Gas turbine inlet conditioning system and method
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRaub Warfield Smith, Seyfettin Can Gülen, Barrett David Gardiner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system capable of both increasing warm day output and maintaining compressor operating margin across the ambient and load range of a gas turbine combined cycle installation. The proposed solution takes advantage of the fact that both goals can be satisfied by manipulation of compressor inlet air temperature. Specifically, the system is designed to heat inlet air as may be required to maintain safe compressor operating margin at low ambient air temperatures or when burning dilute fuels. In the alternative, the system is designed to cool inlet air on warm days.
Claims20
In a combined cycle power generating system having a plurality of turbines including a gas turbine having a compressor and a steam turbine, said turbines being drivingly coupled to one or more generators for producing electricity, and a condenser for condensing steam expanded in the steam turbine, a method of selectively heating ambient air entering the gas turbine compressor, comprising:
- extracting a selected fluid having a temperature greater than a temperature of said ambient air from at least one of said steam turbine and said condenser,
- directing said ambient air through a heat exchanger for selectively receiving heat directly or indirectly from said selected fluid having a temperature greater than a temperature of said ambient air entering the heat exchanger, whereby a temperature of said ambient air is selectively elevated in said heat exchanger, and
- feeding the ambient air from said heat exchanger to the gas turbine compressor.
A combined cycled power generating system comprising:
- a gas turbine having a compressor;
- a steam turbine;
- a condenser for condensing spent steam expanded in said steam turbine;
- a heat exchanger for controlling a temperature of ambient air as inlet air to said compressor;
- structure defining a flow path for a working fluid through said heat exchanger and operatively coupled to one of said steam turbine and said condenser for selectively heating said working fluid to a temperature greater than a temperature of ambient air entering the heat exchanger for elevating a temperature of said inlet air via said heat exchanger;
- and
- structure defining a flow path for ambient air from said heat exchanger directly to said compressor.
A combined cycled power generating system comprising:
- a gas turbine having a compressor;
- a steam turbine;
- a condenser for condensing spent steam expanded in said steam turbine;
- a heat exchanger for controlling a temperature of inlet air to said compressor;
- and
- structure defining a flow path for a working fluid through said heat exchanger and operatively coupled to one of said steam turbine and said condenser for selectively heating said working fluid for elevating a temperature of said inlet air via said heat exchanger,
- wherein one of 1) an absorption liquid chiller and 2) a chiller with mechanically driven refrigerant compressors is disposed along said working fluid flow path for selectively cooling said working fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.