System, Method and Apparatus for Improving Gas Turbine Performance with Compressed Air Energy Storage

A method of delivering cooling air to a gas turbine comprising:

• storing a quantity of compressed air in a storage at a pressure of greater than about 5 bar, wherein the compressed air storage has a temperature of less than about 20 degrees C.;
• coupling a portion of the quantity of compressed air from the compressed air storage to a gas turbine system, the gas turbine system including a compressor, a combustion chamber and a gas turbine;
• and
• cooling a portion of an air charge in the gas turbine system with the portion of the quantity of compressed air.

A method of delivering a cooling air charge to a gas turbine system comprising:

• delivering a stored compressed air charge from a storage volume to a first heat exchanger;
• transferring heat from an inlet charge to the compressed air charge in the first heat exchanger to produce a cooled inlet air charge and a warmed delivered compressed air charge from the first heat exchanger;
• compressing the cooled inlet air charge in a compressor to produce a compressed air charge;
• input the compressed air charge and the warmed delivered compressed air charge in a mixer to produce a mixer output charge;
• inject mixer output charge and a corresponding fuel charge into a combustion chamber to heat the mixer output charge and produce a corresponding exhaust charge;
• expand the exhaust charge in a turbine, wherein expanding the exhaust charge in a turbine drives the compressor and a generator and produces an expanded exhaust charge, the expanded exhaust charge input to a second heat exchanger;
• heating the warmed compressed air charge in the second heat exchanger to output a heated compressed air charge;
• and
• regulating a flow rate of the heated compressed air charge in a flow regulating device, the flow regulating device having an output coupled to the mixer.

A gas turbine system comprising:

• a compressor having a plurality of compressor stages and a shaft coupled to a turbine;
• a first combustion chamber coupled to an outlet of the compressor and a fuel source, the first combustion chamber operable to heat a compressed air output from the compressor, the first combustion chamber having a combustion chamber outlet coupled to a turbine inlet, the turbine including a turbine outlet for outputting a turbine exhaust charge;
• a first heat exchanger having a heat exchanger outlet coupled to a compressor inlet, the heat exchanger including an ambient air inlet, the heat exchanger operable to cool the ambient air and output a cooled inlet charge to the compressor inlet;
• a compressed air energy storage system including a storage volume, a compressed charge inlet line, wherein the storage volume has a temperature below ambient temperature and contains a quantity of compressed air, the storage volume operable to cool the quantity of compressed air to the temperature below ambient temperature, the compressed charge inlet line coupled to a second heat exchanger inlet, the second heat exchanger having a second input coupled to the turbine outlet, the second heat exchanger operable transfer heat from the turbine exhaust charge to a compressed air charge from the storage volume;
• a second combustion chamber having a second combustion chamber inlet, a second combustion chamber outlet and a fuel inlet, the second combustion chamber inlet coupled to the second heat exchanger, the second combustion chamber outlet coupled to an expansion turbine, the second combustion chamber operable to further heat the compressed air charge to produce a heated compressed air charge, the expansion turbine operable to expand and cool the heated compressed air charge and produce an expanded compressed air charge;
• and
• an above ambient pressure output of the expansion turbine coupled to the first heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger transferring heat from the ambient air to the expanded compressed air charge and having a first heat exchanger output coupled to a plurality of stages of the compressor.