Low carbon emissions combined cycle power plant and process
First Claim
1. A low carbon emissions combined cycle power plant comprising:
- a gas turbine engine having a turbine exhaust duct, fuelled by carbon-containing fuel, and operable to exhaust carbon dioxide-containing flue gases from the turbine exhaust duct;
a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) operable to raise steam by cooling flue gases received from the turbine exhaust duct;
a steam turbine operable to produce shaft power from steam received from the HRSG;
a heat exchanger arrangement operable to cool flue gases received from the HRSG down to a temperature approximating normal ambient temperature;
active cooling apparatus operable to further cool the flue gases down to a temperature range of about −
40°
C. to −
50°
C.; and
a plurality of vortex nozzles, each vortex nozzle having an inlet to receive flue gases from the active cooling apparatus and being operable to cryogenically separate out carbon dioxide from the received flue gases and to emit carbon-dioxide-depleted flue gases;
wherein the gas turbine engine exhaust duct, the HRSG, the heat exchanger arrangement, and the active cooling apparatus are configured and arranged to operate at a pressure sufficient to assure entry of flue gases to the vortex nozzles at a pressure of at least 2 bar.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A low carbon emissions, combined cycle power plant utilizes vortex nozzles (38) operative at cryogenic temperatures to separate out carbon dioxide (39) from the flue gases. Complexity of the plant is minimized by operating a gas turbine engine component (10) of the plant at a turbine exhaust pressure of at least 2 bar, so that downstream components of the plant, including a heat recovery steam generator (19A), a gas cooling system (30, 33, 36), and the inlets of the vortex nozzles, all operate at the same pressure of at least two bar. To increase carbon dioxide concentration in the flue gases (37) that pass through the vortex nozzles (38), and thereby increase efficiency of carbon dioxide removal from the flue gases, up to 50% of the flue gases that exit the heat recovery steam generator (19A) may be recirculated to a location (L, FIG. 4)) in the compressor of the gas turbine engine where the pressure of the compressor air matches the flue gas pressure.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A low carbon emissions combined cycle power plant comprising:
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a gas turbine engine having a turbine exhaust duct, fuelled by carbon-containing fuel, and operable to exhaust carbon dioxide-containing flue gases from the turbine exhaust duct; a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) operable to raise steam by cooling flue gases received from the turbine exhaust duct; a steam turbine operable to produce shaft power from steam received from the HRSG; a heat exchanger arrangement operable to cool flue gases received from the HRSG down to a temperature approximating normal ambient temperature; active cooling apparatus operable to further cool the flue gases down to a temperature range of about −
40°
C. to −
50°
C.; anda plurality of vortex nozzles, each vortex nozzle having an inlet to receive flue gases from the active cooling apparatus and being operable to cryogenically separate out carbon dioxide from the received flue gases and to emit carbon-dioxide-depleted flue gases; wherein the gas turbine engine exhaust duct, the HRSG, the heat exchanger arrangement, and the active cooling apparatus are configured and arranged to operate at a pressure sufficient to assure entry of flue gases to the vortex nozzles at a pressure of at least 2 bar. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A process for obtaining low carbon emissions from a combined cycle power plant that includes a gas turbine engine fuelled by carbon-containing fuel and operable to exhaust carbon dioxide-containing flue gases of the gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) operable to raise steam by cooling flue gases received from the turbine exhaust duct, a steam turbine operable to produce shaft power from steam received from the HRSG, a heat exchanger arrangement operable to cool flue gases received from the HRSG down to a temperature approximating normal ambient temperature, and active cooling apparatus operable to further cool the flue gases down to a temperature range of about −
- 40°
C. to −
50°
C., the process comprising;first cooling gas turbine flue gases by using them in the HRSG to raise steam to drive the steam turbine to produce shaft power; second further cooling said flue gases to a temperature about normal ambient temperature in the heat exchanger; third further cooling said flue gases to a temperature range of about −
40°
C. to −
50°
C. in the active cooling apparatus; andcryogenically separating carbon dioxide from the flue gases in a plurality of vortex nozzles and emitting carbon-dioxide-depleted flue gases; wherein exhausting flue gases from the gas turbine engine and said third further cooling of the flue gases step occurs at a pressure which is sufficient to assure entry to the plurality of vortex nozzles at a pressure of at least 2 bar. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
- 40°
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31. A process of operating a low-carbon-emissions combined cycle power plant, the plant having a gas turbine engine part fuelled by carbon-containing fuel and operable to exhaust carbon dioxide-containing flue gases of the gas turbine, a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) operable to raise steam by cooling flue gases received from the turbine exhaust duct, a steam turbine operable to produce shaft power from steam received from the HRSG, a heat exchanger arrangement operable to cool flue gases received from the HRSG down to a temperature approximating normal ambient temperature, active cooling apparatus operable to further cool the flue gases down to a temperature range of about −
- 40°
C. to −
50°
C., a plurality of vortex nozzles to separate out carbon dioxide from flue gases at cryogenic temperatures, and parts of the plant fluidly connected between the gas turbine engine and the vortex nozzles, the process comprising;operating said gas turbine engine part with a turbine exhaust pressure and pressure of said parts at a pressure which is sufficient to assure an inlet pressure to the plurality of vortex nozzles of at least 2 bar.
- 40°
Specification