Closed brayton cycle shutdown control with isolated fluid reservoir for cooling electrical components

A power-generation system comprising:

• an electrical system,
• a turbine engine including a compressor configured to receive a working fluid and compress the working fluid to provide a compressed working fluid, a heat source that transfers heat to the compressed working fluid to provide a heated working fluid, a turbine fluidly connected with the compressor to extract work from the heated working fluid and drive rotation of the compressor, and a first heat-exchanger fluidly connected with the turbine to transfer heat away from the heated working fluid to provide a cooled working fluid, and
• a fluid control system fluidly connected with the electrical system and the turbine engine to recirculate the working fluid through the electrical system and the turbine engine, the fluid control system including a reservoir tank fluidly connected downstream of the first heat-exchanger and configured to store a predetermined minimum volume of the working fluid at a predetermined minimum temperature,
• wherein the predetermined minimum volume of the working fluid is sufficient to maintain a temperature of the electrical system within a desired temperature threshold after a shutdown of the turbine engine in which a speed of the compressor and the turbine is below a predetermined speed.

A method of operating a power-generation system, the method comprising:

• compressing a working fluid with a compressor,
• heating the compressed working fluid,
• rotating a turbine with the heated working fluid,
• cooling the heated working fluid after rotating the turbine with the heated working fluid,
• conducting electrical energy to at least one electrical component,
• cooling the at least one electrical component with the cooled working fluid,
• conducting the working fluid from the at least one electrical component to the compressor, and
• storing a predetermined minimum volume of the working fluid in a reservoir tank fluidly connected to the at least one electrical component and the turbine, wherein the predetermined minimum volume is sufficient to maintain a temperature of the at least one electrical component within a desired temperature threshold after a shutdown of the system in which a speed of the compressor and the turbine being below a predetermined speed.