Turbine power generator including supplemental parallel cooling and related methods

The present invention relates to the field of power generation, and, more particularly, to the cooling of turbine generators. A turbine power generator includes a housing a shaft a turbine to drive the shaft, a shaft-driven generator rotor and generator stator within the housing and surrounding the rotor. A main cooling gas blower includes at least one blade driven by the shaft for causing a main flow of cooling gas to cool the rotor and/or stator A supplemental cooling gas blower is connected in parallel with the main cooling gas blower for causing a supplemental flow of cooling gas through the housing in addition to the main flow of cooling gas to cool the rotor and/or stator The supplemental cooling gas blower may include an electric motor and at least one blade driven thereby. A controller may be connected to the electric motor to permit selective operation of the supplemental cooling gas blower