Patents by Inventor Kanami SAKAMOTO

Kanami SAKAMOTO 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: 10145334
    Abstract: A container-type compressed air storage power generation device (2) comprises compressors (5a-5c); a tank (8); power generators (9a-9c); a control device (12); and a container (4). The compressors (5a-5c) compress air. The tank (8) is driven by air supplied from the compressors (5a-5c). The power generators (9a-9c) are driven by air supplied from the tank (8). The control device drives and controls the compressors (5a-5c) and the power generators (9a-9c). The container (4) houses the compressors (5a-5c) and the power generators (9a-9c), and the tank (8) is disposed outside the container (4). Therefore, the container-type compressed air storage power generation device (2) is easy to transport and construct on-site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Kobe Steel, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kanami Sakamoto, Hiroki Saruta, Masaki Matsukuma, Masatake Toshima
  • Publication number: 20180313267
    Abstract: A compressed air energy storage power generation device equipped with: a compressor mechanically connected to a motor; a first pressure storage tank storing compressed air from the compressor; an expansion device driven by compressed air from the tank; a generator mechanically connected to the expansion device; a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a heat medium and the compressed air supplied from the compressor to the tank; a second heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the heat medium and the compressed air supplied from the tank to the expansion device; a pressure sensor that detects the state of charge (SOC) of the tank; SOC adjustment units that adjusts the SOC; and a control device. The control device controls the SOC adjustment units such that the detected SOC is within an optimal SOC range while satisfying the requested power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Takashi SATO, Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180283275
    Abstract: A compressed air storage power generation apparatus is provided with a motor, a compressor, a pressure accumulation tank, an expander, a generator, a first heat exchanger and a cold heat extracting unit. The motor is driven by input power generated using renewable energy. The compressor is mechanically connected to the motor and compresses air. The pressure accumulation tank accumulates the compressed air compressed by the compressor. The expander is driven by the compressed air supplied from the pressure accumulation tank. The generator is mechanically connected to the expander. The first heat exchanger exchanges heat between the compressed air supplied from the compressor and a heat medium and cools the compressed air to room temperature. The cold heat extracting unit extracts air serving as working fluid as cold air of the room temperature or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Takashi SATO, Kanami SAKAMOTO, Masatake TOSHIMA, Yohei KUBO
  • Publication number: 20180266315
    Abstract: A compressed air energy storage power generation device includes a first heat exchanger, a heat storage tank, a second heat exchanger, a heating unit, a first power distributor, and a controller. The first heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the compressed air from a compressor and the heating medium. The heat storage tank stores the heating medium heatexchanged by the first heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger performs heat exchange between the compressed air from an accumulator tank and the heating medium from the heat storage tank. The first power distributor distributes the generated power of the power generator to a power system and the heating unit. When the internal pressure of the accumulator tank reaches a predetermined pressure and the generated power is larger than the power demand, the controller supplies a part or all of the generated power to the heating unit by the first power distributor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Yohei KUBO, Masatake TOSHIMA, Makoto NISHIMURA, Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180171832
    Abstract: A compressed air energy storage power generation device 2 includes a compressor, a pressure accumulator tank, and an expander. The compressor compresses air by being driven with renewable energy. The pressure accumulator tank stores the air compressed by the compressor. The expander is driven by the compressed air. A power generator is mechanically connected to the expander and generates electric power, which is to be supplied to a demander.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Yohei KUBO, Masatake TOSHIMA, Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180156110
    Abstract: A compressed-air storage and power generation method according to the present invention is provided with: a first air-compression step; a first air-storage step; a first air-supply step; a first power-generation step; a first heat-exchange step; a heat-medium storage step; a second heat-exchange step; and an air-discharge step. In the air-discharge step, when the amount of compressed air stored in a pressure-accumulation tank (12) exceeds a prescribed amount in the first air-storage step, the air compressed by a first compressor (10) is discharged outside without being stored in the pressure-accumulation tank (12). Therefore, it is possible to provide a compressed-air storage and power generation method by which fluctuating electrical power can be smoothed efficiently even after compressed air is stored up to the storage capacity of the storage space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Publication date: June 7, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO, Masatake TOSHIMA, Yohei KUBO
  • Publication number: 20180128167
    Abstract: In a compressed air energy storage and power generation device, a compressed air energy storage and power generation method defines, as a reference storage value, a storage value indicating that a storage amount of air in an accumulator tank is in a predetermined intermediate state. At the reference storage value, at least one of a motor and a generator rotates at a rated rotation speed. When a storage value indicating a current storage amount in the accumulator tank is larger than the reference storage value, at least one of the motor and the generator is controlled to rotate at equal to or less than the rated rotation speed. When the storage value indicating the current storage amount in the accumulator tank is smaller than the reference storage value, at least one of the motor and the generator is controlled to rotate at equal to or more than the rated rotation speed and equal to or less than a maximum permissible rotation speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170284336
    Abstract: A container-type compressed air storage power generation device (2) comprises compressors (5a-5c); a tank (8); power generators (9a-9c); a control device (12); and a container (4). The compressors (5a-5c) compress air. The tank (8) is driven by air supplied from the compressors (5a-5c). The power generators (9a-9c) are driven by air supplied from the tank (8). The control device drives and controls the compressors (5a-5c) and the power generators (9a-9c). The container (4) houses the compressors (5a-5c) and the power generators (9a-9c), and the tank (8) is disposed outside the container (4). Therefore, the container-type compressed air storage power generation device (2) is easy to transport and construct on-site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2015
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kanami SAKAMOTO, Hiroki SARUTA, Masaki MATSUKUMA, Masatake TOSHIMA
  • Publication number: 20170234171
    Abstract: A compressed fluid storage power generation device including a compressor and compressor bodies for compressing a working fluid; a pressure accumulation tank for storing the working fluid compressed by the compressor bodies; a power generator having expanders which are driven by the working fluid and a power generator body which is driven by the expanders; high-temperature heat recovery units for recovering heat from the working fluid flowing from the compressor bodies into the pressure accumulation tank; high-temperature heating units for heating, with the recovered heat, the working fluid flowing from the pressure accumulation tank into the expanders; a low-temperature heat recovery unit for recovering heat generated in a low-temperature heat generation section of the compressor and/or power generator into a low-temperature heat carrier; and low-temperature heating units for heating the working fluid by means of heat exchange with the low-temperature heat carrier carrying the heat recovered by the low-tempe
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masaki MATSUKUMA, Hiroki SARUTA, Kanami SAKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20170159649
    Abstract: A compressed air storage and power generation device (1) is provided with motors (3a-3c), compressors (4a-4c), compressed air storage tanks (5a-5c), injection-side valves (6a-6e), expanders (7a-7c), discharge-side valves (8a-8e), generators (9a-9c), an output sensor (10), pressure sensors (11a-11c), and a control device (12). The control device (12) uses a tank (5c) with a relatively large capacity for long-period variable power and uses tanks (5a, 5b) with relatively low capacities for short-period variable power, all such power having been generated using natural energy, and thereby performs control by which both the long-period and short-period variable power are leveled out and power is output according to the power demand. The compressed air storage power generation device (1) levels out both the long-period and short-period variable power and outputs the power according to the power demand.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Publication date: June 8, 2017
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Kanami SAKAMOTO, Hiroki SARUTA, Masaki MATSUKUMA