Patent Application
20180266319
The present application and the resultant patent relate generally to a liquid-gas separator media and more particularly relate to a liquid-gas separator media used in different locations in turbo-machinery to remove liquid from a gas stream with a low pressure drop therethrough.
A conventional gas turbine engine includes a compressor for compressing a flow of ambient air, a combustor for mixing the compressed flow of ambient air with a flow of fuel to create a flow of hot combustion gases, and a turbine that is driven by the hot combustion gases to produce mechanical work. The turbine may drive a load such as a generator for electrical power.
Various types of inlet air filtration systems may be used upstream of the compressor. The incoming air flow may contain fluid particles, such as water, that may affect the performance of the gas turbine engine or other type of power generation equipment. Such fluid particles may reduce the life expectancy and performance of the gas turbine engine and other types of power generation equipment. To avoid these problems, the inlet air may pass through a series of filters and screens to assist in removing the fluid particles from the airstream.
Similarly, the fuel in a gas turbine engine also may benefit from the removal of water therein. For example, a fuel conditioning system may provide a flow of fuel to a fuel nozzle at a substantially constant pressure. If, for example, the natural gas supply pressure is too high, the fuel conditioning system may need to reduce the pressure before the flow of fuel reaches the nozzle. Such a reduction in pressure, however, may cause ice and hydrate formation in the flow of fuel. Hydrates in the flow of fuel may cause nozzle erosion, flashback, and other types of combustion issues.
The present application and the resultant patent thus provide a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine may include a compressor, an inlet filter house positioned upstream of the compressor, and one or more inlet water separator pads positioned within the inlet filter house. The one or more inlet water separator pads may include a synthetic liquid-gas separator media.
The present application and the resultant patent further provide a method of method of operating a gas turbine engine. The method may include the steps of providing a flow of air to a compressor, providing a flow of fuel to a combustor, flowing the air through an air liquid-gas separator media upstream of the compressor, flowing the fuel through a fuel liquid-gas separator media upstream of the combustor, and combusting the flow of air and the flow of fuel.
The present application and the resultant patent further provide a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine may include a combustor and a fuel conditioning system positioned upstream of the combustor. The fuel conditioning system may include a coalescing filter made from a synthetic liquid-gas separator media.
These and other features and improvements of the present application and the resultant patent will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the several drawings and the appended claims.
Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views,
The gas turbine engine 10 may use natural gas, liquid fuels, various types of syngas, and/or other types of fuels and blends thereof. The gas turbine engine 10 may be any one of a number of different gas turbine engines offered by General Electric Company of Schenectady, N.Y., including, but not limited to, those such as a 7 or a 9 series heavy duty gas turbine engine and the like. The gas turbine engine 10 may have different configurations and may use other types of components. Other types of gas turbine engines also may be used herein. Multiple gas turbine engines, other types of turbines, and other types of power generation equipment also may be used herein together.
The turbine inlet air system 105 may include an inlet water separator pad 130 positioned within the inlet filter house 120 downstream of the weatherhood 110. The inlet water separator pad 130 may remove water from the incoming air flow 20 as will be described in more detail below. The inlet water separator pad 130 may have any suitable size, shape, or configuration. The turbine inlet air system 105 also may include a power augmentation system 140 positioned within the inlet filter house. 120. As described above, the power augmentation system 140 may cool the incoming flow of air 20 via evaporative cooling and the like. The power augmentation system 140 may include one or more drift eliminator pads 150 so as to prevent water droplets from passing downstream to the compressor 15. The drift eliminator pads 150 may have any suitable size, shape, or configuration.
The turbine inlet air system 105 may include a transition piece 160 extending downstream of the inlet filter house 120 and extending into an inlet duct 170. The inlet duct 1780 may extend to an inlet of the compressor 15. A silencer section 180 may be included to reduce noise generated by the incoming flow of air 20. One or more screens 190 may be included to deflect contaminants and/or debris. The turbine inlet air system 105 described herein is for the purpose of example only. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.
The inlet water separator pads 130 and/or the drift eliminator pads 150 may be made from a liquid-gas separator media 200. As is shown, by example, in
Generally described, the media sheets 210 may have a substantially three dimensional contoured shape 240. Specifically, the media sheets 210 may include a leading edge 250 facing the incoming inlet air flow 20 and a downstream trailing edge 260 facing about the compressor 12. Likewise, the media sheets 210 may have a top edge 270 in communication or not with a flow of water or other coolant and a bottom edge 280 positioned about a drain and the like.
In this example, the first media sheet 220 may have a chevron like corrugated surface 290. The chevron like corrugated surface 290 may have a number of chevron channels 300 therein. Any number of the chevron channels 300 may be used herein in any suitable size, shape, or configuration. Specifically, the chevron channels 300 may have a diagonally rising portion 310 and a diagonally lowering portion 320. The diagonally rising portion 310 may extend from the leading edge 250 and meet the diagonally lowering portion 320 about an apex 330 thereof. The angle of the rising and the lowering portions may vary. Optionally, each of the chevron channels 300 may end in a first side mist eliminator portion 340. The first side mist eliminator portions 340 may extend diagonally upward in a sharp angle at a nadir 350 of each of the diagonally lowering portions 320. The first side mist eliminator portions 340 may extend from the nadir 350 towards the trailing edge 260. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.
The second media sheet 230 may have a wavy corrugated surface 360. Specifically, the wavy corrugated surface 360 may have a number of wavy channels 370. Any number of the wavy channels 370 may be used herein in any size, shape, or configuration. Specifically, the wavy channels 370 may have a substantially sinusoidal like shape 380 with a number of peaks 390 and valleys 400. Optionally, the wavy channels 370 may extend from the leading edge 250 to a second side mist eliminator portion 410. The second side mist eliminator portions 410 may extend diagonally upward in a sharp angle from one of the valleys 400 of the sinusoidal like shape 380. The second side mist eliminator portions 410 may extend from the valley 400 towards the trailing edge 260. Other components and other configurations may be used herein.
In use in these examples, the liquid-gas separator media 200 may function as the inlet water separator pad 130 and/or the mist eliminator pad 150 and/or the like. The liquid-gas separator media 200 may act as an inertial separator to remove water droplets from the incoming air flow 20 and may direct the droplets to a drain or elsewhere. A portion of the water droplets also may be evaporated therein. Specifically, the inlet air flow 20 may enter via the leading edge 250. The liquid-gas separator media 200 may catch any water droplets in the flow of air 20 and may absorb the water droplets through capillary action. The absorption of the water droplets into the liquid-gas separator media 200 also may enable an increase in overall airstream velocity. The use of the diamond like shape 420 at the leading edge 250 and the trailing edge 260 also serves to reduce air pressure losses therethrough. The liquid-gas separator media 200 thus may eliminate the use of other types of materials, reduce the depth of the filter house with a simplified construction, increase air velocity with a lower pressure drop, and increase overall efficiency.
In this example, the coalescing filter 510 may use one of the liquid-gas separator media 200, 480 described above. The liquid-gas separator media 200, 480 may be effective in removing water droplets and the like from the flow of fuel 30 in a manner similar to the flow of air 20.
Although the liquid-gas separator media 200, 480 has been described in the context of removing water droplets from the flow of air 20 and the flow of fuel 30 in the different types of turbine components 100 described above, the liquid gas separator media 200, 480 may be effective in removing water droplets and other liquids in a gas stream of any sort in a wide variety of applications. The liquid-gas separator media 200, 480 may be formed in a way to trap particles effectively (traps in the media using heated platen method) or formed in a way to optimize uniform air flow distribution. Different types of the liquid-gas separator media 200, 480 may be used herein together.
It should be apparent that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the present application and the resultant patent. Numerous changes and modifications may be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims and the equivalents thereof.
