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AssigneeBechtel Power Corporation
InventorsMark S. Boulden, Seyfettin C. Gülen
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A steam turbine driven electric power plant with an electric generator is switchable into an islanding mode wherein a main steam turbine is shut down and a lower capacity industrial steam turbine runs the electric generator instead, to supply house power to the plant while decoupled from the power grid. This avoids operating the main steam turbine and/or its steam source at reduced ratings for which they are not optimized and keeps the plant ready for restarting. The main steam turbine, the electric machine and the industrial steam turbine are mechanically engaged or disengaged through an SSS clutch, torque converter and transmission. In another mode, the electric generator is decoupled mechanically and operated as a mechanically unloaded synchronous motor coupled to the power grid, namely as a synchronous condenser wherein phased over- or under-excitation of the motor field windings supplies reactive power to the grid.
A steam turbine driven electric power plant comprising:
A method of operating a power plant having a main steam turbine coupleable by a conduit to a source of steam and coupleable mechanically by a drive shaft to a rotating electrical machine operable as an electric generator electrically coupleable to a power grid, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.