Patent ID: 8327647

Claim:
A low carbon emissions combined cycle power plant comprising: a gas turbine engine having a turbine exhaust duct, fuelled by carbon-containing fuel, and operable to exhaust carbon dioxide-containing flue gases from the turbine exhaust duct; a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) operable to raise steam by cooling flue gases received from the turbine exhaust duct; a steam turbine operable to produce shaft power from steam received from the HRSG; a heat exchanger arrangement operable to cool flue gases received from the HRSG down to a temperature approximating normal ambient temperature; active cooling apparatus operable to further cool the flue gases down to a temperature range of about −40° C. to −50° C.; and a plurality of vortex nozzles, each vortex nozzle having an inlet to receive flue gases from the active cooling apparatus and being operable to cryogenically separate out carbon dioxide from the received flue gases and to emit carbon-dioxide-depleted flue gases; wherein the gas turbine engine exhaust duct, the HRSG, the heat exchanger arrangement, and the active cooling apparatus are configured and arranged to operate at a pressure sufficient to assure entry of flue gases to the vortex nozzles at a pressure of at least 2 bar.