Gas turbine power plant

Claim 1

The method of controlling the pressure of the gaseous medium in a main conduit leading from a constant source of gaseous medium at a substantially constant pressure to a receiver station to maintain a constant minimum pressure at said receiver station, in which a compressor station is interposed in said conduit distant from said receiver station and said source and at which the input pressure varies with variations in the volume of flow of said gaseous medium, said compressor station comprising a plurality of individually speed controllable centrifugal compressors and a plurality of individually variable speed regulated gas turbines, each connected to one of said compressors, and individually controllable bypass circuits associated with said compressors for bypassing each of said compressors, said method including operating only the number of turbines and compressors necessary to provide an output pressure to maintain a substantially constant pressure at said receiver station while bypassing each inoperative compressor by a bypass circuit, and varying the output pressure at said compressor station by operating all but one of the operating compressors at full capacity and controlling the operation of only one turbine and its compressor to vary the output pressure in accordance with the input pressure at said compressor station to produce an output pressure variable with the volume of flow of said gaseous medium to maintain a substantially constant pressure at the receiver station with varying flow of said gaseous medium through said conduit.

Claim 2

The method of controlling the pressure of the gaseous medium in a main conduit leading from a constant source of gaseous medium at a substantially constant pressure to a receiver station to maintain a constant minimum pressure at said receiver station, in which a compressor station is interposed in said conduit distant from said receiver station and said source and at which the input pressure varies with variations in the volume of flow of said gaseous medium, said compressor station comprising a plurality of individually speed controllable centrifugal compressors and a plurality of individually variable speed regulated gas turbines, each connected to one of said compressors, and individually controllable bypass circuits associated with said compressors for bypassing each of said compressors, said method including operating only the number of turbines and compressors necessary to provide an output pressure to maintain a substantially constant pressure at said receiver station while bypassing each inoperative compressor by a bypass circuit, and varying the output pressure at said compressor station by operating all but one of the operating compressors at full capacity and controlling the operation of only one turbine and its compressor to vary the output pressure in accordance with the input pressure at said compressor station to produce an output pressure variable with the volume of flow of said gaseous medium to maintain a substantially constant pressure at the receiver station with varying flow of said gaseous medium through said conduit.