Echogen Power Systems, LLC

General Electric Company

Vermeersch, Michael Louis

Michael Louis Vermeersch

Timothy James Held

Tao Xie

Duane Douglas Thomsen

Allen Michael Danis

James Neil Cooper

Alfred Albert Mancini

Jason D Miller

Hukam Chand Mongia

Mark Anthony Mueller

Marie Ann McMasters

Steven Joseph Lohmueller

Shui-chi Li

Stephen R Hostler

Brett Bowan

Arthur Wesley Johnson

Jun Xu

Keith Robert McManus

Gregory Allen Cimmarusti

John Lawrence Vandike

Zhongtao Dai

Venkatraman Ananthakrishnanlyer

Zhong-Tao Dai

Swapnil Khairnar

Brett A Bowan

Steven J Lohmueller

Aspects of the invention generally provide a heat engine system and a method for activating a turbopump within the heat engine system during a start-up process. The heat engine system utilizes a working fluid circulated within a working fluid circuit for capturing thermal energy. In one exemplary aspect, a start-up process for a turbopump in the heat engine system is provided such that the turbopump achieves self-sustained operation in a supercritical Rankine cycle. Bypass and check valves of a start pump and the turbopump, a drive turbine throttle valve, and other valves, lines, or pumps within the working fluid circuit are controlled during the turbopump start-up process. A process control system may utilize advanced control techniques of the control sequence to provide a successful start-up process of the turbopump without over pressurizing the working fluid circuit or damaging the turbopump via low bearing pressure.

Valve network and method for controlling pressure within a supercritical working fluid circuit in a heat engine system with a turbopump

Aspects of the invention provided herein include heat engine systems, methods for generating electricity, and methods for starting a turbo pump. In some configurations, the heat engine system contains a start pump and a turbo pump disposed in series along a working fluid circuit and configured to circulate a working fluid within the working fluid circuit. The start pump may have a pump portion coupled to a motor-driven portion and the turbo pump may have a pump portion coupled to a drive turbine. In one configuration, the pump portion of the start pump is fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit downstream of and in series with the pump portion of the turbo pump. In another configuration, the pump portion of the start pump is fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit upstream of and in series with the pump portion of the turbo pump.

Supercritical working fluid circuit with a turbo pump and a start pump in series configuration

Provided herein are heat engine systems and methods for starting such systems and generating electricity while avoiding damage to one or more system components. A provided heat engine system maintains a working fluid (e.g., sc-CO) within the low pressure side of a working fluid circuit in a liquid-type state, such as a supercritical state, during a startup procedure. Additionally, a bypass system is provided for routing the working fluid around one or more heat exchangers during startup to avoid overheating of system components.

Methods for reducing wear on components of a heat engine system at startup

Aspects of the disclosure generally provide a heat engine system and a method for regulating a pressure and an amount of a working fluid in a working fluid circuit during a thermodynamic cycle. A mass management system may be employed to regulate the working fluid circulating throughout the working fluid circuit. The mass management systems may have a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit at one or more strategically-located tie-in points. A heat exchanger coil may be used in conjunction with the mass control tank to regulate the temperature of the fluid within the mass control tank, and thereby determine whether working fluid is either extracted from or injected into the working fluid circuit. Regulating the pressure and amount of working fluid in the working fluid circuit selectively increases or decreases the suction pressure of the pump to increase system efficiency.

Heat engine and heat to electricity systems and methods with working fluid mass management control

Aspects of the disclosure generally provide a heat engine system with a working fluid circuit and a method for starting a turbopump disposed in the working fluid circuit. The turbopump has a main pump and may be started and ramped-up using a starter pump arranged in parallel with the main pump of the turbopump. Once the turbopump reaches a self-sustaining speed of operation, a series of valves may be manipulated to deactivate the starter pump and direct additional working fluid to a power turbine for generating electrical power.

Driven starter pump and start sequence

Aspects of the invention disclosed herein generally provide heat engine systems and methods for recovering energy, such as by generating electricity from thermal energy. In one configuration, a heat engine system contains a working fluid (e.g., sc-CO) within a working fluid circuit, two heat exchangers configured to be thermally coupled to a heat source (e.g., waste heat), two expanders, two recuperators, two pumps, a condenser, and a plurality of valves configured to switch the system between single/dual-cycle modes. In another aspect, a method for recovering energy may include monitoring a temperature of the heat source, operating the heat engine system in the dual-cycle mode when the temperature is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and subsequently, operating the heat engine system in the single-cycle mode when the temperature is less than the threshold value.

Supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle for waste heat recovery

Waste heat energy conversion cycles, systems and devices use multiple waste heat exchangers arranged in series in a waste heat stream, and multiple thermodynamic cycles run in parallel with the waste heat exchangers in order to maximize thermal energy extraction from the waste heat stream by a working fluid. The parallel cycles operate in different temperature ranges with a lower temperature work output used to drive a working fluid pump. A working fluid mass management system is integrated into or connected to the cycles.

Parallel cycle heat engines

A refrigeration cycle is operated in conjunction with various thermodynamic cycle working fluid circuits to cool a target fluid that may be used in a separate system or duty. In one embodiment, the refrigeration cycle includes an ejector that extracts a motive fluid from the working fluid cycles in order to entrain a suction fluid that is also extracted from the working fluid circuits. Expanding the suction fluid reduces the pressure and temperature of the suction fluid for cooling the target fluid in an evaporator, which evaporates the suction fluid before being entrained into the ejector by the motive fluid. A mixed fluid is discharged from the ejector and injected into the working fluid circuits upstream from a condenser that cools the mixed fluid and the working fluid circulating throughout the working fluid circuits.

Carbon dioxide refrigeration cycle

Various thermodynamic power-generating cycles are disclosed. A turbopump arranged in the cycles is started and ramped-up using a starter pump arranged in parallel with the main pump of the turbopump. Once the turbopump is able to self-sustain, a series of valves may be manipulated to deactivate the starter pump and direct additional working fluid to a power turbine for generating electrical power.

Various thermodynamic power-generating cycles employ a mass management system to regulate the pressure and amount of working fluid circulating throughout the working fluid circuits. The mass management systems may have a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit at one or more strategically-located tie-in points. A heat exchanger coil may be used in conjunction with the mass control tank to regulate the temperature of the fluid within the mass control tank, and thereby determine whether working fluid is either extracted from or injected into the working fluid circuit. Regulating the pressure and amount of working fluid in the working fluid circuit helps selectively increase or decrease the suction pressure of the pump, which can increase system efficiency.

A method for assembling a gas turbine engine combustor is provided. The method includes providing a heat shield defined by a perimeter. The perimeter includes a radially inner edge, a radially outer edge, an axially inner edge, an axially outer edge, and an opening that extends from an upstream side of the heat shield to a downstream side of the heat shield. The method further includes coupling the heat shield to a domeplate such that the perimeter of the heat shield is positioned a distance downstream from an edge of the heat shield defining the opening. The method additionally includes coupling at least one fuel injector to the domeplate such that a portion of the fuel injector extends through the heat shield opening.

Method and apparatus for assembling a gas turbine engine

A combustor swirl cup includes coaxial inner and outer swirlers separated by a tubular centerbody. The centerbody includes a bypass inlet surrounding the inner swirler and diverges aft along a perforate inner nozzle to terminate at an annular flameholder. An impingement ring is spaced forward from the flameholder in flow communication with the bypass inlet for receiving cooling air therefrom to impingement cool the flameholder.

Cooled flameholder swirl cup

A method for operating a gas turbine engine including a compressor and a combustor is provided. The method comprises channeling between about 0% to about 8% of the total airflow discharged from a compressor towards a pilot swirler coupled within the burner, wherein the burner includes a main swirler and an annular centerbody extending between the pilot and main swirlers, injecting a portion of the total fuel flow supplied to the burner through a plurality of apertures defined in a hollow pilot centerbody coupled within the pilot swirler, channeling the remaining airflow discharged from the compressor towards the main swirler, and injecting the remaining fuel flow supplied to the burner through at least one main swirler vane coupled within the main swirler, such that the portion of fuel is pre-mixed with a portion of the total airflow.

Apparatus to facilitate decreasing combustor acoustics

A gas turbine engine augmentor includes an externally fueled annular trapped vortex cavity having a cavity opening open to an exhaust flowpath and a sole source of fuel located upstream of the trapped vortex cavity and being operable for injecting fuel into the exhaust flowpath such that at least a portion of the fuel flows into the cavity through a cavity opening. An exemplary sole source of fuel includes fuel holes in fuel tubes within spray bars operable for injecting the fuel through heat shield openings in heat shields surrounding the tubes wherein the fuel holes are located in a radially outermost portion of the exhaust flowpath. The sole source of fuel may include circumferentially spaced apart radial spray bars and/or integral spray bars integral with radial flameholders and extending radially inwardly into the exhaust flowpath wherein the radial flameholders and radial spray bars are interdigitated.

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Hamilton, OH, United States of America

Michael Louis Vermeersch