GAS TURBINE ENGINE AND OPERATIONS
An improved gas turbine engine is adapted to include an inlet flow control arrangement disposed in an inlet passage at least between a filter member and a row of Variable Inlet Guide Vanes (VIGV), and adjacent the filter member, to enable pressure loss in the inlet passage and supply reduced amount of inlet air to a compressor to enable the reduction of power output of the gas turbine engine at a low load condition.
1 . A gas turbine engine of a gas power plant, the gas turbine engine comprising:
inlet and exhaust passages the inlet passage adapted to receive and direct inlet air to a compressor to compress and supply the inlet air to a combustor to produce gas to drive a turbine, and the exhaust passage adapted to release exhaust gas from the turbine;
a filter member disposed in the inlet passage to filter the inlet air;
at least a row of Variable Inlet Guide Vanes (VIGV) adapted to be configured on the compressor; and
an inlet air flow control arrangement adapted to be detachably disposed at least:
between the filter member and the row of VIGV, and
adjacent the filter member,
wherein at least one of the VIGV and the air inlet flow control arrangement are configured to be selectively operable and controllable, upon requirement, to at least partially close the inlet passage to modulate and create predetermined required pressure loss in the inlet passage in order to supply reduced amount of the inlet air to the compressor to enable the reduction of power output of the gas turbine engine at a low load condition.
2 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a heating member adapted to be configured in the inlet passage to heat the inlet air to enable, in combination of pressure loss in the inlet passage, the reduction of power output of the gas turbine engine at the low load condition.
3 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the inlet air flow control arrangement, either independently or in combination with the heating member, under the low load condition of the gas turbine engine, enable reduction of emission of combustion products with the exhaust gas from the exhaust passage.
4 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inlet air flow control arrangement is adapted to be configured to maintain the direction of flow of the inlet air such downstream of the VIGV receives axial inflow.
5 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inlet air flow control arrangement is adapted to be configured to change the direction of flow of the inlet air such that incident of the inlet air at the VIGV leading edge is reduced.
6 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the inlet air flow control arrangement is one of a shutter arrangement, a grid arrangement, a damper arrangement and a throttle device arrangement.
7 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a control system adapted and configured to control the inlet air flow control arrangement.
8 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust gases flow control arrangement adapted to be detachably disposed in the exhaust passage to increase pressure and temperature of the exhausted gas exiting from the turbine.
9 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a control system 120 adapted and configured to control the exhaust gases flow control arrangement.
10 . The gas turbine engine of the gas power plant with a Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) of claim 8 , wherein the exhaust gases flow control arrangement is adapted to be detachably disposed in the exhaust passage, downstream of the HRSG to increase pressure and temperature of the exhaust gas exiting from the turbine.
11 . The gas turbine engine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exhaust gases flow control arrangement is one of a shutter arrangement, a grid arrangement, a damper arrangement and a throttle device arrangement.