Systems relating to geothermal energy and the operation of gas turbine engines

Abstract

A geothermal heat exchange system for use in a gas turbine power plant that includes an inlet plenum that directs a flow of air to a compressor that compresses a flow of air that is then mixed with a fuel and combusted in a combustor such that the resulting flow of hot gas is directed through a turbine, the geothermal heat exchange system comprising means for exchanging heat between a ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum.

1 . A geothermal heat exchange system for use in a gas turbine power plant that includes an inlet plenum that directs a flow of air to a compressor that compresses a flow of air that is then mixed with a fuel and combusted in a combustor such that the resulting flow of hot gas is directed through a turbine, the geothermal heat exchange system comprising means for exchanging heat between a ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum. 
     
     
         2 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for exchanging heat between the ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum comprises a heat pipe. 
     
     
         3 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for exchanging heat between the ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum comprises a heat sink. 
     
     
         4 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for exchanging heat between the ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum comprises a heat transfer fluid circulated via a pump through a circuit that passes through the ground and the inlet plenum. 
     
     
         5 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for exchanging heat between the ground and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum comprises a thermosiphon. 
     
     
         6 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the ground comprises one of a position in the ground below the surface of the earth and a position beneath the surface of a body of water. 
     
     
         7 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the ground comprises a position in the ground at a predetermine depth below the surface of the earth. 
     
     
         8 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined depth comprises a depth of greater than 25 feet. 
     
     
         9 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined depth comprises a depth between 10 and 50 feet. 
     
     
         10 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 2 , wherein the heat pipe comprises a two-phase heat transfer device that includes a sealed tube made of a material with high thermal conductivity both a hot end and a cold end; and
 wherein the sealed tube is evacuated and backfilled with a small quantity of a working fluid.   
     
     
         11 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein working fluid comprises one of water, acetone, nitrogen, methanol, ammonia, and sodium. 
     
     
         12 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat pipe is substantially vertically aligned and comprises a wick structure, the wick structure comprising a material that is configured to provide a desired capillary pressure on the condensed working fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the wick structure comprises one of a groove wick structure, a wire mesh wick structure, a powder metal wick structure, and a fiber/spring wick structure. 
     
     
         14 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat pipe is configured to transfer heat from the ground to the flow of air through the inlet plenum on cold days so that undesired ice formation is avoided. 
     
     
         15 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat pipe is configured to transfer heat from the flow of air through the inlet plenum to the ground on hot days so that the efficiency of the gas turbine power plant is increased. 
     
     
         16 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat pipes comprise a plurality of branches in the ground. 
     
     
         17 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein a plurality of heat pipes are vertically aligned and substantially evenly distributed across the inlet plenum. 
     
     
         18 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , further comprising means for transferring'heat between a flow of exhaust from the turbine to the inlet plenum;
 wherein the means for transferring heat between the flow of exhaust from the turbine to the inlet plenum comprises a heat pipe.   
     
     
         19 . A geothermal heat exchange system for use in a gas turbine power plant that includes an inlet plenum that directs a flow of air to a compressor that compresses a flow of air that is then mixed with a fuel and combusted in a combustor such that the resulting flow of hot gas is directed through a turbine, the geothermal heat exchange system comprising a plurality of heat pipes that are configured to exchange heat between a location within a ground at a predetermined depth and the flow of air moving through the inlet plenum;
 wherein the heat pipe comprises a two-phase heat transfer device that includes a sealed tube made of a material with high thermal conductivity both a hot end and a cold end; and   wherein the sealed tube is evacuated and backfilled with a small quantity of a working fluid.   
     
     
         20 . The geothermal heat exchange system according to  claim 10 , wherein the heat pipe is substantially vertically aligned, extended from the location within the ground to a position within the inlet plenum; and
 wherein the heat pipe includes a wick structure, the wick structure comprising a material that is configured to provide a desired capillary pressure on the condensed working fluid such that, in use, the heat pipe transfers heat from the flow of air through the inlet plenum to the ground on hot days so that the efficiency of the gas turbine power plant is increased.