Power plant air cooled heat exchanger or condenser with pressurized gas entrained cooling liquid mister

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016010510-A1
Application number	US-201414330460-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 14, 2014
Priority date	Jul 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air cooled heat exchanger, such as a combustion turbine intercooler or rotor cooler or an air cooled condenser, utilizes a pressurized gas fluid entraining misting device that evaporatively cools conduits carrying the cooled fluid medium. Evaporative cooling liquid is entrained in the pressurized gas where it is atomized for evaporative cooling of the heat exchanger conduits. In some exemplary embodiments of the invention the misting device is a jet pump or ejector that entrains a supply of non-pressurized cooling liquid. In other exemplary embodiments of the invention the misting device is a misting emitter that entrains a supply of pressurized cooling liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A liquid mist and air cooled heat exchanger system, comprising:
an enclosure including therein:
a heat exchange conduit for passage of a heated fluid medium that is to be cooled;
a pressurized gas misting device for introducing a gas-entrained liquid cooling mist in heat transfer communication with the heat exchange conduit, the mister including:
a misting device housing, for passage of pressurized gas flow there through;
a gas inlet in the housing, for receipt of pressurized gas flow;
a cooling liquid inlet downstream of the gas inlet, for introducing cooling liquid in communication with the pressurized gas;
an entrainment zone in communication with gas inlet and the cooling liquid inlet, for entraining the cooling liquid within the pressurized gas;
a misting outlet downstream the entrainment zone, for dispersing gas entrained cooling fluid mist into the enclosure, the cooling fluid mist transferring heat from the heated fluid medium through the heat exchange conduit;

a pressurized gas supply coupled to the misting device gas inlet; and a cooling liquid supply coupled to the misting device cooling liquid inlet.

2 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a power plant air cooled condenser, wherein the heated fluid medium is power plant steam condensate.

3 . The system of claim 1 , comprising a gas or combustion turbine engine intercooler or rotor cooler, wherein the heated fluid medium is air compressed by the engine compressor section.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the pressurized gas misting device being a misting emitter having: a convergent nozzle downstream the misting inlet, having an misting emitter nozzle outlet in communication with the entrainment zone; a cooling liquid orifice between the cooling liquid inlet and the entrainment zone; and a deflector downstream from the entrainment zone and in spaced relationship with the misting emitter nozzle outlet and the cooling liquid orifice, forming a portion of the misting outlet; and the cooling liquid supply is a pressurized cooling liquid supply coupled to the cooling liquid inlet.

5 . The system of claim 4 , the misting emitter mist droplet size comprising between approximately 10 and 50 microns, the pressurized gas comprising compressed air and the pressurized cooling liquid comprising water including particulates larger than 50 microns.

6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the pressurized gas misting device being a fluid ejector or jet pump having:
a mixing nozzle downstream the misting inlet, having a mixing nozzle outlet in communication with the entrainment zone; and
a diffuser forming the entrainment zone and the misting outlet; and
the cooling liquid supply is a non-pressurized cooling liquid supply coupled to the cooling liquid inlet.

7 . A power plant air cooled condenser apparatus, comprising:
an enclosure including therein:
a heat exchange conduit for passage of steam turbine outlet steam that is to be cooled and condensed;
a pressurized gas misting device for introducing a gas-entrained liquid cooling mist in heat transfer communication with the heat exchange conduit, the mister including:
a misting device housing, for passage of pressurized gas flow there through;
a gas inlet in the housing, for receipt of pressurized gas flow;
a cooling liquid inlet downstream of the gas inlet, for introducing cooling liquid in communication with the pressurized gas;
an entrainment zone in communication with gas inlet and the cooling liquid inlet, for entraining the cooling liquid within the pressurized gas;
a misting outlet downstream the entrainment zone, for dispersing gas entrained cooling fluid mist into the enclosure, the cooling fluid mist transferring heat from the steam turbine outlet steam through the heat exchange conduit; and

a pressurized compressed air gas supply coupled to the misting device gas inlet; and a cooling liquid water supply coupled to the misting device cooling liquid inlet.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a cooling fan in fluid communication with the misting outlet within the enclosure, for circulating cooling fluid mist within the enclosure.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , the enclosure comprising a wind wall or evaporative cooling media or a water retention pond or a hyperbolic natural draft cooling tower.

10 . The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising:
the pressurized gas misting device being a misting emitter having:
a convergent nozzle downstream the misting inlet, having an misting emitter nozzle outlet in communication with the entrainment zone;
a cooling liquid orifice between the cooling liquid inlet and the entrainment zone; and
a deflector downstream from the entrainment zone and in spaced relationship with the misting emitter nozzle outlet and the cooling liquid orifice, forming a portion of the misting outlet; and
the cooling liquid water supply is a pressurized cooling liquid water supply coupled to the cooling liquid inlet.

11 . The system of claim 10 , the misting emitter mist droplet size comprising between approximately 10 and 50 microns, the pressurized gas comprising compressed air and the pressurized cooling water liquid including particulates larger than 50 microns.

12 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising:
the pressurized gas misting device being a fluid ejector or jet pump having:
a mixing nozzle downstream the misting inlet, having a mixing nozzle outlet in communication with the entrainment zone; and
a diffuser forming the entrainment zone and the misting outlet; and
the cooling liquid water supply is a non-pressurized cooling liquid supply coupled to the cooling liquid inlet.

13 . The air cooled condenser apparatus of claim 7 in a power plant, further comprising:
a combustion turbine having an exhaust system for passage of heated exhaust;
a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) coupled to the exhaust system, for heating steam with the turbine heated exhaust;
at least one steam turbine coupled to the heat recovery steam generator, powered by the steam heated by the HRSG and exhausting steam turbine outlet steam; and
the air cooled condenser apparatus, coupled to the at least one steam turbine, for condensing the steam turbine outlet steam.

14 . A method for cooling a heated fluid medium with an air cooled heat exchanger system, comprising:
providing a liquid mist and air cooled heat exchanger system, including:
an enclosure including therein:
a heat exchange conduit for passage of a heated fluid medium that is to be cooled;
a pressurized gas misting device for introducing a gas-entrained liquid cooling mist in heat transfer communication with the heat exchange conduit, the mister including:
a misting device housing, for passage of pressurized gas flow there through;
a gas inlet in the housing, for receipt of pressurized gas flow;
a cooling liquid inlet downstream of the gas inlet, for introducing cooling liquid in communication with the pressurized gas;
an entrainment zone in communication with gas inlet and the cooling liquid inlet, for entraining the cooling liquid within the pressurized gas;
a misting outlet downstream the entrainment zone, for dispersing gas entrained cooling fluid mist into the enclosure, the cooling fluid mist transferring heat from the heated fluid medium through the heat exchange conduit;

a pressurized gas supply coupled to the misting device gas inlet; and
a cooling liquid supply coupled to the misting device cooling liquid inlet;
circulating a heated fluid medium through the heat exchange conduit; introducing

Assignees

• Siemens Energy Inc

Inventors

• Sharp James H
• Hansel Monica B
• Scheurlen Michael
• Bernstein Joshua A

Classifications

• F01K23/10 Primary

  with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle (F01K17/025 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E20/16

  Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT] · CPC title

• B05B7/00

  Spraying apparatus for discharge of liquids or other fluent materials from two or more sources, e.g. of liquid and air, of powder and gas (B05B3/00, B05B5/00 {, B05B11/06} take precedence) · CPC title

• F28B1/06

  using air or other gas as the cooling medium · CPC title

• F28D5/02

  in which the evaporating medium flows in a continuous film or trickles freely over the conduits · CPC title