The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a power plant and, more specifically, systems and methods for predicting and enhancing startup for a power plant.
Certain power plants include a combined cycle. The combined cycle may enable greater energy efficiencies, for example, by capturing energy that would have normally been lost through exhaust heat. Accordingly, a combined cycle may include systems that transform energy from exhaust heat into useful power. Fuel is supplied to a combustor of a gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine, in turn, drives a generator for the production of electrical power or drives another type of load. Exhaust from the gas turbine engine may be supplied to a heat recovery system (e.g. to generate steam for a steam turbine). As such, the combined cycle power plants may be useful in converting fuel and exhaust heat into power. The startup time of a combined cycle power plant may be largely dependent on various sub components of the power plant such as gas turbines, heat recovery steam generator (HRSG), boiler, duct burners, and a steam turbine. Typically, the startup time up to a full speed no load operating condition of a respective gas turbine engine is fixed regardless of operational scenarios (e.g., ambient conditions, gas turbine operating conditions, etc.). This may limit the efficiency of the power plant.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds