High efficiency power production methods, assemblies, and systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10927679-B2
Application number	US-201414341327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2014
Priority date	Sep 21, 2010
Publication date	Feb 23, 2021
Grant date	Feb 23, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, assemblies, and systems for power production that can allow for increased efficiency and lower cost components arising from the control, reduction, or elimination of turbine blade mechanical erosion by particulates or chemical erosion by gases in a combustion product flow. The methods, assemblies, and systems can include the use of turbine blades that operate with a blade velocity that is significantly reduced in relation to conventional turbines used in typical power production systems. The methods and systems also can make use of a recycled circulating fluid for transpiration protection of the turbine and/or other components. Further, recycled circulating fluid may be employed to provide cleaning materials to the turbine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A turbine assembly, comprising:
a casing defining:
an inlet configured to receive a combustion product stream, and
an outlet;

a rotor positioned in the casing; and
a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly from the rotor,
wherein a ratio of a length of the turbine assembly to an average diameter of the blades is 3.5 to 7, the length being measured as a distance substantially between a turbine inlet blade and a turbine outlet blade within the casing.

2. The turbine assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blades have a blade height less than about 0.275 m.

3. The turbine assembly of claim 1 , wherein the turbine assembly comprises less than about 2,000 of the blades.

4. The turbine assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blades are transpiration protected.

5. The turbine assembly of claim 4 , wherein the blades comprise a porous sintered material configured to direct a transpiration fluid to an exterior surface of the blades.

6. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the porous sintered material is configured to define a flow of the transpiration fluid at a leading edge that is greater than a flow of the transpiration fluid at a trailing edge.

7. The turbine assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the blades defines a transpiration fluid inlet area at the leading edge that is greater than a transpiration fluid inlet area at the trailing edge.

8. The turbine assembly of claim 6 wherein each of the blades defines a wall thickness that is greater at the trailing edge than at the leading edge.

9. The turbine assembly of claim 6 , wherein each of the blades extends from a root at the rotor to a tip, and
wherein the porous sintered material defines a porosity that varies between the root and the tip.

10. The turbine assembly of claim 9 , wherein the porosity of the porous sintered material is configured to define a flow of the transpiration fluid at the tip that is greater than a flow of the transpiration fluid at the root.

11. The turbine assembly of claim 9 , wherein the porosity of the porous sintered material is configured to define a flow of the transpiration fluid at the tip that is substantially equal to a flow of the transpiration fluid at the root.

12. The turbine assembly of claim 9 , wherein the porous sintered material defines a plurality of layers, wherein the porosity of the layers increases from the root to the tip.

13. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the inlet of the casing is configured to couple directly to an outlet of a combustor assembly.

14. The turbine assembly of claim 13 , wherein the inlet of the casing is configured to receive the combustion product stream from a plurality of combustors radially disposed with respect to a major axis defined by the rotor.

15. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the porous sintered material defines the entirety of the exterior surface of the blades.

16. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the casing comprises the porous sintered material and the porous sintered material is configured to direct the transpiration fluid to an interior surface of the casing.

17. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the rotor comprises the porous sintered material and the porous sintered material is configured to direct the transpiration fluid to an exterior surface of the rotor.

18. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the rotor comprises an annular flow diverter configured to divert the combustion product stream around the rotor.

19. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , further comprising an inlet conduit coupled to the inlet of the casing and configured to couple to an outlet of a combustor assembly and receive the combustion product stream therefrom,
wherein the inlet conduit comprises the porous sintered material and the porous sintered material is configured to direct the transpiration fluid to an interior surface of the inlet conduit.

20. The turbine assembly of claim 5 , wherein the blades respectively further comprise at least one reinforcement member.

Assignees

• Palmer Labs Llc
• 8 Rivers Capital Llc

Inventors

• Palmer Miles R
• Fetvedt Jeremy Eron
• Allam Rodney John

Classifications

• F01D5/085 Primary

  cooling fluid circulating inside the rotor · CPC title

• F02C9/28

  Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed (F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence) · CPC title

• F02C9/26

  Control of fuel supply (F02C9/48 takes precedence; fuel valves F02C7/232) · CPC title

• F05D2300/702

  Reinforcement · CPC title

• F01D25/14

  Casings modified therefor (double casings F01D25/26) · CPC title