Including Plural Distinct Boilers, Heat Supplies Or External Sources Of Vapor Patents (Class 60/676)
  • Patent number: 12117167
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method and a system for denitrogenation combustion and CO2 capture and utilization in a gas boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2024
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: SHANGHAI YUANHAN ENERGY & CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Xiangquan Zhang, Wenjun Wu, Yunfeng Zhang
  • Patent number: 12092086
    Abstract: A geopressure and geothermal power system includes at least one pressure exchanger configured to receive a production fluid and a working fluid. At least one power generation unit is fluidly coupled to the pressure exchanger. At least one production well is positioned at least partially within a geothermal reservoir and provides the production fluid to the pressure exchanger. The system may also include at least one heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the at least one pressure exchanger and configured to one of, a) receive from and b) provide to, the at least one pressure exchanger the production fluid and the working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: SAGE GEOSYSTEMS INC.
    Inventors: Nathan Weiss, Douglas Simpkins, Lev M. Ring, Robert Lance Cook
  • Patent number: 11619213
    Abstract: A system is disclosed that utilizes renewable energy to generate high temperature, superheated steam for driving a prime mover, such as a steam turbine coupled to an electrical generator, and/or to deliver heat where only a portion of the renewable energy system needs to withstand a high temperature working fluid that is necessary to generate high temperature superheated steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2023
    Assignee: NOOTER/ERIKSEN, INC.
    Inventors: Piero Scapini, Shaun P. Hennessey
  • Patent number: 11492964
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to the unique integration of a plurality of thermodynamic cycles comprised of a supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic cycle, one or more other thermodynamic cycles with multiple heat sources derived from nuclear fuel, solar energy, hydrogen, and fossil fuels, with the energy production systems configured to noticeably improve power plant efficiency, cost and performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2022
    Inventor: Michael F. Keller
  • Patent number: 11027950
    Abstract: A system having a primary current generating assembly includes a primary thermal engine and a secondary current generating assembly, in particular an electric turbo compound installation, for the secondary conversion into electricity of exhaust gas heat from the primary current generating assembly. The secondary current generating assembly includes an exhaust gas turbine arranged in an exhaust gas stream of the primary thermal engine, and the exhaust gas turbine drives an electric secondary generator. In order to improve efficiency, and in particular to reduce fuel consumption, it is proposed that an exhaust gas cooler followed by a compressor are arranged in the exhaust gas stream downstream of the exhaust gas turbine, the compressor being driven by an electric motor and the rotational speeds of the compressor and the exhaust gas turbine are controlled by a process control system. The disclosed invention also relates to a vehicle equipped therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Konecranes Global Corporation
    Inventor: Reinhard Bauer
  • Patent number: 10767861
    Abstract: A boiler system having a series of boilers. Each boiler includes a shell having an upstream end, a downstream end, and a hollow interior. The boilers also have an oxidizer inlet entering the hollow interior adjacent the upstream end of the shell and a fuel nozzle positioned adjacent the upstream end of the shell for introducing fuel into the hollow interior of the shell. Each boiler includes a flue duct connected to the shell adjacent the downstream end for transporting flue gas from the hollow interior. Oxygen is delivered to the oxidizer inlet of the first boiler in the series. Flue gas from the immediately preceding boiler in the series is delivered through the oxidizer inlet of each boiler subsequent to the first boiler in the series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Washington University
    Inventors: Richard L. Axelbaum, Benjamin M. Kumfer, Fei Xia, Akshay Gopan, Bhupesh Dhungel
  • Patent number: 10065147
    Abstract: Techniques for purifying gases, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative system includes an absorption vessel that can separate impurities from an input gas, a regeneration vessel that can release the impurities from the solvent, a rich solvent storage vessel, and a lean solvent storage vessel. The system can include a solar concentrator array and a thermal storage unit for storing the thermal energy generated by the solar concentrator array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: GlassPoint Solar, Inc.
    Inventors: John Setel O'Donnell, Peter Emery von Behrens, Philip Gregory Brodrick
  • Patent number: 9759084
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a power generating device using an electric furnace, and more particularly, to a power generating device using an electric furnace in which the electric furnace boils water using electricity to produce steam and a turbine is operated using the steam to produce electricity. The power generating device using an electric furnace according to the present invention includes an electric furnace, a steam pipe, a turbine, a power generator, a condenser, and a super-heater. The electric furnace heats water to produce steam. The steam pipe guides the steam ejected from the electric furnace. The turbine is disposed at an inlet of the steam pipe, and is operated with the steam. The power generator is operated by the turbine, and generates electricity. The condenser condenses the steam discharged after the turbine is operated. The super-heater superheats a condensate condensed in the condenser, and supplies the superheated condensate to the electric furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Inventor: Young Ho Seo
  • Patent number: 9702270
    Abstract: A system using hybrid Rankine cycles is provided. The system includes a first Rankine cycle system using a first working fluid, the first system producing exergy loss and residual energy from at least one of turbine extraction, turbine condensation and boiler flue gas; and a second Rankine cycle system using a second working fluid to recover the exergy loss and residual energy. The second working fluid comprises a first stream and a second stream, wherein the first stream exchanges heat with the first system via at least one first heat exchanger, and the second stream exchanges heat with the first system via the at least one first heat exchanger and at least one second heat exchanger. A turbine of the first system is configured to allow the first working fluid to exit at a sufficiently high pressure and temperature to provide heat to the second system instead of expanding to a low pressure and temperature and discharging heat to ambient using a condenser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES
    Inventors: Bruce R. Clements, Lijun Wu, Richard Pomalis, Ligang Zheng
  • Patent number: 9617874
    Abstract: In a system for effecting pressure control in a thermal power plant operated at low load connected fluidly in series, a relief conduit is disclosed herein. The relief conduit selectively transfers steam from a cold reheat conduit to the second extraction conduit. The plant further includes a boiler, a high-pressure turbine, an intermediate pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine, a main steam conduit for feeding steam from the boiler to an inlet of the high pressure turbine, a cold reheat conduit for feeding steam from an outlet of the high-pressure turbine through a reheat flow path in the boiler, and a first and second high pressure heaters. A first extraction conduit connects the cold reheat conduit to a first high pressure heater to transfer heat, and a second extraction conduit connects the intermediate pressure turbine to the second high pressure heater, to transfer heat.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH
    Inventors: Stephan Hellweg, Volker Schüle, Manfred Bauer
  • Patent number: 9574462
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for operating a power plant, wherein in partial load operation the increase of temperature results at the outlet of the high-pressure turbine section as a consequence of a throttling by means of the intermediate pressure valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gunter Bauer, Norbert Pieper, Hans-Ulrich Thierbach, Michael Wechsung
  • Patent number: 9574493
    Abstract: An electricity-generating system of the invention which includes the following: a carbonization apparatus for carbonizing a carbonization source to form a carbonized product; a heat recovery steam generator for producing first steam through heat exchange with the heat exhausted from the carbonization apparatus; a carbonized fuel steam generator which employs the carbonized product serving as a fuel; a mixing header for mixing the first steam and a second steam produced by the carbonized fuel steam generator, which steams are fed thereinto, to thereby discharge a steam mixture having a uniform pressure; an electricity-generating apparatus for generating electricity by means of the steam mixture discharged from the mixing header as an actuating source; and an electricity-storing apparatus for storing the electricity generated by the electricity-generating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Inventors: Ichiroku Hayashi, Yutaka Yoshida, Yoichiro Kuroiwa, Masakiyo Hashizume
  • Patent number: 9228452
    Abstract: System and method for pre-startup or post-shutdown preparation for such power plants are disclosed which are subject to frequent startups and shutdowns, such as a solar operated power plant. The system and method introduces an auxiliary fluid flow to be circulated in an opposite direction to a direction of normal working fluid flow responsible for producing electricity. That is, if the working fluid flow in a first direction for operating the power plant, than the auxiliary fluid flows in a second direction, opposite to the first direction. The auxiliary fluid flows in the second direction for a predetermined time and at a predetermined conditions through a plurality of superheater panel arrangements of solar receiver former to activation of the working fluid circuit, as pre-startup preparation of the power plant, and after cessation of the working fluid circuit, as post-shutdown preparation of the power plant, to attain predetermined conditions in the superheater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Rahul J. Terdalkar, Wesley P. Bauver, Thomas W. Sambor
  • Patent number: 9151490
    Abstract: A boiler control system for efficiently controlling the operation of a packaged boiler is provided. The system includes a combustion air control system, a fuel control system, a flue gas sensing system, and a boiler controller. The boiler controller is in operative communication with the combustion air control system, fuel control system, and the flue gas sensing system. Based upon a system demand, the boiler controller controls coarse-level operation of the combustion air control system and the fuel control system. The flue gas sensing system may include an oxygen sensor and a flue gas differential sensor to sense a change in a characteristic of the flue gas. When the flue gas differential sensor senses a change in the flue gas characteristic that meets a flue gas differential setpoint, the boiler controller controls the fine-level operation of the boiler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2015
    Inventor: Warren G. Knorr, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9145794
    Abstract: In a method for increasing power plant efficiency during periods of variable heat input or at partial loads, a motive fluid is cycled through a Rankine cycle power plant having a vaporizer and a superheater such that the motive fluid is delivered to a turbine at a selected inlet temperature at full admission. A percentage of a superheated portion of the motive fluid during periods of variable heat input or at partial loads is adjusted while substantially maintaining the inlet temperature and a power plant thermal efficiency. A Rankine Cycle power plant includes a conduit circuit extending from a heat source to each of a vaporizer section and a superheater section for regulating flow therethrough of source heat fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: Ormat Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Lucien Y. Bronicki
  • Patent number: 9133829
    Abstract: A solar thermal power plant and a method using indirect evaporation are provided. The solar power plant includes a primary circuit having a heat transfer medium conduction system and at least one solar thermal subassembly for heating the heat transfer medium by means of solar energy, a steam secondary circuit having a steam turbine system, and a generator coupled to the steam turbine system. The heat exchanger includes a heat transfer medium conduction system to transfer the heat energy from the heat transfer medium of the primary circuit to the steam superheating stage, the steam generation stage and the preheating stage of the steam secondary circuit which has a bypass around the steam superheating stage and/or the steam generation stage which is fed back into the main current of the heat transfer medium conduction system upstream of the preheating stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2015
    Assignee: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Jürgen Birnbaum, Markus Fichtner
  • Patent number: 9127571
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for the use of systems that recover mechanical power from waste heat energy using multiple working expanders with a common working fluid. The system accepts waste heat energy at different temperatures and utilizes a single closed-loop circuit of organic refrigerant flowing through all expanders in the system where the distribution of heat energy to each of the expanders allocated to permit utilization of up to all available heat energy. In some embodiments, the system maximizes the output of the waste heat energy recovery process. The expanders can be operatively coupled to one or more generators that convert the mechanical energy of the expansion process into electrical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2015
    Assignee: ElectraTherm, Inc.
    Inventors: Hank Leibowitz, Hans Wain, David Williams
  • Patent number: 9115603
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems and methods are provided for the use of multiple organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems that generate mechanical and/or electric power from multiple co-located waste heat flows using a specially configured system of multiple expanders operating at multiple temperatures and/or multiple pressures (“MP”) utilizing a common working fluid. The multiple ORC cycle system accepts waste heat energy at different temperatures and utilizes a single closed-loop cycle of organic refrigerant flowing through all expanders in the system, where the distribution of heat energy to each of the expanders allocated to permit utilization of up to all available heat energy, In some embodiments, the multiple ORC system maximizes the output of the waste energy recovery process. The expanders can be operatively coupled to one or more generators that convert the mechanical energy of the expansion process into electrical energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: ElectraTherm, Inc.
    Inventors: Hank Leibowitz, Hans Wain, David Williams
  • Publication number: 20150143793
    Abstract: A system for use in a combined cycle power plant including gas and steam turbines includes a single kettle boiler and a valve system. The valve system is operated such that feedwater from a first source passes into the kettle boiler during certain operating conditions, whereas feedwater from a second source passes into the kettle boiler during other operating conditions, wherein the first and second sources have feedwater under different pressures. Rotor cooling air extracted from a compressor section of the gas turbine is cooled with the feedwater in the kettle boiler, wherein at least a portion of the feedwater is evaporated in the kettle boiler by heat transferred to the feedwater from the rotor cooling air to create steam, wherein the valve system is operated to selectively deliver the steam to a first or second steam receiving unit depending on the operating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2013
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Gerald J. Feller, John H. Copen
  • Patent number: 9038391
    Abstract: A waste heat recovery system includes a heat recovery cycle system coupled to at least two separate heat sources having different temperatures. The heat recovery cycle system is coupled to a first heat source and at least one second heat source. The heat recovery cycle system is configured to circulate a working fluid. The at least one second heat source includes a lower temperature heat source than the first heat source. The working fluid is circulatable in heat exchange relationship through a first heat exchange unit, a second heat exchange unit for heating the working fluid in the heat recovery cycle system. The first heat exchange unit is coupled to the at least one second heat source to heat at least a portion of a cooled stream of working fluid to a substantially higher temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Matthew Alexander Lehar, Vittorio Michelassi
  • Publication number: 20150128594
    Abstract: A system for regulating the temperature and flow rate of a heat transfer fluid for use in a hybrid steam-generating plant is described. A bypass section may be incorporated into the piping network of a primary steam-generating source to route heat transfer fluid from a hot source to a mixer downstream of at least one heat exchanger. Heat transfer fluid from the hot source may be mixed with cooler heat transfer fluid exiting the heat exchanger in the event that the supply from a secondary steam-generating source is lost or becomes intermittent. The result is a system that maintains a constant flow rate of heat transfer fluid through the heat exchangers while minimizing adverse temperature gradient effects that may result from steam production variability and plant operation outside of design point parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: eSolar Inc.
    Inventors: Gaurav Soni, Michael Slack
  • Publication number: 20150128593
    Abstract: An auxiliary steam supply system in a solar power plant includes a solar receiver having a superheater section, a turbine, a steam circuit, a thermal energy storage arrangement and an auxiliary steam circuit. The thermal energy storage arrangement, including a thermal energy storage medium, is configured for the steam circuit to receive a portion of the steam to heat the thermal energy storage medium. The thermal energy storage arrangement may receive the steam from any location across the superheater section. Moreover, the auxiliary steam circuit generating auxiliary steam flow, which thermally communicates with the thermal energy storage arrangement to be heated, is introduced to any location across the superheater section. Capacity of the thermal energy storage arrangement may be relatively small as compared to the solar receiver and may be compact for placement on top of a tower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2013
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Applicant: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Rahul J. TERDALKAR, Romain GIRARD
  • Patent number: 9027516
    Abstract: A domestic combined heat and power system including a power unit, a heat-storage tank which receives waste heat of the power unit for storing heat in direct water, and a main heat exchanger connected to the heat-storage tank, being heated by a burner so as to use the water as hot water. A waste-heat heat exchanger filled with a heat-transfer medium is installed between the power unit and the heat-storage tank such that a waste-heat pipe is arranged in the form of a coil at one side inside the waste-heat heat exchanger, and a heat-storage pipe of the heat-storage tank is arranged in the form of a coil at the other side. Waste heat of the power unit is indirectly heat exchanged to the heat-storage tank through the heat-transfer medium. Costs and waste of energy consumption are reduced, and there is sharing of functions that are duplicated across the heat-storage tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Kyungdong Navien Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chang Kwon Park
  • Publication number: 20150121877
    Abstract: To improve the exhaust heat recovery efficiency, a compressor includes a heat exchanger for cooling a gas, coolant, water, or oil heated by the compressor during compressor operation by heat exchange with a working fluid, for circulating the working fluid of a Rankine cycle. The Rankine cycle is implemented by the heat exchanger, an expander, a condenser, and a circulating pump to circulate the working fluid through the cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2015
    Publication date: May 7, 2015
    Inventor: Yuji KAMIYA
  • Patent number: 9016063
    Abstract: The invention concerns an ORC plant (Organic Rankine Cycle) for a conversion of thermal energy into electric energy, that comprises a heat exchange group for the exchange of heat between the thermal carrier fluid and a working fluid destined to feed at least one expander connected to an electric generator. The heat exchanger group comprises in succession at least one primary heater and a primary evaporator respectively for preheating and evaporation of the working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Turboden S.R.L.
    Inventors: Mario Gaia, Roberto Bini
  • Publication number: 20150107251
    Abstract: A method for setpoint value adjustment of a setpoint value, particularly for automatic power and/or frequency or primary and/or secondary frequency regulation, in a solar thermal steam power plant having a primary heat source that is not freely adjustable and an additional heat source and also to a solar thermal steam power plant is provided. A present power range for this solar thermal steam power plant is ascertained for at least one prescribed time during operation of the solar thermal steam power plant. This present power range is limited by an upper and a lower control range limit. For the setpoint value adjustment, a currently prescribed setpoint value for the solar thermal steam power plant is set in the present power range if the currently prescribed setpoint value is outside the present power range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Matthias Buggert, Wolfgang Wiesenmüller
  • Patent number: 9003799
    Abstract: Heat flow from a steam seal header could be used in a stage, such as a low pressure stage, of a steam turbine. However, the dump steam temperature from the steam seal header can be too high requiring removal of excess heat, typically through attemperation, before the dump steam is provided to the low pressure stage. Attemperation poses reliability and life issues and lowers efficiency. To address such short comings, one or more heat pumps are used to transfer heat from the dump steam to the fluid entering a boiler. This allows the dump steam temperature to be within acceptable limits, and at the same time, increase the temperature of the fluid so that the steam cycle performance is enhanced. Preferably, solid-state heat pumps are used as they are reliable, silent and can be precisely controlled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Sanyaswara Rao Ganti, Rajasekar Natarajan, Rakesh Alamsetty
  • Patent number: 8997489
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method to produce electricity in a cement clinker production utilizing a kiln and/or a precalciner as combustion chambers to generate electricity, the method including: a. supplying fuel to the precalciner and/or the kiln in a quantity corresponding to at least 110% of a heat value requirement for clinker production operation of the precalciner and/or the rotary kiln per unit weight of clinker, respectively; b. bypassing a portion of hot flue gases from at least one of (i) the kiln and/or (ii) the precalciner; c. leading hot flue gases to a heat recovery steam generator producing steam; d. producing electricity with a power island including a steam turbine equipped with an electrical generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Cemex Research Group AG
    Inventors: Raul Fuentes Samaniego, Luis Ramon Martinez Farias, Antonio Higinio Noyola De Garagorri, Luis Trevino Villareal
  • Patent number: 8999146
    Abstract: Hydrocarbon feed to a catalytic reactor can be heat exchanged with flue gas from a catalyst regenerator. This innovation enables recovery of more energy from flue gas thus resulting in a lower flue gas discharge temperature. As a result, other hot hydrocarbon streams conventionally used to preheat hydrocarbon feed can now be used to generate more high pressure steam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Yunbo Liu, Xin X. Zhu, Daniel N. Myers, Patrick D. Walker
  • Publication number: 20150089945
    Abstract: A method of generating steam using a combination of fuel and solar energy includes delivering liquid to a fuel-fired steam generator operating at least at partial load during a first time period, delivering liquid to a solar steam generator operating at least at partial load during a second time period, delivering saturated steam to a steam separator from at least one of the operating fuel-fired or solar steam generator, and delivering saturated vapor from the steam separator to a steam distribution system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Applicant: CHEVRON U.S.A., INC.
    Inventors: Craig Bradley Edward Wildman, Emmanouil Kasseris
  • Publication number: 20150089944
    Abstract: A back-up boiler system for a solar thermal power plant (201) for transferring solar energy into electricity, said back-up boiler system comprising a combustion chamber (70) and a convection section (80) in fluid connection with said combustion chamber (70), wherein in the convection section (80) at least a first heat exchanger (92) is provided for heating a molten salts mixture of the solar thermal power plant and a second heat exchanger (90) for pre-heating boiler feed water of the solar thermal power plant, wherein the back-up boiler system (25) is configured to allow selection between only providing heat to the first heat exchanger (92), only providing heat to the second heat exchanger (90) and providing heat to both heat exchangers (90, 92), preferably dependent on availability of solar radiation and/or dependent on demand of power generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Gaetano Iaquaniello, Daniela Capoferri, Adriano Barsi, Fabrizio Fabrizi, Walter Gaggioli, Alberto Giaconia, Luca Rinaldi
  • Publication number: 20150068205
    Abstract: The object of the present invention is to carry out a highly efficient power generation or to efficiently use an exhaust heat of a low temperature. A steam turbine plant includes a steam turbine 1 and a heating unit configured to heat a working fluid to be supplied to the steam turbine 1. The heating unit includes a first heat source 14 using a fossil fuel or a second heat source 8 using an extracted steam from the steam turbine 1, and a third heat source 44 not using a fossil fuel but using a waste exhaust combustion gas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Publication date: March 12, 2015
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Koichi GOTO, Nobuo OKITA, Kazuo TAKAHATA, Masahiko TAKAHASHI
  • Patent number: 8959917
    Abstract: A method for operating a forced-flow steam generator operating at variable pressure and at a steam temperature above 650° C. and reducing the minimum forced-flow load of the forced-flow steam generator, wherein the economizer of the forced-flow steam generator includes at least one high pressure pre-heater and/or a heat transfer system for preheating the working medium, the at least one high-pressure pre-heater and/or the heat transfer system arranged upstream as viewed in the working medium circuit direction, wherein if a predetermined partial load point is exceeded, the heat absorption of the working medium within at least one high-pressure pre-heater and/or the heat transfer system is reduced so that the temperature of the water/steam working medium at the outlet of the economizer is below the boiling point relative to the corresponding economizer outlet by a predetermined temperature difference, and a forced-flow steam generator for performing the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: ALSTOM Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Thoralf Berndt, Qiurong Chen
  • Patent number: 8955320
    Abstract: In various embodiments, phase change and heat exchange methods between heat collection, heat transfer, heat exchange, heat storage, and heat utility systems are described. In certain embodiments, the heat transfer fluids/heat exchange fluids, heat storage media, and working media in the system are all phase change materials with transition temperatures close to each other and in decreasing order and perform their respective function through phase changes within a relatively narrow temperature range. Methods to control heat transfer rate, heat exchange and/or heat charging/discharging rate between heat collection, thermal energy storage and heat utility apparatus at will are provided. Methods of controlling such systems are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: BlueLagoon Technologies Ltd.
    Inventors: Xiaodong Xiang, Rong Zhang
  • Publication number: 20150007567
    Abstract: A plant (10, 110) for the production of electric energy comprises a fuel boiler (11) in which a fluid is heated in order to produce steam, a turbine (15) which is connected to an electric generator (16) and to which said steam is conveyed, and a condenser unit (19) which re-condenses the fluid output from the turbine so that it may be conveyed back to the steam generator. The return fluid along the path from the condenser unit (19) to the boiler passes through a preheating unit (22) which receives heat from the turbine steam bleed-offs (23) and from a thermodynamic solar field (25). By making suitable use of the heat produced by the solar field (25) and contained in the heat-carrier fluid which passes through it, it is possible to increase the overall efficiency of the plant (10, 110).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Applicant: Falck Renewables Spa
    Inventors: Piero Manzoni, Di Persico Lorenzo, Michele Scapolo
  • Publication number: 20150000261
    Abstract: There are described an apparatus, a system and a method for the reduction of a pressure of a gaseous operating medium by expansion means which are arranged parallel with pressure reduction means, a portion of the gaseous operating medium being directed through the expansion means, the expansion means being configured to transform at least a portion of the energy released during the pressure reduction into mechanical energy by expansion of the gaseous operating medium, and for the transformation of at least a portion of the energy released during the pressure reduction into mechanical energy by the expansion means during the expansion of the portion of the gaseous operating medium which is directed through the expansion means.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventor: Holger Uhl
  • Publication number: 20140373539
    Abstract: A multifunction domestic station includes a reaction chamber connected to a source of a pressurised mixture of water and air, to a first source of a first fuel capable of endothermically reacting with the mixture and to a second source of a second fuel. The station also includes heating devices capable of heating the first fuel to a combustion temperature in order to prime the reaction between the fuel and the mixture; and devices for utilising the thermal energy generated by the reaction, in order to make the station operate as an electric power generator, a heat generator and a device for the disposal of domestic wastes. A device for powering the station with the second fuel and a method of operating the station are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2012
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventor: Guido U. PARISI
  • Patent number: 8904789
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating energy by means of thermal cycles with high pressure and moderate temperature steam, which allows improving the energy and operational efficiency of the conversion of heat energy into mechanical or electrical energy by means of thermal cycles in which the temperature of the steam is limited to moderate values in its generation, comprising the following steps: a) generating steam at a pressure above 65 bar and a moderate temperature below 400° C., b) expanding said steam in a steam turbine, steam of an intermediate pressure, comprised between 10-40 bar, with a moderate moisture, below 15%, being obtained c) drying said steam by means of a moisture separator and reheating said steam, d) expanding said steam in the turbine, and e) heating boiler water used to generate the steam by means of a plurality of steam extractions from the turbine, in order to exchange heat with said boiler water.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Sener Grupo de Ingenieria, S.A.
    Inventors: JoséMaría Menéndez Salcedo, Jerónimo Angulo Aramburu
  • Publication number: 20140352309
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel cell hybrid system. The fuel cell hybrid system includes a heat engine including a compression unit for compressing an oxidizer supply gas including air and an expansion unit for expanding the oxidizer supply gas to generate mechanical energy, a fuel cell including an anode for receiving a fuel gas, a cathode for receiving the oxidizer supply gas, and a catalytic combustor for burning a non-reaction fuel gas of an anode exhaust gas exhausted from the anode to heat the oxidizer supply gas, a first heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the compression unit with a cathode exhaust gas exhausted from the cathode, and a second heat exchanger heat-exchanging the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the first heat exchanger with the oxidizer supply gas discharged from the catalytic combustor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 4, 2014
    Inventors: Min Ki Kim, Yin Jeong Cho, Sang Hoon Lee
  • Patent number: 8869503
    Abstract: A drive train for a motor vehicle is provided. The drive train includes a heat flow generating drive motor, a steam engine in a steam circuit, and an evaporator. The evaporator has an inlet for liquid working fluid and an outlet for evaporated working fluid. The evaporator also includes an auxiliary outlet, via which a portion of the heated working fluid is guided through the inlet into the first evaporator and is discharged with the heat flow, before the residual working fluid in the evaporator is further evaporated by means of the heat flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: SteamDrive GmbH
    Inventors: Jurgen Berger, Stephan Bartosch
  • Publication number: 20140311147
    Abstract: Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: FIRESTAR ENGINEERING, LLC
    Inventor: Gregory S. Mungas
  • Patent number: 8863493
    Abstract: A hybrid solar power plant includes a first circuit including a first flow medium and a second circuit including a second flow medium. The first circuit includes at least one solar collector to transfer collected solar heat to the first flow medium. The first circuit includes at least one first fluid/second fluid heat exchanger to exchange heat from the first flow medium in the first circuit to the second flow medium in the second circuit. The second circuit is preferably a water/steam circuit. The second circuit includes at least one steam turbine for generating electricity out of steam. The first circuit further includes a heat source for generating a flow of heating gas. The heat source serves as the auxiliary energy. A gas/first fluid heat exchanger is provided for transferring heat from the flow of heating gas to the first flow medium in the first circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: NEM Energy B.V.
    Inventor: Peter Simon Rop
  • Patent number: 8826638
    Abstract: Provided herein are geothermal power generating systems utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid and superheating the extracted the emitted carbon dioxide utilizing external combustion of the hydrocarbons concurrently extracted with the emitted carbon dioxide to increase enthalpy and thermodynamic cycle efficiency. Methods for producing power are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Inventor: Michael Gurin
  • Patent number: 8813496
    Abstract: An apparatus for increasing the efficiency of a multi-heat source power plant includes a thermal collector having access to heat from a solar collector as a heat source for heating a fluid to a first temperature; a second heat source for heating the fluid; a heat exchanger that transfers heat to the fluid which is heated to said first temperature, to raise the temperature of the fluid to a higher temperature; and a power generation cycle using the fluid, heated to the first temperature, as a motive fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Ormat Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Dov Berger, Joseph Shinai, Lucien Y. Bronicki
  • Patent number: 8813506
    Abstract: A method is provided for connecting at least one further steam generator to a first steam generator in a power plant. The power plant includes at least two steam generators and a steam turbine, in which a fluid used to drive the steam turbine is conveyed in a fluid circuit having a plurality of steam systems. The steam systems are assigned individual steam generators and are able to be separated from one another by shut-off valves. The fluid of at least the first steam generator is connected to the steam turbine. The method involves opening the shut-off valve of at least one first steam system of the at least one further steam generator before the steam of the at least one further steam generator has reached approximately the same steam parameters as the steam of the first steam generator, so that steam can flow into the further steam generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian Hermsdorf, Matthias Migl, Georg Peters, Erich Schmid, Michael Schöttler
  • Publication number: 20140208749
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a carbon-dioxide-recovery-type steam power generation system comprises a boiler that produces steam and generates an exhaust gas, a first turbine that is rotationally driven by the steam, an absorption tower allows carbon dioxide contained in the exhaust gas to be absorbed into an absorption liquid, a regeneration tower that discharges the carbon dioxide gas from the absorption liquid supplied from the absorption tower, a condenser that removes moisture from the carbon dioxide gas, discharged from the regeneration tower, by condensing the carbon dioxide gas using cooling water, a compressor that compresses the carbon dioxide gas from which the moisture is removed by the condenser, and a second turbine that drives the compressor. The steam produced by the cooling water recovering the heat from the carbon dioxide gas in the condenser is supplied to the first turbine or the second turbine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Yuya MURAKAMI, Nobuo OKITA, Takeo TAKAHASHI, Mikio TAKAYANAGI, Takeo SUGA, Takeshi SASANUMA, Toshihisa KIYOKUNI, Hideo KITAMURA
  • Publication number: 20140208753
    Abstract: A power plant includes a boiler, a steam turbine, a generator driven by that steam turbine, a condenser, a post combustion processing system and an energy storage system including at least one electrochemical cell to store excess electrical energy generated by the generator during period valley demand and release thermal energy for power plant operations at other times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: University of Kentucky Research Foundation
    Inventors: Kunlei Liu, James Kyle Neathery, Joseph Eugene Remias, Cameron Anthony Lippert, Nick Edward Holubowitch
  • Patent number: 8783037
    Abstract: An electricity-generating system of the invention which includes the following: a carbonization apparatus for carbonizing a carbonization source to form a carbonized product; a heat recovery steam generator for producing first steam through heat exchange with the heat exhausted from the carbonization apparatus; a carbonized fuel steam generator which employs the carbonized product serving as a fuel; a mixing header for mixing the first steam and a second steam produced by the carbonized fuel steam generator, which steams are fed thereinto, to thereby discharge a steam mixture having a uniform pressure; an electricity-generating apparatus for generating electricity by means of the steam mixture discharged from the mixing header as an actuating source; and an electricity-storing apparatus for storing the electricity generated by the electricity-generating apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2014
    Inventors: Ichiroku Hayashi, Yutaka Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8752379
    Abstract: A hybrid solar/non-solar thermal generation system includes a solar concentrator and collector, and fiber optic cables that transfer collected solar radiation to a solar to thermal converter. The solar to thermal converter converts the solar radiation to heat that is used to augment the heating of a working fluid in a boiler. The system has particular application for use in Rankine cycle power generation plants that employ non-solar sources to heat the working fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Inventor: Jonathan Michael Phillips Falcey
  • Publication number: 20140150432
    Abstract: A rotary machine drive system includes: a first heat source heat exchanger that receives a first heating medium and gasifies a liquid working medium; a first expander that is connected to a rotation shaft and rotates the rotation shaft by expanding the working medium that has been gasified by the first heat source heat exchanger; a rotary machine that has a rotor part provided to the rotation shaft; a second heat source heat exchanger that receives a second heating medium and gasifies a liquid working medium; a second expander that is connected to the rotation shaft and rotates the rotation shaft by expanding the second heating medium; and a condenser that condenses the working medium that has been used in the first expander and the working medium that has been used in the second expander.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2013
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Masayoshi MATSUMURA, Shigeto Adachi, Yutaka Narukawa