Power augmentation of a gas turbine by inlet air chilling

• US 5,321,944 A
• Filed: 06/28/1993
• Issued: 06/21/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ormat Technologies Incorporated (Ormat Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ormat Inc.
• Inventors: Bronicki, Lucien Y., Fisher, Uriyel
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertsch, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thorpe, Timothy S.
• Application Number:
  US08/082,819
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 60/39.05, 60/39.182, 60/39.83, 60/728, 415/179
• US Class Current: 60/775
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/143 before or between the compressor stages
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/582 specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/5826 Cooling at least part of the working fluid in a heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/20 Heat transfer, e.g. cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 11/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, using turbines, e.g. gas turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/002 characterised by the refrigerant
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

In order to augment the power produced by a gas turbine system of a type having an air compressor for producing compressed air, a combustor for heating the compressed air, and a gas turbine responsive to the heated air for driving the air compressor and the load, cooling air is supplied to the compressor by indirectly contacting the air with water that is chilled by flashing some of the water into a vapor.

Claims

1. Apparatus for augmenting power produced by a gas turbine system of the type having an air compressor for producing compressed air, a combustor for heating the compressed air to produce hot gases, a gas turbine responsive to said hot gases for driving said air compressor and a load, and for producing exhaust gases, said apparatus comprising:

a) means for cooling air supplied to the compressor;

b) said means for cooling comprising;

(1) an indirect contact heat exchanger through which air is supplied to said compressor;

(2) a closed reservoir containing water;

(3) means for exchanging water between said reservoir and said heat exchanger;

(4) an auxiliary compressor having an inlet connected to said reservoir, and having an outlet;

(5) drive means for operating said auxiliary compressor to reduce the pressure in said reservoir thereby producing water vapor which reduces the temperature of the water remaining in the reservoir, said water vapor being compressed by the operation of said auxiliary compressor to produce heated, compressed water vapor at said outlet;

(6) a condenser connected to said outlet for condensing said heated compressed water vapor; and

(7) means connecting said condenser to said reservoir for returning the condensed water vapor produced by said condenser to said reservoir.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said drive means include:

a) a vaporizer containing liquid working fluid and responsive to exhaust gases from said gas turbine for producing vaporized working fluid from liquid working fluid;

b) an auxiliary turbine mechanically coupled to said auxiliary compressor and responsive to said vaporized working fluid for expanding the latter to drive said auxiliary compressor and producing heat depleted working fluid;

c) an auxiliary condenser responsive to said heat depleted working fluid for condensing the same; and

e) means for pumping condensate from said auxiliary condenser to said vaporizer.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said condenser is air cooled.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said condenser is liquid cooled.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said condenser comprises:

a) a direct contact heat exchanger having a sump containing water and a sprayhead;

b) a pump for pumping some of the water from said sump to said reservoir and some to said sprayhead for contacting heated compressed water vapor with droplets produced by said sprayhead; and

c) a heat exchanger interposed between said sump and said sprayhead for cooling water in said sump.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said heat exchanger interposed between said sump and said sprayhead is air cooled.

7. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said heat exchanger interposed between said sump and said sprayhead is liquid cooled.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7 including a cooling tower for cooling said liquid.

9. Apparatus according to claim 4 including a cooling tower for cooling said liquid.

14. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means connecting said condenser to said reservoir includes a nozzle through which said condensed water vapor passes before entering said reservoir.

15. Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said closed reservoir includes a baffle for partially separating said reservoir into two portions, and said means connecting said condenser to said reservoir is contructed and arranged so that the output of said nozzle enters said one portion of said reservoir wherein the water is warmer than in the other portion of said reservoir.

10. A method for augmenting the power produced by a gas turbine system of the type having an air compressor for producing compressed air, a combutor for heating said compressed air, and a gas turbine responsive to the heated air for drifving said air compressor and a load for producing exhaust gases, said method including the steps of cooling air supplied to said compressor by indirectly contacting said air with water that is chilled by flashing some of the water into a vapor, and compressing vapor produced by flashing water to produce heated, compressed steam, cooling the heated compressed steam to produce a liquid, and expanding said liquid to a vapor.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein cooling the heated compressed steam is achieved by transferring heat to ambient air.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein cooling the heated compressed steam is achieved by transferring heat to cooling water.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein the vapor is compressed using heat extracted from the exhaust gases produced by said gas turbine.