General Electric Company

Jatila Ranasinghe

Raub Warfield Smith

Hua Zhang

Charles Michael Jones

Robert Russell Priestley

Ashok Kumar Anand

William George Carberg

Barrett David Gardiner

Anthony John Dean

Himanshu B Vakil

Dean Matthew Erickson

Leroy Omar Tomlinson

Gregory Edward Cooper

David Wesley Ball, Jr

Diego Fernando Rancruel

James H Moore

Seyfettin Can Gulen

David Andrew Stats

Cedric Chow

Seyfettin Can Gülen

Robert William Bjorge

Peter Paul Polukort

Walter Phillip Jones

Elizabeth F Brown

A combined cycle power plant utilizes an absorption heat transformer to improve plant efficiency. A heat recovery steam generator receives exhaust from a gas turbine and generates steam for input to a steam turbine. The heat recovery steam generator includes a low pressure economizer, an intermediate pressure economizer and a high pressure economizer. The absorption heat transformer is in fluid communication with the low pressure economizer. The absorption heat transformer includes a feed water circuit that draws exhaust water from the low pressure economizer for heating by the absorption heat transformer and directs heated water to at least one of the intermediate pressure economizer and the high pressure economizer.

Combined cycle power plant with absorption heat transformer

Embodiments of the present invention may provide to a gas turbine a fuel gas saturated with water heated by a fuel moisturizer, which receives heat form a flash tank. A heat source for the flash tank may originate at a heat recovery steam generator. The increased mass flow associated with the saturated fuel gas may result in increased power output from the associated power plant. The fuel gas saturation is followed by superheating the fuel, preferably with bottom cycle heat sources, resulting in a larger thermal efficiency gain.

System for fuel gas moisturization and heating

An apparatus, a system and a method by which fuel gas to drive a heat source is heated are provided. The apparatus includes a first gas passage by which at least a portion of the fuel gas is transported from an inlet to an outlet, the outlet being fluidly coupled to the heat source, a plurality of heat pipes in thermal communication, at respective first ends thereof, with the portion of the fuel gas transported by the first gas passage, and a heating element, fluidly coupled to the heat source to receive exhaust of the heat source, through which respective second ends of the heat pipes extend to be in position to be heated by the exhaust.

Apparatus, system and method for heating fuel gas using gas turbine exhaust

A combined cycle power plant includes a gas turbomachine system including a compressor and a gas turbine that extracts work from gases at a first temperature. The combined cycle power plant also includes a steam turbomachine system including at least one steam turbine that extracts work from gases at a second temperature. The combined cycle power plant further includes a heat recovery steam generator having a main housing fluidly connected to the gas turbine. The heat recovery steam generator includes a plurality of heat pipes that extend within the main housing in fluid communication with the gases at the first temperature. The plurality of heat pipes are also in fluid communication with the gases at the second temperature. The plurality of heat pipes absorb heat from the gases at the first temperature and pass the heat into the gases at the second temperature to form gases at a third temperature.

Heat recovery steam generator for a combined cycle power plant

A turbomachine includes a compressor having an intake portion and an outlet portion. The compressor compresses air received at the intake portion to form a compressed airflow that is passed from the outlet portion. The turbomachine also includes an intercooler operatively connected downstream from the compressor. The intercooler includes a plurality of heat pipes that are configured to extract heat from the compressed airflow.

Heat pipe intercooler for a turbomachine

An apparatus to facilitate a start-up operation of a combined cycle or rankine cycle power plant is provided and includes a plurality of heat pipes, each of which respectively includes a first portion in thermal communication with exhaust emitted from a heat source and a second portion in thermal communication with the first portion, a cooling unit to cool the second portions of the heat pipes, and a controller which is configured to control the cooling unit to cool the second portions of the heat pipes and to thereby remove heat from exhaust via the first portions of the heat pipes.

Apparatus and method employing heat pipe for start-up of power plant

The present invention takes the form of a method and system that may reduce the level of SOx emissions by recirculating a portion of the exhaust of at least one turbomachine; the portion of exhaust may be mixed with the inlet air prior to re-entering the turbomachine. The present invention may incorporate an inlet bleed heat system to reduce the likelihood of the liquid products forming from SOx emissions. Here, a method may maintain a temperature of the inlet fluid above a condensation temperature.

Method for controlling an exhaust gas recirculation system

A supercritical steam combined cycle system including a gas turbine; a supercritical steam turbine system including a supercritical section, a high pressure section, an intermediate pressure section and at least one low pressure section; and a supercritical steam heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) for receiving exhaust gas from the gas turbine for heating fluid from the steam turbine system. The HRSG includes a supercritical evaporator arranged to supply steam to a superheater between the supercritical evaporator and the inlet of the HRSG and a reheater receiving cold reheat steam from and returning reheated steam to the steam turbine system. The reheater includes a first section disposed downstream of and a second section disposed upstream of the supercritical evaporator along the exhaust gas flow path. Cool reheat steam from the steam turbine system is received by the first reheater section and steam leaving the first reheater section is supplied to the second reheater section upstream of the supercritical evaporator.

Supercritical steam combined cycle and method

A variable loading rate method of starting a plurality of gas turbines (GT, GT) used in a combined cycle power plant for generating electricity. A first gas turbine is started and allowed to operate at a minimum load condition. The turbine is maintained at this load level while a second gas turbine is started brought up to its minimum load condition. Start-up of a steam turbine (ST) to which the gas turbines are operationally coupled is initiated while both gas turbines are maintained at their minimum load conditions. The load on both gas turbines is then increased to a predetermined level, which is greater than their minimum load levels, once operating temperatures within the steam turbine reach predetermined levels. Subsequently, both gas turbines are loaded as function of the load on the a steam turbine at to which the gas turbines are coupled. This variable loading rate starting sequence lowers the amount of NOproduced during start-up of the turbines and reduces the occurrence of a visible yellow plume at a power generating plant.

Start-up method for power plant

A land based gas turbine plant includes a turbine compressor, a turbine section, and a combustor between the compressor and the turbine section. A heat recovery boiler incorporating at least one heat exchange section is arranged to receive exhaust gas from the turbine section, the heat recovery boiler receiving water passed in heat exchange relationship with the exhaust gas to produce steam. An external compressor supplies augmenting combustion air that is mixed with the steam produced in the heat recovery boiler to produce a mixture of steam and air that is injected into the combustor.

Method and apparatus for power augmentation for gas turbine power cycles

A combined cycle system includes gas and steam turbines, a saturator and a fuel gas superheater for supplying moisturized heated fuel gas to the gas turbine, a gas turbine exhaust heat recovery system for generating steam and heating water for the superheater and a saturator heater for a recycle water conduit. A constant ratio of water supplied to the fuel gas saturator to dry fuel gas supplied to the fuel gas saturator and Wobbe number is maintained by adjusting the flow of the recycle water stream. Additional properties of the moisturized fuel gas, such as temperature, moisture content, composition, and heating value, are also used to control the water recycle stream to supply consistent moisturized fuel gas to the gas turbine system.

Fuel moisturization control

A combined cycle power plant system, comprising a compressor; a combustor receiving air provided by the compressor; a gas turbine for expanding gas provided by the compressor; a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) for receiving exhaust gases from the gas turbine. The heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) receives exhaust gases from the gas turbine. The HRSG includes a low pressure (LP) section; a high pressure (HP) section for receiving exhaust gases from the gas turbine and located upstream of the LP section, each of the LP and HP sections include an evaporator section. An intermediate pressure (IP) section is located between the HP and the LP sections, the IP section includes an economizer, first and second evaporators, and a water heater ( ) disposed between the first and second evaporators. A fuel gas heater is provided for receiving heated water from the water heater.

Method and apparatus for fuel gas heating in combined cycle power plants

A method and apparatus for power augmentation in gas turbine cycles is provided that efficiently provides at least air and preferably both steam and air injection. In an embodiment of the invention, an air injection compressor is driven with steam used for gas turbine injection prior to its injection into the gas turbine. In addition to power output, the thermodynamic efficiency is improved in simple cycle turbine power plants with the disclosed method and apparatus.

Method and system for gas turbine power augmentation

A steam injection and inlet fogging system is provided for a gas turbine power plant that includes a gas turbine having a compressor, a combustor and a turbine for driving a generator. A waste heat recovery unit is arranged to receive exhaust gas from the turbine, the former having a plurality of heat exchange sections for heating water with the exhaust gas. A flash tank is arranged to receive heated water from the waste heat recovery unit for producing steam. A first stream of makeup water from a first of the plurality of heat exchange sections is flashed to the flash tank to also produce saturated steam and water at a first location in the flash tank. A second stream of water from a second of the plurality of heat exchange sections is also flashed to the flash tank to produce saturated steam and water at a second location in the flash tank. A portion of the saturated steam produced in the flash tank is supplied to the gas turbine combustor, and a remaining portion of the saturated steam is supplied to the compressor via an inlet fogger. The system also controls contaminants in the water produced in the flash tank.

Steam injection and inlet fogging in a gas turbine power cycle and related method

A cooled cooling air (CCA) system is provided for application with gas turbine cycles. In an embodiment of the invention, the CCA system includes a shell and tube heat exchanger in which water flow is provided inside the tube(s) and air flow is provided on the shell side. Water exiting the heat exchanger is partially evaporated. Accordingly, the resulting two phase water/steam flow is admitted to a separator where the steam and water are separated. The saturated steam is flowed to the HRSG whereas the separator water is recycled to the heat exchanger.

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Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

Jatila Ranasinghe