System and method for heating components of a heat recovery steam generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9995170-B2
Application number	US-201615071400-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2016
Priority date	Mar 16, 2016
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A system for heating one or more components of a heat recovery steam generator that includes a heat-transferring conduit that fluidly connects a high-pressure section of a flow path to a low-pressure section of the flow path. The flow path is defined by a housing of the heat recovery steam generator and configured to direct a heat-containing medium. The heat-transferring conduit is configured to receive the heat-containing medium from the flow path such that the heat-containing medium flows through the heat-transferring conduit via a pressure differential between a first pressure of the heat-containing medium at the high-pressure section and a second pressure of the heat-containing medium at the low-pressure section. The heat-transferring conduit is further configured to heat the one or more components of the heat recovery steam generator via directing the heat-containing medium to be in heating contact with the one or more components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for heating one or more components of a heat recovery steam generator, the system comprising:
a heat-transferring conduit that fluidly connects a first section of a flow path having a first pressure to a second section of the flow path having a second pressure, the flow path defined by a housing of the heat recovery steam generator to direct a heat-containing medium through the heat recovery steam generator;
wherein the first pressure is greater than the second pressure such that a portion of the heat-containing medium flows through the heat-transferring conduit from the first section to the second section of the flow path via a pressure differential between the first section and the second section; and
wherein the heat-transferring conduit is disposed external of the housing and in thermal engagement with a component of the heat recovery steam generator disposed external of the housing to heat said component.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the component defines a working conduit containing a working medium,
the heat-transferring conduit is further configured to preheat the working conduit before the working medium is heated by the heat-containing medium passing through the flow path.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components define a working conduit containing a working medium,
the heat-transferring conduit is further configured to uniformly heat the working conduit before the working medium is heated by the heat-containing medium passing through the flow path.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein first section is an extraction port of the heat recovery steam generator and the second section is an-exhaust port of the heat recovery steam generator.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a valve disposed in the heat-transferring conduit and configured to regulate the temperature transferred to component by controlling an amount of the heat-containing medium that flows through the heat-transferring conduit.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a coolant source fluidly connected to the heat-transferring conduit to provide a coolant that cools the component via flowing through the heat-transferring conduit.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the component is a pressurize part.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-containing medium is a flue gas produced by a combustion chamber.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the heat recovery steam generator is a secondary generator in a combined cycle power generation plant, and the combustion chamber provides power for a primary generator of the combined cycle power generation plant.

10. A method for heating one or more components of a heat recovery steam generator, the method comprising:
directing a heat-containing medium via a flow path defined by a housing of the heat recovery steam generator, the flow path including a first section having a first pressure and a second section having a second pressure, the first pressure being greater than the second pressure;
receiving a portion of the heat-containing medium via a heat-transferring conduit disposed external of the housing and fluidly connected to the first section and the second section;
heating a component of the heat recovery steam generator disposed external of the housing by directing, via the heat-transferring conduit, the heat-containing medium to be in heating contact with the component; and
wherein the heat-containing medium flows through the heat-transferring conduit based at least in part on a pressure differential between the first pressure of the first pressure section and the second pressure of the second section.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heating the component includes preheating a working conduit defined by the component and configured to contain a working medium.

12. The method of claim 11 , the method further comprising:
regulating, via a valve disposed in the heat-transferring conduit, the temperature of the component by controlling an amount of the heat-containing medium that flows through the heat-transferring conduit.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heating the component of the heat recovery steam generator includes uniformly heating a working conduit defined by the component and configured to contain a working medium.

14. The method of claim 10 , the method further comprising:
cooling the component via a coolant provided by a coolant source fluidly connected to the heat-transferring conduit such that the coolant flows through the heat-transferring conduit.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the heat-containing medium is a flue gas produced by a combustion chamber.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein
the heat recovery steam generator is a secondary generator in a combined cycle power generation plant,
the combustion chamber provides power for a primary generator of the combined cycle power generation plant,
the combined cycle power generation plant transitions between a simple cycle mode and a combined cycle mode, and
the heat-transferring conduit preheats the component before the combined cycle power generation plant finishes transitioning from the simple cycle mode to the combined cycle mode.

17. A heat recovery steam generator for recovering heat from a flue gas produced by a combustion chamber, the heat recovery steam generator comprising:
a pressurize part disposed external to the housing and defining a working conduit configured to contain a working medium;
a flow path defined by a housing of the heat recovery steam generator and configured to direct the flue gas, the flow path including a first section having a first pressure and second section having a second pressure, the first pressure is greater than the second pressure;
a heat-transferring conduit fluidly connecting the first section to the second section and configured to receive a portion of the flue gas from the flow path such that the flue gas flows through the heat-transferring conduit based at least in part on a pressure differential between the first pressure of the first section and a second pressure of the second section; and
wherein the heat-transferring conduit is disposed external to the housing and further configured to direct the portion of the flue gas from the first section to the second section to heat the pressurize part.

18. The heat recovery steam generator of claim 17 , wherein the working conduit contains a valve that restricts the working medium from flowing into the working conduit until after the portion of the flue gas heats the pressurize part via the heat-transferring conduit.

19. The heat recovery steam generator of claim 17 , wherein a damper is disposed in the flow path and configured to direct the flue gas to a bypass stack until the flue gas has heated the part via the heat-transferring conduit.

20. The system of claim 1 , wherein the heat-transferring conduit is wrapped around the component.

Assignees

• General Electric Technology Gmbh

Inventors

• Magee Jeffrey Fred
• Bairley Donald William

Classifications

• F02C6/04

  Gas-turbine plants providing heated or pressurised working fluid for other apparatus, e.g. without mechanical power output (F02C6/18 takes precedence {; for a fluidised-bed combustor F02C3/205}) · CPC title

• F01D25/10 Primary

  Heating, e.g. warming-up before starting · CPC title

• F01K23/10

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

• F02C6/18

  using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants (using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10) · CPC title

• F01K23/06

  combustion heat from one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle · CPC title