METHOD AND SYSTEM INTEGRATING SOLAR HEAT INTO A REGENERATIVE RANKINE STEAM CYCLE
First Claim
1. A method for generating power, the method comprising the steps of:
- generating a heated circulating fluid through the use of solar thermal sensible heat in a closed loop, single phase system;
transferring energy from the solar heated fluid to the feedwater, using a feedwater heater in series with other feedwater heaters, of a host regenerative Rankine cycle power plant, wherein the transferred heat is used to augment or replace steam turbine extraction steam heating in one or more of the high pressure feedwater heaters (downstream of the boiler feed pump) of the host power plant.
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Abstract
A method to integrate collected solar thermal energy into the feedwater system of a Rankine cycle power plant is disclosed. This novelty uses a closed loop, single phase fluid system to collect both the solar heat and to provide the heat input into the feedwater stream of a regenerative Rankine cycle. One embodiment of this method of integrating solar energy into a regenerative Rankine power plant cycle, such as a coal power plant, allows for automatic balancing of the steam extraction flows and does not change the temperature of the feedwater to the boiler. The concept, depending on the application, allows for the spare turbine capacity normally available in a coal plant to be used to produce incremental capacity and energy that is powered by solar thermal energy. By “piggybacking” on the available components and infrastructure of the host Rankine cycle power plant, considerable cost savings are achieved resulting in lower solar produced electricity costs.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A method for generating power, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a heated circulating fluid through the use of solar thermal sensible heat in a closed loop, single phase system; transferring energy from the solar heated fluid to the feedwater, using a feedwater heater in series with other feedwater heaters, of a host regenerative Rankine cycle power plant, wherein the transferred heat is used to augment or replace steam turbine extraction steam heating in one or more of the high pressure feedwater heaters (downstream of the boiler feed pump) of the host power plant. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11)
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9. The method of using a lower pressure solar heated transfer fluid in a single closed loop system to preclude, leakage into the higher pressure feedwater stream of the host plant'"'"'s regenerative Rankine cycle.
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12. The method to input variable solar heat input without the use of storage into a regenerative Rankine power plant cycle while maintaining constant heat input to the boiler and without altering the boiler fuel input.
Specification