Method and apparatus for supplying a combustion chamber with nitrogen

A method for supplying nitrogen to a combustion chamber, the method comprising the steps of:

• withdrawing gaseous nitrogen from an air separation unit at a first pressure;
• compressing the gaseous nitrogen in a nitrogen compressor having more than one stage and sending the gaseous nitrogen to a combustion chamber at a second pressure, wherein the second pressure is the output pressure of the last stage of the nitrogen compressor;
• humidifying, between two stages of the nitrogen compressor, the gaseous nitrogen by direct contact in passing through a contactor supplied at its top with water to produce humidified nitrogen;
• and
• compressing the humidified nitrogen in at least one stage of the nitrogen compressor to form the gaseous nitrogen that is sent to the combustion chamber at the second pressure.

An apparatus for supplying nitrogen to a combustion chamber, the apparatus comprising:

• a compressor having at least two stages;
• at least one direct-contact contactor configured to receive nitrogen compressed in a stage of the compressor and to send compressed and humidified nitrogen to the next stage of the compressor;
• means for sending water to the at least one direct-contact contactor;
• and
• means for sending compressed and humidified nitrogen from the last stage of the compressor to the combustion chamber.