Patent ID: 8468825

Claim:
A method for generating shaft horsepower by using waste heat from combustion exhaust, wherein the method comprises: a. providing an exhaust gas from a combustion system to an inner housing of a heat recovery silencer, wherein the inner housing comprises a first silencing chamber, a second silencing chamber, wherein the second silencing chamber is in fluid communication with the first silencing chamber, and a third silencing chamber in fluid communication with the second silencing chamber via at least two vectoring tubes; b. flowing a heated vapor from a heat recovery flow path to a turbine, wherein the heated vapor is formed by heating a heat transfer fluid flowing in a space formed between the inner housing and a heat recovery outer housing of the heat recovery silencer, wherein heating the heat transfer fluid comprises: (i) transferring heat from a first portion of the exhaust gas to the heat transfer fluid, as the exhaust gas flows from the first silencing chamber to the second silencing chamber, from the second silencing chamber to the third silencing chamber, and from the third silencing chamber to a vent in fluid communication with the third silencing chamber and an environment exterior thereto; and (ii) simultaneously transferring heat from a second portion of the exhaust gas to the heat transfer fluid, wherein the second portion of the exhaust gas flows through one or more conduits, wherein the conduits receive the second portion of the exhaust gas from the first silencing chamber and deliver the second portion of the exhaust gas to the third silencing chamber, and wherein the conduits bypass the second silencing chamber; and wherein the conduits are connected with an exterior portion of the inner housing and located in the space formed between the inner housing and the heat recovery outer housing; c. expanding the heated vapor in the turbine to produce shaft horsepower and a low pressure vapor stream; d. forming the heat transfer fluid from the low pressure vapor stream; e. pumping the heat transfer fluid to the heat recovery flow path; and f. heating the heat transfer fluid with the exhaust gas to form the heated vapor.