Power generating cycle

• US 4,573,321 A
• Filed: 11/06/1984
• Issued: 03/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ecoenergy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ecoenergy I Limited
• Inventors: Knaebel, Kent S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Husar, Stephen F.
• Application Number:
  US06/668,755
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 60/649, 60/653, 60/655, 60/673, 60/679, 60/689
• US Class Current: 60/649
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/065 with an absorption fluid remaining at least partly in the liquid state, e.g. water for ammonia F01K5/00 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is a multi-step process for generating energy from a source heat flow. Such a process comprises passing a heated media having a mixture of a low volatility component and a high volatility component into a phase separator. The vaporous working fluid is withdrawn from the phase separator and passed into a work zone, such as a turbine, wherein the fluid is expanded. The expanded vaporous working fluid is withdrawn from the work zone and passed into a direct contact condenser or absorber. The separated weak solution is withdrawn from the phase separator and passed into counter-current heat exchange relationship in an interchanger with a portion of media from the direct contact condenser or absorber. The media from the direct contact condenser or absorber is withdrawn and passed into a fluid pressurizing zone. A portion of the media is then pumped into the interchanger where the media is heated and passed into counter-current heat exchange relationship in a trim heater with a portion of the source heat flow. The remaining portion of the media from the fluid pressurizing zone is pumped into counter-current heat exchange relationship in a regenerator with the remaining portion of the source heat flow. The heated media flows from the trim heater and the regenerator are combined to form the heated media and the cycle repeated.

Claims

1. A method for generating energy from a source heat flow which comprises:

(a) passing heated media comprising a solution bearing absorbed working fluid into a phase separator, said media being at a temperature and pressure adequate for said fluid to be volatilized and separated from said in said phase separator, said working fluid characterized by boiling from said solution over a range of temperatures and by direct contact condensing in said solution over a range of temperatures, the vapor pressure of said solution over said boiling point range being negligible;

(b) withdrawing said vaporous working fluid from said separator and passing same into a work zone wherein said fluid is expanded to a lower pressure and temperature to release energy;

(c) withdrawing said expanded vaporous working fluid from said work zone and passing same into a direct contact condenser;

(d) withdrawing a weak solution from said phase separator and passing same into counter-current heat-exchange relationship in an interchanger with a portion of pressurized media from said direct contact condenser;

(e) passing said heat-exchanged weak solution from step (d) into said direct contact condenser and contacting same with said expanded vaporous working fluid for absorbing said working fluid into said weak solution for re-forming said media;

(f) passing a coolant flow into said direct contact condenser for absorbing heat from the contents therein;

(g) passing said re-formed media withdrawn from said direct contact condenser into a flow transport apparatus;

(h) passing a portion of said media from said flow transport apparatus into counter-current heat-exchange relationship in said interchanger with said separated weak solution in step (d);

(i) passing said portion of said heat-exchanged media from step (h) into counter-current heat-exchange relationship in a trim heater with a portion of said source heat flow;

(j) passing said remaining portion of said media from step (g) into counter-current heat-exchange relationship in a regenerator with the remaining portion of said source heat flow; and

(k) combining said heated media flows from said regenerator and from said trim heater to form said heated media for step (a).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said work zone in step (b) comprises a turbine or piston and cylinder.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said source heat flow is at a temperature ranging from between about 10°

and 300°

C. above ambient.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said coolant flow in step (f) comprises water or air which is at a temperature which is less than the temperature of said source heat flow.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said media is selected from the group consisting of ammonia/water, ammonia/sodium thiocyanate, mercury/potassium, propane/toluene, and pentane/biphenyl and diphenyl oxide.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said work zone of step (b) comprises multiple turbines in series.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the vaporous working fluid between said turbines is heated.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said vaporous working fluid between said turbines is heated by the spent source heat flow from said trim heater.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the reformed media from step (g) is heated with spent source heat flow from said trim heater prior to step (h).

10. A method for generating energy from a source heat flow which comprises:

(a) passing a heated topping media comprising a topping solution bearing absorbed topping working fluid into a topping phase separator, said topping media being at a temperature and pressure adequate for said topping fluid to be volatilized and separated from said topping solution in said topping phase separator, said topping working fluid characterized by boiling from said topping solution over a range of temperatures and by direct contact condensing in said topping solution over a range of temperatures, the vapor pressure of said topping solution over said boiling point range being negligible;

(b) withdrawing said vaporous topping working fluid from said topping phase separator and passing same into a topping work zone wherein said topping fluid is expanded to a lower pressure and temperature to release energy;

(c) withdrawing said expanded vaporous topping working fluid from said topping work zone and passing same into a bottoming trim heater;

(d) withdrawing a topping weak solution from said topping phase separator and passing same into counter-current heat-exchange relationship in a topping interchanger with a portion of pressurized topping media from said bottoming trim heater;

(e) combining said heat-exchanged topping weak solution from said topping interchanger and said heat-exchanged topping working fluid from said bottoming trim heater and passing the thus-formed topping media into a topping flow transport apparatus;

(f) passing a portion of said topping media from said topping flow transport apparatus into counter-current heat exchange relationship in said topping interchanger with said separated topping weak solution from said topping phase separator;

(g) passing said portion of said heat exchanged topping media from said topping interchanger into counter-current heat exchange relationship in a topping trim heater with a portion of said source heat flow;

(h) passing said remaining portion of said topping media from said topping flow transport apparatus into counter-current heat exchange relationship in a topping regenerator with the remaining portion of said source heat flow;

(i) combining said heated topping media flows from said topping regenerator and from said topping trim heater to form said heated topping media for step (a);

(j) passing a heated bottoming media comprising a bottoming solution bearing absorbed bottoming working fluid into a bottoming phase separator, said bottoming media being at a temperature and pressure adequate for said bottoming fluid to be volatilized and separated from said bottoming solution in said bottoming phase separator, said bottoming work fluid characterized by boiling from said bottoming solution over a range of temperatures and by direct contact condensing in said bottoming solution over a range of temperatures, the vapor pressure of said bottoming solution over said boiling point range being negligible;

(k) withdrawing said vaporous bottoming working fluid from said bottoming separator and passing same to a bottoming work zone wherein said bottoming fluid is expanded to a lower pressure and temperature to release energy;

(1) withdrawing said expanded bottoming vaporous working fluid from said bottoming work zone and passing same into a bottoming directcontact condenser;

(m) withdrawing a bottoming weak solution from said bottoming phase separator and passing same into counter-current heat exchange relationship in a bottoming interchanger with a portion of bottoming pressurized media from said bottoming direct contact condenser;

(n) passing said heat exchanged bottoming weak solution from step (m) into said bottoming direct contact condenser and contacting same with said expanded bottoming vaporous working fluid for absorbing said bottoming working fluid into said bottoming weak solution for reforming said bottoming media;

(o) passing a coolant flow into said bottoming direct contact condenser for absorbing heat from the contents therein;

(p) passing said reformed bottoming media withdrawn from said bottoming direct contact condenser into a bottoming flow transport apparatus;

(g) passing a portion of said bottoming media from said bottoming flow transport apparatus, the counter-current heat exchange relationship in said bottoming interchanger with said separated bottoming weak solution in step (m);

(r) passing said portion of said heat exchanged bottoming media from step (q) into counter-current heat exchange relationship in said bottoming trim heater with expanded topping vaporous working fluid from said topping work zone;

(s) passing said remaining portion of said bottoming media from step (p) in a counter-current heat exchange relationship in a bottoming regenerator with the spent source heat flow from said topping regenerator and topping trim heater; and

(t) combining said heated bottoming media flows from said bottoming regenerator and from said bottoming trim heater to form said heated bottoming media for step (j).

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said topping work zone, said bottoming work zone, or both said topping and bottoming work zones comprise turbines or piston and cylinder combination.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said source heat flow ranges in temperature from between about 200°

and 2,000°

C.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said coolant comprises water or air which is at a temperature which is less than the temperature of said source heat flow.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said topping media and said bottoming media independently are selected from the group consisting of ammonia/water, ammonium/thiocyanate, mercury/potassium, propane/toluene, and pentane/biphenyl and diphenyl oxide.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said topping media and said bottoming media are different.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein said topping work zone comprises multiple turbines in series, said bottoming work zone comprises multiple turbines in series, or both said zones comprise multiple turbines in series.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said topping vapor between said multiple turbines is heated, said bottoming vapor between said multiple turbines is heated, or both said vapors between said turbines are heated.