Patent ID: 9540999
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: F02C,F05D,Y02E

Claim:
1. A method of generating shaft power in a system comprising an air cycle and supercritical fluid cycle, comprising the steps of: a) burning a fossil fuel in air so as to produce a combustion gas; b) compressing a supercritical fluid in a first compressor; c) flowing at least a portion of said compressed supercritical fluid through a first cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said combustion gas through said first cross cycle heat exchanger so as to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said compressed supercritical fluid so as to produce a heated compressed supercritical fluid; d) after step (c), expanding said combustion gas in at least a first turbine so as to produce an expanded combustion gas, said expansion of said combustion gas generating a first turbine shaft power; e) expanding at least a portion of said heated compressed supercritical fluid in a second turbine so as to produce an expanded supercritical fluid, said expansion of said supercritical fluid generating a second turbine shaft power; and f) flowing at least a portion of said expanded supercritical fluid through a second cross cycle heat exchanger, and flowing said air through said second cross cycle heat exchanger prior to burning said fossil fuel in said air so as to transfer heat from said expanded supercritical fluid to said air.