Patents by Inventor Aaron Lavene Vorel

Aaron Lavene Vorel has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10727768
    Abstract: A system includes a control system configured to control one or more parameters of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system to control a portion of electrical power for export from a generator driven by the turbine to an electrical grid. The control system includes a closed-loop controller configured to control parameters of the EGR gas turbine system and an open-loop controller configured to temporarily control the parameters of the EGR gas turbine system to increase the portion of the electrical power exported to the electrical grid to provide a Primary Frequency Response (PFR) in response to a transient event associated with the electrical power. The open-loop controller is configured to provide control signals to increase a concentration of an oxidant in a combustor to provide the PFR in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in an emissions compliant mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Huntington, Karl Dean Minto, Bin Xu, Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Publication number: 20190013756
    Abstract: A system includes a control system configured to control one or more parameters of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system to control a portion of electrical power for export from a generator driven by the turbine to an electrical grid. The control system includes a closed-loop controller configured to control parameters of the EGR gas turbine system and an open-loop controller configured to temporarily control the parameters of the EGR gas turbine system to increase the portion of the electrical power exported to the electrical grid to provide a Primary Frequency Response (PFR) in response to a transient event associated with the electrical power. The open-loop controller is configured to provide control signals to increase a concentration of an oxidant in a combustor to provide the PFR in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in an emissions compliant mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Inventors: Richard A. Huntington, Karl Dean Minto, Bin Xu, Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Patent number: 10079564
    Abstract: A non-transitory, computer readable medium stores instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device. The instructions include instructions to determine that a transient event is occurring in an electrical grid coupled to an EGR gas turbine system, wherein the transient event is an under-frequency or an under-voltage event. The instructions also include instructions to increase a flow rate of fuel to a combustor of the EGR gas turbine system in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in a non-stoichiometric combustion mode. The instructions further include instructions to increase a flow rate of oxidant to the combustor before increasing the flow rate of fuel to the combustor, or to decrease a local consumption of the electrical power to increase a portion of the electrical power that is exported to the attached electrical grid, or both, in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in a stoichiometric combustion mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignees: General Electric Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Richard A. Huntington, Karl Dean Minto, Bin Xu, Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Patent number: 10012151
    Abstract: A method of controlling an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system includes adjusting an angle of a plurality of inlet guide vanes of an exhaust gas compressor of the EGR gas turbine system, wherein the plurality of inlet guide vanes have a first range of motion defined by a minimum angle and a maximum angle, and wherein the angle is adjusted based on one or more monitored or modeled parameters of the EGR gas turbine system. The method further includes adjusting a pitch of a plurality of blower vanes of a recycle blower disposed upstream of the exhaust gas compressor, wherein the plurality of blower vanes have a second range of motion defined by a minimum pitch and a maximum pitch, and the pitch of the plurality of blower vanes is adjusted based at least on the angle of the plurality of inlet guide vanes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignees: General Electric Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Carl Thatcher, James A. West, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Patent number: 9869247
    Abstract: A system includes an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system which includes a combustor configured to receive and combust a fuel with an oxidant and a turbine driven by combustion products from the combustor and a turbine driven by combustion products from the combustor. The EGR gas turbine system further includes an exhaust gas recirculation section fluidly coupled to the turbine and to the combustor, wherein the exhaust gas recirculation section is configured to intake an exhaust gas from the turbine and to recirculate at least a portion of the exhaust gas to the combustor as a diluent. The EGR gas turbine system additionally includes a control system, comprising one or more processors configured to receive a first signal representative of an exhaust flow composition of the exhaust gas and to receive a second signal representative of a diluent flow composition of the diluent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignees: General Electric Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Aaron Lavene Vorel, Jonathan Carl Thatcher
  • Patent number: 9819292
    Abstract: A method includes combusting a fuel and an oxidant in a combustor of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system that produces electrical power and provides a portion of the electrical power to an electrical grid. The method further includes controlling, via one or more processors, one or more parameters of the EGR gas turbine system to decrease the portion of the electrical power provided to the electrical grid in response to an over-frequency event associated with the electrical grid, wherein controlling the one or more parameters comprises decreasing a flow rate of fuel to the combustor in response to the over-frequency event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignees: General Electric Company, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company
    Inventors: Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Ilya Aleksandrovich Slobodyanskiy, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Publication number: 20160190963
    Abstract: A method includes combusting a fuel and an oxidant in a combustor of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system that produces electrical power and provides a portion of the electrical power to an electrical grid. The method further includes controlling, via one or more processors, one or more parameters of the EGR gas turbine system to decrease the portion of the electrical power provided to the electrical grid in response to an over-frequency event associated with the electrical grid, wherein controlling the one or more parameters comprises decreasing a flow rate of fuel to the combustor in response to the over-frequency event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Ilya Aleksandrovich Slobodyanskiy, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Publication number: 20160186658
    Abstract: A system includes an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system which includes a combustor configured to receive and combust a fuel with an oxidant and a turbine driven by combustion products from the combustor and a turbine driven by combustion products from the combustor. The EGR gas turbine system further includes an exhaust gas recirculation section fluidly coupled to the turbine and to the combustor, wherein the exhaust gas recirculation section is configured to intake an exhaust gas from the turbine and to recirculate at least a portion of the exhaust gas to the combustor as a diluent. The EGR gas turbine system additionally includes a control system, comprising one or more processors configured to receive a first signal representative of an exhaust flow composition of the exhaust gas and to receive a second signal representative of a diluent flow composition of the diluent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2015
    Publication date: June 30, 2016
    Inventors: Aaron Lavene Vorel, Jonathan Carl Thatcher
  • Publication number: 20150214879
    Abstract: A non-transitory, computer readable medium stores instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device. The instructions include instructions to determine that a transient event is occurring in an electrical grid coupled to an EGR gas turbine system, wherein the transient event is an under-frequency or an under-voltage event. The instructions also include instructions to increase a flow rate of fuel to a combustor of the EGR gas turbine system in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in a non-stoichiometric combustion mode. The instructions further include instructions to increase a flow rate of oxidant to the combustor before increasing the flow rate of fuel to the combustor, or to decrease a local consumption of the electrical power to increase a portion of the electrical power that is exported to the attached electrical grid, or both, in response to the transient event when the EGR gas turbine system is operating in a stoichiometric combustion mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Inventors: Richard A. Huntington, Karl Dean Minto, Bin Xu, Jonathan Carl Thatcher, Aaron Lavene Vorel
  • Publication number: 20150000293
    Abstract: A method of controlling an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) gas turbine system includes adjusting an angle of a plurality of inlet guide vanes of an exhaust gas compressor of the EGR gas turbine system, wherein the plurality of inlet guide vanes have a first range of motion defined by a minimum angle and a maximum angle, and wherein the angle is adjusted based on one or more monitored or modeled parameters of the EGR gas turbine system. The method further includes adjusting a pitch of a plurality of blower vanes of a recycle blower disposed upstream of the exhaust gas compressor, wherein the plurality of blower vanes have a second range of motion defined by a minimum pitch and a maximum pitch, and the pitch of the plurality of blower vanes is adjusted based at least on the angle of the plurality of inlet guide vanes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Jonathan Carl Thatcher, James A. West, Aaron Lavene Vorel