Use of external air for closed cycle inventory control

• US 10,221,775 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malta, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Malta, Inc.
• Inventors: Apte, Raj, Larochelle, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Laurenzi, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Xiaoting
• Application Number:
  US15/394,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20180187627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/265 by refrigeration (condensation)
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/00 General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/02 Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/06 using mixtures of different fluids plants using mixtures of steam and gas F01K21/04
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/10 the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/103 Carbon dioxide F01K25/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 3/02 Use of accumulators and specific engine types; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 3/06 the engine being of extraction or non-condensing type F01K3/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 3/10 for vehicle drive, e.g. for accumulator locomotives
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 3/12 having two or more accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 3/18 having heaters having both steam accumulator and heater F01K3/14; steam heaters per se F22
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 7/38 the engines being of turbine type
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/04 the working fluid being heated indirectly in a fluidised-bed combustor F02C3/205
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/05 characterised by the type or source of heat, e.g. using nuclear or solar energy
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/08 Semi-closed cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/10 Closed cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 1/105 construction; details
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/14 Gas-turbine plants having means for storing energy, e.g. for meeting peak loads
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/16 for storing compressed air
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/24 Control of the pressure level in closed cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F22B 1/006 : using solar heat solar heat collectors per se F24S; devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy F03G6/00
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/00 : Heat storage plants or apparatus in general; Regenerative heat-exchange apparatus not covered by groups F28D17/00 or F28D19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/14 : Combined heat and power generation [CHP]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 : Thermal energy storage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 : Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids

Abstract

Systems and methods relating to use of external air for inventory control of a closed thermodynamic cycle system or energy storage system, such as a reversible Brayton cycle system, are disclosed. A method may involve, in a closed cycle system operating in a power generation mode, circulating a working fluid may through a closed cycle fluid path. The closed cycle fluid path may include a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg. The method may further involve in response to a demand for increased power generation, compressing and dehumidifying environmental air. And the method may involve injecting the compressed and dehumidified environmental air into the low pressure leg.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in a closed cycle system operating in a power generation mode, circulating a working fluid through a closed cycle fluid path including, in sequence, a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a turbine, and a cold side heat exchanger, wherein the closed cycle fluid path comprises a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg;

in response to a demand for increased power generation, compressing and dehumidifying environmental air; and

injecting the compressed and dehumidified environmental air into the low pressure leg;

wherein the closed cycle system is configured to thermally contact the working fluid circulating through the cold side heat exchanger with a cold side thermal storage (“

CTS”

) medium, wherein dehumidifying the environmental air comprises;

transferring at least a portion of the CTS medium to a dehumidifier; and

thermally contacting the environmental air with the CTS medium within the dehumidifier and condensing water out of the environmental air.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the closed cycle system comprises a closed Brayton cycle system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting working fluid from the high pressure leg of the closed cycle fluid path;

storing the extracted working fluid in a working fluid storage tank; and

injecting the extracted working fluid from the working fluid storage tank into the low pressure leg simultaneously with injecting the compressed and dehumidified environmental air into the low pressure leg.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein dehumidifying the environmental air occurs before compressing the environmental air.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein dehumidifying the environmental air occurs after compressing the environmental air.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after thermally contacting the environmental air with the CTS medium within the dehumidifier and condensing water out of the environmental air, transferring at least a portion of the CTS medium from the dehumidifier to an intermediate CTS storage tank.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is air.

8. A method comprising:

in a closed cycle system in a power generation mode, circulating a working fluid through a closed cycle fluid path including, in sequence, a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a turbine, and a cold side heat exchanger, wherein the closed cycle fluid path comprises a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg, and wherein the closed cycle system is configured to thermally contact the working fluid circulating through the cold side heat exchanger with a cold side thermal storage (“

CTS”

) medium;

in response to a demand for decreased power generation, expelling working fluid from the closed cycle fluid path through an expansion valve, thereby cooling the expelled working fluid; and

thermally contacting the expelled working fluid with a portion of the CTS medium.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the expelled working fluid is thermally contacted with a portion of the CTS medium in an auxiliary heat exchanger.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein working fluid is expelled from the low pressure leg.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the working fluid is air.

12. A system comprising:

a first compressor;

a hot side heat exchanger;

a turbine;

a cold side heat exchanger;

a working fluid circulating in a closed cycle fluid path through, in sequence, the first compressor, the hot side heat exchanger, the turbine, and the cold side heat exchanger, wherein the closed cycle fluid path comprises a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg;

a second compressor coupled to the low pressure leg and configured to, upon demand, compress environmental air and inject the compressed environmental air into the low pressure leg;

a cold side thermal storage (“

CTS”

) medium, wherein the system is configured to thermally contact the working fluid circulating through the cold side heat exchanger with the CTS medium;

a CTS storage tank configured to store CTS medium; and

a dehumidifier configured to thermally contact the environmental air with a portion of the CTS medium and condense water out of the environmental air.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the dehumidifier supplies dehumidified environmental air to the second compressor for compressing.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second compressor supplies compressed environmental air to the dehumidifier for dehumidification.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising an intermediate CTS storage tank configured to receive CTS medium from the dehumidifier.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising a working fluid storage tank containing working fluid at a pressure greater than a pressure of the working fluid in the low pressure leg, wherein the system is configured to, upon demand, inject working fluid from the working fluid storage tank into the low pressure leg simultaneously with the compressed environmental air.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the working fluid is air.

18. A system comprising:

a first compressor;

a hot side heat exchanger;

a turbine;

a cold side heat exchanger;

a working fluid circulating in a closed cycle fluid path through, in sequence, the first compressor, the hot side heat exchanger, the turbine, and the cold side heat exchanger, wherein the closed cycle fluid path comprises a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg;

a cold side thermal storage (“

CTS”

) medium, wherein the system is configured to thermally contact the working fluid circulating through the cold side heat exchanger with the CTS medium;

an expansion valve configured to expel working fluid from the closed cycle fluid path; and

an auxiliary heat exchanger configured to thermally contact the expelled working fluid with at least a portion of the CTS medium.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the working fluid is air.