System and method for automatically controlling one or multiple turbogenerators

• US 9,638,101 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tucson Embedded Systems Inc., Turbine Powered Technology, LLC
• Original Assignee: Tucson Embedded Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Crowe, David, Crom, Elden
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANDREW H
• Application Number:
  US14/081,106
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/00 Plural gas-turbine plants; Combinations of gas-turbine plants with other apparatus; Adaptations of gas-turbine plants for special use
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/02 Plural gas-turbine plants having a common power output
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/00 Controlling gas-turbine plants; Controlling fuel supply in air- breathing jet-propulsion plants controlling air intakes F02C7/057; controlling turbines F01D; controlling compressors F04D27/00; controlling in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/18 by bleeding, bypassing or acting on variable working fluid interconnections between turbines or compressors or their stages F02C3/113 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/22 by adjusting turbine vanes
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/26 Control of fuel supply F02C9/48 takes precedence; fuel valves F02C7/232
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/42 specially adapted for the control of two or more plants simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/00 Pumps characterised by combination with, or adaptation to, specific driving engines or motors
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2201/12 Parameters of driving or driven means
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 2205/05 Pressure after the pump outlet
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/04 Combinations of two or more pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 49/06 Control using electricity regulating by means of floats actuating electric switches F04B49/04
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/02 Units comprising pumps and their driving means
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 15/0066 by changing the speed, e.g. of the driving engine
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/021 to prevent overspeed
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/06 to match engine to driven device
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/04 Control effected upon non-electric prime mover and dependent upon electric output value of the generator

Abstract

At least one controller manages a gas turbine engine driving a generator directly or indirectly coupled to the engine. The controller is programmed to automatically determine and adjust inputs to the gas turbine engine in order to cause the generator to produce a user-specified electrical output. Multiple sets of generator, engine, and controller may be used, in which case a master controller individually manages the other controllers to collectively provide the a user-specified electrical output.

Claims

1. A power generating system, comprising:

multiple generators each coupled to a common grid via a corresponding switch, each generator driven by a different gas turbine engine; and

at least one controller coupled to the gas turbine engines, each of said at least one controller programmed to employ a predetermined computer-driven strategy to calculate and individually adjust target mechanical outputs of the gas turbine engines such that the generators supply a user-specified electric output to the common grid;

where each of said at least one controller is programmed such that the predetermined computer-driven strategy comprises applying the following proportional-integral-differential (PID) control loops;

a first-level PID control loop programmed to receive user-specified electric output of the power generating system, to receive measured electric output of the power generating system, to receive operating limitations including electrical limits of the generators and switches, and to provide output including an individual targeted electric output for each of the generators;

a second-level PID control loop associated with each generator, where each of the second-level PID control loops is programmed to receive input including the targeted electric output for the associated generator from the first-level PID control loop, to receive measured electric output of the associated generator, to receive operating limitations including electrical limits of the associated generator and its corresponding switch, and to provide output including targeted engine output for the gas turbine engine coupled to the associated generator;

a third-level PID control loop associated with each generator and the second-level PID loop associated with the generator, where each of the third-level PID control loops is programmed to receive targeted engine output from the associated second-level PID loop, to receive sensed engine conditions including temperature, speed, and torque, and to provide output including air, fuel, ignition, or other combustion inputs for application to the gas turbine engine driving the associated generator.

2. A method of operating a power generating system, comprising operations of:

providing multiple generators each coupled to a common grid via a corresponding switch, each generator driven by a gas turbine engine;

providing at least one controller coupled to the gas turbine engines; and

each of said at least one controller employing a predetermined computer-driven strategy to calculate and individually adjust target mechanical outputs of the gas turbine engines such that the generators supply a user-specified electric output to the common grid;

the predetermined computer-driven strategy comprises applying the following proportional-integral-differential (PID) control loops;

a first-level PID control loop programmed to receive user-specified electric output of the power generating system, to receive measured electric output of the power generating system, to receive operating limitations including electrical limits of the generators and switches, and to provide output including an individual targeted electric output for each of the generators;

a second-level PID control loop associated with each generator, where each of the second-level PID control loops is programmed to receive input including the targeted electric output for the associated generator from the first-level PID control loop, to receive measured electric output of the associated generator, to receive operating limitations including electrical limits of the associated generator and its corresponding switch, and to provide output including targeted engine output for the gas turbine engine coupled to the associated generator;

a third-level PID control loop associated with each generator and the second-level PID loop associated with the generator, where each of the third-level PID control loops is programmed to receive targeted engine output from the associated second-level PID loop, to receive sensed engine conditions including temperature, speed, and torque, and to provide output including air, fuel, ignition, or other combustion inputs for application to the gas turbine engine driving the associated generator.