Two-phase, axial flow, turbine apparatus

• US 8,491,253 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2008
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Energent Incorporated (Rodan Energy Solutions Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Energent Incorporated (Rodan Energy Solutions Inc.)
• Inventors: Hays, Lance G., Welch, Phillip R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maldonado, Julio J
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACHNER, ROBERT G
• Application Number:
  US12/290,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20100111669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,723 Days
• Field of Search: 415/48, 415/80, 415/167
• US Class Current: 415/48
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of engines with devices driven thereby
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/00 Gas-turbine plants characterised by the use of hot gases or unheated pressurised gases, as the working fluid by the use of combustion products F02C3/00, F02C5/00

Abstract

A turbine is operatively connected to load structure, to transmit rotary drive thereto, with two-phase flow nozzle receiving pressurized flow to rotate the turbine, the nozzle structure configured to expand flow consisting of two or more of the following phases:

• • i) gas
  • ii) liquid
  • iii) gas and liquid mixture
  • iv) supercritical gas and liquid mixture, and with efficient conversion of enthalpy.

Claims

1. A variable phase turbine comprising:

i) nozzle structure operable to discharge a fluid medium of liquid, supercritical fluid or a mixture of liquid and gas with conversion of medium enthalpy to kinetic energy in a directed stream of a mixture of gas and liquid, supercritical fluid or pure gas, said directed stream characterized by the chemical composition of the fluid medium and the thermodynamic conditions of the enthalpy conversion process, said nozzle structure directing the flow at blade structure for displacing said blade structure,

ii) the blade structure configured to maximize the conversion of the kinetic energy of said directed stream into torque acting upon rotor structure carrying said blade structure,

iii) said rotor structure to which blades defined by the blade structure are attached transmitting torque to a shaft to which the rotor structure and a load are attached,

iv) casing structure configured to confine and direct the medium and which contains bearings and seals to enable the shaft to transmit the torque, and

v) shroud structure configured and located to prevent liquid which has transferred kinetic energy to the blades from contacting the casing structure and from being re-directed to contact the moving blades, causing losses in torque and,

vi) there being a pintle associated with the nozzle structure and operable to be moved axially in an axial flow zone of the nozzle structure to control flow particle size, and there being other means for sensing flow particle size downstream of the pintle and operatively connected with the pintle for controlling said pintle axial movement, whereby flow particle size discharged from the nozzle structure is substantially minimized,

vii) said pintle being forwardly and axially tapered in a narrowed flow zone defined by the nozzle structure,

viii) said turbine having blades having an angular displacement of each blade leading edge from the perpendicular to the axis of the nozzle structure of between 1 degree to 15 degrees counter to the rotational direction,

ix) the nozzle structure having flow through configurations, that are functions of input fluid phase compositions to minimize fluid particle size while optimizing kinetic energy of nozzle discharge incident on turbine blades,

x) the pintle position controlling slip at inlet regions of the nozzle structure, and

xi) an actuator to control pintle positioning, and actuator control means to maximize said slip, for a selected fluid phase flow.

2. The turbine of claim 1 characterized and configured with optimization in conformance with a computer program characterizing the nozzle pressure profile to produce the maximum conversion by the nozzle structure of enthalpy for a medium of liquid or supercritical fluid to kinetic energy in a directed stream of a mixture of gas and liquid, supercritical fluid or pure gas.

3. The turbine of claim 1 characterized and configured with optimization in conformance with a computer program characterizing the nozzle structure pressure profile to produce minimum liquid droplet size in the nozzle structure while optimizing kinetic energy for a mixture of gas and liquid.

4. The turbine of claim 1 having a discontinuity in the profile of the wall of the nozzle structure, said discontinuity causing any liquid on the wall to be directed into the flowing stream.

5. The turbine of claim 1 having two or more said nozzle structures with centerlines at different radii.

6. The turbine of claim 1 with nozzle structure having plate dividers separated by contoured surfaces enabling linear streamlines and full circumferential admission.

7. The turbine of claim 1 characterized and configured with optimization in conformance with a computer program characterized in that the blade structure produces the maximum conversion of the kinetic energy to torque by a directed stream of a mixture of gas and liquid, supercritical fluid or pure gas.

8. The turbine of claim 1 wherein for a directed stream of a mixture of liquid and gas, the blade structure has an initial section with a gradual angle optimized to minimize the sum of momentum losses and friction losses when the stream impacts the blade structure surface.

9. The turbine of claim 1 wherein for a directed stream of a mixture of liquid and gas, the blade structure is configured to increase the hydraulic diameter of liquid flowing on the blade structure surface, thereby reducing friction losses.

10. The turbine of claim 1 wherein for a directed stream of a mixture of gas and liquid, the blade structure is configured to configure a trajectory of liquid leaving the surface of the blade structure thereby to produce a tangential component of the velocity relative to the shaft centerline, causing the liquid to be separated from the gas phase and to enter a passage provided in the casing structure to capture the liquid.

11. The turbine of claim 1 wherein for a directed stream of a mixture of gas and liquid, body structure is provided downstream of the rotor structure to prevent recirculation of the flow, preventing liquid from striking the blades defined by the blade structure.

12. The turbine of claim 1 in combination with

a) a shaft connected to the turbine rotor,

b) a shaft seal, and

c) a generator connected to the shaft having bearings to support the shaft.

13. The turbine of claim 1 in combination with

a) a shaft connected to the turbine rotor,

b) a generator connected to the shaft that is cooled by the medium, and

c) bearings supporting the shaft that are lubricated by the medium.

14. The turbine of claim 1 in combination with

a) a shaft connected to the turbine rotor,

b) a generator connected to the shaft that is cooled by the medium,

c) bearings supporting the shaft that are lubricated by the medium, and

d) a self adjusting balance mechanism to reduce and control the axial force resulting from pressure differences across the rotor and the weight of the generator rotor and shaft.

15. The turbine of claim 1 in combination with

a) a shaft connected to the turbine rotor,

b) bearings supporting the shaft,

c) a compressor(s) connected to the shaft.

16. The turbine of claim 1 in combination with

a) a shaft connected to the turbine rotor,

b) bearings supporting the shaft, and

c) a pump(s) connected to the shaft.

17. The combination of claim 1 and

a) a vertical shaft,

b) an annular plenum that supplies the medium to the nozzle structure,

c) a passage for flow of the medium surrounding a generator,

d) a port and insulated means to feed electrical wires from the generator through the wall surrounding the generator,

e) the casing separated into components to enable access to the assembly comprised of the turbine, shaft and generator, and related parts.

18. The turbine of claim 1 where the medium is one of the following

x₁) 1,1,12-Tetrafluoroethane, i.e., R134a

x₂) ii Difluoro-1,1-ethane, i.e., R152a

x₃) 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane, i.e., R227ea

x₄) 1,1,1,2,3,3-hexafluoropropane, i.e., R236ea

x₅) 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoropropane, i.e., R245fa

x₆) 1,1,2,2,3-pentafluoropropane, i.e., R245ca

x₇) 1,1-dichloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, i.e., R123

x₈) CO2

x₉) CH4

x₁₀) propane

x₁₁) ethylene

x₁₂) propelene

x₁₃) water

x₁₄) nitrogen

x₁₅) mixtures where the above fluids comprise 50% or more of the mixture.

19. Variable phase turbine of claim 1 defining, in combination

a) a rotatably driven load structure, defining an axis,

b) confinement structure forming a fluid flow passage extending generally axially and adjacent to said load structure,

c) said turbine operatively connected to said load structure, to transmit rotary drive thereto,

d) said nozzle structure receiving pressurized flow via said passage, and directing flow of fluid from said passage, expanded in the nozzle structure, at the turbine to rotate the turbine,

e) the nozzle structure configured to expand flow consisting of two or more of the following phases:

i) gas

ii) liquid

iii) gas and liquid mixture

iv) supercritical gas and liquid mixture, and

with efficient conversion of enthalpy.

20. The combination of claim 19 wherein said axis extends upright, and said nozzle structure and turbine are located below the load level, fluid flowing downwardly in said passage to said nozzle structure.

21. The combination of claim 20 including structure extending below said nozzle structure and turbine to direct discharged fluid downwardly away from said confinement structure, said load structure comprising an electrical generator having a rotor driven by said turbine.

22. The combination of claim 21 including surfaces located above said load structure and responsive to pressure of fluid flowing to said passage for exerting lifting force on the generator, during rotation of said rotor.

23. The combination of claim 19 wherein said pintle is controllably axially movable within a tapered nozzle bore, to selected position for controlling the particle size of fluid passing through the nozzle structure, and to control slip at inlet regions of the nozzle structure, said nozzle structure position adjusted to compensate for conversion of the flow from a first fluid phase to a second fluid phase, whereby sizes of flow particles leaving the nozzle structure are minimized in said first and second phases.

24. The combination of claim 23 wherein said nozzle structure includes multiple nozzles circularly spaced about said axis, and angled downwardly toward turbine blades, the nozzle structure having inlets below said passage.

25. The combination of claim 23 including computer programmed to control said actuator structure so as to maximize said slip, for a selected fluid phase flow.

26. The combination of claim 24 wherein said multiple nozzles are arranged in two concentric rings for enhancing nozzle fluid discharge drive moment exerted on turbine blading.

27. The combination of claim 26 wherein said two concentric rings are located below said load.

28. The combination of claim 19 wherein said nozzle structure is or are a two-phase nozzle, or nozzles.

29. The combination of claim 19 wherein the load is a compressor.

30. The method of operating the turbine apparatus of claim 1 which includes

f) directing the flow through said nozzle structure,

g) adjusting said nozzle structure to compensate for conversion of the flow from a first of said fluid phases to a second of said fluid phases, whereby sizes of flow particles leaving the nozzle structure are minimized in said first and second phases.

31. The method of claim 30 including controlling said adjusting by provision of and operation of a programmed computer.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein said controlling of said adjusting includes providing a tapered pintle or pintles in a tapered bore or bores of said nozzle structure, to extend lengthwise therein, and controllably and adjustably displacing said pintle or pintles lengthwise in said bore or bores to minimize said particle sizes.

33. The method of controlling the operation of the turbine of claim 1 with said nozzle to which pressurized fluid is supplied, that includes the step:

adjusting nozzle flow through configuration, as a function of input fluid phase composition, by controlled axial movement of the pintle in the nozzle to minimize fluid particle size while optimizing kinetic energy of nozzle discharge incident on turbine blades, and collecting said flow at a location remote from an electrical generator driven by said turbine, and in downward extending away from the generator.

34. The turbine of claim 1 wherein the nozzle structure is characterized and configured by slip maximized at the inlet region or regions of the nozzle structure.