Regenerator Patents (Class 60/39.511)
  • Patent number: 6584760
    Abstract: Emissions are controlled in a recuperated gas turbine engine using an apparatus and/or method. A fixed boundary recuperator comprises a gas inlet through which flows a gas and a gas outlet in communication with the gas inlet. An air inlet flows an air through the recuperator so that the air is in heat exchange relationship with the gas. An air outlet is in communication with the air inlet. A catalyst is disposed at least at one of a plurality of locations, with the locations selected from the group that includes a position immediately upstream of the recuperator heat exchange core, a position within the recuperator heat exchange core, and a position immediately downstream of the recuperator heat exchange core. At least one parameter of the engine is tuned based on desired NOx emissions and remaining undesired emissions are catalyzed in or immediately adjacent a recuperator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Hybrid Power Generation Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: John Lipinski, Karl Fleer, Tony Prophet, Peter Zheng, Di-Jia Liu, George Lester
  • Patent number: 6578354
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air humidifier for adding moisture to a working medium of a gas turbine for humidification, and gas turbine electric power generation equipment for driving the gas turbine by the working medium of high moisture to general electricity. An object of the present invention is to reduce pressure loss of burned exhaust gas of the gas turbine to improve output or efficiency of electric power generation. There comprises a humidifier (3), a combustor (5), a turbine (6), a generator (7), and a water recovery unit (10), further comprises an exhaust gas reheater (11) for heating burned exhaust gas discharged from the water recovery unit by surplus water discharged from the humidifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Hatamiya, Masahiko Yamagishi, Osamu Yokomizo
  • Patent number: 6574950
    Abstract: A microturbine system includes a compressor, a recuperator assembly, a combustor, a turbine, and a generator. The recuperator assembly includes a core that preheats compressed air provided by the compressor with exhaust gas from the turbine. The preheated compressed air is mixed with a fuel and burned in the combustor. The products of combustion are used to drive the turbine, which in turn drives the compressor and generator. The recuperator core is surrounded by a recuperator housing that is intimate with the recuperator core such that the recuperator housing assumes substantially the same temperature as the recuperator core. The recuperator housing is constructed of materials that have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially equal to that of the recuperator core, and that have thicknesses substantially equal to the thickness of the recuperator core materials. A superstructure supports the recuperator core and resists expansion of the core in a stackwise direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems Corporation
    Inventor: James S. Nash
  • Patent number: 6560965
    Abstract: A microturbine power system and of a method of operating same comprising automatically detecting fouling of a recuperator and then cleaning the recuperator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Honeywell Power Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Paul M. Fukumoto, Peter Zheng, Daniel W. Burnes
  • Patent number: 6560957
    Abstract: Disclosed is a gas turbine power generating system capable of achieving a high output power and a high power generating efficiency under conditions with a small amount of supplied water and little change in design of a gas turbine. A fine water droplet spraying apparatus (11) is disposed in a suction air chamber (22) on the upstream side of an air compressor (2), and a moisture adding apparatus (7) for adding moisture to high pressure air supplied from the compressor (2) is included. A regenerator (5) for heating the air to which moisture has been added by using gas turbine exhaust gas as a heat source is also provided. With this configuration, there can be obtained an effect of reducing power for the compressor (2) and an effect of increasing the output power due to addition of moisture to air (20) for combustion. Further, since the amount of fuel used is reduced by adopting a regenerating cycle, the power generating efficiency is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Hatamiya, Masahiko Yamagishi, Osamu Yokomizo, Yoshiki Noguchi, Moriaki Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 6557337
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine a turbine, a compressor turbine mounted downstream the turbine for rotation in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the turbine that is mounted downstream the compressor. Exhaust fluid from the compressor turbine is cooled in a heat exchanger with a compressed fluid downstream the compressor and is then cooled with air in separate heat exchanger before being admitted to the compressor. A part of the compressed fluid heated in the heat exchanger is fed to cool the turbine blades, and the rest of the fluid is fed to a heated fluid source for the turbine. To control the gas turbine engine, a part of fluid is boosted by a booster compressor and is discharged from the engine. The booster compressor is driven by an expanding turbine that rotated under the effect of combustion air that is expanded in the expanding turbine and flows through the expanding turbine under the action of reduced pressure in the heated fluid source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Alm Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Anatoly Rakhmailov
  • Publication number: 20030070415
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an air humidifier for adding moisture to a working medium of a gas turbine for humidification, and gas turbine electric power generation equipment for driving the gas turbine by the working medium of high moisture to general electricity. An object of the present invention is to reduce pressure loss of burned exhaust gas of the gas turbine to improve output or efficiency of electric power generation. There comprises a humidifier (3), a combustor (5), a turbine (6), a generator (7), and a water recovery unit (10), further comprises an exhaust gas reheater (11) for heating burned exhaust gas discharged from the water recovery unit by surplus water discharged from the humidifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2002
    Publication date: April 17, 2003
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Hatamiya, Masahiko Yamagishi, Osamu Yokomizo
  • Patent number: 6543214
    Abstract: A thermal power plant comprises: an air compressor which compresses a sucked air to generate a high pressure air; a gas turbine combustor adapted to supply a fuel to the high pressure air from the air compressor to generate a combustion gas; a high pressure gas turbine adapted to perform an expansion working of the combustion gas from the gas turbine combustor and generate an exhaust gas; a low pressure gas turbine and adapted to perform an expansion working of the exhaust gas from the high pressure gas turbine and generate an exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide; and a carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging equipment located on an outlet side of the low pressure gas turbine, the carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging equipment being provided with a carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging agent having a property of absorbing the carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas supplied from the low pressure gas turbine and decomposing the absorbed carbonate by the exhaust gas supplied from the high pressure
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takashi Sasaki, Shoichi Hisa
  • Publication number: 20030061818
    Abstract: A cogenerating recuperated microturbine includes a recuperator, an air compressor and a combustor. The combustor burns a fuel along with the compressed air received from the recuperator to create products of combustion. A turbine generator operates in response to expansion of the products of combustion to generate electricity. The products of combustion then flow through the recuperator to preheat the compressed air. The products of combustion then flow out of the recuperator as an exhaust flow. A heat exchanger is movable into and out of the exhaust flow to selectively heat a fluid in the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is actuated by a piston-cylinder type actuator that operates under the influence of compressed air selectively bled from the air compressor. The actuator may be a single-acting cylinder used in conjunction with a biasing spring, or may be a double-acting cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems Corporation
    Inventors: James S. Nash, James B. Kesseli, Andrew J. Olsen
  • Publication number: 20030061816
    Abstract: An apparatus for supporting the recuperator of a microturbine system in a vertical position above a turbine. The apparatus including a plurality of spring supports supporting the recuperator while simultaneously allowing thermal expansion of the turbine with a minimum amount of force being applied thereto. Thermal expansion of the turbine causes it to lift the recuperator while simultaneously de-compressing the springs an amount equal to the amount of thermal expansion experienced by the turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Malcolm S. Child
  • Publication number: 20030061800
    Abstract: A microturbine system includes a compressor, a recuperator assembly, a combustor, a turbine, and a generator. The recuperator assembly includes a core that preheats compressed air provided by the compressor with exhaust gas from the turbine. The preheated compressed air is mixed with a fuel and burned in the combustor. The products of combustion are used to drive the turbine, which in turn drives the compressor and generator. The recuperator core is surrounded by a recuperator housing that is intimate with the recuperator core such that the recuperator housing assumes substantially the same temperature as the recuperator core. The recuperator housing is constructed of materials that have a coefficient of thermal expansion that is substantially equal to that of the recuperator core, and that have thicknesses substantially equal to the thickness of the recuperator core materials. A superstructure supports the recuperator core and resists expansion of the core in a stackwise direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: Ingersoll-Rand Energy Systems Corporation
    Inventor: James S. Nash
  • Patent number: 6530209
    Abstract: In a system for reusing a thermal energy of an air discharged from a heated air source to heat a combustion air to be supplied into a combustion device so that the combustion air is mixed with a fuel to be combusted in the combustion device, an air feeder sucks the combustion air and feeds the combustion air toward the combustion device, an inlet passage at an upstream side of the air feeder passes the combustion air toward the air feeder, and the inlet passage includes a first inlet port for taking the air from the heated air source through the first inlet port into the inlet passage to incorporate the air to the combustion air and a second inlet port for taking an atmospheric air through the second inlet port into the inlet passage to incorporate the atmospheric air to the combustion air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kenichi Kuwabara, Masaji Nagao, Toshihiro Asanuma, Youichi Fujita, Yasuhide Mochimatsu
  • Publication number: 20030033810
    Abstract: A recuperator (10) in a thermal power installation such as, for example, a gas turbine installation or air storage power installation, having turbines (15a, 15b) and a generator (G), has sectors (S1-S4) with tubes for the circulation of air. Hot exhaust gases from the turbines (15a, 15b) are supplied to the recuperator (10) for the purpose of heating the air flowing through the sectors (S1-S4). According to the invention, the recuperator (10) has one or a plurality of external thermal reservoirs (HS1, HS2, HS3) which are connected between the (S1-S4) of the recuperator (10) and are heated during the normal operation of the power installation. During an outage period of the power installation, air is circulated through the installation components (10, 15a, 15b, 19), a temperature distribution being maintained in these components with temperature differences which are smaller than a critical magnitude with respect to transient thermal stresses in the components of the recuperator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2002
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Inventor: Franz Kreitmeier
  • Patent number: 6519946
    Abstract: A waste-heat gas driven cogeneration having a micro gas turbine, driving portions including high-temperature-side hydrogen storage alloy containers respectively and operated by heat exchange between waste-heat gas generated from the turbine and a cooling heat medium, and cold-heat generating portions including low-temperature-side hydrogen storage alloy containers respectively to absorb and release hydrogen into/from the containers to generate cold heat and supply the cold heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2003
    Assignee: The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashi Iwamoto, Hiroyuki Togo, Masamitsu Murai, Ritsu Miura, Koji Hattori, Harunobu Takeda
  • Publication number: 20030029158
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine including in-line intercooling wherein compressor intercooling is achieved without removing the compressor main flow airstream from the compressor flowpath is described. In an exemplary embodiment, a gas turbine engine suitable for use in connection with in-line intercooling includes a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor, and a combustor. The engine also includes a high pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine, and a power turbine. For intercooling, fins are located in an exterior surface of the compressor struts in the compressor flowpath between the outlet of the low pressure compressor and the inlet of the high pressure compressor. Coolant flowpaths are provided in the compressor struts, and such flowpaths are in flow communication with a heat exchanger. In operation, air flows through the low pressure compressor, and compressed air is supplied from the low pressure compressor to the high pressure compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2002
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Inventor: Michael W. Horner
  • Patent number: 6513318
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes, in flow series arrangement, a mixer, a compressor, a first flow path of a recuperator, a combustor, a turbine and a second flow path of said recuperator; and a bypass conduit between said turbine and said mixer. A valve is disposed in the conduit and is controlled by a temperature sensor mounted to sense compressor inlet air temperature. The sensor has a set point temperature that corresponds with optimum emissions from the engine. When the sensed temperature drops below the set point temperature the valve opens and hot air from the turbine flows to the mixer where it heats the air entering the compressor. A method for operating a gas turbine engine with preselected emissions over a range of ambient conditions is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hybrid Power Generation Systems LLC
    Inventor: E. Scott Wright
  • Publication number: 20030019214
    Abstract: A gas turbine installation which includes a compressor which compresses supplied air and discharges the same, a combustor which combusts the compressed air obtained from the compressor and fuel and produces combustion gas, a turbine which is driven by combustion gas provided from the combustor, a regenerative heat exchanger which heats all or a part of the compressed air being supplied from the compressor to the combustor by making use of the heat of the exhaust gas exhausted from the turbine and a plurality of water spraying devices which are provided at positions from an intake air chamber of the compressor to the outlet of low temperature side gas flow passage in the regenerative heat exchanger and is characterized in that the regenerative heat exchanger is constituted by connecting in series a plurality of heat exchangers having different heat transfer surface configurations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Publication date: January 30, 2003
    Inventors: Takanori Shibata, Shigeo Hatamiya, Nobuhiro Seiki, Tomomi Koganezawa, Katsuhiko Sagae
  • Patent number: 6510684
    Abstract: A thermal insulator between the turbine and the compressor of a gas turbine engine is provided and at the same time it enables the air that has passed through the compressor to be heated by the heat of the hot turbine. A gas turbine engine comprises a centrifugal compressor for compressing air that is drawn or sucked into the compressor, a compressed air passage supplying the air compressed by the compressor to a burner, and a turbine driven by means of combustion gas generated in the burner. The compressor and the turbine are provided on a rotating shaft adjacent to each other in the axial direction. Evaporation sections on the radially inner side of a plurality of heat pipes provided in a radial form face towards the outer periphery of the rotating shaft between the compressor and the turbine, and condensation sections on the radially outer side of the heat pipes face towards the compressed air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Minoru Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 6508056
    Abstract: A recuperated microturbine system including a low temperature duct burner in the exhaust gas which accommodates significant variations in the exhaust gas flow from the recuperator, which burns the added hydrocarbon fuel, for example natural gas, reasonably efficiently, without generating a significant amount of additional NOx. A wire mesh burner is used to burn the added fuel in part of the exhaust gas from the recuperator. The duct burner is operated either in a more or less radiant combustion mode, or in a blue flame mode. The remainder of the recuperator exhaust gas, which bypasses the afterburner, is heated mainly by radiant heat transfer from the wire mesh burner. The use of the wire mesh burner minimises additional NOx formation. In the duct burner the dynamic pressure of the exhaust gas is used to overcome the inherent static pressure loss of the wire mesh burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2003
    Assignee: Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources
    Inventor: Robert Brandon
  • Publication number: 20020152754
    Abstract: A gas turbine which is capable of operating in more than one pressure mode. The gas turbine, which may include a single fixed spool, multiple fixed spools, or a combination of fixed spool(s) and a free turbine, can operate in a positive pressure mode, a transatmospheric mode, or a subatmospheric mode. Valving is provided to control the particular pressure mode of operation in response to system requirements and to switch between pressure modes as required. The gas turbine is particularly useful with a catalytic combustor where the gas turbine can be started in a mode where the catalytic combustor, and its associated preheater, is at or below atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2002
    Publication date: October 24, 2002
    Inventor: Robin MacKay
  • Publication number: 20020148227
    Abstract: A gas turbine which is capable of operating in more than one pressure mode. The gas turbine, which may include a single fixed spool, multiple fixed spools, or a combination of fixed spool(s) and a free turbine, can operate in a positive pressure mode, a transatmospheric mode, or a subatmospheric mode. Valving is provided to control the particular pressure mode of operation in response to system requirements and to switch between pressure modes as required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2001
    Publication date: October 17, 2002
    Inventor: Robin Mackay
  • Patent number: 6463730
    Abstract: Control logic and a method for controlling turbine speed. In an embodiment, the inventive control logic controls turbine speed of turbine generators operating in a stand-alone mode and/or a grid mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Honeywell Power Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Keller, Daniel Burns, Mohamad Hanif Vhora, Patrick O'Brien, Coung Van Nguyen
  • Patent number: 6460324
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprising a compressor, a power turbine, a counter-rotating compressor turbine for powering the compressor and a heat exchanger interconnected among them, uses a mixer to mix waste fluid heated by the heat exchanger with combustion air and feed the mixture to a combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2002
    Assignee: ALM Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Anatoly Rakhmailov
  • Publication number: 20020139119
    Abstract: An energy-generating system employs a combustor to combust a pressurized fluid, with the resulting products of combustion being used to operate a turbine. The pressurized fluid is divided into first and second fluid portions that are conducted to the combustor inlet through first and second flow paths, respectively. The second flow path is arranged to cause the second fluid portion traveling therein to receive heat from the combustor before being merged with the first fluid flow at the combustor inlet. The combustor can include catalytic bodies, and some products of combustion generated in the combustion chamber are recycled back through the combustor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2001
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Inventors: George L. Touchton, Robert W. Dibble, John Torres
  • Publication number: 20020124569
    Abstract: A turbine engine includes a turbine driven by hot gas, a compressor rotating with the turbine to generate compressed air, an annular combustor coaxial with the turbine to combust fuel and compressed air to generate the hot gas, and an annular recuperator to recover heat from the turbine exhaust gas and heat the compressed air for combustion. The annular recuperator surrounds the turbine and includes two contiguous parts made from two materials having different thermal properties and joined to one another to form a single annular structure. One recuperator part is formed from a high-temperature material having a high thermal limit for exposure to high-temperature turbine exhaust gas, and the other recuperator part is formed from a material having a lower thermal limit than the high-temperature material for exposure to reduced-temperature turbine exhaust gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Inventors: William D. Treece, Yungmo Kang Korean, Robert McKiernan
  • Patent number: 6442945
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine has a compressor, a combustor mounted downstream of the compressor, power turbine mounted downstream of the combustor, a counter-rotating compressor turbine having a temperature sensor at its outlet, a temperature control system for controlling the temperature at the outlet of the compressor turbine, and a fuel supply control system for supplying fuel to the combustor. The engine has a drive motor for causing the compressor to rotate and a motor control system having a motor power-up module with an input connected to the fuel supply control system, and a motor power output control module having a first input connected to the motor power-up module, a second input connected to the temperature sensor, and an output which is connected to the drive motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2002
    Assignee: ALM Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Anatoly Rakhmailov
  • Patent number: 6438936
    Abstract: An annular recuperator for use with an annular combustor. The annular recuperator includes a frame and an enclosure provided about its frame that defines a recuperator chamber. A plurality of involute shaped sealed and open recuperators are received in the recuperator chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2002
    Assignee: Elliott Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: William R. Ryan
  • Publication number: 20020092288
    Abstract: A thermal power plant comprises: an air compressor which compresses a sucked air to generate a high pressure air; a gas turbine combustor adapted to supply a fuel to the high pressure air from the air compressor to generate a combustion gas; a high pressure gas turbine adapted to perform an expansion working of the combustion gas from the gas turbine combustor and generate an exhaust gas; a low pressure gas turbine and adapted to perform an expansion working of the exhaust gas from the high pressure gas turbine and generate an exhaust gas containing carbon dioxide; and a carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging equipment located on an outlet side of the low pressure gas turbine, the carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging equipment being provided with a carbon dioxide absorbing and discharging agent having a property of absorbing the carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas supplied from the low pressure gas turbine and decomposing the absorbed carbonate by the exhaust gas supplied from the high pressure
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Publication date: July 18, 2002
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi Sasaki, Shoichi Hisa
  • Publication number: 20020078689
    Abstract: An improved turbine engine topology, wherein the improvement comprises a repositioning, with respect to a conventional intercooled regenerative turbine engine topology, of exhaust gas output from a low pressure turbine stage to a regenerator, to an exhaust gas output from a high pressure turbine stage to the regenerator. The engine topology may additionally employ, as an intermediate stage between the high pressure turbine and the low pressure turbine, a feedback control system, whereby the exhaust gas output from the high pressure turbine stage to the regenerator flows through the feedback control. The engine topology may advantageously also employ an additional cooler and an additional exhaust gas output in the feedback control, whereby exhaust gas flows from the feedback control through the additional cooler to a high pressure compressor stage, or the exhaust gas can flow from the feedback control through a bottoming cycle to the high pressure compressor stage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2001
    Publication date: June 27, 2002
    Inventors: Richard R. Coleman, Thelma Coleman
  • Publication number: 20020073688
    Abstract: A annular recuperator to recover waste heat from a gas turbine exhaust in order to preheat the compressed air delivered to the gas turbine combustor, formed with gas flow passages for the relatively hot turbine exhaust gases and air flow passages for the relatively cool compressed air separated by thin, thermally conductive metal foil barriers. The flow passages have contoured gaps between the foil surfaces in order to establish the desired air/gas aerodynamic friction induced pressure drop and mass flow profiles within the recuperator core. The gaps are set by an array of dimples in the metal foil barriers with each dimple having a precisely controlled height. The metal foil barriers are formed by first dimpling and then bending a single sheet metal strip to form a convoluted foil structure that is wrapped around an inner cylinder and the ends joined. An outer cylinder is then installed around the wrapped, convoluted foil barrier structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2001
    Publication date: June 20, 2002
    Inventors: Robert W. Bosley, Yungmo Kang
  • Patent number: 6397578
    Abstract: A gas turbine power plant has no intercooler for compressed air and comprises a compressor, a combustor for burning fuel with compressed air from the compressor to produce combustion gas, a turbine driven by the combustion gas, a generator driven by the turbine to generate electric power, a regenerative heat exchanger which heats the compressed air with the heat of exhaust gas of the turbine and has a water spray arranged therein for spraying water droplets onto the compressed air therein, and a spray device directly communicating with the compressor for spraying water onto compressed air of high temperature from the compressor to humidify the compressed air, the compressed air being led to the regenerative heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Moriaki Tsukamoto, Yoshiki Noguchi, Shigeo Hatamiya
  • Patent number: 6397576
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine comprising a turbine mounted downstream of a compressor and a heat exchanger interconnected between the turbine and compressor and to a heated fluid source, which is connected to a fuel source, has a compressor flow duct having a plurality of flow duct areas, each providing a different compression ratio, and a plurality of outlet taps, each communicating with a respective area of the plurality of flow duct areas, that supplies combustion air to the gas turbine engine flow duct and also controls an outlet tap switch having a plurality of positions for selectively opening to the atmosphere one outlet tap and disconnecting the rest of the outlet taps from the atmosphere in each switch position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: ALM Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Anatoly Rakhmailov
  • Patent number: 6389799
    Abstract: A gas turbine installation includes an air compressor, a combustor for burning fuel together with air discharged from the compressor, and a turbine driven by combustion gas generated by the combustor. The installation includes a spraying apparatus disposed in a suction air chamber on the upstream side of the air compressor and a water adding apparatus for adding moisture to high pressure air supplied from the compressor and which is disposed between the air compressor and the combustor. A heat exchanger is provided between the water adding apparatus and the combustor for heating air prior to the air entering the combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeo Hatamiya, Masahiko Yamagishi, Osamu Yokomizo, Yoshiki Noguchi, Moriaki Tsukamoto
  • Publication number: 20020040575
    Abstract: A co-generation system and a dehumidification air-conditioner, which generates electricity and provides highly efficient air-conditioning by reducing the latent heat load of the air-conditioner. Exhaust gas from either a turbine or an internal combustion engine heats air for desorption of adsorbed moisture from a humidity rotor. The humidity rotor has a sound adsorption material to attenuate high frequency noise coming from the exhaust outlet of the co-generation system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Publication date: April 11, 2002
    Applicant: Seibu Giken Co. Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Okano, Yukito Kawakami, Mototsugu Nagamatsu
  • Publication number: 20020040576
    Abstract: A recuperator movable between a first position and a second position in or relative to a power generating system. When the recuperator is in the first position, a gas side inlet of the recuperator is coupled to a turbine exhaust outlet of the turbomachine. When the recuperator is in the second position, a gas side outlet of the recuperator is coupled to the turbine exhaust outlet, whereby the direction of gas flow inside the recuperator is reversed. Reversing the gas flow direction extends the life of the recuperator by reducing the total amount of time that the gas inlet face is exposed to high temperatures. Reversing the gas flow direction also allows for the removal of condensation of exhaust gas byproducts on cooler passage surfaces of the recuperator gas side. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to ascertain quickly the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Publication date: April 11, 2002
    Inventors: Karl Fleer, Ahmed Hammoud
  • Patent number: 6363708
    Abstract: A method of operating a gas turbine engine having a compressor, a combustor between a waste fluid compressor and a power turbine, a counter-rotating compressor turbine installed downstream of the power turbine, and a heat exchanger having two circuits, in which a heated fluid is prepared by burning fuel with combustion air in a mixture with a waste fluid obtained downstream of a compressor turbine that which is cooled, compressed and heated before mixing with combustion air while keeping the temperature of the waste fluid downstream of the compressor turbine constant and removing a partial flow of the waste fluid into the atmosphere before heating the waste fluid prior to supplying the waste fluid for mixing with the combustion air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: ALM Development, Inc.
    Inventor: Anatoly Rakhmailov
  • Publication number: 20020035830
    Abstract: A recuperator movable between a first position and a second position in or relative to a power generating system. When the recuperator is in the first position, a gas side inlet of the recuperator is coupled to a turbine exhaust outlet of the turbomachine. When the recuperator is in the second position, a gas side outlet of the recuperator is coupled to the turbine exhaust outlet, whereby the direction of gas flow inside the recuperator is reversed. Reversing the gas flow direction extends the life of the recuperator by reducing the total amount of time that the gas inlet face is exposed to high temperatures. Reversing the gas flow direction also allows for the removal of condensation of exhaust gas byproducts on cooler passage surfaces of the recuperator gas side. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to ascertain quickly the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2000
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Karl Fleer, Hammoud Ahmed
  • Publication number: 20020029559
    Abstract: Gas turbine system is constructed such that no fuel gas compressor is used and a turbine is operated at low temperature so that a life of the system is elongated and the safety is enhanced. Air compressed at a compressor (11) of about 200° C. enters a heat exchanger (12) to be heated by combustion gas to about 760 to 900° C. to enter the turbine (13) and to work to rotate a generator (15). Exhaust air of the turbine (13) of which temperature is lowered to about 500 to 750° C. is supplied into a combustor (14) for fuel combustion to generate high temperature combustion gas of about 800 to 950° C. This combustion gas enters the heat exchanger (12) to heat the air from the compressor (11). The air is heated by the high temperature combustion gas with no fuel gas compressor being used and the turbine is operated by the lower temperature air as compared with a conventional case. Hence, the system is made less expensive, the life is elongated and the safety is enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2001
    Publication date: March 14, 2002
    Inventors: Shigemi Mandai, Hidetaka Mori, Hideaki Sugishita, Yasuhiro Uchi, Shirou Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6351935
    Abstract: A power plant includes a gas turbine unit having a compressor for compressing ambient air, a burner for burning fuel and heating air compressed by said compressor, and a turbine for expanding air heated by said burner to drive said compressor and produce hot exhaust gases. The plant further includes a combustor for containing particles of solid fuel which are fluidized by the exhaust gases from the turbine to produce hot products of combustion that include coarse ash particulate. Apparatus is provided for generating power from the hot products of combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Ormat Industries Ltd.
    Inventors: Lucien Y. Bronicki, Joseph Sinai, Benjamin Doron, Uri Kaplan
  • Publication number: 20020020168
    Abstract: Turbojet powerplant with at least one compressor (1), at least one combustion chamber (2), a high-pressure turbine (3) and a low-pressure turbine (4), characterised in that a heat exchanger (5) is arranged between the compressor (1) and the combustion chamber (2), in that at least one hot-gas line (6) branches off from an area downstream of the high-pressure turbine (3) and is connected to the heat exchanger (5), and in that at least one cold-gas line (7) connects the heat exchanger (5) with an area upstream of the low-pressure turbine (4).
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Publication date: February 21, 2002
    Inventor: Alexander Boeck
  • Publication number: 20020007624
    Abstract: A method and system for generating power include using a cogeneration power system having a gas turbine. The gas turbine has a compressor section for receiving air to be compressed. The compressed air is fed to a combustor section where it is mixed with fuel and the fuel is burned to produce heated combustion gas. The heated combustion gas is expanded in an expander section to generate shaft work which is used to drive a generator or alternator for producing electric power. The heated combustion gas leaves the expander as turbine exhaust which is cooled by transferring at least part of its heat to the air ahead of the combustor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Inventors: Frank F. Mittricker, Michael Turner
  • Publication number: 20020002820
    Abstract: The heat exchanger (3) for exchanging heat between compressed air (A) ejected from the compressor (4) and exhaust gas (E) ejected from the turbine rotor (6) is connected to the exhaust gas outlet side on the back portion of the gas turbine (1). The heat exchanger (3) has the core (19) having a plurality of heat transfer plates (23) for partitioning the first paths (21) for compressed air (A) and the second paths (22) for exhaust gas (E) inside the casing (18). On the side of the back portion of the core (19), the first inlets (24) for compressed air (A) are formed and on the side of the front portion of the core (19), the outlets (25) for compressed air (A) are formed. Between the core (19) and the casing (18), the introduction path (26) for introducing compressed air into the first inlets (24) is formed. Exhaust gas (E) flowing into the second paths (22) from a position in front of the core (19) is ejected from the back of the core (19).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2001
    Publication date: January 10, 2002
    Applicant: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Isashi Takehara
  • Publication number: 20010052231
    Abstract: An annular recuperator for use with an annular combustor. The annular recuperator includes a frame and an enclosure provided about its frame that defines a recuperator chamber. A plurality of involute shaped sealed and open recuperators are received in the recuperator chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2001
    Publication date: December 20, 2001
    Applicant: Elliott Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: William R. Ryan
  • Patent number: 6314717
    Abstract: An electricity generating system having a body (159), an annular combustor (14), a turbine (16), a compressor chamber and a compressor (102) positioned within the compressor chamber. An inlet port is in fluid communication with the compressor chamber and an exit port is in fluid communication with the turbine. A plurality of magnets (MG) is secured to the rotor (18) and a stator (22) made of mangnetically attracted material, such as iron, and having a stator winding provided in the body (159). The stator winding is positioned in close proximity to the plurality of magnets mounted to the rotor whereby rotation of the rotor (18) induces a current in the winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Elliott Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: J. Michael Teets, Jon W. Teets
  • Patent number: 6307278
    Abstract: A rotating group for a microturbine power generation system includes an electrical generator rotor, a turbine and a compressor intermediate the generator and the turbine. The turbine, compressor and electrical generator rotor are secured together by a tieshaft. The tieshaft is prestressed such that faces of the turbine, electrical generator rotor and compressor maintain contact during high-speed, high-temperature operation of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Honeywell Power Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Nims, Joseph Denk, Ramesh Doshi, Terence Emerson
  • Patent number: 6295803
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine (10) having a closed-loop cooling circuit (39) for transferring heat from the hot turbine section (16) to the compressed air (24) produced by the compressor section (12). The closed-loop cooling system (39) includes a heat exchanger (40) disposed in the flow path of the compressed air (24) between the outlet of the compressor section (12) and the inlet of the combustor (14). A cooling fluid (50) may be driven by a pump (52) located outside of the engine casing (53) or a pump (54) mounted on the rotor shaft (17). The cooling circuit (39) may include an orifice (60) for causing the cooling fluid (50) to change from a liquid state to a gaseous state, thereby increasing the heat transfer capacity of the cooling circuit (39).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation
    Inventor: Eduardo E. Bancalari
  • Patent number: 6293086
    Abstract: Power generation equipment (10) comprises a compressor (11,12) into which finely dispersed water is directed. Air compressed by the compressor (11,12) is directed into combustion equipment (13) where it is mixed with steam and fuel before combustion takes place. The resultant combustion products pass through two turbines (14,15), the second of which (15) is a power turbine. The exhaust efflux from the power turbine (15) is then cooled to such an extent that its pressure falls to below atmospheric pressure. The carbon dioxide is removed from the efflux by means of a sequestration membrane (33) before the pressure of the efflux is raised to above atmospheric pressure by a further compressor (16) driven by the power turbine (15). The equipment (10) is very efficient and produces low levels of pollution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce plc
    Inventor: Graham A Reynolds
  • Patent number: 6263661
    Abstract: A system for power generation comprising a turbine system and a power generating system connected to said turbine system, wherein said turbine system comprises: a compressor and inlet means for supplying fluid to said compressor for cooling said oxygen-containing gas; a combustion means; a gas turbine; a recuperator connected with outlet of said compressor means, and the outlet for exhaust gases of said gas turbine means, for mutual heat exchange; means for at least partially condensing water from the exhaust gases from said gas turbine means, said condensing means being connected with said outlet for exhaust gases of said gas turbine and further provided with an outlet for condensate and an outlet for discharging the remaining gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2001
    Assignee: N.V. Kema
    Inventors: Maarten Johannes van der Burgt, Jacobus van Liere
  • Patent number: 6247302
    Abstract: A gas turbine power plant with no intercooler for compressed air includes a compressor, a combustor for burning fuel with compressed air from the compressor to produce combustion gas, a turbine driven by the combustion gas, a generator driven by the turbine to generate electric power, a regenerative heat exchanger which heats the compressed air with the heat of exhaust gas of the turbine and has a water spray arranged therein for spraying water droplets onto the compressed air therein, and a spray device directly communicating with the compressor for spraying water onto compressed air of high temperature from the compressor to humidify the compressed air, the compressed air being led to the regenerative heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Moriaki Tsukamoto, Yoshiki Noguchi, Shigeo Hatamiya
  • Patent number: 6244034
    Abstract: A microturbine power generating system includes a reservoir that is pressurized with compressor air during system operation. The pressurized air in the reservoir is used to purge combustor fuel nozzles of residue after combustion in the combustor has ceased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2001
    Assignee: AlliedSignal, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Taylor, Patrick Lee O'Brien