Microturbine for combustion of VOCs
AssigneeIngersoll-Rand Energy Systems Corporation
InventorJames B. Kesseli
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microturbine engine operable to combust a flow of VOCs without a combustor. The microturbine engine comprising a compressor having an inlet, the inlet receiving a mixture of air and VOCs, the compressor operable to produce a flow of compressed air and VOCs. The invention also includes a reaction chamber including a reactor bed. The flow of compressed air and VOCs is combusted within the reactor bed to produce a flow of products of combustion. The invention includes a turbine driven by the flow of products of combustion from the combustor and a generator coupled to the turbine. The generator is driven by the turbine at a speed to produce electrical power.
Claims26
A microturbine engine operable to combust a flow of VOCs without a combustor, the microturbine engine comprising:
- a compressor having an inlet, the inlet receiving a mixture of air and VOCs, the compressor produces a flow consisting of compressed air and VOCs;
- a reaction chamber including a reactor bed, the flow consisting of compressed air and VOCs being combusted within the reactor bed to produce a flow of products of combustion;
- a turbine driven by the flow of products of combustion from the combustor;
- a generator coupled to the turbine, the generator driven by the turbine at a speed to produce electrical power.
A microturbine engine comprising:
- a compressor having an inlet in fluid communication with a mixture consisting of air and VOCs, the compresses operable to compress the mixture to produce a flow of compressed air and VOCs;
- a recuperator in fluid communication with the compressor to receive the flow of compressed air and VOCs, the flow of compressed air and VOCs exiting the recuperator as a flow of preheated compressed air and VOCs;
- a reaction chamber including a reactor bed, the flow consisting of preheated compressed air and VOCs being combusted within the reactor bed to produce a flow of products of combustion, the flow of products of combustion being heated to a desired temperature substantially by the recuperator and the reaction chamber;
- a turbine driven by the flow of products of combustion from the combustor;
- and
- a synchronous generator driven by the turbine to output electrical power.
A method of combusting VOCs without a combustor and generating electricity using a turbine operable to drive a synchronous generator, the method comprising:
- operating a compressor to compress a flow consisting of air and VOCs;
- delivering the compressed flow consisting of air and VOCs to a reaction chamber having a reactor bed;
- passing the flow consisting of air and VOCs through the reactor bed, the reactor bed acting to combust the VOCs and produce a flow of products of combustion exiting the reactor bed at a desired temperature;
- passing the flow of products of combustion through the turbine, the turbine rotating in response to the flow of products of combustion;
- and
- rotating the generator in response to the rotation of the turbine, the generator producing a flow of electricity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.