SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING THERMAL ISSUES IN ONE OR MORE INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES

• US 20120128463A1
• Filed: 06/22/2010
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Echogen Power Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Echogen Power Systems, LLC
• Inventors: Held, Timothy James
• Granted Patent: US 9,441,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 415/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/10 with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle F01K17/025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/10 the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/103 Carbon dioxide F01K25/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/16 Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to a system that enables one to both: (i) address various thermal management issues (e.g., inlet air cooling) in gas turbines, gas turbine engines, industrial process equipment and/or internal combustion engines; and (ii) yield a supercritical fluid-based heat engine. In one embodiment, the present invention utilizes at least one working fluid selected from ammonia, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or other suitable working fluid medium. In another embodiment, the present invention utilizes carbon dioxide or ammonia as a working fluid to achieve a system that enables one to address inlet cooling issues in a gas turbine, internal combustion engine or other industrial application while also yielding a supercritical fluid based heat engine as a second cycle using the waste heat from the gas turbine and/or internal combustion engine to create a combined power cycle.

Claims

1. A system for temperature conditioning inlet air for a turbine comprising:

at least one turbine having an inlet side and an outlet side;

at least one air inlet heat exchanger operatively coupled to the inlet side of the at least one turbine, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger is designed to remove heat from inlet air being supplied to the inlet side of the at least one turbine and transfer such heat via a working fluid to a bottom loop;

at least one air outlet heat exchanger operatively coupled to the outlet side of the at least one turbine, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger is designed to remove heat from outlet air being generated by the at least one turbine and transfer such heat via a working fluid to the bottom loop;

wherein the bottom loop is designed to utilize such transferred heat from the at least one air inlet heat exchanger and the at least one air outlet heat exchanger to provide suitably conditioned working fluid back to both the at least one air inlet heat exchanger and the at least one air outlet heat exchanger.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is selected from ammonia, carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the working fluid is carbon dioxide.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the working fluid is supercritical carbon dioxide.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the working fluid is ammonia.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the working fluid is supercritical ammonia.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the bottom loop is designed to utilize waste heat present at the outlet side of the at least one turbine in combination with the at least one air inlet heat exchanger to yield a reduction in the temperature of inlet air provided to the inlet side of the at least one turbine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the bottom loop comprises:

at least one first bottom loop heat exchanger designed to receive a heat laden working fluid from the at least one air outlet heat exchanger; and

at least one bottom loop compressor operatively coupled via the working fluid to the at least one first bottom loop heat exchanger, wherein the at least one bottom loop compressor is designed to utilize, or bleed heat from, the heat laden working fluid so as to yield a cooled working fluid,

wherein the cooled working fluid is provided to the at least one air inlet heat exchanger for use in the reduction of the temperature of inlet air provided to the inlet side of the at least one turbine.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the bottom loop is a heat engine designed to utilize transferred heat to condition inlet air and generate surplus power, or energy.

14. A method for temperature conditioning inlet air for a turbine, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one turbine having an inlet side and an outlet side;

providing at least one air inlet heat exchanger operatively coupled to the inlet side of the at least one turbine, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger is designed to remove heat from inlet air being supplied to the inlet side of the at least one turbine and transfer such heat via a working fluid to a bottom loop;

providing at least one air outlet heat exchanger operatively coupled to the outlet side of the at least one turbine, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger is designed to remove heat from outlet air being generated by the at least one turbine and transfer such heat via a working fluid to the bottom loop;

wherein the bottom loop transfers heat from the at least one air inlet heat exchanger and the at least one air outlet heat exchanger to provide suitably conditioned working fluid back to both the at least one air inlet heat exchanger and the at least one air outlet heat exchanger.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the working fluid is selected from ammonia, carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the working fluid is carbon dioxide.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the working fluid is supercritical carbon dioxide.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the working fluid is ammonia.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the working fluid is supercritical ammonia.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one air inlet heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one air outlet heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the bottom loop utilizes waste heat present at the outlet side of the at least one turbine in combination with the at least one air inlet heat exchanger to yield a reduction in the temperature of inlet air provided to the inlet side of the at least one turbine.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the bottom loop comprises:

at least one first bottom loop heat exchanger designed to receive a heat laden working fluid from the at least one air outlet heat exchanger; and

at least one bottom loop compressor operatively coupled via the working fluid to the at least one first bottom loop heat exchanger, wherein the at least one bottom loop compressor is designed to utilize, or bleed heat from, the heat laden working fluid so as to yield a cooled working fluid,

wherein the cooled working fluid is provided to the at least one air inlet heat exchanger for use in the reduction of the temperature of inlet air provided to the inlet side of the at least one turbine.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the bottom loop is a heat engine designed to utilize transferred heat to condition inlet air and generate surplus power, or energy.

27. A system for temperature conditioning air comprising:

at least one heat source;

at least one first heat exchanger operatively coupled to the at least one heat source and designed to remove and/or utilize waste heat from the heat source to transfer such heat to a working fluid;

at least one compressor operatively coupled via the working fluid to the at least one first heat exchanger, wherein the at least one compressor is designed receive the heat-laden working fluid generated by the at least one first heat exchanger and to utilize, or bleed heat from, the heat laden working fluid so as to yield a cooled working fluid;

at least one second heat exchanger operatively coupled to the at least one compressor, wherein the at least one second heat exchanger is designed to receive the cooled working fluid and to utilize the cooled working fluid to remove heat from, or condition the temperature of, air.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the working fluid is selected from ammonia, carbon dioxide, or a combination thereof.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the working fluid is carbon dioxide.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the working fluid is supercritical carbon dioxide.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the working fluid is ammonia.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the working fluid is supercritical ammonia.

33. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one first heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

34. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one first heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

35. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one second heat exchanger utilizes microchannel technology.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least one second heat exchanger utilizes one or more printed circuit heat exchanger cores.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the at least heat source is selected from at least one gas turbine, at least one gas turbine engine, at least one internal combustion engine, or a combination of any two or more thereof.