METHOD OF GENERATING POWER USING AN ADVANCED THERMOCHEMICAL RECUPERATION CYCLE

A power generating method that includes the steps of burning a reformed fuel in the presence of air in a combustor of a gas turbine to generate a hot exhaust gas is disclosed. The hot exhaust gas is then passed through a turbine section of the gas turbine to generate power and, thereafter, the hot exhaust gas is passed through a heat recovery system where the hot exhaust gas is successively cooled as it passes through a series of heat exchangers. Heat exchangers comprising the heat recovery system include combustion air pre-heater(s); a thermochemical recuperator (or reformer), wherein hot exhaust gas provides the endothermic heat of reaction necessary to reform a raw fuel/steam mixture to the combustible, reformed fuel that is eventually burned in the combustor; and one or more water/steam heaters which supply steam to a low-pressure, condensing steam turbine of a bottoming Rankine cycle to generate additional power. A cooled exhaust gas exits the heat recovery system and, optionally, may be sent to scrubbers and/or other unit operations for further processing, such as removal of harmful toxins, before being vented to the atmosphere.