Turbomachine and staged combustion system of a turbomachine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9291098-B2
Application number	US-201213676683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2012
Priority date	Nov 14, 2012
Publication date	Mar 22, 2016
Grant date	Mar 22, 2016

Abstract

A turbomachine including a combustor in which fuel is combustible to produce a working fluid, a turbine section, which is receptive of the working fluid for power generation operations, a transition piece in which additional fuel is combustible, the transition piece being disposed to transport the working fluid from the combustor to the turbine section and a staged combustion system coupled to the combustor and the transition piece. The staged combustion system is configured to blend components of the fuel and the additional fuel in multiple modes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A turbomachine, comprising:
a combustor in which fuel is combustible to produce a working fluid;
a turbine section, which is receptive of the working fluid for power generation operations;
a transition piece in which additional fuel is combustible, the transition piece being disposed to transport the working fluid from the combustor to the turbine section; and
a staged combustion system coupled to the combustor and the transition piece, the staged combustion system being configured to blend components of the fuel and the additional fuel in multiple modes, wherein the staged combustion system comprises:
head end injectors disposable to deliver the fuel to a head end of the combustor; and
axially staged injectors disposable to deliver the additional fuel to downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece; and
wherein the multiple modes comprise one or more of:
a first mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor and the axially staged injectors deliver syngas or a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece;
a second mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas and syngas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor and the axially staged injectors deliver a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece;
a third mode in which the head end injectors deliver a low heating value gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor and the axially staged injectors deliver natural gas or a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece; and
a fourth mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor and the axially staged injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece,
wherein the head end injectors comprise:
a central fuel nozzle, which includes a center burner and outer annulus burners arrayed around the center burner; and
outer fuel nozzles arrayed around the central fuel nozzle, each outer fuel nozzle including a center burner and outer annulus burners array around the center burner.

2. The turbomachine according to claim 1 , wherein the transition piece is curved.

3. The turbomachine according to claim 1 , wherein a flowpath through the combustor is offset from a flowpath through the turbine section, the transition piece comprising:
a forward end aligned with the flowpath through the combustor; and
an aft end aligned with the flowpath through the turbine section.

4. The turbomachine according to claim 1 , wherein the axially staged injectors are arranged in a first stage and a second stage disposed downstream from the first stage, wherein:
the first stage is proximate to and forward of a connection between the combustor and the transition piece, and
the second stage is forward of a radial curvature of the transition piece.

5. The turbomachine according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first fuel manifold to supply the axially staged injectors of the first stage with the additional fuel; and
a second fuel manifold to supply the axially staged injectors of the second stage with the additional fuel,
the transition piece having a curvature from a forward end aligned with the combustor to an aft end aligned with the turbine section and the first and second fuel manifolds being disposed forward of the curvature.

6. The turbomachine according to claim 1 , wherein the multiple modes comprise startup, base load and overfire modes.

7. A staged combustion system of a turbomachine including a combustor in which fuel is combustible to produce a working fluid, a turbine section, which is receptive of the working fluid for power generation operations and a transition piece in which additional fuel is combustible, the transition piece being disposable to transport the working fluid from the combustor to the turbine section and comprising:
head end injectors disposable to deliver fuel blended in multiple modes to a head end of the combustor;
axially staged injectors disposable to deliver additional fuel blended in multiple modes to downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece; and
a plurality of couplings by which the axially staged combustors are coupled to the downstream sections of the combustor and to the transition piece; and wherein the head end injectors comprise:
a central fuel nozzle, which includes a center burner and outer annulus burners arrayed around the center burner; and
outer fuel nozzles arrayed around the central fuel nozzle, each outer fuel nozzle including a center burner and outer annulus burners array around the center burner,
and the multiple modes comprise:
a first mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor via only the center burner of the central fuel nozzle and two of the outer fuel nozzles and the axially staged injectors deliver syngas or a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece;
a second mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas and syngas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor via the center and outer annulus burners of the central fuel nozzle and three of the outer fuel nozzles and only the center burner of two of the outer fuel nozzles and the axially staged injectors deliver a low heating value gas as the additionsl fuel to the downsteam sections of the combustor and the transition piece;
a third mode in which the head end injectors deliver a low heating value gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor via the center and outer annulus burners of the central fuel nozzle and all of the outer fuel nozzles and the axially staged injectors deliver natural gas or a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece;
a fourth mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor via only the outer annulus burners of the central fuel nozzle and all of the outer fuel nozzles and the axially staged injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece; and
a fifth mode in which the head end injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the fuel to the head end of the combustor via the central and outer annulus burners of the central fuel nozzle and only the outer annulus burners of all of the outer fuel nozzles and the axially staged injectors deliver natural gas and a low heating value gas as the additional fuel to the downstream sections of the combustor and the transition piece.

8. The staged combustion system according to claim 7 , wherein the axially staged injectors are arranged in a first stage and a second stage disposed downstream from the first stage.

9. The staged combustion system according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a first fuel manifold to supply the axially staged injectors of the first stage with the additional fuel; and
a second fuel manifold to supply the axially staged injectors of the second stage with the additional fuel,
the transition piece having a curvature from a forward end aligned with the combustor to an aft end aligned with the turbine section and the plurality of couplings and first and second fuel manifolds being disposed forward of the curvature.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Chen Wei
• Khan Abdul Rafey
• Simons Derrick Walter

Classifications

• F23R3/34 Primary

  Feeding into different combustion zones · CPC title

• F02C7/228

  Dividing fuel between various burners · CPC title

• F23R3/36

  Supply of different fuels · CPC title

• F02C3/22 Primary

  the fuel or oxidant being gaseous at standard temperature and pressure (F02C3/28 takes precedence) · CPC title