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The part load method controls delivery of diluent fluid, fuel fluid, and oxidant fluid in thermodynamic cycles using diluent, to increase the Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) and thermal efficiency in part load operation above that obtained by relevant art part load operation of Brayton cycles, fogge

The part load method controls delivery of diluent fluid, fuel fluid, and oxidant fluid in thermodynamic cycles using diluent, to increase the Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) and thermal efficiency in part load operation above that obtained by relevant art part load operation of Brayton cycles, fogged Brayton cycles, or cycles operating with some steam delivery, or with maximum steam delivery. The part load method may control the TIT at the design level by controlling one or both of liquid and/or gaseous fluid water over a range from full load to less than 45% load. This extends operation to lower operating loads while providing higher efficiencies and lower operating costs using water, steam and/or CO2 as diluents, than in simple cycle operation.

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1. A method of controlling fluid delivery in an energy conversion system at a part load below a prescribed design load, the energy conversion system having a thermal efficiency, and a relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda of the oxidant fluid to fuel ratio divided by the stoichiometric oxidant fluid

1. A method of controlling fluid delivery in an energy conversion system at a part load below a prescribed design load, the energy conversion system having a thermal efficiency, and a relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda of the oxidant fluid to fuel ratio divided by the stoichiometric oxidant fluid to fuel ratio, and having, in serial fluid communication, each with an inlet and outlet, an oxidant pressurizer with an inlet area and prescribed pressurizer stall limit, a combustor, an expander with an expander throat area and design Mach number,a control location upstream of the expander outlet, and downstream of the combustor inlet,a hot section component having a prescribed Design Component Temperature (TCD) for a design life and a higher Critical Component Temperature (TC) for a reduced life,and a heat exchange system operable to superheat a diluent;the method comprising:delivering, mixing, and combusting within the combustor a fuel fluid comprising a fuel and an oxidant fluid comprising an oxidant and an oxidiluent, whereby forming products of combustion;delivering evaporated diluent comprising superheated diluent directly into the combustor,delivering liquid diluent directly into the combustor, wherein the evaporated diluent and the liquid diluent are delivered separately into the combustorwhereby forming an energetic fluid comprising products of combustion and diluent vapor;expanding the energetic fluid, recovering heat from the expanded energetic fluid into a diluent fluid in the heat exchange system,whereby forming cooled expanded fluid and superheated diluent;the control location having a design temperature (TD), which is the highest temperature for the design life using only fuel fluid, oxidant and oxydiluent delivery, an emergency temperature (TE) that is greater than the TD for the reduced life, and a Vapor Air Steam Turbine (VAST) Cycle minimum operating temperature (TVM), which is set at a safety increment above a combustion lean limit flame out temperature;maintaining a temperature of the control location, at the part load, above the TD and below the TE, by controlling nonlinearly relative to the part load, upstream of the control location, the delivery of the fuel fluid, the oxidant fluid, the evaporated diluent and the liquid diluent;extracting a power from the expander at the part load; andcontrolling the fuel fluid delivery and the nonlinear liquid diluent delivery to maintain a combustor inlet pressure less than the prescribed pressurizer stall limit while maintaining Lambda between 1 and 2.56. 2. The control method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a rate of delivery of the a liquid diluent upstream of the combustor; and controlling a rate of delivery of the a liquid diluent and a rate of delivery of the superheated diluent into the combustor. 3. The control method of claim 1, wherein the liquid diluent comprises water, the evaporated diluent comprises superheated water, and wherein delivering a portion of the evaporated diluent into the combustor. 4. The control method of claim 3, wherein controlling delivery of liquid water upstream of the combustor outlet and controlling delivery of oxidiluent to the combustor, wherein increasing a ratio of liquid and evaporated diluents, comprising water, steam and superheated steam, to the fuel delivered, with increasing turndown ratio. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling one or both of the temperature and the delivery rate of one of liquid diluent and evaporated diluent, heated by heat exchange with the expanded energetic fluid. 6. The control method of claim 1, further comprising recovering liquid diluent from the cooled expanded fluid. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: constraining the control location temperature at the control location to below a prescribed VAST design temperature (TV) for the design life, using liquid diluent delivery, and greater than the design temperature (TD), sufficient to maintain the hot section component temperature at least a VAST design temperature safety difference below the prescribed Design Component Temperature (TCD), using a prescribed delivery hot section coolant fluid delivery. 8. The control method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the rate of delivering and mixing a liquid diluent with an oxidant fluid being pressurized. 9. The control method of claim 8, wherein the oxidant pressurizer comprises variable inlet guide vanes, the method further comprising controlling the delivery of oxidant fluid by adjusting the variable inlet guide vanes. 10. The control method of claim 1, wherein a major portion of the liquid diluent consists of non-vapor carbon dioxide, a major portion of the evaporated diluent consists of carbon dioxide vapor, and the oxidant fluid consists of oxygen or oxygen enhanced air. 11. The control method of claim 1, wherein maintaining an oxidant-to-fuel ratio within 101% to 110% of the stoichiometric combustion ratio. 12. The control method of claim 1, wherein delivering the evaporated diluent comprises a maximum superheated diluent, and wherein controlling liquid diluent delivery to maintain the control location temperature at a prescribed temperature below a VAST design temperature (TV), while controlling a power extraction below a VAST design load, at TV. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the delivery of the liquid diluent to maintain a temperature of the control location below an oxidiluent minimum temperature set at a safety increment above an oxidiluent lean limit flame out temperature when using oxidiluent without a liquid and an evaporated diluent to control the temperature of the control location; and to control the temperature of the control location above the TVM. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda to less 2.16; and wherein maintaining the combustor inlet pressure below the pressurizer stall limit by controlling a rate of delivery of the fuel fluid and a nonlinear rate of delivery of the liquid diluent between the pressurizer inlet and the expander outlet. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein operating at the part load with a higher configuration specific power, than by operating at a design temperature using oxidiluent without liquid diluent and without superheated diluent, for the same pressurizer inlet area, inlet conditions and surge limit with a fully fogged pressurizer inlet, an expander and a pressurizer at full load using the same as the pressurizer inlet area of the energy conversion system. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the temperature of the control location within a prescribed temperature range and the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda within a prescribed Lambda range by separately controlling delivery of the liquid diluent and delivery of the evaporated diluent upstream of the combustor outlet while controlling the delivery of the fuel fluid and the oxidant fluid to meet the part load. 17. The control method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the control location temperature below the emergency operating temperature TE and above a VAST design temperature TV set to maintain the hot section component temperature below the TCD by a VAST design safety temperature for a design life, wherein the design temperature decrement using liquid diluent cooling is smaller than a configuration specific oxidiluent design temperature decrement using only oxidiluent cooling. 18. A method of controlling fluid delivery at part load, in an energy conversion system having a thermal efficiency, a prescribed design operating temperature (TD), which is the highest temperature for a design life using only fuel fluid, oxidant and oxydiluent delivery, at a control location with a prescribed hot section coolant fluid delivery, a design combustor inlet pressure less than a pressurizer stall limit, and a load, and having, in serial fluid communication each comprising an inlet and outlet, an oxidant pressurizer, a combustor, an expander, and a heat exchange system; the method comprising: delivering fuel fluid comprising a fuel and delivering an oxidant fluid comprising an oxidant;forming products of combustion of fuel and oxidant;delivering liquid diluent fluid directly into the combustor and evaporated diluent fluid comprising superheated diluent directly into the combustor, wherein the evaporated diluent and liquid diluent fluids are delivered separately into the combustor,whereby forming an energetic fluid comprising products of combustion and diluent vapor;generating net power while expanding the energetic fluid in the expander, and recovering heat from the expanded energetic fluid formed thereby, to heat liquid or evaporated diluent fluid forming the evaporated diluent in the heat exchange system,controlling a hot section operating temperature upstream of the expander outlet, and downstream of the combustor inlet, at a location corresponding to a temperature selected from a group consisting of an expander inlet temperature, a throat temperature, a control temperature, and a firing temperature,by controlling a nonlinear delivery of fuel fluid and one of the evaporated diluent fluid and the liquid diluent fluid upstream of the expander inlet,wherein, at part load, controlling a hot section control location temperature below a prescribed emergency temperature (TE) with a reduced emergency operating life set to maintain a hot section component temperature below a Critical Component Temperature (TCC) by an emergency temperature increment, and controlling the hot section control location temperature above the TD; andcontrolling a pressurizer outlet fluid pressure to less than a pressurizer stall limit by controlling the delivery of the liquid diluent fluid and the fuel fluid;wherein achieving faster control of the pressurizer pressure by controlling the liquid diluent fluid delivery rather than by an oxidiluent delivery; andwherein controlling the hot section operating temperature to be greater than a Vapor Air Steam Turbine (VAST) Cycle minimum hot section control location temperature (TVM) prescribed at a safe level above a flame out temperature at a VAST Lean Limit (VLL),while delivering more of both the liquid diluent fluid and the evaporated diluent fluid upstream of the combustor outlet than needed to fully fog the pressurizer inlet,and delivering oxidant fluid to control a relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda of the oxidant fluid to fuel ratio divided by the stoichiometric oxidant fluid to fuel ratio, to between 1.0 and 2.56. 19. The control method of claim 18, wherein increasing a total of liquid and evaporated diluent fluid to fuel ratio while not increasing the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda, with increasing turndown from a design power. 20. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling the delivery of evaporated diluent fluid and liquid diluent fluid delivery upstream of the combustor outlet sufficient to deliver greater net power than a fogged design power of delivering a sufficient liquid diluent to fully fog a pressurizer inlet while operating at the prescribed design operating temperature TD. 21. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling the hot section control location temperature by controlling delivery of the liquid diluent fluid while delivering a maximum mass flow rate of a superheated diluent available from the heat exchange system. 22. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling the hot section control location temperature at a prescribed level above a configuration specific midway temperature (T50%) half way between a minimum operating temperature using oxidiluent set at a safety increment above an oxidiluent lean limit flame out temperature, and the prescribed design operating temperature TD, while controlling power over a turndown ratio greater than 45% from a design expander power level. 23. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling a diluent flow to the heat exchange system sufficient to deliver to the combustor evaporated diluent fluid comprising from 50% to 100% of a maximum superheated diluent mass flow rate that can be generated at the selected part load and the combustor inlet pressure. 24. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda to within 1.01 to 2.16, wherein the oxidant fluid comprises one of oxygen, and oxygen enriched air; and wherein controlling delivery of the fuel fluid and a nonlinear delivery of the liquid diluent fluid between the expander and pressurizer, wherein controlling the design combustor inlet pressure below the pressurizer stall limit. 25. The control method of claim 18, comprising operating a VAST-WS Water Steam air cycle using liquid diluent comprising water and evaporated diluent comprising steam to control the hot section control location temperature between the TVM and a VAST design temperature (TV) for the design life, with oxidant fluid comprising air, in an operating region between operating lines of: 5% VAST Air maximum (VAX), with Lambda of 105%, using a maximum deliverable oxidant fluid deliverable with liquid diluent and evaporated diluent;95% VAST Air Water Steam maximum (VAWSX), with 95% of a maximum oxidant fluid deliverable without liquid diluent or evaporated diluent;95% VAST Air Water Steam minimum (VAWSN), with 95% of a minimum of oxidant fluid deliverable without liquid diluent or evaporated diluent; and5% VAST Air minimum (VAN), with Lambda of 105% and a minimum of oxidant fluid deliverable with liquid diluent or evaporated diluent;wherein controlling the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda within a range of 1.05 to 2.16;the operating lines being configured relative to a fully fogged energy conversion system comprising an oxidant pressurizer configured for an expander the same as the expander of the energy conversion system, with a prescribed design pressure, and comprising a design operating temperature the same as the TD of the energy conversion system. 26. The control method of claim 25, comprising operating below the TD and above the TVM prescribed at a safe level above a flame out temperature at the VLL. 27. The control method of claim 18, comprising controlling nonlinear delivery of one of liquid and evaporated diluent upstream of the combustor outlet wherein controlling the control section temperature above the prescribed design operating temperature TD and at or below a VAST design temperature TV for the design life using the delivery of the liquid diluent with the superheated diluent, wherein maintaining the hot section component at a VAST design temperature increment below a Design Component Temperature (TCD) with the prescribed hot section coolant fluid delivery. 28. The control method of claim 27, wherein the liquid diluent is water, the evaporated diluent comprises a maximum superheated steam mass flow rate deliverable from the heat exchange system with the expanded energetic fluid, and controlling a hot section temperature comprises controlling the nonlinear delivery of the liquid diluent that comprises water upstream of the combustor outlet. 29. The method of claim 24, wherein controlling the hot section control location temperature within a prescribed temperature range and the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda within a prescribed Lambda range by controlling the delivery of the liquid diluent fluid while delivering the superheated diluent that is available upstream of the combustor outlet and controlling the delivery of the fuel fluid and the oxidant fluid to meet the part load. 30. The control method of claim 18, wherein controlling the nonlinear delivery of the fuel fluid, and the nonlinear delivery of one of the evaporated and liquid diluents comprising a major portion of carbon dioxide and wherein the oxidant fluid consists of oxygen or oxygen enhanced air. 31. A method of controlling an energy conversion system at part load, the energy conversion system having a thermal efficiency, and a relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda of an oxidant fluid to fuel ratio divided by a stoichiometric oxidant fluid to fuel ratio, where the oxidant fluid comprises one of oxygen, oxygen enriched air, and air, an emergency oxidant pressure limit, and having, in serial fluid communication each with an inlet and outlet, an oxidant pressurizer, a combustor, an expander, and a heat exchange system; the method comprising: delivering, mixing, and combusting within the combustor, a fuel fluid comprising a fuel and the oxidant fluid, comprising a stoichiometric oxidant and an oxidiluent having an excess oxidant, whereby forming products of combustion;separately delivering directly into the combustor liquid diluent and evaporated diluent, wherein a major portion of each of the evaporated diluent and the liquid diluent comprises one of water and carbon dioxide, thereby forming an energetic fluid comprising products of combustion and diluent vapor;generating power by expanding the energetic fluid in the expander,thereby forming an expanded energetic fluid;delivering one of the liquid and evaporated diluent in an unheated state to the heat exchange system,thereby forming one of the liquid and the evaporated diluent in a heated state;maintaining a component temperature of a hot section component, of a location with a prescribed cooling flow, to within a prescribed component temperature range, by controlling a corresponding temperature selected from a group consisting of an expander inlet temperature, a throat temperature, a control location temperature, and a firing temperature, at a location upstream of the expander outlet, and downstream of the combustor inlet, to within an operating temperature range below a prescribed reduced life emergency operating temperature (TE) and above a prescribed design operating temperature (TD) with a prescribed design life, where the TD is set to maintain the hot section component temperature at a safety temperature difference below a Design Component Temperature (TCD) without liquid diluent delivery by:controlling a nonlinear delivery rate of the sum of the liquid diluent and the evaporated diluent delivered upstream of the combustor outlet; andcontrolling a nonlinear delivery rate of the fuel fluid and a delivery rate of the oxidant fluid to the combustor;wherein controlling the relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda within 1.0 to 2.56;controlling the delivery rate of the fuel fluid and the delivery rate of liquid diluent fluid to control a combustor inlet pressure below the emergency oxidant pressure limit;wherein enabling an expander volumetric flow up to an emergency volumetric flow using the delivery of the liquid diluent, that is greater than a design expander volumetric flow at a design oxidant pressure limit with only a fuel and an oxidiluent fluid delivery, without liquid diluent delivery. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein prescribing the TD, and controlling an expander temperature profile, to prescribe the TE, to maintain the hot section component temperature at least a smaller emergency temperature decrement below a reduced life critical component temperature, where the hot section component temperature with a design life, is set at a safety temperature difference below the TCD. 33. The method of claim 31, wherein said energy conversion system is operated over a power turndown greater than 40%. 34. The control method of claim 31, comprising operating a VAST-W Water Air cycle, using liquid diluent comprising water to control the hot section component temperature between a minimum control location temperature (TBM) and the TD, with oxidant fluid comprising air, in a configuration specific region bounded by the operating lines of: 5% VAST Air minimum (VAN), with Lambda of 105%, with a minimum of oxidant fluid deliverable using liquid diluent;95% VAST Air Water minimum (VAWN), with 95% of a minimum of oxidant fluid deliverable without liquid diluent;95% VAST Air Water maximum (VAWX), with 95% of a maximum of oxidant fluid deliverable without liquid diluent; and5% VAST Air maximum (VAX), with Lambda of 105%, a maximum of oxidant fluid deliverable using liquid diluent;relative to a fully fogged energy conversion system using oxidiluent having an expander and a design operating temperature the same as the energy conversion system;wherein controlling Lambda within the range 1.05 to 2.16, and controlling nonlinear delivery of liquid diluent comprising water. 35. The control method of claim 31, comprising operating in a configuration specific region by controlling nonlinear delivery of the evaporated diluent comprising carbon dioxide, and the oxidant fluid consisting of oxygen or oxygen enriched air, with a relative oxidant to fuel ratio Lambda less than 1.35.