General Electric Company

Michael Wesley Yarnold

Alston Ilford Scipio

Sanji Ekanayake

Joseph Philip Klosinski

Kihyung Kim

Thomas John Freeman

Michael Anthony Cocca

Douglas Corbin Warwick

Leslie Yung Min Tong

Ryan Eric Obenhoff

A gas turbine system includes a compressor protection subsystem; a hibernation mode subsystem; and a control subsystem that controls the compressor subsystem and the hibernation subsystem. At partial loads on the turbine system, the compressor protection subsystem maintains an air flow through a compressor at an airflow coefficient for the partial load above a minimum flow rate coefficient where aeromechanical stresses occur in the compressor. The air fuel ratio in a combustor is maintained where exhaust gas emission components from the turbine are maintained below a predetermined component emission level while operating at partial loads.

Method and apparatus for optimizing the operation of a turbine system under flexible loads

A power generation system may include a generator, and a gas turbine system for powering the generator, the gas turbine system including a turbine component, an integral compressor and a combustor to which air from the integral compressor and fuel are supplied, the combustor arranged to supply hot combustion gases to the turbine component, and the integral compressor having a flow capacity greater than an intake capacity of at least one of the combustor and the turbine component, creating an excess air flow. A turbo-expander may also power the generator. A first control valve control flow of the excess air flow along an excess air flow path to an inlet of the turbo-expander. An educator may be positioned in the excess air flow path for using the excess air flow as a motive force to augment the excess air flow with additional air. A discharge of the turbo-expander is supplied to an inlet of the integral compressor.

Power generation system having compressor creating excess air flow and turbo-expander using same

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Decatur, GA, United States of America

Michael Wesley Yarnold