Systems and methods for controlling a power plant
Assignee8 Rivers Capital, LLC
InventorJeremy Eron Fetvedt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to systems and methods that are useful in control of one or more aspects of a power production plant. More particularly, the disclosure relates to power production plants, methods of starting power production plants, and methods of generating power with a power production plant wherein one or more control paths are utilized for automated control of at least one action. The present disclosure more particularly relates to power production plants, control systems for power production plants, and methods for startup of a power production plant.
Claims25
A control system for a power production plant, the control system comprising:
- a flow control logic sequence adapted for selecting the lower of a FUEL FLOW DEMAND signal for flow of a fuel to a combustor and a TURBINE INLET TEMPERATURE signal for a temperature of an inlet of a turbine, and regulating one or both of a mass and a pressure of the fuel flowing from a fuel supply system to the combustor.
A power production plant comprising:
- a combustor;
- a turbine;
- a generator;
- a fuel supply system;
- an oxidant supply system;
- a control system having a plurality of control paths for automated control of at least one act in operation of the power production plant, said control system including:
- a control path adapted to generate a control signal that is a function of a comparison of a FUEL FLOW DEMAND signal for flow of a fuel to the combustor and a TURBINE INLET TEMPERATURE signal for a temperature of an inlet of the turbine, said control path including a logic sequence adapted for selecting the lower of the FUEL FLOW DEMAND signal and the TURBINE INLET TEMPERATURE signal, and said generated control signal being effective to regulate one or both of the mass and pressure of fuel flowing from the fuel supply system to the combustor.
A method for startup of a power production plant, the method comprising executing a series of control signals wherein:
- a flow valve in a secondary fuel flow line is at least partially opened so that fuel from a fuel source begins to flow to a combustor while substantially no fuel flows from the fuel source to the combustor in a primary fuel flow line;
- a flow valve in a secondary oxidant flow line is at least partially opened so that oxidant from an oxidant source begins to flow to the combustor while substantially no oxidant flows from the oxidant source to the combustor in a primary oxidant flow line;
- a turbine is ramped up from a first speed to a second, higher speed;
- after the turbine is ramped to at least the second speed, an equivalence ratio of fuel flow in the primary fuel flow line to fuel flow in the secondary fuel flow line is adjusted so that a valve in the primary fuel flow line is opened, and fuel from the fuel source flows to the combustor in the primary fuel flow line;
- and
- after the turbine is ramped to at least the second speed, an equivalence ratio of oxidant flow in the primary oxidant flow line to oxidant flow in the secondary oxidant flow line is adjusted so that a valve in the primary oxidant flow line is opened, and oxidant from the oxidant source flows to the combustor in the primary oxidant flow line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.