GAS TURBINE COOL-DOWN PHASE OPERATION METHODS

• Main Authors: Robson, Christopher Michael, Cataldi, Giovanni, Pathak, Gaurav, Rueter, Andreas, Filkorn, Guenter
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 04.01.2017
• Subjects: BLASTING; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAMTURBINES; STEAM ENGINES; WEAPONS

The application describes a method of operating a gas turbine (1) during a cool-down phase. The gas turbine (1) provides a compressor (2), a combustor (4) downstream of the compressor (2), and a turbine (6) downstream of the combustor (4), with the turbine (6) providing a turbine vane carrier (50). The method comprises the steps of feeding a flow of cooling air (10, 20, 30) from the compressor (2) to the turbine vane carrier (50), measuring a temperature of the flow of cooling air (10, 20, 30) and measuring a temperature of the turbine vane carrier (50). In the method, the flow of cooling air (10, 20, 30) is fed at a first flow rate when the temperature of the turbine vane carrier (50) is lower than the temperature of the cooling air (10, 20, 30), and the flow of cooling air (10, 20, 30) is fed at a second flow rate when the temperature of the turbine vane carrier (50) is higher than the temperature of the cooling air (10, 20, 30), wherein the first flow rate is higher than the second flow rate. Various embodiments of the method and the gas turbine are also described.