Power plants – Combustion products used as motive fluid
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2001-08-28
Kim, Ted (Department: 3746)
Power plants
Combustion products used as motive fluid
C060S039300, C060S039350
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279309
ABSTRACT:
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Technical Field of the Invention
Our invention relates to an apparatus and method for constructing, inspecting, and servicing the rotating elements of rotary engines. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel combination of structures useful for assembly and for the inspection, repair, and replacement of hot section elements in shaft mounted rotary engines.
2. Background of the Invention
Demand for a low cost, simply built, and inexpensive to maintain thermal power plant continues to build. This urgent need has been further increased by the relatively recent deregulation of the electrical power supply market in many jurisdictions. Importantly, the prime mover in electrical generation plants is the key to providing low cost power. Thus, many electrical and/or mechanical power plants could substantially benefit from a prime mover that offers a significant improvement over currently practiced cycle efficiencies in power generation. Moreover, such prime movers could benefit substantially from an improved design and assembly structure which allows faster, quicker, and easier methods for assembly, inspection, and repair.
Power plant designs which are now commonly utilized in co-generation applications include (a) gas turbines, driven by the combustion of natural gas, fuel oil, or other fuels, which capture the thermal and kinetic energy from the combustion gases, (b) steam turbines, driven by the steam which is generated in boilers from the combustion of coal, fuel oil, natural gas, solid waste, or other fuels, and (c) large scale reciprocating engines, usually diesel cycle and typically fired with fuel oils. Of the currently available power plant technologies, diesel fueled reciprocating and advanced aeroderivative turbine engines have the highest efficiency levels. Since gas turbines perform more reliably than reciprocating engines, they are employed with increasing and widespread frequency.
In any event, particularly in view of reduced governmental regulation in the sale of electrical power, it can be appreciated that significant cost reduction in electrical power generation would be desirable. Fundamentally, given long term fuel costs, this objective can be most effectively accomplished by generating electrical power at higher overall cycle efficiency than is currently known or practiced. In order to accomplish such an objective, it is also an important and related objective to provide an engine which is simple to build, and which is easy to inspect, and in which the “hot elements” are easy to repair as and when it becomes necessary. Such improvements would enable such an engine to remain on-line for a higher percentage of the time, thus increasing the engine's availability for power generation, and thereby increasing revenue for the power company.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have now invented a novel modular design and engine equipment structure which simplifies the assembly, disassembly, inspection, and repair of a rotary type power plant, and in particular, for a ramjet based rotary power plant. Our invention uses the novel combination of a linear rail mounted fuel/air mixing section and an axially displaceable rotating element, which element includes a rotor, shaft, and related “hot section” equipment. In ramjet type power plants, such “hot section” equipment may include rim segments, thrust segments, and related strakes, seals, and tab locks. By disengaging the fuel/air mixing section from the engine, and by removal of the exhaust duct assembly, the ramjet engine casing (with the rotating element including the just mentioned component) can be turned on pivot mounts, to allow removal of the inlet bearing plate and associated components. Then, the rotor and the hot section components affixed thereto are available for inspection, and may easily and quickly removed for inspection, repair, or replacement. With respect to ease of assembly, and with respect to ease of inspection, our modular type rotary ramjet power plant has significant operating and maintenance advantages, when compared to those heretofore used power plants of which we are aware.
Importantly, the design of our linear rail mount fuel/air mixing section, as incorporated into a unique ramjet power plant design, overcomes some of the significant and serious problems which have plagued earlier attempts at the use of supersonic ramjets for efficient electrical power production.
First, the important aerodynamic design of the fuel/air mixing section is not compromised, yet the rotating element is easily exposed and/or removed for inspection of the “hot section” elements. This is important commercially because it enables a power plant to reduce operating and maintenance expenses, and reduces the “down-time” necessary to inspect rotating components. It is easy to understand that decreasing the “cycle time” for inspection and repair of the “hot section” components of the rotating element can have an important and revenue enhancing effect, as such improvements can dramatically improve overall plant availability.
Second, the use of a modular assembly method minimizes the overall time required (and thus the cost involved) to initially assemble a ramjet powered rotary engine. Therefore, our design reduces initial construction costs.
Third, our modular engine structure and the method of employing the same for engine assembly, inspection, and repair, represents a considerable improvement over the conventional designs, such as the horizontal split-case designs often employed in the manufacture of gas turbine and steam turbine equipment. In one important aspect, this is because our apparatus enables the power plant operator to reduce the use of overhead crane lifting equipment, as some of the key heavy components are rail mounted, and are relocatable by hand, in spite of their considerable weight.
In short, in order to reduce costs in power plant installation, operation, and maintenance, we have now developed a novel modular engine configuration which overcomes some specific problems inherent in the heretofore known apparatus and methods that are known to us and which have been heretofore proposed for the application of gas turbine technology or ramjet technology to stationary power generation equipment. Of primary importance, we have now developed the combination of modular components wherein at least one module is displaceably mounted on roller guides which ride on a track. Heavy duty opposing curved rollers are used to carry one or more modules on each of preferably at least two solid linear rails. In our design, the fuel-air mixing module of the ramjet engine is mounted on a plurality of linear roller feet, and more preferably, the fuel-air mixing module is mounted on at least four such roller feet. Each of such feet preferably utilizes a dual type linear roller bearing, wherein a pair of curved roller bearing tracks are mounted in stable, partially opposing, self centering fashion.
Ideally, the fuel-air mixing module has a casing that is provided with an interior stationary housing with a first wall surface and an exterior stationary housing with a second wall surface that are disposed substantially concentrically along a longitudinal axis, to define between the first wall surface and the second wall surface an annular inlet air plenum. Extending substantially radially between the first wall surface of the interior stationary plenum, and the second wall surface of the exterior stationary plenum, are a number of smooth, preferably airfoil shaped stators. In one embodiment, a fan is provided a pre-selected distance upstream of the airfoils, to supply air into the inlet air plenum. The blades of the fan are disposed to move air from upstream of the fan toward
Hicks, II Kenneth H.
Lawlor Shawn P.
Goodloe, Jr. R. Reams
Kim Ted
Ramgen Power Systems, Inc.
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