Control system for Cheng dual-fluid cycle engine system

Claim 1

In a dual-fluid heat engine, which can be operated to produce co-generated process steam having: a chamber; compressor means for introducing a first gaseous working fluid comprising air into said chamber, said compressor means having a predetermined pressure ratio (CPR); means for introducing a second liquid-vapor working fluid comprising water in the form of a vapor within said chamber at a defined water/air working fluid ratio (XMIX); means for heating said water vapor and air in said chamber at a defined specific heat input rate (SHIR); turbine means responsive to the mixture of said first and second working fluids for converting the energy associated with the mixture to mechanical energy, the temperature of said mixture entering said turbine means defining the turbine inlet temperature (TIT) and having a design maximum turbine inlet temperature (TITmax); counterflow heat exchanger means for transferring residual thermal energy from said exhausted mixture of first and second working fluids to said incoming working fluid water to thereby preheat the same to water vapor prior to its introduction within said chamber; means for diverting water vapor from said chamber, if desired, for co-generated processed steam; and wherein the improvement comprises: means for operating the engine under partial load conditions such that when no co-generated process steam is required, the engine control path follows a locus of peak efficiency points resulting in declining TIT as the load decreases, and such that XMIX and SHIR are selected so that for a given value of TIT, XMIX is substantially equal to or is greater than XMIX peak, where XMIX peak occurs when the following conditions are both met simultaneously: (i) the temperature of the water vapor is substantially maximized; and (ii) the effective temperature of said exhausted mixture of the first and second working fluids is substantially minimized; and means for operating the engine to produce co-generated process steam by following a control path which reduces the steam flow rate to said chamber as process steam increases.