Patents Assigned to The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
  • Patent number: 7597843
    Abstract: Nickel based superalloys with excellent mechanical strength, corrosion resistance and oxidation resistance, which consist essentially of chromium in an amount of 3 to 7% by weight, cobalt in an amount of 3 to 15% by weight, tungsten in an amount of 4.5 to 8% by weight, rhenium in an amount of 3.3 to 6% by weight, tantalum in an amount of 4 to 8% by weight, titanium in an amount of 0.8 to 2% by weight, aluminum in an amount of 4.5 to 6.5% by weight, ruthenium in an amount of 0.1 to 6%, hafnium in an amount of 0.01 to 0.2% by weight, molybdenum in an amount of less than 0.5% by weight, carbon in an amount 0.06% by weight or less, boron in an amount of 0.01% by weight or less, zirconium in an amount of 0.01% by weight or less, oxygen in an amount of 0.005% by weight or less, nitrogen in an amount of 0.005% by weight or less and inevitable impurities and the balance being nickel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Yoshinari, Ryokichi Hashizume, Masahiko Morinaga, Yoshinori Murata
  • Publication number: 20090225573
    Abstract: A stable power supply apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a secondary battery, a bidirectional chopper circuit and a bidirectional converter, wherein the secondary battery, the chopper circuit and the converter are connected in this order in the direction from the secondary battery side to a system bus line side. The converter is formed of a wide-gap semiconductor device, more particularly, a wide-gap bipolar semiconductor device, and the instantaneous large-power operation capability of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor device and the instantaneous large-power supplying capability of the secondary battery are utilized. For a short time during which the influence of an instantaneous drop is prevented, the converter is operated as a converter having capability exceeding the instantaneous large-power supplying capability of the secondary battery and having power capacity several times or more the rating of the converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Publication date: September 10, 2009
    Applicant: KANSAI Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20090197151
    Abstract: The invention provides an operating method of a redox flow battery capable of grasping a charging state of the battery more reliably to stabilize an output capacity of the battery. The method is for operating the redox flow battery comprising a cell stack 1 comprising a plurality of cells. A selected cell(s) in the cell stack 1, to and from which positive electrode electrolyte and negative electrode electrolyte are supplied and discharged and which is/are not normally connected to a DC/AC converter 225, is/are in the form of an auxiliary cell 2 used for measuring a charging rate of the electrolyte. Also, a stop of charge of a main cell 3 and a stop of discharge of the main cell 3 are controlled with reference to a circuit voltage obtained from the auxiliary cell 2. Since the auxiliary cell 2 is integrally incorporated in the cell stack 1, the charging state of the battery can be grasped reliably without stopping the charge/discharge operation of the main cell 3.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD., THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC.
    Inventors: Takahiro KUMAMOTO, Nobuyuki TOKUDA
  • Publication number: 20090195296
    Abstract: In a bipolar semiconductor device such that electrons and holes are recombined in a silicon carbide epitaxial film grown from the surface of a silicon carbide single crystal substrate at the time of on-state forward bias operation; an on-state forward voltage increased in a silicon carbide bipolar semiconductor device is recovered by shrinking the stacking fault area enlarged by on-state forward bias operation. In a method of this invention, the bipolar semiconductor device in which the stacking fault area enlarged and the on-state forward voltage has been increased by on-state forward bias operation, is heated at a temperature of higher than 350° C.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicants: THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., CENTRAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Miyanagi, Hidekazu Tsuchida, Isaho Kamata, Yoshitaka Sugawara, Koji Nakayama, Ryosuke Ishii
  • Patent number: 7570502
    Abstract: A problem to be solved by the present invention is to eliminate variation in potential in a turn-off time period of each GTO element, and to stabilize a gate drawing current by surely performing the turn-off of the GTO element. In an inverter apparatus having a three-phase inverter configured to include paired GTO elements an inverter control portion has a simultaneous switching prevention function of delaying a turn-on operation of each of the GTO elements which correspond to phases other than a phase corresponding to an optional one of the GTO elements and also correspond to an electrode opposite to an electrode corresponding to the optional one of the GTO elements by a predetermined time in a case where a turn-on command signal for turning on each of the GTO elements is generated within a predetermined time period since the turn-off of the optional one of the GTO elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignees: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Nissin Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Sugawara, Katsunori Asano, Mitsuru Matsukawa, Yoshifumi Minowa, Toshihiko Shikata
  • Patent number: 7554220
    Abstract: A stable power supply apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a secondary battery, a bidirectional chopper circuit and a bidirectional converter, wherein the secondary battery, the chopper circuit and the converter are connected in this order in the direction from the secondary battery side to a system bus line side. The converter is formed of a wide-gap semiconductor device, more particularly, a wide-gap bipolar semiconductor device, and the instantaneous large-power operation capability of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor device and the instantaneous large-power supplying capability of the secondary battery are utilized. For a short time during which the influence of an instantaneous drop is prevented, the converter is operated as a converter having capability exceeding the instantaneous large-power supplying capability of the secondary battery and having power capacity several times or more the rating of the converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7554114
    Abstract: In a wide gap semiconductor device of SiC or the like used at a temperature of 150 degrees centigrade or higher, the insulation characteristic of a wide gap semiconductor element is improved and a high-voltage resistance is achieved. For these purposes, a synthetic high-molecular compound, with which the outer surface of the wide gap semiconductor element is coated, is formed in a three-dimensional steric structure which is formed by linking together organosilicon polymers C with covalent bonds resulting from addition reaction. The organosilicon polymers C have been formed by linking at least one organosilicon polymers A having a crosslinked structure using siloxane (Si—O—Si combination) with at least one organosilicon polymers B having a linear linked structure using siloxane through siloxane bonds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7544970
    Abstract: The temperature of a bipolar semiconductor element using a wide-gap semiconductor is raised using heating means, such as a heater, to obtain a power semiconductor device being large in controllable current and low in loss. The temperature is set at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the decrement of the steady loss of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element corresponding to the decrement of the built-in voltage lowering depending on the temperature rising of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element is larger than the increment of the steady loss corresponding to the increment of the ON resistance increasing depending on the temperature rising.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2009
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20090140195
    Abstract: An object is to provide a gate valve capable of preventing operational deficiencies caused by particulate materials accumulating in a valve box, thus providing superior sealing properties and high durability, having a simple structure, and allowing inspection and maintenance to be performed easily.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2007
    Publication date: June 4, 2009
    Applicants: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., HIRATA VALVE INDUSTRY CO., LTD., Clean Coal Power R&D Co., LTD., Hokkaido Electric Power Company, Incorporated, Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc., THE TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, CHUBU Electric Power Co., Inc., HOKURIKU ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., THE CHUGOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., SHIKOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., KYUSHU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD., Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
    Inventors: Yasunari Shibata, Yoshinori Koyama, Soken Takase, Taizo Hoshino, Shuji Kameyama, Yasuhiro Suzuki, Yoshihiko Horie, Hitoshi Terada, Hirofumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 7517605
    Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell is formed by arranging a fuel electrode layer and an air electrode layer on both surfaces of a solid electrolyte, respectively, a fuel electrode current collector and an air electrode current collector outside the fuel electrode layer and the air electrode layer, respectively, and separators outside the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector. In a first embodiment, a fuel gas and an oxidant gas are supplied from the separators to the fuel electrode layer and the oxidant electrode layer, respectively, through the fuel electrode current collector and the air electrode current collector, respectively. Each separator is formed by laminating a plurality of thin metal plates at least including a thin metal plate in which a first gas discharge opening is arranged in a central part and second gas discharge openings are circularly arranged in a peripheral part, and a thin metal plate with an indented surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Norikazu Komada, Koji Hoshino, Jun Akikusa, Kei Hosoi
  • Publication number: 20090072356
    Abstract: In a wide gap semiconductor device of SiC or the like used at a temperature of 150 degrees centigrade or higher, the insulation characteristic of a wide gap semiconductor element is improved and a high-voltage resistance is achieved. For these purposes, a synthetic high-molecular compound, with which the outer surface of the wide gap semiconductor element is coated, is formed in a three-dimensional steric structure which is formed by linking together organosilicon polymers C with covalent bonds resulting from addition reaction. The organosilicon polymers C have been formed by linking at least one organosilicon polymers A having a crosslinked structure using siloxane (Si—O—Si combination) with at least one organosilicon polymers B having a linear linked structure using siloxane through siloxane bonds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20090045413
    Abstract: In a SiC bipolar semiconductor device with a mesa structure having a SiC drift layer of a first conductive type and a SiC carrier injection layer of a second conductive type that are SiC epitaxial layers grown from a surface of a SiC single crystal substrate, the formation of stacking faults and the expansion of the area thereof are prevented and thereby the increase in forward voltage is prevented. Further, a characteristic of withstand voltage in a reverse biasing is improved. An forward-operation degradation preventing layer is formed on a mesa wall or on a mesa wall and a mesa periphery to separate spatially the surface of the mesa wall from a pn-junction interface. In one embodiment, the forward-operation degradation preventing layer is composed of a silicon carbide low resistance layer of a second conductive type that is equipotential during the application of a reverse voltage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Publication date: February 19, 2009
    Applicants: THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., CENTRAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
    Inventors: Ryosuke Ishii, Koji Nakayama, Yoshitaka Sugawara, Toshiyuki Miyanagi, Hidekazu Tsuchida, Isaho Kamata, Tomonori Nakamura
  • Patent number: 7488463
    Abstract: The carbon dioxide recovery system includes a carbon dioxide absorption tower which absorbs and removes carbon dioxide from the combustion exhaust gas of a boiler by an absorption liquid, and a regeneration tower which heats and regenerates the loaded absorption liquid with carbon dioxide. The regeneration tower includes plural loaded absorption liquid heating means, which heat the loaded absorption liquid and remove carbon dioxide in the loaded absorption liquid. The turbine includes plural lines which extract plural kinds of steam with different pressures from the turbine and which supply the plural kinds of steam to the plural loaded absorption liquid heating means as their heating sources. The plural lines make the pressure of supplied steam increase from a preceding stage of the plural loaded absorption liquid heating means to a post stage of the plural loaded absorption liquid heating means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignees: Mitsubushi Heavy Industries, Ltd., The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventors: Masaki Iijima, Takuya Hirata, Tomio Mimura, Yasuyuki Yagi
  • Patent number: 7488973
    Abstract: In a wide gap semiconductor device of SiC or the like used at a temperature of 150 degrees centigrade or higher, the insulation characteristic of a wide gap semiconductor element is improved and a high-voltage resistance is achieved. For these purposes, a synthetic high-molecular compound, with which the outer surface of the wide gap semiconductor element is coated, is formed in a three-dimensional steric structure which is formed by linking together organosilicon polymers C with covalent bonds resulting from addition reaction. The organosilicon polymers C have been formed by linking at least one organosilicon polymers A having a crosslinked structure using siloxane (Si—O—Si combination) with at least one organosilicon polymers B having a linear linked structure using siloxane through siloxane bonds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7482237
    Abstract: The temperature of a bipolar semiconductor element using a wide-gap semiconductor is raised using heating means, such as a heater, to obtain a power semiconductor device being large in controllable current and low in loss. The temperature is set at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the decrement of the steady loss of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element corresponding to the decrement of the built-in voltage lowering depending on the temperature rising of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element is larger than the increment of the steady loss corresponding to the increment of the ON resistance increasing depending on the temperature rising.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co, Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7468953
    Abstract: The present invention provides a path setting method for automatically setting network paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignees: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koji Maegawa, Hideki Sakai, Shinji Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20080307704
    Abstract: It is an object to solve a bypass line corrosion problem effectively, enable prompt supply of a fuel gas into a bypass line in the event of an emergency, and provide an inexpensive coal gasification plant. An integrated coal gasification combined cycle power generation plant includes a coal gasification furnace, a dust remover, a gas refiner, a gas turbine and the like, a main system line connecting therebetween, and a bypass line connecting between the outlet side of the coal gasification furnace in the main system line and a flare stack, wherein a dust remover bypass valve which is disposed in an upstream portion of the bypass line and which opens and closes the bypass line, a treatment gas control valve which is disposed in a downstream portion of the bypass line and which controls the flow rate, and a first inert gas input line which is disposed downstream from the dust remover bypass valve and which supplies the inert gas to the bypass line are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicants: CLEAN COAL POWER R&D CO., LTD., MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., HOKKAIDO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, TOHOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., THE TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, CHUBU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., HOKURIKU ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., THE CHUGOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO, INC., SHIKOKU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., KYUSHU ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC., ELECTRIC POWER DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD., CENTRAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY
    Inventors: Yuichiro Kitagawa, Osamu Shinada, Jun Wada, Yuso Oki, Naomitsu Hiratsuka, Atsushi Kimura, Katsutoshi Hiruma
  • Patent number: 7462888
    Abstract: The temperature of a bipolar semiconductor element using a wide-gap semiconductor is raised using heating means, such as a heater, to obtain a power semiconductor device being large in controllable current and low in loss. The temperature is set at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the decrement of the steady loss of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element corresponding to the decrement of the built-in voltage lowering depending on the temperature rising of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element is larger than the increment of the steady loss corresponding to the increment of the ON resistance increasing depending on the temperature rising.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Patent number: 7462886
    Abstract: The temperature of a bipolar semiconductor element using a wide-gap semiconductor is raised using heating means, such as a heater, to obtain a power semiconductor device being large in controllable current and low in loss. The temperature is set at a temperature higher than the temperature at which the decrement of the steady loss of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element corresponding to the decrement of the built-in voltage lowering depending on the temperature rising of the wide-gap bipolar semiconductor element is larger than the increment of the steady loss corresponding to the increment of the ON resistance increasing depending on the temperature rising.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Yoshitaka Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20080223215
    Abstract: A CO2 recovery system includes an absorption tower and a regeneration tower. CO2 rich solution is produced in the absorption tower by absorbing CO2 from CO2-containing gas. The CO2 rich solution is conveyed to the regeneration tower where lean solution is produced from the rich solution by removing CO2. A reclaimer heats the lean solution that is produced in the regeneration tower to produce a condensed waste-product from the lean solution by condensing a depleted material contained in the lean solution, and removes the condensed waste-product. A cooler cools the condensed waste-product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Publication date: September 18, 2008
    Applicants: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD., THE KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO., INC.
    Inventors: Masaki Iijima, Tomio Mimura, Yasuyuki Yagi