Circulating fluidized bed cooling for an industrial gas turbine engine

摘要

The present invention is an industrial gas turbine engine with a circulating fluidized bed cooling system to provide cooling to certain parts of the engine such as a transition duct or a stator vane. The circulating fluidized bed cooling system can be used to cool a stator vane, a casing, or any stationary part of the engine. A circulating fluidized bed cooling system uses very fine particles that pass along with a cooling fluid such as cooling air and provide for a much higher heat transfer coefficient than does turbulent flow cooling air because of the particles. The fine particles produce conduction cooling from the hot surface to the particles that are then carried along in the circulating fluid flow to another location where the heat picked up by the particles is then transferred out from the particles.

主权项

1. An industrial gas turbine engine comprising:
a combustor to supply a hot gas stream; a transition duct connected to an outlet of the combustor; a turbine connected to the transition duct; a cooling air passage surrounding the transition duct; the cooling air passage having an inlet and an outlet; a particle separator connected to the outlet of the cooling air passage; a particle outlet of the particle separator connected to the inlet of the cooling air passage; a heat exchanger connected between the outlet of the particle separator and the inlet of the cooling air passage; a closed loop particle cooling circuit formed between the outlet of the cooling air passage and the inlet of the cooling air passage; and, a plurality of fine particles flowing through the cooling air passage within the transition duct that increase a heat transfer rate of the cooling air.