System and method for generating power using a supercritical fluid
First Claim
1. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
- a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas;
b) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor;
c) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid;
d) after step (c), expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power;
e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and
f) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dual cycle system for generating shaft power using a supercritical fluid and a fossil fuel. The first cycle is an open, air breathing Brayton cycle. The second cycle is a closed, supercritical fluid Brayton cycle. After compression of air in the first cycle, the compressed air flows through a first cross cycle heat exchanger through which the supercritical fluid from the second cycle flows after it has been compressed and then expanded in a turbine. In the first cross cycle heat exchanger, the compressed air is heated and the expanded supercritical fluid is cooled. Prior to expansion in a turbine, the compressed supercritical fluid flows through a second cross cycle heat exchanger through which also flows combustion gas, produced by burning a fossil fuel in the compressed air in the first cycle. In the second cross cycle heat exchanger, the combustion gas is cooled and the compressed supercritical fluid is heated.
-
Citations
64 Claims
-
1. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
-
a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas; b) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; c) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid; d) after step (c), expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power; e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and f) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
-
a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas including a first portion of said combustion gas and a second portion of said combustion gas; b) expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power; c) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; d) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid, wherein said first portion of said combustion gas flows through said first cross cycle heat exchanger before the step of expanding said combustion gas in said first turbine and said second portion of said combustion gas flows through said first cross cycle heat exchanger after the step of expanding said combustion gas in said first turbine; e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and f) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
-
a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas; b) expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power; c) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; d) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid; e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and f) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air, wherein sufficient heat is transferred from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air in said second cross cycle heat exchanger to cool said expanded supercritical fluid to approximately the critical temperature of said supercritical fluid. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
-
-
48. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
-
a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas; b) expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power, wherein the first turbine drives a first turbine shaft; c) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; d) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid; e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power, wherein said second turbine drives a second turbine shaft; f) transmitting torque from said second turbine shaft to an output shaft without contact between said second turbine shaft and said output shaft; and g) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
-
-
58. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of:
-
a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas; b) expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power; c) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; d) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid and cooled combustion gas; e) transferring heat from said cooled combustion gas to a flow of water so as to heat said flow of water; f) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and g) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
-
Specification