Patent Number: 051376814
Section: description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the schematic illustration of an electrical power generation system according to the present invention, as depicted in FIG. 1, an electrical power generating system 10 utilizes high pressure steam from a thermal steam generator 12. Various types of such steam generators are well known, and the particular type is not significant to the invention. The steam generator 12 exchanges heat to condensate and fresh feed water to produce dry high pressure steam, typically in the ranges of 900.degree.-1000.degree. F. at 1,000 psi. In the depicted system, the high pressure steam is routed via appropriate control valves to a steam jet ejector 14, where it is mixed with re-compressed turbine exhaust steam, as more fully described hereafter. The mixed steam is regulated at a steady pressure by a servo-pressure control valve device 16. Such devices are well known to those skilled in the art. The regulated mixed steam is then routed to the turbine inlet of a coaxial dual shaft compresser-turbine 18. The compresser-turbine 18 is more fully depicted in FIG. 2, but as shown schematically in FIG. 1, comprises a turbine section 20, a compressor section 22, and a dual shaft 24 which couples the turbine section 20 to the compressor section 22. A power output shaft 26 transmits rotational energy from the turbine section 20 to an electrical generator 28. Exhaust steam from the turbine section 20 is routed to a dryer 30, which is more fully depicted in FIG. 3. The dryer 30 removes moisture from the turbine exhaust and passes the dried exhaust steam to the inlet of the compressor section 22. The hot water extracted from the dryer 30 is withdrawn through pump 32 and routed back to the steam generator 12 as system condensate. The dry exhaust steam from the dryer 30 is compressed by compressor 22, is extracted from the compressor 22 and passed to a steam jet ejector 14, where it is mixed with fresh steam from steam generator 12. The steam jet ejector 14 is more fully described in FIG. 4. Turning now to FIG. 2, the turbo-compressor 18 is more fully illustrated. The shaft 24 coupling the turbine section 20 to the compressor section 22 is a coaxial dual shaft, comprising a high pressure shaft 34 disposed concentrically around an intermediate section of a low pressure shaft 36, allowing the two shafts to rotate at different speeds. Mixed steam is inlet to the turbine section 20 at the turbine inlet 38, and passes first through a high pressure turbine blade wheel 40, which extracts thermal energy and converts it to rotational mechanical energy transmitted to the high pressure shaft 34. Although a single high pressure turbine wheel 40 is depicted, there may be one or more such high pressure turbine wheels connected to the high pressure shaft 34, as is well known to those in the art. Additionally, there will be stator blades (not depicted) interspersed between the rotating turbine wheels, as well known in the art. After passing through the high pressure turbine wheel 40, the mixed steam is passed through a series of low pressure turbine wheels 42. Four such low pressure wheels 42 are depicted in FIG. 2, although the number of low pressure wheels is not critical to the invention and, as well known to those in the art, a different number of wheels may be utilized. The low pressure wheels 42 are mounted on the low pressure shaft 36, and extract thermal energy from the steam and convert the same to rotating mechanical energy. Low pressure shaft 36 is connected to output shaft 26 by an appropriate coupling 44, and provides the motive power for generator 28. Exhaust steam is extracted from the turbine section 20 at the turbine exhaust duct 46, and routed to dryer 30 as previously described. The dry exhaust steam from dryer 30 is then routed to the compressor section 22 at its inlet 48, and passes initially through low pressure compressor blades 50. Low pressure blades 50 are blade wheels mounted on the low pressure shaft 36, and thereby received motive power from turbine wheels 42 through shaft 36. The compressed steam is then passed through high pressure compressor blade wheels 52, which are mounted on shaft 34 and receive power from turbine wheel 40 through shaft 34. Stator blades (not depicted) are interspersed between the compressor blade wheels. The sequential compressor stages of wheels 50 and 52 progressively compress the dried exhaust steam, and discharge it as high pressure steam from the compressor discharge duct 54. As shown in FIG. 3, dryer 30 comprises a labrynth of metal vanes 56 enclosed in a dryer hood 58. The exhaust steam is passed through the vanes 56, which collect moisture from the steam and allow it to drip as hot condensate into a collecting trough 60 beneath the vanes. The exhaust steam emerges from the vanes in a dry condition, while the hot condensate is extracted from the collecting trough 60 and pumped back to the steam generator 12 as condensate, as previously described. As shown in FIG. 4, the steam jet ejector 14 receives fresh steam from the steam generator 12 at inlet 62 and passes it through a nozzle 64 to increase its velocity. Dry exhaust steam is input to the ejector at inlet 66 and enters a low pressure manifold 68 which encloses the nozzle 64. The venturi effect of the nozzle 64 and manifold 68 pumps the dry exhaust steam through the air ejector discharge 68, and mixes both fresh steam and recycled exhaust steam at an equilibrium pressure, which is regulated by servo-pressure control valve 16, to be used by the turbine section of the turbo-compressor.