US 12,228,070 B2
Reconfigurable hybrid solar gas turbine system operating in a semi-open cycle
David Lior, Herzliya (IL)
Assigned to TURBOGEN LTD., Ramat Gan (IL)
Appl. No. 18/280,231
Filed by TURBOGEN LTD., Ramat Gan (IL)
PCT Filed May 25, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/054532
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 3, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/248910, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 1, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0167416 A1, May 23, 2024
Int. Cl. F02C 1/05 (2006.01); F02C 1/08 (2006.01); F02C 3/34 (2006.01); F03G 6/06 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 1/05 (2013.01) [F02C 1/08 (2013.01); F02C 3/34 (2013.01); F03G 6/064 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A reconfigurable hybrid solar gas turbine system comprising:
a turbocharger (TC) comprising a TC compressor (C1) and a TC turbine (T1) which are connected by a first turboshaft aligned along a first axis (X1);
a gas turbine engine comprising an engine compressor (C2) and an engine turbine (T2) which are connected by a second turboshaft aligned along a second axis (X2); and
a solar energy module comprising a solar collector (SC1);
wherein
the gas turbine engine further comprises a burner (B1), a mixer (M1), an engine generator (G2) and a flow control valve; and
the system operates in a semi-open cycle, in which
the TC receives inlet air from an ambient environment and emits exhaust gas to the ambient environment;
the burner (B1) receives a pressurized air mass flow from the TC and an input fuel mass flow;
the burner (B1) is in fluid communication with the mixer (M1) and with the flow control valve;
the mixer combines a first flow of hot gas from the burner (B1) and a second flow of hot gas heated by solar energy collected by the solar collector (SC1) to form a combined gas flow;
the engine turbine (T2) receives the combined gas flow from the mixer, and engine generator (G2) produces electrical power;
the flow control valve is in fluid communication with the solar energy module; and
a position of the flow control valve determines a mass flow mixing ratio between the first and second flows of hot gas thereby reconfiguring the system in response to fluctuations in a solar irradiance received by the solar collector (SC1).