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US 7,581,401 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus for cooling gas turbine engine components
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJames Anthony West, Gilbert Otto Kraemer, David Martin Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for cooling a turbine assembly component of a gas turbine engine in a combined-cycle power generation system. The method includes channeling cooling fluid that is extracted from a source external to the gas turbine engine to the turbine assembly component, and cooling the turbine assembly component using the cooling fluid.
Claims9
A method for cooling a turbine assembly component of a gas turbine engine in a combined-cycle power generation system, said method comprising:
- separating nitrogen process gas and oxygen from air using an air separation unit;
- channeling cooling fluid that is extracted from a compressor and nitrogen process gas that is extracted from the air separation unit to a valve coupled to the compressor and to the air separation unit, wherein the valve controls at least one of the flow of cooling fluid and nitrogen process gas to the turbine assembly component;
- and
- cooling the turbine assembly component using at least one of the cooling fluid and the nitrogen process gas.
1 more element
A combined-cycle power generation system comprising:
- a gas turbine engine comprising a compressor and a turbine assembly;
- an air separation unit configured to separate oxygen and nitrogen process gas from air to thereby generate a flow of nitrogen process gas and a flow of oxygen, said air separation unit comprising a nitrogen outlet that exhausts nitrogen process gas from said air separation unit;
- a conduit coupled in flow communication to said nitrogen outlet, said conduit configured to channel nitrogen process gas discharged from said nitrogen outlet;
- and
- a valve coupled in flow communication to a downstream end of said conduit and said compressor, said valve configured to control a flow of nitrogen process gas and air discharged from at least one of said conduit and said compressor to said turbine assembly to facilitate cooling a component within said turbine assembly.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.