Patent ID: 6263675
Filing Date: 2001-07-24
Classification: F01K

Abstract:
A method of operating a power generation system having (i) a turbine for expanding a vaporized multicomponent working fluid to produce power, (ii) a regenerative heat exchanger for transferring heat from a lean hot multicomponent working fluid having a relatively low concentration of a component of the multicomponent working fluid to a rich cool multicomponent working fluid having a relatively high concentration of the component to thereby cool the lean hot multicomponent working fluid, (iii) a vapor generator for vaporizing the cooled multicomponent working fluid to form the vaporized multicomponent working fluid, and (iv) a distiller/condenser, having multiple condensing elements, for condensing the expanded multicomponent working fluid to form the lean hot multicomponent working fluid, comprising the steps of:condensing a first portion of the expanded multicomponent working fluid in a first of the multiple condensing elements;condensing a second portion of the expanded multicomponent working fluid in a second of the multiple condensing elements to form the lean hot multicomponent working fluid; andregulating a flow of the condensed first portion of expanded multicomponent working fluid from the first condensing element to regulate an amount of the condensed second portion of expanded multicomponent working fluid in the second condensing element.