Load rejection rapid acting fuel-air controller for gas turbine

Abstract

A rapid acting control system for a gas turbine in an electrical system that is adapted to control fuel and air supply to the turbine to prevent flameout condition in the turbine and includes: a turbine control unit having an air supply controller that controls the position of a plurality of turbine inlet guide vanes (IGVs) in correspondence with at least one turbine condition signal; a load rejection module coupled to the air supplier controller and to a turbine electrical load sensor so as to generate a transient IGV correction signal in correspondence with a sensed turbine electrical load drop condition. A method of operating a gas turbine to maintain the turbine on-line during a loss of load condition includes the steps of sensing a loss of load condition for the turbine; supplying an inlet guide vane correction signal into an air supply controller coupled to control the position of a plurality of turbine IGVs, the IGV correction signal being independent of other turbine operating condition signals applied to the air supply controller; and adjusting the position of the plurality of IGVs in response to the IGV correction signal to adjust the turbine fuel air mixture in the gas turbine to prevent flameout during a loss of electrical load condition. The method typically further includes the step of removing the IGV correction signal after a correction time delay.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.