A method for operating a gas turbine engine (10), including a first compressor (14), a second compressor (16), and a turbine (20), coupled together in serial flow arrangement. The method includes channeling compressed airflow (53) discharged from the first compressor through an intercooler (50) having a cooling medium flowing therethrough, operating the intercooler such that condensate is formed in the intercooler from the compressed airflow, and channeling the condensate to an inlet (26,30) of the first or second compressor to facilitate reducing an operating temperature of the gas turbine engine.

Methods and apparatus for operating gas turbine engines

A thermodynamic system that produces mechanical, electrical power, and/or fluid streams for heating or cooling. The cycle contains a combustion system that produces an energetic fluid by combustion of a fuel with an oxidant. A thermal diluent may be used in the cycle to improve performance, including but not limited to power, efficiency, economics, emissions, dynamic and off-peak load performance, and/or turbine inlet temperature (TIT) regulation and cooling heated components. The cycle preferably includes a heat recovery system and a condenser or other means to recover and recycle heat and the thermal diluent from the energetic fluid to improve the cycle thermodynamic efficiency and reduce energy conversion costs. The cycle may also include controls for temperatures, pressures, and flow rates throughout the cycle, and controls power output, efficiency, and energetic fluid composition.

Thermodynamic cycles using thermal diluent

A low emission turbine includes a reverse flow can-type combustor that generally includes a primary and secondary fuel delivery system that can be independently controlled to produce low CO, UHC, and NOx emissions at design set point and at conditions other than design set point. The reverse flow can-type combustor generally includes an annularly arranged array of swirler and mixer assemblies within the combustor, wherein each swirler and mixer in the array includes a primary and secondary fuel delivery system that can be independently controlled. Also disclosed herein is a can-type combustor that includes fluid passageways that perpendicularly impinge the backside of a heat shield. Processes for operating the can-type combustors are also disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for reducing gas turbine engine emissions

A burner for use in a combustion system of a heavy-duty industrial gas turbine includes a fuel/air premixer having an air inlet, a fuel inlet, and an annular mixing passage. The fuel/air premixer mixes fuel and air into a uniform mixture for injection into a combustor reaction zone. The burner also includes an inlet flow conditioner disposed at the air inlet of the fuel/air premixer for controlling a radial and circumferential distribution of incoming air. The pattern of perforations in the inlet flow conditioner is designed such that a uniform air flow distribution is produced at the swirler inlet annulus in both the radial and circumference directions. The premixer includes a swozzle assembly having a series of preferably air foil shaped turning vanes that impart swirl to the airflow entering via the inlet flow conditioner. Each air foil contains internal fuel flow passages that introduce natural gas fuel into the air stream via fuel metering holes that pass through the walls of the air foil shaped turning vanes. By injecting fuel in this manner, an aerodynamically clean flow field is maintained throughout the premixer. By injecting fuel via two separate passages, the fuel/air mixture strength distribution can be controlled in the radial direction to obtain optimum radial concentration profiles for control of emissions, lean blow outs, and combustion driven dynamic pressure activity as machine and combustor load are varied.

Swozzle based burner tube premixer including inlet air conditioner for low emissions combustion

A supercharging system for gas turbine power plants (11). The system includes a supercharging fan (30, 32) and a controller (50) for limiting turbine power output to prevent overload of the generator (28) at lower ambient temperatures. The controller can limit power output by burner control, inlet temperature control, control of supercharging fan pressure and other options. The system can be retrofit on an existing turbine without replacing the generator and associated parts.

Supercharging system for gas turbines

A system for cooling hot section components of a gas turbine engine. The cooling system includes a plurality of compressors, or compression train, and an intercooler disposed between each adjacent pair of compressors so as to achieve the desired pressure and temperature of the cooling air at reduced shaft power requirements. The first stage of compression may be provided by the booster, or low pressure compressor, of the engine, with the first intercooler receiving all of the air discharging from the booster. After exiting the first intercooler, a first portion of the booster discharge air is routed to the engine high pressure compressor and a second portion is routed to an inlet of the second compressor of the cooling air compression train. The compressed, cooled air exiting the last, downstream one of the compressors is used for cooling at least a first hot section component of the engine.

Extracted, cooled, compressed/intercooled, cooling/combustion air for a gas turbine engine

A gas turbine engine including in-line intercooling wherein compressor intercooling is achieved without removing the compressor main flow airstream from the compressor flowpath is described. In an exemplary embodiment, a gas turbine engine suitable for use in connection with in-line intercooling includes a low pressure compressor, a high pressure compressor, and a combustor. The engine also includes a high pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine, and a power turbine. For intercooling, fins are located in an exterior surface of the compressor struts in the compressor flowpath between the outlet of the low pressure compressor and the inlet of the high pressure compressor. Coolant flowpaths are provided in the compressor struts, and such flowpaths are in flow communication with a heat exchanger. In operation, air flows through the low pressure compressor, and compressed air is supplied from the low pressure compressor to the high pressure compressor. The fins increase the heat transfer area between the gas turbine main compressor airflow and the coolant flow in the struts. Specifically, the flowpaths in the struts serve as heat sinks for cooling the high temperature compressor mainstream flow. The cooled airflow is supplied to the inlet of the high pressure compressor, and the highly compressed air is delivered to the combustor. Airflow from the combustor drives the high pressure turbine, the low pressure turbine, and the power turbine. Waste heat is captured by the boilers, and the heat from the boilers in the form of steam is delivered to upstream components. The steam could, alternatively, be delivered to a steam turbine or to other equipment.

Gas turbine in-line intercooler

A cospander for extending the high efficiency range of a turbine engine is described. A cospander, in one aspect, is a turbomachinery device including at least one stage wherein stator vane and rotor blade rows are continuously variable to an extent that each stage can be operated in compression, expansion, or null modes depending on the blade and vane angles at any specific operating point. Such a device placed ahead or within a typical compressor has the effect of reducing, increasing, or maintaining the through flow of the primary working fluid. Such flow variation control can be used to achieve the desired overall turbomachinery thermal efficiency improvements over a wider operating range than is otherwise possible. In one specific embodiment, for example, the cospander includes a variable stator vane and a variable pitch rotor blade in series flow relationship.

Variable pitch rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine inlet

A powerplant comprising a compressor for producing a downstream fluid flow, a combustor downstream of the compressor, a turbine downstream of the combustor, a power turbine downstream and adjacent the turbine, and a duct region which receives at least a portion of the fluid output of the power turbine. A reformer is positioned downstream and is coupled to the duct region and the reformer has a fuel outlet which is coupled to the combustor.

Chemically recuperated gas turbine

A gas turbine engine that includes a steam driven variable speed booster compressor is described. In one embodiment, the engine includes a low pressure turbine and a booster compressor rotatable on a low pressure shaft. The engine further includes a high pressure compressor, a high pressure combustor, and a high pressure turbine rotatable on a high pressure (HP) shaft and forming the core engine. The output of the low pressure compressor is supplied to an intercooler, and the output of the intercooler is supplied to the high pressure compressor. The engine further includes a power turbine downstream of the high pressure turbine, and the power turbine is coupled to a generator by a shaft. The output exhaust of the power turbine is supplied to an exhaust heat boiler, and steam output by the boiler is supplied to, and drives, the low pressure turbine. Steam from the boiler may also be supplied to the high pressure combustor and to the power turbine. Since the steam is generated from the power turbine exhaust heat, the amount of steam flow can be independently varied from the gas turbine engine primary conditions, consistent of course with the gas turbine exhaust flow/temperature limitations.

Michael W. Horner

Papers

Extracted, cooled, compressed/intercooled, cooling/combustion air for a gas turbine engine

Gas turbine in-line intercooler

Variable pitch rotor assembly for a gas turbine engine inlet

Chemically recuperated gas turbine

Steam driven variable speed booster compressor for gas turbine