System and method of interfacing intercooled gas turbine engine with distillation process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10487695-B2
Application number	US-201514922039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2015
Priority date	Oct 23, 2015
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A system includes a gas turbine system having a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), a compressor, an intercooler, and a steam turbine. The HRSG is configured to receive an exhaust gas, heat a first working fluid with the exhaust gas, and route the first working fluid to the steam turbine, where the steam turbine is configured to extract energy from the first working fluid, and where the intercooler is configured to receive a compressed air from the compressor of the gas turbine engine and to cool the compressed air to a first controllable temperature determined by engine controls with a second working fluid having a second controllable temperature suitable for cooling the compressed air to the first controllable temperature determined by the engine controls. The system also includes a first feed heater of a distillation system, where the first feed heater is configured to receive the mixture and the second working fluid such that the second working fluid sinks heat to the mixture. The system also includes a first-effect vessel of the distillation system. The first-effect vessel is configured to receive the mixture from the first feed heater and to receive the first working fluid from the steam turbine, such that the first working fluid sinks heat to the mixture.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a gas turbine system comprising a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), a steam turbine, a compressor, and an intercooler, wherein the HRSG is configured to receive an exhaust gas, heat a first working fluid with the exhaust gas, and route the first working fluid to the steam turbine, wherein the steam turbine is configured to extract energy from the first working fluid, and wherein the intercooler is configured to receive a compressed air from the compressor and to cool the compressed air to a first controllable temperature determined by engine controls with a second working fluid having a second controllable temperature suitable for cooling the compressed air to the first controllable temperature determined by the engine controls;
a first feed heater of a distillation system, wherein the first feed heater is configured to receive a mixture and to receive the second working fluid, such that the second working fluid sinks heat to the mixture; and
a first-effect vessel of the distillation system, wherein the first-effect vessel is configured to receive the mixture from the first feed heater and to receive the first working fluid from the steam turbine, such that the first working fluid sinks heat to the mixture and is condensed.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine system comprises a first compressor stage and a second compressor stage, wherein the compressed air is delivered from the first compressor stage to the intercooler, and from the intercooler to the second compressor stage, such that the compressed air is returned to the second compressor stage at the first controllable temperature determined by the engine controls.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the distillation system comprises a multi-effect distillation system, wherein the multi-effect distillation system comprises:
the first-effect vessel and the first feed heater; and
a second-effect vessel and a second feed heater disposed upstream of the second-effect vessel, wherein the second working fluid is routed from the first feed heater upstream of the first-effect vessel to the second feed heater upstream of the second-effect vessel, and wherein at least a portion of the mixture is routed from the first-effect vessel to the second feed heater upstream of the second-effect vessel, such that the second working fluid sinks heat to the portion of the mixture in the second feed heater.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein a distillate is boiled off the mixture in the first-effect vessel as a vapor, and wherein the vapor distillate sinks heat to the portion of the mixture in the second-effect vessel after the portion of the mixture passes through the second feed heater upstream of the additional vessel.

5. The system of claim 3 , comprising:
a first blend valve disposed upstream of the first feed heater; and
a second blend valve disposed upstream of the second feed heater, wherein the first blend valve and the second blend valve are configured to enable bypass of the first feed heater and the second feed heater, respectively, for at least a portion of the second working fluid such that the second controllable temperature of the second working fluid returning to the intercooler is controllable.

6. The system of claim 3 , comprising a cooler disposed downstream of the second feed heater and configured to receive the second working fluid and a cooling agent, such that the cooling agent cools the second working fluid prior to delivery of the second working fluid back to the intercooler, thereby facilitating control of the second controllable temperature of the second working fluid.

7. The system of claim 6 , comprising:
a blend valve disposed between the second feed heater and the cooler, wherein the blend valve is configured to enable bypass of the cooler for at least a portion of the second working fluid prior to deliver of the second working fluid back to the intercooler, thereby facilitating control of the second controllable temperature of the second working fluid.

8. The system of claim 6 , comprising:
a bypass valve configured to enable total bypass of the first feed heater and the second feed heater of the multi-effect distillation system for the second working fluid such that the second working fluid, when the bypass valve is activated, is routed from the intercooler, to the cooler, and back to the intercooler, thereby facilitating control of the second controllable temperature of the second working fluid; and
a warm up valve configured to enable total bypass of the feed heater, the additional feed heater, and the cooler such that the second working fluid, when the warm up valve is activated, is routed from the intercooler back to the intercooler.

9. The system of claim 3 , comprising a control system having one or more temperature and/or flow sensors, one or more valves, and a controller communicatively coupled with the one or more temperature and/or flow sensors and the one or more valves, wherein the controller is configured to receive signals indicative of controllable temperatures of the first working fluid, the second working fluid, or both from the temperature and/or flow sensors, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the signals, and wherein the controller is configured to control the one or more valves to enable blending and/or bypassing of components of the multi-effect distillation system for the first working fluid, the second working fluid, or both, based at least in part on the controllable temperatures of the first working fluid, the second working fluid, or both.

10. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a bypass valve configured to enable the first working fluid to bypass the first-effect vessel of the distillation system such that the first working fluid is cycled to and from the HRSG without passing through the vessel of the distillation system, thereby facilitating control of a third controllable temperature and a controllable state of the first working fluid; and
a heat sink configured to receive the first working fluid only if the bypass valve enables the first working fluid to bypass the first-effect vessel of the distillation system, thereby facilitating control of the third controllable temperature and a controllable state of the first working fluid.

11. A system, comprising:
a controller configured to:
regulate at least one valve to control a first controllable flow and/or a first controllable temperature of an intercooler working fluid through an intercooler of a gas turbine engine and through a feed heater of a distillation system, such that the first controllable temperature of the intercooler working fluid is suitable for cooling a compressed air routed from a compressor of the gas turbine engine to the intercooler of the gas turbine engine to a second controllable temperature determined by the controller, and such that the first controllable temperature of the intercooler working fluid is suitable for preheating a mixture in the feed heater of the distillation system; and
regulate the at least one valve to control a second controllable flow and a third controllable temperature of a steam exhaust working fluid through a heat recovery generator (HRSG) and a steam turbine of a gas turbine engine, and through an effect vessel of the distillation system, wherein the effect vessel is disposed downstream of, and in fluid communication with, the feed heater of the distillation system, such that the effect vessel receives the mixture from the feed heater and such that the steam exhaust working fluid sinks heat to the mixture in the effect vessel.

12. The system of claim 11 , comprising:
the at least one valve and the ef

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Watkins Richard Michael

Classifications

• F01K19/10

  Cooling exhaust steam other than by condenser; Rendering exhaust steam invisible · CPC title

• C02F2303/10

  Energy recovery · CPC title

• C02F1/16

  using waste heat from other processes · CPC title

• B01D3/007

  Energy recuperation; Heat pumps · CPC title

• C02F2103/023

  Water in cooling circuits · CPC title