Gas turbine engine with multiple load outputs

• US 8,853,878 B1
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Solar Turbines Incorporated (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Inventors: White, Robert Chappell
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/893,908
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 290/52, 290/54, 607/72
• US Class Current: 290/52
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/08 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 3/10 with another turbine driving an output shaft but not driving the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/36 Power transmission arrangements between the different shafts of the gas turbine plant, or between the gas-turbine plant and the power user F02C3/107 - F02C3/13 and F02C7/32 take precedence; couplings for transmitting rotation F16D; gearing in general F16H
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 Combined heat and power generation [CHP]

Abstract

A gas turbine engine includes a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, a power turbine shaft, and a gas producer shaft. The compressor includes a compressor rotor assembly including a plurality of compressor disk assemblies. The turbine includes a turbine rotor assembly including a power turbine section and a gas producer section. The power turbine shaft is coupled to the power turbine section and is configured to couple to a first driven apparatus. The gas producer shaft is coupled to the gas producer section and the compressor rotor assembly, and is configured to couple to a second driven apparatus.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:

a compressor including

a compressor rotor assembly including a plurality of compressor disk assemblies;

a combustor adjacent the compressor;

a turbine adjacent the combustor, the turbine including

a turbine rotor assembly including

a power turbine section with a first turbine disk assembly, and

a gas producer section with a second turbine disk assembly;

a power turbine shaft coupled to the power turbine section, the power turbine shaft being configured to couple to a first driven apparatus; and

a gas producer shaft coupled to the compressor rotor assembly and the gas producer section, the gas producer shaft being configured to couple to a second driven apparatus.

2. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising a gas compressor coupled to the power turbine shaft.

3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, further comprising an electric generator coupled to the gas producer shaft.

4. The gas turbine engine of claim 2, further comprising an electric generator coupled to the gas producer shaft.

5. The gas turbine engine of claim 3, further comprising a converter connected to the electric generator output.

6. The gas turbine engine of claim 5, wherein the converter is a variable to constant frequency converter.

7. The gas turbine engine of claim 5, wherein the converter outputs a constant frequency of 60 hertz.

8. The gas turbine engine of claim 3, further comprising a cold side gearbox coupling the gas producer shaft to the electric generator, the cold side gearbox being a constant speed drive.

9. A gas turbine engine package, comprising:

a first driven apparatus;

a second driven apparatus; and

a gas turbine engine including

a compressor including

a compressor rotor assembly including a plurality of compressor disk assemblies,

a turbine including

a turbine rotor assembly including

a power turbine section with a first turbine disk assembly, and

a gas producer section with a second turbine disk assembly,

a power turbine shaft coupled to the power turbine section and to the first driven apparatus, and

a gas producer shaft coupled to the compressor rotor assembly, the gas producer section, and the second driven apparatus.

10. The gas turbine engine package of claim 9, wherein the first driven apparatus is a gas compressor.

11. The gas turbine engine package of claim 9, wherein the second driven apparatus is an electric generator.

12. The gas turbine engine package of claim 10, wherein the second driven apparatus is an electric generator.

13. A gas turbine engine package of claim 11, further comprising:

a converter connected to the electric generator output.

14. The gas turbine engine package of claim 13, wherein the converter is also connected to a power grid.

15. The gas turbine engine package of claim 9, wherein the first driven apparatus couples to the power turbine shaft via a hot side gearbox and the second driven apparatus couples to the gas producer shaft via a cold side gearbox.

16. A method for operating a gas turbine engine including an inlet end, a compressor including a compressor rotor assembly with a plurality of compressor disk assemblies adjacent the inlet end, a combustor adjacent the compressor, a turbine including a turbine rotor assembly with a plurality of turbine disk assemblies adjacent the combustor, an exhaust end adjacent the turbine, a first shaft end adjacent the exhaust end and coupled to at least one of the plurality of turbine disk assemblies and a first driven apparatus, and a second shaft end adjacent the inlet end and coupled to the compressor rotor assembly, at least one of the plurality of turbine disk assemblies, and a second driven apparatus, the first shaft end and the second shaft end being located at opposite ends of the gas turbine engine, the method comprising:

driving the first driven apparatus and the second driven apparatus concurrently with the gas turbine engine at a predetermined load;

increasing a second load output to the second driven apparatus coupled to the second shaft end when a first load output to the first driven apparatus coupled to the first shaft end is decreased to maintain the gas turbine engine output at the predetermined load; and

decreasing the second load output to the second driven apparatus when the first load output to the first driven apparatus is increased to maintain the gas turbine engine output at the predetermined load.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

converting an electrical output of the second driven apparatus to a frequency synchronous to a power grid with a converter, wherein the second driven apparatus is an electric generator and the converter is connected to the electric generator and the power grid.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

rotating a power turbine shaft including the first shaft end at a first speed; and

rotating a gas producer shaft including the second shaft end at a second speed;

wherein the power turbine shaft is coupled to a power turbine section of the turbine, and the gas producer shaft is coupled to the compressor rotor assembly and to a gas producer section of the turbine.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein increasing and decreasing the second load output includes increasing and decreasing an output to an electric generator, and increasing and decreasing the first load output includes increasing and decreasing an output to a gas compressor.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein increasing the second load output to the second driven apparatus coupled to the second shaft end when the first load output to the first driven apparatus coupled to the first shaft end is decreased to maintain the gas turbine engine output at the predetermined load and decreasing the second load output to the second driven apparatus when the first load output to the first driven apparatus is increased to maintain the gas turbine engine output at the predetermined load each include maintaining the gas turbine engine at a full load.