Patent Application
20140090376
Embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein generally relate to systems for mechanical power production from heat recovery.
Organic Rankine cycles (ORC) have been used, as alternative to common water-steam Rankine cycles, for waste heat recovery processes and are used for driving electric generators, thus transforming waste heat into useful electric energy.
The second closed loop 105 is a thermodynamic cycle based on the Rankine principle, wherein the working fluid is an organic fluid, in particular a heavy hydrocarbon, e.g. cyclopentane, or a refrigerant fluid with suitable characteristics.
The working fluid circulating in the second closed loop 105 is heated, vaporized and superheated in the three serially arranged heat exchangers 108a, 108 and 107, respectively, and expands in a turboexpander 109. The thermodynamic characteristics of the fluid allow a dry expansion to take place, i.e. the fluid at the discharge side of the turboexpander 109 is still in a gaseous state. A recuperator 110 is positioned downstream of the turboexpander 109. In the recuperator 110 the hot expanded fluid exchanges heat with the cold, high-pressure liquid obtained by condensing the expanded fluid in a condenser 112 and then pumping the condensate at the required upper pressure of the thermodynamic cycle by means of a pump 113. The liquid delivered by the pump 113 is pumped through the recuperator 110 and then the preheater, the vaporizer and the superheater exchangers 108a, 108, 107 closing the loop.
The turboexpander 109 is mechanically connected to an electric generator 115, which converts the mechanical power available on the output shaft of the turboexpander 109 into electric power.
The diathermic oil and the organic fluid circulating in the two closed loops allow low temperature heat sources to be exploited efficiently to produce electricity energy over a wide range of power output.
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a combined thermodynamic system for the production of mechanical power, comprising: a gas turbine; a turbomachinery driven by the gas turbine; a thermodynamic organic Rankine cycle, comprising a turboexpander; a heat transfer arrangement for transferring heat from exhaust combustion gases of the gas turbine to the thermodynamic organic Rankine cycle; a driven turbomachine, driven by the turboexpander. In an embodiment, the turboexpander is a integrally geared multi-stage turboexpander. In some embodiments the turbomachinery driven by the gas turbine and by the turboexpander of the organic Rankine cycle each can comprise one or more compressors, for example centrifugal compressors, or compressor trains.
Both thermodynamic cycles are used for mechanical drive purposes. The system is, in an embodiment, used in installations, where mechanical power is needed for driving one or more turbomachines, and where production of electric power is neither needed nor expedient. The use of an organic Rankine cycle makes the system particularly suitable for use in locations, where water is unavailable or insufficient to run a water-steam Rankine cycle.
The system can be used in oil-and-gas plants and installations. For instance, the gas turbine and the turboexpander can be used to drive compressors of a pipeline compression station or of a natural gas liquefaction system.
According to a further aspect, the present disclosure also relates to a method for producing mechanical power and driving turbomachinery, comprising the steps of: providing a gas turbine; producing mechanical power with the gas turbine and driving a turbomachinery therewith; transferring heat from exhaust combustion gases of the gas turbine to an organic Rankine cycle; producing mechanical power with the organic Rankine cycle by means of a multi-stage integrally geared multi-stage turboexpander, and driving a turbomachine therewith.
Features and embodiments are disclosed here below and are further set forth in the appended claims, which form an integral part of the present description. The above brief description sets forth features of the various embodiments of the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, other features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be set forth in the appended claims. In this respect, before explaining several embodiments of the invention in details, it is understood that the various embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and/or systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
A more complete appreciation of the disclosed embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Additionally, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Also, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. Instead, the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.
Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “some embodiments” means that the particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the subject matter disclosed. Thus, the appearance of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout the specification is not necessarily referring to the same embodiment(s). Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
Referring to
The gas turbine 1 generates high-temperature combustion gases. Waste heat contained in the combustion gases is at least partly recovered, before discharging the combustion gases in the atmosphere, using an organic Rankine cycle as disclosed here below.
For the purpose of heat recovery, in the exemplary embodiment of
A first closed loop 4 is used to remove heat from the heat exchanger 3 and transfer it to a second closed loop 5. In the first closed loop 4 a heat transfer fluid, for example diathermic oil, is used to transfer heat removed from the combustion gases into the second closed loop 5. Reference number 6 designates a circulating pump of first closed loop 4.
The second closed loop 5 is a thermodynamic cycle and more specifically an organic Rankine cycle. A process fluid circulating in the second closed loop 5 is subject to thermodynamic transformations including condensing, pumping, heating, vaporizing, superheating, expanding, to transform heat energy into mechanical energy. A suitable working fluid, for example cyclopentane, or another suitable organic fluid usable in an organic Rankine cycle, is circulating in the second closed loop 5.
In some exemplary embodiments, the second closed loop 5 comprises a circulating pump 7, a preheater 9a, a vaporizer 9, a superheater 11, a turboexpander 13, a recuperator 15 and a condenser 17. Additional components can be present in the circuit, as known to those skilled in the art, such as an expansion vessel.
The working fluid in the liquid state circulating in the second loop closed 5 is pumped at a first, high pressure level by the circulating pump 7. The pressurized fluid is heated in the preheater 9a, in the vaporizer 9 and in the superheater 11 by means of heat recovered by the fluid circulating in the first closed loop 4. A different number and arrangement of heat exchangers can be provided, e.g. only two heat exchangers, a heater and a superheater, respectively.
At the outlet of the superheater 11 the working fluid circulating in the second closed loop 5 is in a superheated, gaseous, high-pressure state. The high-pressure, superheated working fluid is then expanded in the turboexpander 13. Exhausted fluid exiting the turboexpander 13 at a second, low pressure level, flows through the heat recuperator 15 and is finally condensed in a condenser 17. The condensation is obtained for instance by means of heat exchange between the condensing working fluid and external air or water.
In the recuperator 15 low-temperature heat contained in the expanded fluid exiting the turboexpander 13 is exchanged against the cold pressurized fluid in the liquid state delivered by the circulating pump 7.
In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in
In some exemplary embodiments, not shown, the first closed loop 4 can be omitted. In this case heat is directly transferred from the gas turbine discharge to the organic Rankine cycle. The heater 9 and superheater 11 can be integrated in the heat exchanger 3. A more compact installation is obtained, with reduced heat losses and increased overall efficiency of the system.
In some embodiments, the turboexpander 13 can be a multistage, integrally geared turboexpander. In
A fraction of the heat contained in the combustion gases discharged from the gas turbine 1 is thus transformed into useful mechanical power increasing the overall efficiency of the system and the overall mechanical power produced thereby.
The above described heat-recovery system has been described for improving the efficiency of a gas turbine installation, where the hot combustion gases of the gas turbine are cooled prior to being discharged in the atmosphere. The temperature range of the combustion gases is suitable for transforming the heat into mechanical power using an organic Rankine cycle. The thermodynamic cycle does not require water and can therefore be used where water is unavailable and a common steam cycle could not be used.
The driven turbomachine 21, for instance a centrifugal compressor, can be used e.g. to process a refrigerant fluid in an LNG system or can be used to forward a gas in a pipeline.
A mechanical transmission 19 is provided between the two-stage turboexpander 13 and the driven turbomachine 21.
In the exemplary embodiment of
As best shown in
The first, second and third gears 33A, 33B and 33C, according to an embodiment, have a diameter smaller than the diameter of the central crown wheel 34.
In some embodiments, the third gear 33C has a diameter smaller than that the diameter of the central crown wheel 34, in order to augment the rotary speed of output shaft 19A connected to the driven turbomachine 21.
A higher speed of the output shaft 19A allows to drive easily a centrifugal compressor 21 that requires to rotate at a higher rotary speed.
The first and second gears 33A and 33B have different diameters in order to provide optimal rotary speed for each impeller of the first and second stage of the turboexpander 13.
In an embodiment, this integrally geared solution is particularly useful in LNG systems or pipeline compression stations.
Additionally the embodiment of
Moreover, the embodiment comprising a plurality of impellers allows exploiting the whole pressure drop of the high-pressure, superheated working fluid.
While the disclosed embodiments of the subject matter described herein have been shown in the drawings and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with several exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications, changes, and omissions are possible without materially departing from the novel teachings, the principles and concepts set forth herein, and advantages of the subject matter recited in the appended claims. Hence, the proper scope of the disclosed innovations should be determined only by the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all such modifications, changes, and omissions. In addition, the order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FI2012A000193 | Oct 2012 | IT | national |
