Integrated apparatus for generating power and/or oxygen enriched fluid and process for the operation thereof
AssigneeL'Air Liquide Societe Anonyme Pour l'Etude et l'Expoitation des Procedes Georges Claude
InventorJean Renaud Brugerolle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an integrated power generation system, part of the air from a gas turbine compressor is separated in a single nitrogen wash column to remove oxygen and the gaseous nitrogen produced at the top of the column is sent back to a point upstream of the expander of the gas turbine. The wash column may be fed with liquid nitrogen from an independent air separation unit in which air is separated. Liquid from the bottom of the wash column may be fed back to the air separation unit.
Claims26
An integrated apparatus for generating oxygen enriched fluid and/or power comprising a first air separation unit, a gas turbine comprising a combustor and an expander, a first compressor, means for sending air from the first compressor to the combustor and to the first air separation unit, means for sending combustor gases from the combustor to the expander, means for sending nitrogen from the first air separation unit to a point upstream of the expander and means for either compressing the nitrogen sent to a point upstream of expander, further compressing the air sent to the first air separation unit from the first compressor or expanding the air sent to the combustor from the first compressor characterized in that the first air separation unit comprises at least one column and the apparatus comprises means for sending liquid nitrogen from an external source to the top of the column, the external source not being a condenser fed by gaseous nitrogen from the single column and means for removing gaseous nitrogen from the top of the single column and for removing oxygen-enriched fluid from the bottom of the column.
A process for generating power and/or oxygen enriched fluid using an integrated system comprising compressing air in a first compressor, sending air from the first compressor to a combustor and to a first air separation unit, sending nitrogen from the first air separation unit to a point upstream of an expander, sending fuel to the combustor, sending combustion gas from the combustor to the expander and either compressing the nitrogen sent to a point upstream of expander, further compressing the air sent to the first air separation unit from the first compressor or expanding the air sent to the combustor from the first compressor
- characterized in that the first air separation unit comprises at least one column and the process comprises feeding a column of the first separation unit with air, sending liquid nitrogen from an external source to the top of the column, the external source not being a condenser fed by gaseous nitrogen from the column and removing gaseous nitrogen from the top of the column and an oxygen enriched fluid from the bottom of the column.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.