Synthesis gas expander located immediately upstream of combustion turbine
AssigneeTexaco Inc.
InventorFrederick C. Jahnke
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention improves the reliability and efficiency of the burning of a synthesis gas as a fuel for a combustion turbine to produce power by incorporating a synthesis gas expander immediately upstream of the combustion turbine. Increased efficiency occurs from the additional power output from the expander and by a reduction or elimination of nitrogen compression from an air separation unit for the control of oxides of nitrogen.
Claims8
In a system for increasing the efficiency of a power generating unit wherein a synthesis gas at elevated temperature and pressure is produced at a source by the partial oxidation reaction of a hydrocarbonaceous fuel in a gasifier and wherein the synthesis gas is used as a fuel in the power generating unit to produce power, the improvement which comprises locating a high temperature gas expander immediately upstream of the power generating unit;
- a combustor immediately upstream of the high temperature gas expander;
- the gas expander being also connected through a bypass around the combustor to the source of the synthesis gas.
In a process for increasing the efficiency of a power generating system wherein a synthesis gas at elevated temperature and pressure is produced by the partial oxidation reaction of a hydrocarbonaceous fuel in a gasifier, and wherein said synthesis gas is used as a fuel to generate power in a combustion turbine, and wherein said synthesis gas is cleaned and cooled before fueling said combustion turbine, the improvement which comprises:
- (a) combusting a portion of the synthesis gas to form a combustion gas;
- (b) combining the combustion gas with the uncombusted portion of the synthesis gas to form a combined gas mixture;
- (c) expanding the volume of the combined gas mixture by reducing its pressure in an expansion unit to form an expanded gas mixture;
- and
- (d) extracting power from the expanded gas mixture in a generator coupled to the expansion unit immediately before using the expanded gas mixture as a fuel for the combustion turbine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.