System and method for heating combustor fuel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435258-B2
Application number	US-201213651813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2012
Priority date	Oct 15, 2012
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A system for heating combustor fuel includes a turbine exhaust plenum and a heat exchanger downstream from the turbine exhaust plenum. The heat exchanger has an exhaust inlet, an exhaust outlet, a fuel inlet, and a fuel outlet. An exhaust recirculation plenum has a recirculation inlet connection downstream from the exhaust outlet and a recirculation outlet connection upstream from the exhaust inlet. The system further includes structure for controlling a recirculated exhaust flow from the exhaust outlet into the exhaust recirculation plenum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for heating combustor fuel, comprising:
a turbine exhaust plenum having an exhaust supply connection;
a mixing plenum disposed downstream from the exhaust supply connection;
a heat exchanger downstream from the mixing plenum, wherein the heat exchanger has an exhaust inlet in fluid communication with the mixing plenum, an exhaust outlet downstream from the exhaust inlet, a fuel inlet, and a fuel outlet;
a blower disposed downstream from the exhaust outlet of the heat exchanger; and
an exhaust recirculation plenum having a recirculation inlet connection downstream from the blower and a recirculation outlet connection fluidly connected to the mixing plenum, wherein the mixing plenum comprises a plurality of baffles downstream from the recirculation outlet connection and upstream from the heat exchanger inlet.

2. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a three-way valve disposed downstream from the blower at the recirculation inlet connection.

3. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a throttle valve disposed downstream from the blower and upstream from the mixing plenum within the exhaust recirculation plenum.

4. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust return connection between the blower and the turbine exhaust plenum.

5. The system as in claim 4 , further comprising an exhaust return valve between the blower and the exhaust return connection.

6. The system as in claim 1 , further comprising a fuel bypass plenum having a fuel bypass inlet upstream from the fuel inlet to the heat exchanger and a fuel bypass outlet downstream from the fuel outlet of the heat exchanger.

7. The system as in claim 6 , further comprising a Wobbe Index sensor disposed downstream from the fuel bypass plenum.

8. A gas turbine comprising:
a compressor;
a combustor downstream from the compressor;
a turbine downstream from the combustor;
a turbine exhaust plenum downstream from the turbine;
a system for heating combustor fuel, comprising:
a turbine exhaust plenum having an exhaust supply connection;
a mixing plenum disposed downstream from the exhaust supply connection;
a heat exchanger downstream from the mixing plenum, wherein the heat exchanger has an exhaust inlet in fluid communication with the mixing plenum, an exhaust outlet downstream from the exhaust inlet, a fuel inlet, and a fuel outlet;
a blower disposed downstream from the exhaust outlet of the heat exchanger; and
an exhaust recirculation plenum having a recirculation inlet connection downstream from the blower and a recirculation outlet connection fluidly connected to the mixing plenum, wherein the mixing plenum comprises a plurality of baffles downstream from the recirculation outlet connection and upstream from the heat exchanger inlet.

9. The gas turbine in claim 8 , further comprising a three-way valve disposed downstream from the blower at the recirculation inlet connection.

10. The gas turbine as in claim 8 , further comprising a throttle valve disposed downstream from the blower and upstream from the mixing plenum within the exhaust recirculation plenum.

11. The gas turbine as in claim 8 , further comprising an exhaust return connection between the blower and the turbine exhaust plenum.

12. The gas turbine as in claim 11 , further comprising an exhaust return valve between the blower and the exhaust return connection.

13. The gas turbine as in claim 8 , further comprising a fuel bypass plenum having a fuel bypass inlet upstream from the fuel inlet to the heat exchanger and a fuel bypass outlet downstream from the fuel outlet of the heat exchanger.

14. The gas turbine as in claim 13 , further comprising a Wobbe Index sensor disposed downstream from the fuel bypass plenum.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Janapaneedi Durgaprasad
• Rendo Korey Frederic
• Erickson Dean Matthew
• Bilton Timothy Russell
• Pompey Christina Renee

Classifications

• F02C3/34 Primary

  with recycling of part of the working fluid, i.e. semi-closed cycles with combustion products in the closed part of the cycle · CPC title

• F02C6/06

  providing compressed gas (F02C6/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F02C7/224

  Heating fuel before feeding to the burner · CPC title