SYSTEM FOR VENTILATING A GAS TURBINE ENCLOSURE

• US 20150276247A1
• Filed: 06/10/2015
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Baten, Robert Allen, Drobniak, David Joseph, Ross, Harley Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,447,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 25/12 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/32 Inducing air flow by fluid jet, e.g. ejector action
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/12 Cooling of plants of component parts, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. F01D; cooling of engines in general F01P
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/601 using an ejector or a jet pump
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/08 with separate ducts for supplied and exhausted air with provisions for reversal of the input and output systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]

Abstract

A turbine ventilation system includes at least one fan configured to provide a first air flow into a gas turbine enclosure, a fan bypass configured to circumvent the at least one fan to provide a second air flow into the gas turbine enclosure, and an eductor configured to draw the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure.

Claims

1. A method for ventilating a gas turbine enclosure, comprising:

providing a first air flow from at least one fan of a ventilation system coupled to the gas turbine enclosure, via an air intake port, into the gas turbine engine enclosure to purge the gas turbine enclosure while a fan bypass of the ventilation system remains closed;

starting up a gas turbine engine disposed within the gas turbine enclosure;

igniting the gas turbine engine while the at least one fan is active;

providing a second air flow, via the air intake port, into the gas turbine enclosure by opening the fan bypass, wherein the fan bypass circumvents the at least one fan to provide the second air flow;

deactivating the at least one fan upon both completion of purging the gas turbine enclosure and the gas turbine engine reaching full speed; and

drawing the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure, via an exhaust driven eductor, using an exhaust flow output by the gas turbine engine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first air flow from the at least one fan begins prior to starting up the gas turbine engine.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first air flow from the at least one fan begins simultaneously with starting up the gas turbine engine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein drawing the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure comprises drawing the first or second air flows through an exit port of the gas turbine enclosure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fan bypass is located outside of the gas turbine enclosure upstream of the air intake port.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fan bypass comprises an actuator coupled to a bypass.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second air flow into the gas turbine enclosure by opening the fan bypass occurs after igniting the gas turbine engine.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the second air flow into the gas turbine enclosure by opening the fan bypass and igniting the gas turbine engine occur simultaneously.

9. A method for ventilating a gas turbine enclosure, comprising:

utilizing a gas turbine controller comprising instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium to;

activate at least one fan of a ventilation system coupled to the gas turbine enclosure to provide a first air flow, via an air intake port, into the gas turbine engine enclosure to purge the gas turbine enclosure while keeping a fan bypass of the ventilation system closed;

start up a gas turbine engine disposed within the gas turbine enclosure;

to open the fan bypass to provide a second air flow, via the air intake port, into the gas turbine enclosure, wherein the fan bypass circumvents the at least one fan to provide the second air flow;

ignite the gas turbine engine while the at least one fan is active to generate an exhaust flow to drive an exhaust driven eductor to draw the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure; and

deactivate the at least one fan upon both completion of purging the gas turbine enclosure and the gas turbine engine reaching full speed.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising utilizing the gas turbine controller to activate the at least one fan to provide the first air flow prior to starting up the gas turbine engine.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising utilizing the gas turbine controller to activate the at least one fan to provide the first air flow and to start up the gas turbine engine simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising utilizing the gas turbine controller to ignite the gas turbine engine while the at least one fan is active to generate the exhaust flow to drive the exhaust driven eductor to draw the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure via an exit port.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the fan bypass is located outside of the gas turbine enclosure upstream of the air intake port.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the fan bypass comprises an actuator coupled to a bypass.

15. The method of claim 9, comprising utilizing the gas turbine controller to open the fan bypass to provide the second air flow after igniting the gas turbine engine.

16. The method of claim 9, comprising utilizing the gas turbine controller to open the fan bypass to provide the second air flow and to ignite the gas turbine engine simultaneously.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media encoding one or more instructions, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by a gas turbine controller, cause acts to be performed comprising:

activating at least one fan of a ventilation system coupled to the gas turbine enclosure to provide a first air flow, via an air intake port, into the gas turbine engine enclosure to purge the gas turbine enclosure while keeping a fan bypass of the ventilation system closed;

starting up a gas turbine engine disposed within the gas turbine enclosure;

opening the fan bypass to provide a second air flow, via the air intake port, into the gas turbine enclosure, wherein the fan bypass circumvents the at least one fan to provide the second air flow;

igniting the gas turbine engine while the at least one fan is active to generate an exhaust flow to drive an exhaust driven eductor to draw the first or second air flows through and out of the gas turbine enclosure; and

deactivating the at least one fan upon both completion of purging the gas turbine enclosure and the gas turbine engine reaching full speed.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the gas turbine controller, cause acts to be performed comprising:

activating the at least one fan to provide the first air flow prior to starting up the gas turbine engine.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the gas turbine controller, cause acts to be performed comprising:

activating the at least one fan to provide the first air flow and starting up the gas turbine engine simultaneously.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the one or more instructions, when executed by the gas turbine controller, cause acts to be performed comprising:

opening the fan bypass to provide the second air flow and igniting the gas turbine engine simultaneously.