Compact compressor intake system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209017-B2
Application number	US-201816112061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2018
Priority date	Aug 24, 2018
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A system includes an inlet duct disposed about an inlet axis, wherein the inlet duct is configured to direct an airflow along the inlet axis to a compressor inlet. The inlet includes an inlet heating system and a heating portion having a longitudinal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the inlet axis. The inlet heating system includes a first conduit substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis that is configured to distribute a heated fluid directly to the airflow via a first set of openings of a first end zone of the first conduit and a second set of openings of a second zone of the first conduit. The first end zone is configured to receive the heated fluid from a heating source, the second zone is coupled to the first end zone, and the second zone is configured to receive the heated fluid from the first end zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
an inlet duct configured to be disposed upstream from a compressor, wherein the inlet duct is disposed about an inlet axis, wherein the inlet duct is configured to direct an airflow along the inlet axis to a compressor inlet of the compressor, wherein the inlet duct comprises:
a heating portion comprising a longitudinal axis that is substantially perpendicular to the inlet axis; and
an inlet heating system comprising a first conduit substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein the first conduit is configured to distribute a heated fluid directly to the airflow via a plurality of openings, wherein the first conduit comprises:
a first end zone comprising a first set of openings of the plurality of openings, wherein the first end zone is configured to receive the heated fluid from a heating source;
a second zone comprising a second set of openings of the plurality of openings, wherein the second zone is coupled to the first end zone and is configured to receive the heated fluid from the first end zone, wherein a second geometry of the second set of openings of the plurality of openings along the second zone is different than a first geometry of the first set of openings of the plurality of openings along the first end zone, wherein the first and second zones have one or more differences in the first and second geometries to control a distribution of the heated fluid, wherein the one or more differences in the first and second geometries comprise at least one of: angles, shapes, sizes, or densities of the first and second sets of openings; and
a third zone comprising a third set of openings of the plurality of openings, wherein the third zone is coupled to the second zone, wherein the second zone is disposed between the first and third zones, wherein the third zone comprises a third geometry of the third set of openings of the plurality of openings along the third zone, wherein the first conduit comprises at least one of:
the first and third geometries are the same;
the first and third geometries comprise larger sized openings than the second geometry; or
the first, second, and third geometries define alternating geometries in the respective first, second, and third zones.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet duct comprises an expansion joint upstream of the heating portion relative to the airflow through the inlet duct, wherein the expansion joint is disposed at least a first distance upstream of the first conduit to reduce an exposure of the expansion joint to higher temperatures of the heated fluid.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet duct comprises one or more silencer modules upstream of the heating portion relative to the airflow through the inlet duct, the one or more silencer modules are disposed at least a second distance upstream of the first conduit, the second distance comprises between 15 to 60 cm, the one or more silencer modules consist essentially of one or more plastic materials, the plurality of openings have an orientation away from the one or more silencer modules, and the second distance and the orientation are configured to reduce an exposure of the one or more silencer modules to higher temperatures of the heated fluid.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more differences comprise at least two of: angles, shapes, sizes, or densities of the first and second sets of openings.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet heating system comprises a second conduit substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and spaced a third distance from the first conduit, wherein the second conduit is configured to distribute the heated fluid directly to the airflow via a second plurality of openings, wherein the second conduit comprises:
a fourth zone comprising a fourth set of openings of the second plurality of openings, wherein the first end zone is configured to receive a first portion of the heated fluid from the heating source, and the fourth zone is configured to receive a second portion of the heated fluid from the heating source; and
a fifth zone comprising a fifth set of openings of the second plurality of openings, wherein the fifth zone is coupled to the fourth zone and is configured to receive the second portion of the heated fluid from the fourth zone, wherein the fourth and fifth zones have one or more differences to control the distribution of the heated fluid, wherein the one or more differences comprise at least one of: angles, shapes, sizes, or densities of the fourth and fifth sets of openings.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third geometries define the alternating geometries in the respective first, second, and third zones.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and third geometries are the same.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises:
a filter house coupled to an upstream end of the inlet duct;
an inlet plenum coupled to a downstream end of the inlet duct and configured to couple with the compressor inlet, wherein the filter house, the inlet duct, and the inlet plenum are disposed along the inlet axis, wherein the filter house, the inlet duct, and the inlet plenum are configured to direct the airflow along the inlet axis to the compressor inlet, wherein a compressor inlet axis of the compressor inlet is perpendicular to the inlet axis; and
a gas turbine engine having the compressor, a combustor, and a turbine, wherein the compressor is coupled to the inlet duct via the compressor inlet.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet duct comprises a side inlet air intake.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet heating system is configured to distribute the heated fluid to the airflow via the plurality of openings without acoustic nozzles.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heated fluid comprises a compressor bleed flow.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises an inlet plenum coupled to a downstream end of the inlet duct and configured to couple with the compressor inlet, wherein the inlet plenum is disposed between 30 to 120 cm downstream from the first conduit.

13. A method comprising:
guiding an airflow through an air intake along an inlet axis into a heating portion, wherein the air intake is disposed upstream from a compressor;
directing the airflow across a plurality of conduits extending along a longitudinal axis of the heating portion, wherein the longitudinal axis is substantially perpendicular to the inlet axis;
introducing a heated fluid from the plurality of conduits to the airflow via a plurality of openings, wherein each conduit of the plurality of conduits comprises:
a first set of openings disposed along a first end zone;
a second set of openings disposed along a second zone, wherein a second geometry of the second set of openings along the second zone is different than a first geometry of the first set of openings along the first end zone, wherein the first and second zones have one or more differences in the first and second geometries to control a distribution of the heated fluid, wherein the one or more differences in the first and second geometries comprise at least one of: angles, shapes, sizes, or densities of the first and second sets of openings;
a third set of openings disposed along a third zone, wherein the second zone is disposed between the first and third zones, wherein the third zone comprises a third geometry of the third set of openings along the third zone, wherein each conduit of the plurality of conduits comprises at least one of:
the first and third geometries are the same;
the first and third geometries comprise larg

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Eskandar Alan
• Ponyavin Valery Ivanovich
• Zhang Hua
• Frese Christopher Conrad

Classifications

• F02C7/045

  having provisions for noise suppression · CPC title

• F05D2260/20

  Heat transfer, e.g. cooling · CPC title

• F04D27/006

  by influencing fluid temperatures · CPC title

• F05D2260/96

  Preventing, counteracting or reducing vibration or noise · CPC title

• F04D29/582 Primary

  specially adapted for elastic fluid pumps · CPC title