This combined cycle gas turbine plant has a gas turbine (104) and a steam turbine (106) mounted on the same shaft. A control system is configured for switching the plant from a rated mode of operation, in which the plant is operated on gas turbine output and steam turbine output, to a reduced load mode of operation, in which the plant is operated on gas turbine output alone. The switch from the rated mode of operation to the reduced load mode of operation occurs if plant demand decreases below a predetermined threshold. The steam turbine is run under full speed no load conditions in the reduced load mode of operation, and is heated using controlled steam admission, to maintain the steam turbine in a heated stand-by state.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a system for implementing the method so as to alleviate the disadvantages of a reciprocating combustion engine and gas turbine in electric energy production. The invention is based on the idea of arranging a combustion chamber outside a gas turbine and providing compressed air to the combustion chamber in order to carry out a combustion process supplemented with high pressure steam pulses.

Provided are turbine engines and methods of operating thereof by heating and evaporating liquid fuels in a controlled manner prior to burning. Specifically, a fuel is heated and evaporated while avoiding coking. Coking is caused by pyrolysis when the fuel contacts a metal surface within a certain temperature range, which is referred herein to a coking temperature range. In the described methods, the fuel is transferred from one component, maintained below the coking temperature range, to another component, maintained above this range. The fuel is airborne and does not contact any metal surfaces during this transfer, and coking does not occur. In some examples, the fuel is also mixed with hot air during this transfer. The heated fuel, e.g., as an air-fuel mixture, is then supplied into a combustor, where more air is added to reach flammability conditions.

A wet-gas centrifugal compressor is disclosed. The compressor comprises a compressor casing and at least one impeller arranged in the compressor casing for rotation around a rotation axis. A stationary diffuser is arranged in the compressor casing and extends around the impeller. The diffuser has a curved end portion with a radially inner curved wall and a radially outer curved wall. A plurality of dry-gas extraction holes is provided, ending at a plurality of respective inlet ports arranged around the rotation axis and on the inner curved wall of the curved end portion of the diffuser. Each dry-gas extraction hole extends from the respective inlet port towards the rotation axis and is inclined over a radial direction, such that each dry-gas extraction hole is oriented in a counter-flow direction with respect to a direction of the gas flow in the curved end portion of the diffuser.

An apparatus for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy by a cycle, having a heat exchanger, a reservoir for an operating medium, a feed line, a turbine, and a return line having at least one recovery device is described. In order to also be able to utilize waste heat for the generation of electrical energy, the turbine is embodied as a disc rotor turbine. A method for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy in a cycle is also described, in which thermal energy is supplied to an operating medium in a reservoir, the operating medium evaporates and/or a pressure in the operating medium is increased, whereupon the operating medium releases energy in a turbine, after which the operating medium is returned to the reservoir.

An improved air scrubber has an improved, more efficient, more robust impeller and impeller housing for mixing incoming air with water, scrubbing the air with increased efficiency and lower mean time between failures. Also water flow through the system is improved to prevent loss of scrubbing performance and to reduce user workload. In addition to these improvements, the water intake system has been redesigned to use less water, prevent using too much water, and to prevent previously common errors that require users to drain water from the impeller housing.

An engine, a biomass powder energy conversion and/or generation system, hybrid turbine engines, and methods of manufacturing and using the same are disclosed. The engine includes a housing having an inner wall and an outer wall, a central rotary shaft extending from the housing, at least one fuel and air supply channel having a first portion extending radially from the rotary shaft and a second portion in fluidic communication with first portion of the fuel and air supply channel, at least two propulsion vessels, each propulsion vessel connected to the at least one of the fuel and air supply channel and configured to burn or detonate the fuel and rotate around the central rotary shaft; and at least one exhaust duct extending from the housing.

The invention relates to a device (11) for cooling oil for a turbine engine, such as an aircraft turbojet or turboprop engine, characterized in that it comprises a duct (12) for circulating a flow of cold air (F.sub.1), means (16) for injecting oil into the duct, and means (19) for extracting the oil mixed with the flow of cold air (F.sub.1), located in the duct (12), downstream from the injection means (16).

A fuel spray nozzle, for atomising liquid fuel in gas, including: an gas passage; a liquid fuel passage; a swirler provided in the gas passage and including vanes such that, when gas passes through the gas passage, the swirler produces a jet flow of gas from between adjacent vanes and a turbulent flow of gas in the wake of each vane; a prefilming surface for receiving liquid fuel from the liquid fuel passage, and gas from the gas passage, wherein the prefilming surface includes areas that receive jet flow of gas from the gas passage, in use; wherein the fuel spray nozzle is configured to direct the liquid fuel passing through the liquid fuel passage to the areas on the prefilming surface that receive a jet flow of gas from the gas passage.

An aero-engine low pressure pump is provided for supplying fuel at a raised pressure to a high pressure pump. The low pressure pump has a pumping mechanism which raises the pressure of fuel flowing though the mechanism. The low pressure pump further has electrical motor which drives the pumping mechanism. The low pressure pump further has a variable frequency motor drive which supplies electrical power to the electrical motor. The variable frequency motor drive measures the electrical power supplied to the electrical motor. The low pressure pump further has a control unit which compares the measured electrical power to a reference power, and, when the measured electrical power is less than the reference power by a predetermined amount, controls the motor drive to increase the power supplied to the electrical motor thereby increasing the pressure rise produced by the pumping mechanism.