Gas storage power station

• US 7,073,335 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Gerdes, Ralf, Keller-Sornig, Peter, Tuschy, Ilja
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez, William H.
• Application Number:
  US10/218,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20030037548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: 607/91, 607/92, 607/88, 607/93, 60/392.2, 608/01, 608/03, 607/27, 290/52, 290/406, 290/40.B, 290/40.C, 290/54, 290/2, 290/1.R, 290/1.A
• US Class Current: 60/727
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/16 for storing compressed air
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/60 making use of surplus or waste energy
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/90 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/902 using frictional mechanical forces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids

Abstract

The present invention relates to a gas storage power station (1) having a turbine group (3) and a compressor group (4). The turbine group (3) has at least one turbine (5, 6) and a generator (10). During normal operation of the turbine group (3), the generator (10) emits power directly to a main load (11). The compressor group (4) has at least one compressor (12) and one electric motor (15). The gas storage power station (1) furthermore has a power consumption device (20), which can be activated in order to consume turbine and/or generator power.

Claims

1. A gas storage power station comprising:

at least one turbine group which has at least one turbine and at least one generator which are connected or connectable to one another for drive purposes, with the generator giving power directly to at least one predetermined main load during normal operation of the turbine group, and

a least one compressor group which has at least one compressor and at least one electric motor which are connected or connectable to one another for drive purposes, and

a power consumption device for controlling turbine acceleration by transferring at least one of turbine and generator power to an electrical consumer.

2. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

a control and/or regulating device is provided, which regulates and/or controls the power consumption device such that the turbine rotation speed does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.

3. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

a control and/or regulating device is provided, which regulates and/or controls the power consumption device such that the power consumption of the power consumption device compensates for any difference between a nominal power, which can be given off directly from the generator to the at least one main load, and an instantaneously available actual power.

4. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the power consumption device has a static frequency converter which takes electrical power from the generator when the power consumption device is activated, and emits electrical power to at least one electrical additional load.

5. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 4,

wherein

the frequency converter emits electrical power to the at least one electric motor.

6. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 4,

wherein

the frequency converter emits electrical power to the at least one main load.

7. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the power consumption device has an electrical resistor which takes electrical power from the generator and converts it to heat, when the power consumption device is activated.

8. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 7,

wherein

the resistor is cooled by a cooling medium, with the heat which is drawn away from the cooling medium being supplied to at least one heat sink.

9. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

the power consumption device has additionally a braking device in order to draw off drive power from the shaft of at least one turbine.

10. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 9,

wherein

the braking device has a flywheel, which stores the drive power that has been drawn off as kinetic energy.

11. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 9,

wherein

the braking device has a friction brake which converts the drawn-off drive power essentially to heat.

12. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 11,

wherein

the friction brake is cooled by a cooling medium, with the heat which is drawn away by the cooling medium being supplied to at least one heat sink.

13. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 9,

wherein

the braking device has a clutch device which connects a shaft which is driven by the at least one turbine in a manner which can be controlled and/or regulated to a shaft which drives the at least one compressor in the compressor group, such that a greater or lesser amount of drive power is drawn off for driving the at least one compressor by means of appropriate operation of the clutch device when the power consumption device is activated.

14. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 1,

wherein

at least one of the turbine groups and at least one of the compressor groups are in the form of an arrangement with a common shaft or an arrangement with separate shafts.

15. The gas storage power station as claimed in claim 9, wherein the braking device is in the form of an impulse wheel.