Patent ID: 7765810

Claim:
A method of lowering the kinetic rate of NOx formation in a gas turbine combustor comprising: a) providing a supply of air to a compressor for producing compressed air; b) providing a supply of fuel; c) passing the compressed air and the fuel to a combustor for combustion; d) forming a fuel-air mixture from the compressed air and the fuel prior to combustion in the combustor; e) combusting the fuel-air mixture in the combustor and producing hot combustion products; f) passing the hot combustion products to a turbine for expanding the hot combustion gases and producing turbine exhaust gases; g) passing the turbine exhaust gases to a heat recovery boiler for producing cooled exhaust gases having a temperature less than about 150 degrees Celsius; h) passing the cooled exhaust gases to a heat exchanger to produce recycled exhaust gases; i) providing a supply of fresh inlet air; j) mixing the recycled exhaust gases and the fresh inlet air to form a mixed gas having an oxygen content of no more than eighteen mole percent; k) premixing a fuel with the mixed gas prior to passing the mixed gas to the compressor; and l) passing the mixed gas to the compressor.