General Electric Company
System and method to improve boiler and steam turbine start-up times

Abstract:

A system for warming a power generation system including a boiler and a mixer fluidly coupled to the boiler, a turbine first section operable to receive steam from the boiler at a first temperature. The turbine supplies steam at a second temperature to a first heat exchanger operably connected to receive the heated steam at the second temperature from the output of at least the first section of the turbine and transfer heat to at least one of water and steam in the boiler or the mixer, feedwater for the boiler, and a thermal energy storage system. The system further includes a control unit configured to receive the monitored operating characteristic and control the amount of steam directed through the turbine.