SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AIR EXTRACTION FROM GAS TURBINE ENGINES

• US 20120247113A1
• Filed: 03/29/2011
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Alexander, Michael Joseph, Nenmeni, Vijay Anand Raghavendran, Plummer, Paul William, Janssen, Timothy Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,041,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/772
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 13/00 Combinations of two or more machines or engines F01D15/00 takes precedence; combinations of two or more pumps F04; fluid gearing F16H
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/08 the gas being bled from the gas-turbine compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/18 by bleeding, bypassing or acting on variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or their stages F02C3/113 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/301 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/3061 of the working fluid

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method that allows air to be extracted from a plurality of gas turbine engines and fed to a downstream process, even in situations in which one or more of the gas turbine engines are operating in a part load condition. For example, in an embodiment, a method includes monitoring signals representative of a header pressure of a header, or a pressure of extraction air flow from one or more gas turbine engines to the header, or both, and maintaining substantially continuous flows of extraction air from the gas turbine engines to the header. The substantially continuous flows are maintained when the gas turbine engines are under symmetric and asymmetric load conditions.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an extraction air header configured to receive a first extraction air flow from a first compressor of a first gas turbine engine and a second extraction air flow from a second compressor of a second gas turbine engine; and

an extraction air controller configured to maintain the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header in a symmetric load condition and an asymmetric load condition, wherein the symmetric load condition represents substantially equal loads on the first and second gas turbine engines, and the asymmetric load condition represents substantially different loads on the first and second gas turbine engines.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to maintain the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header in a symmetric pressure condition and an asymmetric pressure condition.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to maintain the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header in a degraded condition of at least one of the first and second gas turbine engines.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to maintain the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header during and after a transition between the symmetric load condition and the asymmetric load condition.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the symmetric load condition represents first and second full load conditions on the respective first and second gas turbine engines, and the asymmetric load condition represents a partial load condition on the first gas turbine engine and the second full load condition on the second gas turbine engine.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to control a header pressure of the extraction air header.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to reduce the first extraction air flow if the second extraction air flow has a pressure less than the first extraction airflow.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to reduce a header pressure of the extraction air header if the second extraction air flow has a pressure less than the first extraction airflow.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the extraction air controller is configured to maintain a header pressure of the extraction air header at least less than or equal to a lowest pressure of the first and second extraction air flows.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising a pressure regulator disposed downstream from the extraction air header, wherein the pressure regulator is configured to maintain the header pressure in response to control signals from the extraction air controller.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising the first gas turbine engine, the second gas turbine engine, and an air separation unit (ASU) coupled to the extraction air header.

12. A method, comprising:

monitoring a first signal representative of a first flow of extraction air from a first gas turbine engine and a second signal representative of a second flow of extraction air from a second gas turbine engine, or a third signal representative of a header pressure of an extraction air header, or a combination, with an extraction air controller; and

maintaining the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header in a symmetric load condition and an asymmetric load condition, wherein the symmetric load condition represents substantially equal loads on the first and second gas turbine engines, and the asymmetric load condition represents substantially different loads on the first and second gas turbine engines.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header comprises adjusting the header pressure if the first signal, the second signal, or the third signal, or a combination, indicate an asymmetric load condition.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the header pressure comprises reducing the header pressure to a pressure substantially equal to or lower than the lowest pressure of the first and second extraction air flows.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the header pressure comprises adjusting a position of a first flow control valve disposed along a first conduit fluidly coupling the first gas turbine engine with the extraction air header, adjusting a position of a second flow control valve disposed along a second conduit fluidly coupling the second gas turbine engine with the extraction air header, or adjusting a header valve of the header, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising boosting an air pressure downstream from the extraction air header if the first and second extraction air flows provide insufficient pressure to meet a pressure demand of a downstream system.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header comprises maintaining the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header during and after a transition between a symmetric load condition and an asymmetric load condition.

18. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising;

code having one or more computer-executable routines comprising;

monitoring a first signal representative of a first flow of extraction air from a first gas turbine engine and a second signal representative of a second flow of extraction air from a second gas turbine engine, or a third signal representative of a header pressure of an extraction air header, or any combination thereof, with an extraction air controller; and

maintaining the first and second extraction air flows to the extraction air header in a symmetric load condition and an asymmetric load condition, wherein the symmetric load condition represents substantially equal loads on the first and second gas turbine engines, and the asymmetric load condition represents substantially different loads on the first and second gas turbine engines.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein monitoring the first signal, the second signal, the third signal, or any combination thereof, comprises determining whether the first and/or the second gas turbine engine is operating at part load, and reducing the header pressure to a level substantially equal to or lower than the lowest pressure of the first extraction air flow or the second extraction air flow if the first, second, or third signals indicate an asymmetric load condition.

20. The system of claim 19, comprising increasing an air pressure of a combined flow of extraction air flowing from the header in response to reducing the header pressure.