Retrofit equipment for reducing the consumption of fossil fuel by a power plant using solar insolation

Abstract

Retrofit equipment includes an auxiliary gas turbine unit including an auxiliary compressor for compressing ambient air to produce compressed air, a solar collector that receives the compressed air for heating the same to produce heated compressed air, and an auxiliary turbine coupled to the auxiliary compressor and to an auxiliary generator for expanding the heated compressed air and driving the auxiliary compressor and auxiliary generator thereby producing power and hot exhaust gases. When solar insolation is available, a flow control selectively supplies the hot exhaust gases from the retrofit equipment to a boiler which is part of a conventional fossil fueled power plant. The boiler has heat exchanger coils containing water and receives hot exhaust gases for vaporizing water in the coils and producing steam which is supplied to a steam turbine coupled to a generator for expanding steam produced by the boiler, and driving the generator and producing power and expanded steam. A condenser condenses the expanded steam to condensate, and a pump returns the condensate to the boiler. When solar insolation is not available. e.g., during the night, the flow control supplies the boiler with hot gases from a primary gas turbine unit which includes a primary compressor that compresses ambient air to produce compressed air, and a combustor that receives the compressed air for burning fossil fuel and heating the compressed air to produce heated compressed air that is supplied to the primary turbine.