Patents by Inventor Kazunori FUKUHARA

Kazunori FUKUHARA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10626754
    Abstract: A compression device is equipped with a compressor (102) and a heat energy recovery unit (200) that recovers heat energy from a compressed gas. The heat energy recovery unit (200) is equipped with: a heat exchanger (202) that has an inflow port (202a), and that heats an operating medium by means of the heat from the compressed gas; an expansion device (210); a power recovery unit (212); a condenser (214); and a pump (222). The heat exchanger (202) is arranged closer to the compressor (102) than the expansion device (210), and is oriented such that the inflow port (202a) faces the compressor (102).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Hashimoto, Kazumasa Nishimura, Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa, Haruyuki Matsuda, Tetsuya Kakiuchi, Noboru Tsuboi, Kazunori Fukuhara
  • Patent number: 10234183
    Abstract: A compressing device of the present invention comprises a compressor, a heat exchanger, an expander, a power recovery unit, a condenser, a pump, a bypass flow passage for bypassing the expander, and a bypass valve. When a bypass condition for allowing a working medium to circulate through the bypass flow passage is satisfied, the bypass valve is caused to be opened, thereby allowing the working medium to circulate between the heat exchanger and the condenser through the bypass flow passage. As a result, a compressed gas discharged from the compressor is cooled by the working medium in the heat exchanger. This configuration makes it possible to cool the compressed gas by the working medium in the heat exchanger regardless of operation conditions of the expander.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Hashimoto, Kazumasa Nishimura, Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa, Haruyuki Matsuda, Tetsuya Kakiuchi, Noboru Tsuboi, Kazunori Fukuhara
  • Patent number: 9771835
    Abstract: A heat energy recovery device 1, which recovers heat energy of a heat medium by utilizing a Rankine cycle of a working medium, comprises a first heater 2, a second heater 3, an expander 4, an oil separation unit 12, a condenser 6, a working medium pump 7, and an oil-leading passage 10. When the height of a liquid level in the oil separation unit 12 is less than a lower limit value, a control unit 16 first performs a speed reduction control of the working medium pump 7 to reduce an inflow rate of a working medium into the second heater 3, and after a fixed period of time, performs an opening control for opening an on-off unit 11. By the opening of the on-off valve 11, oil L1 in the second heater 3 is led out to the oil separation unit 12 through the oil-leading passage 10.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa, Noboru Tsuboi, Koichiro Hashimoto, Haruyuki Matsuda, Kazumasa Nishimura, Tetsuya Kakiuchi, Kazunori Fukuhara
  • Patent number: 9765652
    Abstract: An energy recovery device includes a plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel with each other into which a plurality of heat sources flow, an expander for expanding a working medium, a dynamic power recovery unit, a condenser, a pump for sending the working medium which has flown out from the condenser to the plurality of heat exchangers, and a regulator for regulating inflow rates of the working medium flowing into the plurality of heat exchangers. The regulator regulates the inflow rates of the liquid phase working medium flowing into the plurality of respective heat exchangers such that a difference of temperatures or a difference of degrees of superheat of the gas phase working medium which has flown out from the plurality of respective heat exchangers falls within a certain range. Thereby, heat energy can be efficiently recovered from the plurality of heat sources having temperatures different from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Hashimoto, Haruyuki Matsuda, Kazumasa Nishimura, Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa, Tetsuya Kakiuchi, Kazunori Fukuhara
  • Publication number: 20170159660
    Abstract: A compression device is equipped with a compressor (102) and a heat energy recovery unit (200) that recovers heat energy from a compressed gas. The heat energy recovery unit (200) is equipped with: a heat exchanger (202) that has an inflow port (202a), and that heats an operating medium by means of the heat from the compressed gas; an expansion device (210); a power recovery unit (212); a condenser (214); and a pump (222). The heat exchanger (202) is arranged closer to the compressor (102) than the expansion device (210), and is oriented such that the inflow port (202a) faces the compressor (102).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koichiro HASHIMOTO, Kazumasa NISHIMURA, Shigeto ADACHI, Yutaka NARUKAWA, Haruyuki MATSUDA, Tetsuya KAKIUCHI, Noboru TSUBOI, Kazunori FUKUHARA
  • Publication number: 20160076405
    Abstract: An energy recovery device includes a plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel with each other into which a plurality of heat sources flow, an expander for expanding a working medium, a dynamic power recovery unit, a condenser, a pump for sending the working medium which has flown out from the condenser to the plurality of heat exchangers, and a regulator for regulating inflow rates of the working medium flowing into the plurality of heat exchangers. The regulator regulates the inflow rates of the liquid phase working medium flowing into the plurality of respective heat exchangers such that a difference of temperatures or a difference of degrees of superheat of the gas phase working medium which has flown out from the plurality of respective heat exchangers falls within a certain range. Thereby, heat energy can be efficiently recovered from the plurality of heat sources having temperatures different from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koichiro HASHIMOTO, Haruyuki Matsuda, Kazumasa Nishimura, Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa, Tetsuya Kakiuchi, Kazunori Fukuhara
  • Publication number: 20160069600
    Abstract: A compressing device of the present invention comprises a compressor, a heat exchanger, an expander, a power recovery unit, a condenser, a pump, a bypass flow passage for bypassing the expander, and a bypass valve. When a bypass condition for allowing a working medium to circulate through the bypass flow passage is satisfied, the bypass valve is caused to be opened, thereby allowing the working medium to circulate between the heat exchanger and the condenser through the bypass flow passage. As a result, a compressed gas discharged from the compressor is cooled by the working medium in the heat exchanger. This configuration makes it possible to cool the compressed gas by the working medium in the heat exchanger regardless of operation conditions of the expander.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koichiro HASHIMOTO, Kazumasa NISHIMURA, Shigeto ADACHI, Yutaka NARUKAWA, Haruyuki MATSUDA, Tetsuya KAKIUCHI, Noboru TSUBOI, Kazunori FUKUHARA
  • Publication number: 20150337690
    Abstract: A heat energy recovery device 1, which recovers heat energy of a heat medium by utilizing a Rankine cycle of a working medium, comprises a first heater 2, a second heater 3, an expander 4, an oil separation unit 12, a condenser 6, a working medium pump 7, and an oil-leading passage 10. When the height of a liquid level in the oil separation unit 12 is less than a lower limit value, a control unit 16 first performs a speed reduction control of the working medium pump 7 to reduce an inflow rate of a working medium into the second heater 3, and after a fixed period of time, performs an opening control for opening an on-off unit 11. By the opening of the on-off valve 11, oil L1 in the second heater 3 is led out to the oil separation unit 12 through the oil-leading passage 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2015
    Publication date: November 26, 2015
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Shigeto ADACHI, Yutaka NARUKAWA, Noboru TSUBOI, Koichiro HASHIMOTO, Haruyuki MATSUDA, Kazumasa NISHIMURA, Tetsuya KAKIUCHI, Kazunori FUKUHARA