Patent ID: 7416137

Claim:
An energy-conversion system comprising: an oxidant delivery system having an inlet and an outlet configured to deliver an oxidant-containing fluid into the energy-conversion system; a fuel delivery system configured to deliver a fuel-containing fluid into the energy-conversion system; a diluent delivery system configured to deliver diluent-containing fluid within the energy-conversion system, at least a portion of which comprises a vaporizable diluent fluid, and wherein at least a portion of diluent-containing fluid is pressurized as a liquid; a combustion system, being configured to receive fluid from the fuel delivery system, the oxidant delivery system, and the diluent delivery system; and including a combustion chamber having at least one inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the oxidant delivery system and with the outlet of the fuel delivery system; having at least one outlet, the combustion system being configured to mix fuel-containing fluid and oxidant-containing fluid to form a combustible mixture of fuel and oxidant, to oxidize fuel with oxidant, whereby forming products of oxidation, and to deliver at least a portion of liquid diluent-containing fluid into the combustion chamber; the combustion system being further configured: to deliver and mix diluent-containing fluid with one or more of oxidant-containing fluid, fuel-containing fluid and products of oxidation; to constrain the peak temperature of the energetic fluid exiting the combustion system; and to form an energetic fluid within the combustion system comprising products of oxidation, and vaporized diluent fluid, the energetic fluid having elevated levels of one or more of: temperature, pressure and kinetic energy; an expansion system comprising an expander having an inlet and an outlet configured to expand at least a portion of the energetic fluid, whereby forming an expanded fluid; a heat and mass transfer system having a plurality of inlets and outlets, being configured to: recover heat from the expanded fluid whereby forming a cooled expanded fluid; provide heat to diluent-containing fluid whereby forming a heated diluent fluid; deliver at least a portion of heated diluent fluid to the combustion system; a diluent recovery system configured to recover diluent from the expanded fluid at least about equal to that delivered into the oxidant fluid or energetic fluid upstream of the outlet of the expansion system; and to recover a portion of one or both of the water formed during combustion and the water delivered with the oxidant fluid into the oxidant delivery system; and a fluid treatment system configured to remove at least a portion of water recovered from the expanded fluid, wherein removing a portion of at least one contaminant in the expanded fluid and wherein reducing the concentration of the contaminant in the energetic fluid entering the expansion system.