IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,267,433
Granted Patent B2
US 9,267,433 · App. 13/280,237 · Granted Feb 23, 2016

System and method for turbine combustor fuel assembly

Inventors: Hua Zhang (Greer, SC); Douglas Frank Beadie (Greer, SC); Geoffrey David Myers (Simpsonville, SC); Fabien Thibault Codron (Simpsonville, SC); William Thomas Ross (Fairfield, OH)
Assignee: General Electric Company
F02C3/305Y02E20/16Y02T50/671
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,267,433
App. No.
13/280,237
Granted
Feb 23, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system includes a turbine fuel supply system. The turbine fuel supply system includes a first turbine fuel mixer configured to mix a first liquid fuel and a first deaerated water to generate a first fuel mixture. The first fuel mixture is configured to combust in a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The turbine fuel supply system also includes a deaerated water flow path configured to route the first deaerated water to the first turbine fuel mixer and a liquid fuel flow path configured to route the first liquid fuel to the first turbine fuel mixer.

Claims (47)

1. A system, comprising:

a mixing assembly, comprising:

a first turbine fuel mixer connected to a fuel source and a deaerated water source to mix a liquid fuel from the fuel source and a first portion of a deaerated water from the deaerated water source to generate a first fuel mixture, wherein the first turbine fuel mixer is connected to route the first fuel mixture to a first portion of a combustor of a gas turbine engine to combust the first fuel mixture in the combustor of a gas turbine engine;

a second turbine fuel mixer connected to the liquid fuel source, the deaerated water source, and a gaseous fuel source to generate a second fuel mixture, wherein the second turbine fuel mixer is connected to route the second fuel mixture to a second portion of the combustor of the gas turbine engine to combust the second fuel mixture in the combustor of the gas turbine engine;

a deaerated water flow path to route the first portion of the deaerated water to the first turbine fuel mixer and to route a second portion of the deaerated water to the second turbine fuel mixer; and

a first liquid fuel flow path to route the liquid fuel to the first turbine fuel mixer;

a second liquid fuel flow path to route the liquid fuel to the second turbine fuel mixer through at least one valve; and

a gaseous fuel flow path to route a gaseous fuel from the gaseous fuel source to the second turbine mixer through the at least one valve.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first turbine fuel mixer comprises at least one of a mixing tee, an in-line mixer, a static mixer, a paddle mixer, a blender, or a ribbon blender, or a combination thereof.

3. The system of claim 1 , comprising a water treatment system configured to supply the first portion of the deaerated water to the first turbine fuel mixer along the deaerated water flow path.

4. The system of claim 1 , comprising a heat recovery steam generator configured to supply the first portion of the deaerated water to the first turbine fuel mixer along the deaerated water flow path.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the heat recovery steam generator is configured to generate the deaerated water.

6. The system of claim 4 , comprising a booster pump configured to increase a pressure of the deaerated water from a low-pressure section or an intermediate-pressure section of the heat recovery steam generator.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first turbine fuel mixer is configured to mix the liquid fuel and the first portion of the deaerated water to generate a first emulsion of the liquid fuel and the first portion of the deaerated water as the first fuel mixture.

8. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

the second turbine fuel mixer configured to mix the gaseous fuel and the second portion of the deaerated water to generate the second fuel mixture, wherein the first fuel mixture is a main fuel mixture, and the second fuel mixture is a pilot fuel mixture.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the deaerated water flow path comprises a deaerated water manifold configured to route deaerated water to a plurality of mixing assemblies of the gas turbine engine.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein each of the plurality of mixing assemblies comprises one of a plurality of the first turbine fuel mixers, one of a plurality of deaerated water mixing valves, and one of a plurality of liquid fuel mixing valves.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the combustor comprises a main fuel nozzle and the second portion of the combustor comprises a pilot fuel nozzle.

12. A system, comprising:

a byproduct sensor configured to transmit an input signal indicative of a sensed byproduct concentration in an exhaust from a gas turbine engine;

a byproduct controller configured to receive the input signal from the byproduct sensor and transmit an output signal to at least one control element, wherein the at least one control element is responsive to the output signal, to adjust a fuel-water ratio in a mixture of a liquid fuel and a deaerated water if the sensed byproduct concentration is above a threshold level, wherein the mixture of the liquid fuel and the deaerated water is configured to combust in a combustor of the gas turbine engine; and

a mixing assembly coupled to the combustor, wherein the mixing assembly comprises:

a first turbine fuel mixer connected to a fuel source and a deaerated water source to mix the liquid fuel from the fuel source and a first portion of the deaerated water from the deaerated water source to generate a first fuel mixture, wherein the first turbine fuel mixer is connected to route the first fuel mixture to a first portion of the combustor of the gas turbine engine to combust the first fuel mixture in the combustor of the gas turbine engine;

a second turbine fuel mixer connected to the liquid fuel source, the deaerated water source, and a gaseous fuel source to generate a second fuel mixture, wherein the second turbine fuel mixer is connected to route the second fuel mixture to a second portion of the combustor of the gas turbine engine to combust the second fuel mixture in the combustor of the gas turbine engine;

a deaerated water flow path to route the first portion of the deaerated water to the first turbine fuel mixer and to route a second portion of the deaerated water to the second turbine fuel mixer; and

a first liquid fuel flow path to route the liquid fuel to the first turbine fuel mixer;

a second liquid fuel flow path to route the liquid fuel to the second turbine fuel mixer through at least one valve; and

a gaseous fuel flow path to route a gaseous fuel from the gaseous fuel source to the second turbine mixer through the at least one valve.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the first mixer is configured to mix the liquid fuel and the first portion of the deaerated water to generate the first mixture upstream of the combustor of the gas turbine engine in response to the output signal from the byproduct controller.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the deaerated water source is configured to supply the first portion of the deaerated water to the first mixer and adjust a pressure or temperature of the deaerated water in response to the output signal from the byproduct controller.

15. A method, comprising:

supplying a liquid fuel to a first mixer of a mixing assembly from a fuel source connected to the first mixer;

supplying deaerated water to each of the first mixer and a second mixer from a deaerated water source connected to each of the first mixer and the second mixer;

mixing the liquid fuel with the deaerated water using the first mixer to generate a first mixture of the liquid fuel and the deaerated water;

routing the liquid fuel from the fuel source connected to the second fuel mixer through at least one valve;

routing a gaseous fuel from a gaseous fuel source connected to the second turbine mixer through the at least one valve;

generating a second fuel mixture using the second mixer;

supplying the first mixture from the first mixer to a first portion of a combustor of a gas turbine engine via a first flow path connection between the first mixer and the combustor; and

supplying the second mixture from the second mixer to a second portion of the combustor of the gas turbine engine via a second flow path connection between the second mixer and the combustor.

16. The method of claim 15 , comprising adjusting a ratio of the liquid fuel to the deaerated water in the first mixture to control a byproduct concentration in products resulting from combustion of the first mixture.

17. The method of claim 15 , comprising adjusting a temperature or a pressure of the deaerated water to control a byproduct concentration in products resulting from combustion of the first mixture.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein mixing the liquid fuel with the deaerated water comprises using the first mixer to generate an emulsion of the liquid fuel and the deaerated water.

19. The system of claim 1 , comprising:

a byproduct sensor configured to transmit an input signal indicative of a sensed byproduct concentration in an exhaust from a gas turbine engine; and

a byproduct controller configured to receive the input signal from the byproduct sensor and transmit an output signal to at least one control element, wherein the at least one control element is responsive to the output signal, to adjust a fuel-water ratio in the first fuel mixture if the sensed byproduct concentration is above a threshold level.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein supplying the first mixture to the first portion of the combustor of the gas turbine engine comprises supplying the first mixture to a main fuel nozzle of the combustor, wherein supplying the second mixture to the second portion of the combustor comprises supplying the second mixture to a pilot fuel nozzle of the combustor.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 17, 2023
From: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
To: GE INFRASTRUCTURE TECHNOLOGY LLC
Reel/Frame 065727/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 14, 2011
From: ZHANG, HUA; BEADIE, DOUGLAS FRANK; MYERS, GEOFFREY DAVID; CODRON, FABIEN THIBAULT; ROSS, WILLIAM THOMAS
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 027223/0555 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130098056A1 · Apr 25, 2013