Patent ID: 8117822

Claim:
A carbon-free gas turbine, comprising: at least one combustor having a housing and at least one oxygen transport reactor contained within the housing, the at least one oxygen transport reactor having an outer wall, an inner cylindrical ion transport membrane coaxially disposed within the outer wall, an annular space disposed between the outer wall and the inner membrane, and a central region defined by the membrane; means for delivering gaseous fuel into the central region of the at least one oxygen transport reactor; means for delivering pressurized air into the annular space defined between the outer wall and the inner cylindrical ion transport membrane of the at least one oxygen transport reactor, the membrane being selectively permeable to oxygen so that oxygen is separated from the pressurized air and transported from the annular space into the central region for combustion with the gaseous fuel, producing heated gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor; a first turbine driven by the heated gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor produced by the at least one combustor; and a first compressor driven by the first turbine, the first compressor providing the pressurized air supplied to the at least one combustor; a separator connected to the first turbine for receiving the gaseous carbon dioxide and water vapor from the first turbine and extracting the water from the gaseous carbon dioxide; a second turbine; a second compressor in fluid communication with the separator and said means for delivering gaseous fuel into the central region of the at least one oxygen transport reactor, said second compressor being driven by said second turbine to compress and pressurize the gaseous carbon dioxide output from said separator, which is delivered back through said separator for recycled input back into said at least one combustor.