Provided are a main steam piping connecting a steam generator and a steam turbine, a bypass piping branched from the main steam piping and bypassing the steam turbine, a bypass valve provided in the bypass piping, a warming piping branched from the bypass valve, a warming valve provided in the warming piping, and a control system. The control system controls the warming valve in such a manner that bypass valve temperature t is brought to within a temperature range satisfying the three conditions: (1) being equal to or higher than the saturated temperature of steam flowing into the bypass valve; (2) having a temperature difference from the flowing-in steam of equal to or less than an allowable value; and (3) being equal to or lower than a temperature at which the formation rate of steam oxidation scale rises.

A method for enhanced cold (or warm) steam turbine start in a supplementary fired multi-gas turbine combined cycle plant is disclosed. Boiler supplementary firing, which is normally used to increase steam flow when the plant gas turbine is at maximum load, is used to augment steam production with a partly loaded, temperature matched gas turbine. This is done to satisfy minimum required steam flow for a cold (or warm) steam turbine start. Lighting the supplementary firing burners in the heat recovery steam generator/boiler and setting them at a minimum or low heat load serves to add enough steam, at the proper temperature, to insure a successful cold or warm steam turbine start when the gas turbine load and related steam production capacity from the gas turbine exhaust flow are limited by the need to match the required steam temperature and/or maintain low gas turbine exhaust emissions.

A turbine bypass system comprises a bypass path which is selectively operable to deliver hot gases to a gas cooler and a pebble bed positioned in the bypass path upstream of the gas cooler. The pebble bed absorbs heat from the bypass gases and thereby reduces the temperature of the bypass gases prior to delivery of the bypass gases to the gas cooler.

A method for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy in a thermodynamic cycle includes placing a thermal energy source in thermal communication with a heat exchanger arranged in a working fluid circuit containing a working fluid (e.g., sc-CO2) and having a high pressure side and a low pressure side. The method also includes regulating an amount of working fluid within the working fluid circuit via a mass management system having a working fluid vessel, pumping the working fluid through the working fluid circuit, and expanding the working fluid to generate mechanical energy. The method further includes directing the working fluid away from the expander through the working fluid circuit, controlling a flow of the working fluid in a supercritical state from the high pressure side to the working fluid vessel, and controlling a flow of the working fluid from the working fluid vessel to the low pressure side.

Provided is a steam turbine plant activation control device that can flexibly handle an initial state amount of a steam turbine plant and activate a steam turbine at a high speed. The activation control device 21 for the steam turbine plant includes a heat source device 1 configured to heat a low-temperature fluid using a heat source medium and generate a high-temperature fluid, a steam generator 2 for generating steam by thermal exchange with the high-temperature fluid, a steam turbine 3 to be driven by the steam, and adjusters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 configured to adjust operation amounts of the plant.

Aspects of the invention provided herein include heat engine systems, methods for generating electricity, and methods for starting a turbo pump. In some configurations, the heat engine system contains a start pump and a turbo pump disposed in series along a working fluid circuit and configured to circulate a working fluid within the working fluid circuit. The start pump may have a pump portion coupled to a motor-driven portion and the turbo pump may have a pump portion coupled to a drive turbine. In one configuration, the pump portion of the start pump is fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit downstream of and in series with the pump portion of the turbo pump. In another configuration, the pump portion of the start pump is fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit upstream of and in series with the pump portion of the turbo pump.

A 660MW supercritical unit bypass control method after a load rejection is provided. Steam channels after the load rejection are switched without an interference, and ache steam pressure is controllable. The 660MW supercritical unit bypass control method includes Pipeline 1, Pipeline 2, Pipeline 3, and Pipeline 4; a bottom of Pipeline 3, a bottom of the Pipeline 2, and a head of the Pipeline 4 are connected by a temperature and pressure reducer; a bottom of the Pipeline 1 is connected to a head of Pipeline 2; a branch pipe is arranged between the Pipeline 1 and the Pipeline 2, and a steam turbine is arranged in the branch pipe. A high-pressure bypass control system automatically adapts to the load rejection or FCB under any loading situation, avoids drastic changes of unit parameters from loading fluctuations, meets requirements of the load rejection and the FCB.

Methods and systems for generating power (and optionally heat) from a high value heat source using a plurality of circulating loops comprising a primary heat transfer loop, several power cycle loops and an intermediate heat transfer loop that transfers heat from the high-temperature heat transfer loop to the several power cycle loops. The intermediate heat transfer loop is arranged to eliminate to the extent practical the shell and tube heat exchangers especially those heat exchangers that have a very large pressure difference between the tube side and shell side, to eliminate shell and tube, plate type, double pipe and similar heat exchangers that transfer heat directly from the primary heat transfer loop to the several power cycle loops with very high differential pressures and to maximize the use of heat transfer coils similar in design as are used in a heat recovery steam generator commonly used to transfer heat from gas turbine flue gas to steam or other power cycle fluids as part of a combined cycle power plant.

A steam turbine plant and an operating method thereof, and a combined cycle plant and an operating method thereof, include: a turbine; steam supply lines that supply main steam to the turbine; a steam control valve and an intercept valve provided to the steam supply lines; and a first auxiliary steam supply line that supplies auxiliary steam to the turbine via the steam supply lines which are located farther downstream than the steam control valve and the intercept valve.

A control method for optimizing a solar-to-power efficiency of a solar-aided coal-fired power system under off-design working conditions is provided. Through reading the relevant information of the solar collecting system, the coal-fired power generation system, the environmental conditions, and the working conditions of the solar-aided coal-fired power system, the water flow rate range able to be heated by the solar collecting unit and the solar-coal feedwater flow distribution ratio range of the solar-aided coal-fired power system are determined; through establishing the relationship between the solar-to-power efficiency and the solar-coal feedwater flow distribution ratio of the solar-aided coal-fired power system under the off-design working conditions, the solar-coal feedwater flow distribution ratio is regulated, so that a flow rate of water entering the solar collecting system to be heated is controlled, thereby maximizing the solar-to-power efficiency and improving the economy of the solar-aided coal-fired power system under the off-design working conditions. The present invention provides clear guidance to optimize the solar-aided coal-fired power system under the off-design working conditions, enable solar energy to fully play its role in the solar-aided coal-fired power system, improve the utilization rate of solar energy, facilitate the consumption of the renewable energy, and greatly increase the economy of the solar-aided coal-fired power system.