heat exchanger,
wherein the auxiliary heat exchanger comprises a supply-water auxiliary heat exchanger that is provided on the water supply line and is configured to exchange heat between the supply-water and the external medium;
wherein the heat exchange amount regulator has a second flow rate regulator that is configured to regulate a flow rate of at least one of the supply-water flowing into the supply-water auxiliary heat water main line and configured to return at least a portion of supply-water from the supply-water main line to the steam condenser,
wherein all of the one or more gas turbine coolers are located upstream, relative to a flow of supply-water in the supply-water main line, from a branch position at which the supply-water return line branches from the supply-water main line,
wherein the switching unit is configured to switch the flow of supply-water between a supply-water return state in which supply-water in the supply-water main line is returned to the steam condenser via the supply-water return line and a supply-water state in which the supply-water in the supply-water main line is sent to the boiler without being returned to the steam condenser, and
wherein the branch position is arranged upstream of the boiler such that in the supply-water return state, no supply-water flows into the boiler.