The present invention relates to a method and system for increasing power output and enhancing efficiency of an internal combustion engine, which comprises: cooling exhaust gas of the engine in a recuperating heat exchanger by transferring heat to stored air; compressing the exhaust gas to a pressure requisite for admission into the engine utilizing a compander module powered by expanding previously compressed and stored air in an expander without parasitic power consumption; mixing the exhaust gas with expanded air; and cooling or heating the exhaust gas to a suitable temperature in a final trim cooler or heater and supplying the exhaust gas to the engine at a pressure requisite at an admission point, without the need for additional compression and concomitant parasitic power consumption needed for exhaust gas recirculation. Extra electric power output and higher thermal efficiency is facilitated by using the excess power generation from the compander in a synchronous AC generator.

A wind power plant for providing electrical power to a utility grid is provided, the wind power plant including: at least one wind turbine having a wind turbine generator coupled to a wind turbine rotation shaft to which plural rotor blades are mounted, the wind turbine providing electric power at an output terminal; at least one power conversion system, each including: a plant motor electrically coupled and configured to receive the electric power from the output terminal of the at least one wind turbine and convert it into rotational power of a plant motor shaft; a plant generator mechanically coupled to the plant motor shaft and electrically coupleable to the electric utility grid.

An engine is disclosed. The engine includes a rotary hub enclosing a manifold, blades radially distributed around the rotary hub, a combustion chamber at a distal end of each blade, an axle or shaft joined or fixed to the hub, and a generator operably connected to the axle or shaft. Each blade has a passage for air to flow to the combustion chamber and a fuel distribution conduit therein/thereon. The manifold connects a fuel supply conduit to the fuel distribution conduits. Each combustion chamber is configured to receive fuel and air from the corresponding fuel distribution conduit and passage, burn or detonate the fuel, and direct heated or expanded air and combustion gases in a direction that rotates the blades and the hub. The axle or shaft is configured to rotate with the hub. The generator is configured to convert a torque from the axle or shaft to electricity.

Solar thermal power generation equipment is equipped with a wind turbine, a compressor, a heat receiver that receives sunlight to heat a compressed medium from the compressor, a turbine driven by the compressed medium heated with the heat receiver, a power generator that performs power generation by driving of the turbine, a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the wind turbine to the power generator, and a tower which supports these components. The wind turbine, the compressor, the turbine, and the power generator each constitute an array apparatus. The plurality of array apparatuses are arranged in a vertical direction.

A method of correcting turbine underperformance includes calculating a power production curve using monitored data, detecting changes between the monitored data and a baseline power production curve, generating operability curves for paired operational variables from the monitored data, detecting changes between the operability curves and corresponding baseline operability curves, comparing the changes to a respective predetermined metric, and if the change exceeds the metric, providing feedback to a turbine control system identifying at least one of the paired operational variables for each paired variable in excess of the metric. A system and a non-transitory computer-readable medium are also disclosed.

An engine is disclosed. The engine includes a rotary hub enclosing a manifold, blades radially distributed around the rotary hub, a combustion chamber at a distal end of each blade, an axle or shaft joined or fixed to the hub, and a generator operably connected to the axle or shaft. Each blade has a passage for air to flow to the combustion chamber and a fuel distribution conduit therein/thereon. The manifold connects a fuel supply conduit to the fuel distribution conduits. Each combustion chamber is configured to receive fuel and air from the corresponding fuel distribution conduit and passage, burn or detonate the fuel, and direct heated or expanded air and combustion gases in a direction that rotates the blades and the hub. The axle or shaft is configured to rotate with the hub. The generator is configured to convert a torque from the axle or shaft to electricity.

A method of correcting turbine underperformance includes calculating a power production curve using monitored data, detecting changes between the monitored data and a baseline power production curve, generating operability curves for paired operational variables from the monitored data, detecting changes between the operability curves and corresponding baseline operability curves, comparing the changes to a respective predetermined metric, and if the change exceeds the metric, providing feedback to a turbine control system identifying at least one of the paired operational variables for each paired variable in excess of the metric. A system and a non-transitory computer-readable medium are also disclosed.

Solar thermal power generation equipment is equipped with a wind turbine, a compressor, a heat receiver that receives sunlight to heat a compressed medium from the compressor, a turbine driven by the compressed medium heated with the heat receiver, a power generator that performs power generation by driving of the turbine, a transmission mechanism that transmits the rotation of the wind turbine to the power generator, and a tower which supports these components. The wind turbine, the compressor, the turbine, and the power generator each constitute an array apparatus. The plurality of array apparatuses are arranged in a vertical direction.

In order to enhance the tracking performance of power generation equipment with respect to a load variation and increase the reliability of the power generation equipment, a dynamic characteristic model simulating the dynamic characteristics of a multi-shaft gas turbine is used to calculate an output prediction value of a first power generator in a case where a combustor is controlled so as to match the output of the first power generator to an output target value; on the basis of the output target value and the output prediction value of the first power generator, a first power generator output instruction value as an instruction value for the output from the first power generator to a power system and a second power generator output instruction value as an instruction value for the output from a second power generator to the power system are calculated; and the combustor is controlled on the basis of the first power generator output instruction value and a frequency convertor is controlled on the basis of the second power generator output instruction value.

The apparatus includes a wind turbine system for the collection of wind energy and the conversion thereof through staged-compression into highly compressed gas. The highly compressed gas is routed to a central tank, and then expanded into a plurality of concentric ring tanks, each storing gas at successively lower pressures. The cooling resulting from this expansion is utilized to cool hot compressed gas from an intermediate line of gas compressors, increasing the efficiency of the following compressors. This absorption of heat also improves the efficiency of the gas turbines driving electrical generators. The gas compressor in each wind turbine is located near ground level, and driven by a vertical shaft passing through the wind turbine support tower. One embodiment has conventional radially extending blades, and another embodiment has ducted blades to withstand higher winds. Both ground mounted and deep water adaptions for the wind turbines are disclosed.