This electrical energy distribution system comprises assembly of electrical energy generators each driven by a heat engine and supplying a distribution network; means for recovering the heat energy generated during the operation of the heat engines and for vaporizing a working fluid; steam turbine driven by the working fluid and associated with a generator connected to the distribution network for converting the recovered heat energy into electrical energy and at least one frequency converter arranged between the distribution network and an electrical load.

It comprises means for controlling the frequency of the distribution network, where the flow rate of the vaporized working fluid is regulated to a maximum value.

A turbine rotor assembly includes a rotor shaft and rotor blades. The rotor shaft includes two protrusions, two bearing surfaces, two first facing surfaces, and two second facing surfaces positioned on the outer side of the first facing surfaces. The blade root section of each of the rotor blades includes two contact surfaces which are contactable with the two bearing surfaces in the radial direction of the rotor shaft, respectively, two first side surfaces each facing a corresponding one of the two first facing surfaces, two second side surfaces each facing a corresponding one of the two second facing surfaces, and two flange sections which are each positioned adjacent to the outer circumferential surface of a corresponding one of the two protrusions.

A carbon dioxide cycle power generation system includes storage collectively storing portions of carbon dioxide liquid and gas and a transfer connection selectively directing flow of the carbon dioxide through a turbine. The system cycles between different seawater depths in order to employ at least one of seawater pressure and seawater temperature in creating the carbon dioxide flow. Inlet/outlet control valves on variable volume tanks, positioned below movable pistons within the respective tank, selectively allow seawater into or out of a lower portion of the respective tank below the piston to pressurize the carbon dioxide therein relative to the carbon dioxide within the other tank when at depth rather than near the surface. Inhibited versus uninhibited heat transfer between storage portions and the seawater allows different seawater temperatures at depth and near the surface to create the carbon dioxide flow. Acoustic communications may be driven concurrent with the turbine.

A turbine stator includes a partition plate including an inner ring that extends along a circumferential direction, an outer ring that is disposed on an outer side of the inner ring in a radial direction, and extends in the circumferential direction, a plurality of nozzles that are disposed in the circumferential direction between the inner ring and the outer ring, and are configured to guide a fluid from an upstream side toward a downstream side in an axial direction, and an annular protruding portion, protrudes from the outer ring to the downstream side in the axial direction, and extends along the outer ring in the circumferential direction, and a casing surrounding the partition plate from the outer side in the radial direction, and having a contact support surface that is in contact with the annular protruding portion from the downstream side in the axial direction.

A steam valve includes a valve body having a valve seat in a steam channel, a valve stem configured to close the steam channel by coming in contact with the valve seat and to open the steam channel by moving from the valve seat and a guide portion configured to slidably guide the valve stem in a moving direction thereof. The guide portion has a guide body that encloses the valve stem from a radial outer side of the valve stem and a guide bush that is detachably fixed inside the guide body, has an inner surface which abuts and slides on an outer circumferential surface of the valve stem, and is formed of a material having corrosion resistance.

A power plant can comprise a gas turbine productive of an exhaust gas, a steam turbine, a heat recovery steam generator that extracts heat from gas turbine exhaust gas and supplies fluid to the steam turbine, a thermal storage unit storing a thermal storage working medium that is configured to discharge thermal energy into the fluid supplied from the heat recovery steam generator to supplement power generation by the steam turbine, a first heat exchanger disposed within the heat recovery steam generator to transfer thermal energy from the exhaust gas to the thermal storage working medium, and a second heat exchanger in flow communication with the heat recovery steam generator and the thermal storage unit, the second heat exchanger facilitating a direct heat transfer of thermal energy from the thermal storage working medium in the thermal storage unit to the fluid supplied from the heat recovery steam generator.

A steam turbine stationary blade is configured to be a stationary blade structure having a hollow structure. The steam turbine stationary blade is provided with a slit disposed on a stationary blade surface. The pressure of a stationary blade hollow is reduced to suction a liquid film through the slit for removing the liquid film formed on the stationary blade surface. An opening portion of the slit is covered with a sheet in a meshed pattern formed of a fine mesh thereby reducing an accompanied steam amount so as to effectively remove the liquid film.

The present disclosure describes biocatalytic processes for producing a product, comprising providing an aqueous stream (AS) comprising at least one fermentable substrate and a gaseous stream (GS) comprising at least one of CO.sub.2/H.sub.2, H.sub.2, methane, and/or CO to a fermentation zone, wherein the GS and AS stream are optionally contacted and/or mixed; the fermentation zone comprising at least one organism capable of metabolizing an AS substrate and a GS substrate, wherein the fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS, producing the product. The present disclosure also describes compositions comprising an AS, a GS, and an organism, wherein the organism or an equivalent or engineered equivalent thereof is a methanotroph or a hydrogen-metabolizing or CO-metabolizing chemolithotrophic organism, and wherein the organism is capable of mixotrophic metabolism of at least one gaseous substrate in the GS and at least one substrate in the AS. The present disclosure also describes a process wherein said fermentation operates at conditions to mixotrophically metabolize at least H.sub.2 in the gaseous stream and glycerol and lactic acid in the aqueous stream. The present disclosure also describes a system for producing a fermentation or bio-derived product.

A method of treatment includes laser-hardening a portion of a component and texturing a treated surface of the portion with a hydrophobic surface texture. In some embodiments, the method includes polishing the treated surface after laser-hardening the portion and prior to texturing the treated surface. A component includes a component body having a portion that is laser-hardened. The treated surface is hydrophobic with a hydrophobic surface texture. In some embodiments, the component is a turbine component. In some embodiments, the portion is a leading edge. A turbine system includes a turbine shaft and a turbine component attached to the turbine shaft. The turbine component includes a component body having a leading edge. The leading edge is laser-hardened and the treated surface of the leading edge is hydrophobic with a hydrophobic surface texture.

A grid valve may include an annular stationary plate having a first annular surface, and an annular rotatable plate disposed on the annular stationary plate and rotatable relative to the annular stationary plate. The annular rotatable plate may have a second annular surface, and each of the annular stationary plate and the annular rotatable plate may define a plurality of holes in the respective annular surfaces thereof. The grid valve may further include a first magnet disposed on the first annular surface and a second magnet disposed on the second annular surface such that the first magnet repels the second magnet.