Patent ID: 6237337
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: F01K,F02C,F03G,F22B,F23L,Y02E

Abstract:
Retrofit equipment that reduces the consumption of fossil fuel by a power plant using solar insolation, said power plant comprising:a) a primary gas turbine unit including a primary compressor that compresses ambient air to produce compressed air, a combustor that receives said compressed air for burning fossil fuel and heating said compressed air to produce heated compressed air, and a primary turbine coupled to said primary compressor that expands said heated compressed air and drives said primary compressor thereby producing power and hot exhaust gases;b) a boiler having heat exchanger coils containing water and receiving said hot exhaust gases that vaporizes water in said coils and produces steam and heat-depleted exhaust gases that are vented via a stack to the atmosphere;c) a steam turbine that expands steam produced by said boiler and produces power and expanded steam;d) a condenser that condenses said expanded steam to condensate; ande) a pump that returns said condensate to said boiler; andf) said retrofit equipment comprising an auxiliary gas turbine unit including an auxiliary compressor that compresses ambient air to produce compressed air, a solar collector that receives said compressed air for heating the same to produce heated compressed air, and an auxiliary turbine coupled to said auxiliary compressor that expands said heated compressed air and drives said auxiliary compressor producing power and further hot exhaust gases such that the hot exhaust gases are selectively supplied from said retrofit equipment to said boiler when solar insolation is available.