Combustion turbine inlet for air cooling via refrigerated liquid hydrocarbon fuel vaporization

摘要

Liquid fuel for a power plant is vaporized against a heat-exchange fluid, cooling the fluid. A re-circulation circuit enables cooled fluid to be re-directed back for further cooling, when desired. The cooled fluid is used to cool the inlet air for a combustion turbine. Some of the cooled fluid is periodically directing to the bottom of a stratified tank, from which it can be drawn during times when the need for or value of cooling the inlet air is higher. The fluid is warmed as it cools the inlet air, and may be returned for use in vaporizing additional fuel, or returned to the top of the stratified tank.