Patents by Inventor Kazuta Kobayashi

Kazuta Kobayashi 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: 10060418
    Abstract: A solar heat receiver includes a casing having an aperture, and a piping system provided in the casing and discharging a heat medium, which is sent from a fluid supply source, to a fluid supply destination after the heat medium is heated by the solar light. The piping system includes: heat receiver tubes that heat the heat medium flowing therein; an inlet header tube that distributes the heat medium, which is introduced from the fluid supply source, to each of the heat receiver tubes, and an outlet header tube that collects the heat medium passing through each of the heat receiver tubes, and leads the heat medium to the fluid supply destination. The inlet header tube and the outlet header tube have a larger inner diameter than each of the heat receiver tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Takeshi Okubo
  • Patent number: 9032730
    Abstract: A solar receiver is disposed on a top portion of a tower provided upright on the ground for heating a compressible working fluid by means of heat converted from sunlight collected by heliostats disposed on the ground, to raise the temperature of the compressible working fluid. The solar receiver has modules disposed back-to-back, and each of which includes a casing having a bottom plate to be fixed to the top-portion upper surface of the tower. A heat-transfer-tube unit is accommodated in the casing and includes heat transfer tubes. A sunlight inlet port having a circular shape in front view or an elliptical shape in front view is provided at the center portion of a plate-like member whose lower end is connected to an outer circumferential end of the bottom plate to constitute the casing and that extends obliquely upward from the outer circumferential end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVEY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Kuniaki Aoyama, Masahiro Masuda, Takeshi Okubo, Shuhei Sasaki, Akira Furutani, Jin Kato, Hiromi Nakatani
  • Patent number: 8997734
    Abstract: The concentrating heat receiver (10) is provided with a casing (41) which has an opening portion (15) into which sunrays are made incident, a heat receiving portion (42) which is accommodated inside the casing (41) so that a working fluid flows therethrough and receive heat from sunrays made incident from the opening portion, thereby raising the temperature of the working fluid, and hanging members (61, 62) in which the upper end sides thereof are coupled to an upper angle (14) and the other end sides thereof are loosely inserted into through holes (44a, 44b) of the casing (41), thereby supporting in a hanging manner the heat receiving portion (42) inside the casing (41).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kimihiko Mitsuda, Yasuharu Yamamoto, Toshiyuki Osada, Masashi Tagawa, Kazuta Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20140305124
    Abstract: A solar heat receiver includes a casing having an aperture, and a piping system provided in the casing and discharging a heat medium, which is sent from a fluid supply source, to a fluid supply destination after the heat medium is heated by the solar light. The piping system includes: heat receiver tubes that heat the heat medium flowing therein; an inlet header tube that distributes the heat medium, which is introduced from the fluid supply source, to each of the heat receiver tubes, and an outlet header tube that collects the heat medium passing through each of the heat receiver tubes, and leads the heat medium to the fluid supply destination. The inlet header tube and the outlet header tube have a larger inner diameter than each of the heat receiver tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2012
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Takeshi Okubo
  • Publication number: 20140290248
    Abstract: A solar heat receiver includes a heat receiver tube support member that holds, with regular distances, longitudinally intermediate potions of a plurality of heat receiver tubes arranged in parallel and in plane. The support member extends to cross a longitudinal direction of the heat receiver tubes, and thus does not naturally move in the longitudinal direction of the heat receiver tubes, and when a predetermined force is applied in the longitudinal direction of the tubes, a position of the support member is maintained by a frictional force such that there is a slide between the heat receiver tube support member and the heat receiver tubes. Also, a plurality of heat receiver tube support members are provided in one solar heat receiver, and the heat receiver tubes are divided into a plurality of groups by the plurality of heat receiver tube support members.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: October 2, 2014
    Applicant: MITSHUBHISH HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD
    Inventors: Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Takeshi Okubo, Akira Furutani
  • Patent number: 8720054
    Abstract: To provide a method of setting a performance characteristic of a pump for setting a performance characteristic of a pump, the pump including an impeller that takes in fluid from a suction port and that sends out the fluid toward a discharge port, and a diffuser provided in a flow passage between the impeller and the discharge port, where the diffuser includes a hub arranged in a central portion of the flow passage, a shroud arranged around a periphery of the hub, and a plurality of diffuser vanes radially arranged from an outer peripheral surface of the hub toward an inner peripheral surface of the shroud, and the method includes a mounting-position setting step of setting a mounting position of each of the diffuser vanes to be mounted on the hub according to the performance characteristic of the pump in a direction perpendicular to a radial direction extending from the hub toward the shroud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuta Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20120291772
    Abstract: Heat-receiving pipes of a heat receiver have portions having high heat flux on at the side near an opening in a length direction and extending to positions outside of a casing in a radial direction. Expanded sections having an expanded pitch circle diameter constituted by the plurality of heat-receiving pipes are formed, and a heat input quantity per unit area of the heat-receiving pipe is decreased in the portions near the opening.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD
    Inventors: Kenji Atarashiya, Shigenari Horie, Keiji Mizuta, Manabu Maeda, Kazuta Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8312703
    Abstract: A solar-thermal gas turbine generator is equipped with a compressor, a heat receiver, and a turbine. Additionally, there is a generator that is driven by the solar-thermal gas turbine to generate power; and a steam power generation cycle in which high-temperature air exhausted from the turbine is introduced into a steam generator and in which a steam turbine that is operated with steam generated at the steam generator drives a generator to generator power, wherein a solar-thermal steam generator that generates steam by being heated with heat collected by the light collector is provided upstream of the steam turbine of the steam power generation cycle, and a distribution ratio for distributing the sunlight collected by the light collector to the heat receiver and the solar-thermal steam generator is adjusted in accordance with the sunlight intensity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Aoyama, Kei Inoue, Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Manabu Maeda
  • Publication number: 20120180483
    Abstract: A solar receiver is disposed on a top portion of a tower provided upright on the ground for heating a compressible working fluid by means of heat converted from sunlight collected by heliostats disposed on the ground, to raise the temperature of the compressible working fluid. The solar receiver has modules disposed back-to-back, and each of which includes a casing having a bottom plate to be fixed to the top-portion upper surface of the tower. A heat-transfer-tube unit is accommodated in the casing and includes heat transfer tubes. A sunlight inlet port having a circular shape in front view or an elliptical shape in front view is provided at the center portion of a plate-like member whose lower end is connected to an outer circumferential end of the bottom plate to constitute the casing and that extends obliquely upward from the outer circumferential end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 19, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuta KOBAYASHI, Masashi TAGAWA, Toshiyuki OSADA, Kuniaki AOYAMA, Masahiro MASUDA, Takeshi OKUBO, Shuhei SASAKI, Akira FURUTANI, Jin KATO, Hiromi NAKATANI
  • Publication number: 20120160232
    Abstract: The concentrating heat receiver (10) is provided with a casing (41) which has an opening portion (15) into which sunrays are made incident, a heat receiving portion (42) which is accommodated inside the casing (41) so that a working fluid flows therethrough and receive heat from sunrays made incident from the opening portion, thereby raising the temperature of the working fluid, and hanging members (61, 62) in which the upper end sides thereof are coupled to an upper angle (14) and the other end sides thereof are loosely inserted into through holes (44a, 44b) of the casing (41), thereby supporting in a hanging manner the heat receiving portion (42) inside the casing (41).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2011
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kimihiko MITSUDA, Yasuharu YAMAMOTO, Toshiyuki OSADA, Masashi TAGAWA, Kazuta KOBAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20110259007
    Abstract: Provided is a concentrated solar power gas turbine that enables efficient operation to allow a reduction in capacity of the start-up driving source used for compensating for the shortage of solar heat quantity at the start-up/acceleration. The concentrated solar power gas turbine (GT1) includes a compressor (1) for taking in air and increasing the pressure thereof, the compressor (1) being provided with a start-up driving source for start-up/acceleration; a solar central receiver (2) for heating the high-pressure air, the pressure of which has been increased by the compressor (1), by the heat of sunlight collected by a heliostat to increase the temperature thereof; and a turbine (3) for converting thermal energy possessed by the high-temperature/high-pressure air to mechanical energy, wherein the fluid flow in the solar central receiver (2) is shut off to store heat in the period from the shutdown of the turbine (3) to the start-up thereof.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2010
    Publication date: October 27, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Aoyama, Kei Inoue, Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Masahiro Masuda
  • Publication number: 20110252797
    Abstract: A gas turbine plant associated with a solar thermal electric generation system has a heat receiver which receives heat from the sun, a gas turbine having a compressor and a turbine which operates with an operating fluid compressed by the compressor and heated by the heat receiver, a temperature sensor which detects heat from the sun, an auxiliary driving device which is driven based on the temperature of the heat detected by the temperature sensor, and which starts the gas turbine, and a generator which converts kinetic energy generated as a result of the rotation of the turbine into electric energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2009
    Publication date: October 20, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Kuniaki Aoyama, Toshiyuki Osada, Junichiro Masada, Manabu Maeda, Masahiro Masuda, Shiro Sugimoto, Hiroshi Kawashima, Takayoshi Iijima, Kenji Atarashiya, Keiji Mizuta, Shigenari Horie
  • Publication number: 20110239651
    Abstract: Heat transfer pipes uniformly heat a compressible working fluid passing there through with a simplified supporting structure and reduced manufacturing costs. A solar central receiver (3) on top of a tower on the ground includes heat transfer pipes (16) arranged in the south-north direction; and a casing (14) accommodating the pipes (16) and has a solar radiation inlet (15) through which sunlight reflected by heliostats on the ground is transmitted to the lower surface side of the pipes (16). The pipes (16) are at equal intervals on a solar radiation receiving surface (11) parallel to a heliostat field on which the collectors are, or inclined with respect to the heliostat field on which the collectors are, and the diameters of the pipes (16) are substantially inversely proportional to the shortest distance from the inlet (15) to the central axes of the respective pipes (16) in the longitudinal direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2010
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Aoyama, Kei Inoue, Kazuta Kobayashi
  • Publication number: 20110233940
    Abstract: A solar-thermal gas turbine generator is equipped with a compressor, a heat receiver, and a turbine. Additionally, there is a generator that is driven by the solar-thermal gas turbine to generate power; and a steam power generation cycle in which high-temperature air exhausted from the turbine is introduced into a steam generator and in which a steam turbine that is operated with steam generated at the steam generator drives a generator to generator power, wherein a solar-thermal steam generator that generates steam by being heated with heat collected by the light collector is provided upstream of the steam turbine of the steam power generation cycle, and a distribution ratio for distributing the sunlight collected by the light collector to the heat receiver and the solar-thermal steam generator is adjusted in accordance with the sunlight intensity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Kuniaki Aoyama, Kei Inoue, Kazuta Kobayashi, Masashi Tagawa, Toshiyuki Osada, Manabu Maeda
  • Publication number: 20110209346
    Abstract: To provide a method of setting a performance characteristic of a pump for setting a performance characteristic of a pump, the pump including an impeller that takes in fluid from a suction port and that sends out the fluid toward a discharge port, and a diffuser provided in a flow passage between the impeller and the discharge port, where the diffuser includes a hub arranged in a central portion of the flow passage, a shroud arranged around a periphery of the hub, and a plurality of diffuser vanes radially arranged from an outer peripheral surface of the hub toward an inner peripheral surface of the shroud, and the method includes a mounting-position setting step of setting a mounting position of each of the diffuser vanes to be mounted on the hub according to the performance characteristic of the pump in a direction perpendicular to a radial direction extending from the hub toward the shroud.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2009
    Publication date: September 1, 2011
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuta KOBAYASHI