US5797259A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Cooling air cooler for power plants
Assignee: Alstom SA
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Filing: 1996-10-03
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Granted: 1998-08-25
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Expires: 2016-10-03
Abstract
Abstract The cooling air cooler (10) for power plants of combined operation is designed as a helix steam generator which works on the countercurrent principle and is located in a vertically arranged cylindrical pressure vessel (23) and the spirally coiled tubes (30) of which fill the space between an inner (26) and an outer (41) jacket tube, water (12) being capable of being supplied to the tubes (30) via a conduit (32) and steam (14) being capable of being discharged from the tubes (30) via a conduit (33), the evaporating water (12) flowing through the helix from the bottom upward and the cooling air (11), capable of being supplied by the compressor (1) via an inflow conduit (24), flowing through the helix from the top downward, and the air (11) experiencing deflection before reaching an outflow conduit (25) at the lowest point in the pressure vessel (23) after flowing out of the helix. When the power plant is operating normally, the steam (14) generated in the cooling air cooler (10) is guided to the steam turbine (17) via the waste-heat boiler (15). For operating situations where the gas turbine works alone, water injection into the air (11) to be cooled or a supply of the steam (14) generated in the cooler (10) into the cooled air (13) is provided.
Inventors
- 👤 Henrik Nielsen
- 👤 Christoph Ruchti
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 01:07
CPC Classifications
F; F28; F28C; F28C3/00; F28C3/06; F01; F01K; F01K23/00; F01K23/02; F01K23/06; F02; F02C; F02C7/00; F02C7/12; F02C7/16; F02C7/18; F02C7/185; F22; F22B; F22B1/00; F22B1/02; F22B1/18; F22B1/1838; F22B21/00; F22B21/22; F22B21/26; F28D; F28D7/00; F28D7/02; F28D7/024; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E20/00; Y02E20/14; Y02P; Y02P80/00; Y02P80/10; Y02P80/15
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
301 words
A cooling air cooler in combination with a power plant comprising a compressor, said cooling air cooler comprising a pressure vessel including a top, a bottom, and an air outlet located away from said bottom, an outer jacket tube within said pressure vessel, an inner jacket tube within said pressure vessel and said outer jacket tube, a space defined between said inner and outer jacket tubes, a helix steam generator vertically arranged in said pressure vessel, said helix steam generator comprising at least one spirally coiled tube which fills said space between said inner and said outer jacket tubes, said at least one spirally coiled tube including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a water inflow conduit in fluid communication with said at least one spirally coiled tube through said fluid inlet for supplying water to said at least one spirally coiled tube, a steam outflow conduit in fluid communication with said at least one spirally coiled tube through said fluid outlet for discharging steam from said at least one spirally coiled tube, said fluid outlet positioned vertically above said fluid inlet, and an air supply conduit in fluid communication between said compressor and a portion of said space adjacent said fluid outlet, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit to said at least one spirally coiled tube, and when air is supplied from said compressor through said air supply conduit to said space, said water flows upwardly through said at least one spirally coiled tube and said air flows downwardly around said at least one spirally coiled tube and through said space, said water and said air are in counterflow, and said air is deflected at said bottom of said pressure vessel after exiting said space and before exiting said pressure vessel through said air outlet.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
301 words
A cooling air cooler in combination with a power plant comprising a compressor, said cooling air cooler comprising a pressure vessel including a top, a bottom, and an air outlet located away from said bottom, an outer jacket tube within said pressure vessel, an inner jacket tube within said pressure vessel and said outer jacket tube, a space defined between said inner and outer jacket tubes, a helix steam generator vertically arranged in said pressure vessel, said helix steam generator comprising at least one spirally coiled tube which fills said space between said inner and said outer jacket tubes, said at least one spirally coiled tube including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a water inflow conduit in fluid communication with said at least one spirally coiled tube through said fluid inlet for supplying water to said at least one spirally coiled tube, a steam outflow conduit in fluid communication with said at least one spirally coiled tube through said fluid outlet for discharging steam from said at least one spirally coiled tube, said fluid outlet positioned vertically above said fluid inlet, and an air supply conduit in fluid communication between said compressor and a portion of said space adjacent said fluid outlet, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit to said at least one spirally coiled tube, and when air is supplied from said compressor through said air supply conduit to said space, said water flows upwardly through said at least one spirally coiled tube and said air flows downwardly around said at least one spirally coiled tube and through said space, said water and said air are in counterflow, and said air is deflected at said bottom of said pressure vessel after exiting said space and before exiting said pressure vessel through said air outlet.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a device for steam injection arranged in said air outlet.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said air supply conduit opens into a lower part of said inner jacket tube, and further comprising a device for water injection arranged in said air supply conduit.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
89 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pressure vessel further comprises an outer wall and an inner wall which delimits a collecting space, said air supply conduit opens into a lower part of said inner jacket tube which itself opens into said collecting space, and wherein said outer jacket tube and said outer wall of said pressure vessel delimit an annular space which is in fluid communication with said air outlet, said air outlet being arranged in an upper region of said cooling air cooler.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power plant further comprises a waste-heat generator which includes a superheater, and said steam outflow conduit is in fluid communication with said superheater, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit, steam produced in the cooling air cooler is supplied into said superheater.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
66 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power plant further comprises a waste-heat generator which includes a superheater including a fresh steam outlet, and said steam outflow conduit is in fluid communication with said fresh steam outlet, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit, steam produced in said cooling air cooler is supplied directly into said fresh steam outlet.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
54 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power plant further comprises a gas turbine and said steam outflow conduit is in fluid communication with said gas turbine, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit, steam produced in said cooling air cooler is supplied to said gas turbine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
The cooling air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein said power plant further comprises a combustion chamber and said steam outflow conduit is in fluid communication with said combustion chamber, whereby when water is supplied through said water inflow conduit, steam produced in said cooling air cooler is supplied to said combustion chamber.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-08-24 | 2002-02-23 | 2002-08-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-08-24 | 2006-02-23 | 2006-08-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-08-24 | 2010-02-23 | 2010-08-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |