Energy supply system for optimizing energy cost, energy consumption and emission of pollutants

• US 5,432,710 A
• Filed: 03/29/1993
• Issued: 07/11/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Osaka Gas Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Osaka Gas Company Limited
• Inventors: Kawahara, Hideaki, Ishimaru, Kimio, Nakashiba, Akio, Koga, Masahiro, Ohnishi, Hisao
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEMPER, MELANIE A
• Application Number:
  US08/038,481
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 364/492, 364/493, 364/494, 364/495, 364/464.01, 364/464.04, 60/517, 290/2
• US Class Current: 705/412
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/402 Combination of fuel cell with other electric generators combination of fuel cells with other electrochemical generator H01M16/003
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2250/405 Cogeneration of heat or hot water
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04 Auxiliary arrangements, e.g. for control of pressure or for circulation of fluids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04007 related to heat exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04037 Electrical heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04992 characterised by the implementation of mathematical or computational algorithms, e.g. feedback control loops, fuzzy logic, neural networks or artificial intelligence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0612 from carbon-containing material
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 15/008 using hydrogen as energy vector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/10 Applications of fuel cells in buildings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

An energy supply system for supplying, in system interconnection, power received at a power receiving equipment from a power plant and power generated by a fuel cell to a power consuming installation, and supplying heat generated by the fuel cell to a heat consuming installation. This system includes an operation amount computing device for computing an amount of operation of the fuel cell to minimize an equation y=aXL+bXM+cXN, in response to an energy demand of the power consuming installation and heat consuming installation. A control device controls the fuel cell to satisfy the amount of operation computed. The system supplies energy in optimal conditions with respect to the cost borne by an energy consumer, consumption of primary energy, and release of environmental pollutants. Energy is effectively used from the standpoint of the energy consumer and a national point of view.

Claims

1. An energy supply system comprising:

power receiving means for receiving electric power from a power plant,

fuel receiving means for receiving fuel,

in-system power generating means for generating power and heat by using the fuel received at said fuel receiving means,

power supplying means for supplying, in system interconnection, the power received at said power receiving means and the power generated by said in-system power generating means to a power consuming installation,

heat supplying means for supplying the heat generated by the in-system power generating means to a heat consuming installation,

computing means for computing operation load of said in-system power generating means to minimize an equation "y" set out hereunder when meeting an energy demand of an energy consumer; and

control means for controlling said in-system power generating means to satisfy the operation load computed by said computing means;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">y=aXL+bXM+cXN,

where "a", "b" and "c" are weighting coefficients a>

=0, b>

=0 and c>

=0, which do not become zero at the same time and do not become a>

0, b=0 and c=0 at the same time, where;

"L" is an energy cost borne by the energy consumer when said energy demand is met,

"M" is a calculated total quantity of primary energy including energy consumed by said power plant and said in-system power generating means to meet said energy demand, and

"N" is a calculated total quantity of environmental pollutants released at least by said power plant and said in-system generating means when said energy demand is met, and

means for inputting values for L, M and N to said computing mean.

2. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising an in-system heat generating means besides said in-system power generating means, wherein heat generated by said in-system heat generating means also is supplied to said heat consuming installation.

3. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising combustible gas receiving means for receiving combustible gas and supplying said combustible gas to a customer heat consuming installation so that said customer heat consuming installation can use, as a heat source, said combustible gas from said receiving means, said power or said heat, and said energy demand includes an energy demand of said customer heat consuming installation.

4. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1,wherein said equation "y" is in form of y=a×

L+b×

N, where a>

0 and b>

0 and c=0.

5. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, wherein said equation "y" is in form of y=b×

M, where a=0 and c=0.

6. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, wherein said equation "y" is in form of y=c×

N, where a=0 and b=0.

7. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, wherein said in-system power generating means includes at least a fuel cell means for generating electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

8. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising heat storage means for storing superfluous heat generated by said in-system power generating means, and heat replenishment means for supplying the heat stored in said storage means to said heat consuming installation.

9. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising electricity-to-heat converting means operable, when the heat load of said heat consuming installation is greater than a quantity of heat produced from said in-system power generating means, to compensate for a heat shortage with thermal conversion of superfluous power.

10. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising power storage means for storing part of the power supplied from said power receiving means or part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means at a time of low power demand, and power replenishment means for supplying the power stored in said power storage means to said power consuming installation.

11. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising gas storage means for storing at least hydrogen gas generated along with oxygen gas through an electrolysis of water carried out by using superfluous power.

12. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising back-current means for causing a back current of part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means when the power generated by said in-system power generating means exceeds a power demand.

13. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising reform means for producing hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon fuel received at said fuel receiving means.

14. An energy supply system as defined in claim 1, further comprising a solar cell connected to said power consuming installation.

15. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising combustible gas receiving means for receiving combustible gas and supplying said combustible gas to a customer heat consuming installation so that said customer heat consuming installation can use, as a heat source, said combustible gas from said receiving means, said power or said heat, and said energy demand includes an energy demand of said customer heat consuming installation.

16. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, wherein said in-system power generating means includes at least a fuel cell means for generating electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

17. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising heat storage means for storing superfluous heat generated by said in-system power generating means, and heat replenishment means for supplying the heat stored in said storage means to said heat consuming installation.

18. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising electricity-to-heat converting means operable, when the heat load of said heat consuming installation is greater than a quantity of heat produced from said in-system power generating means, to compensate for a heat shortage with thermal conversion of superfluous power.

19. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising power storage means for storing part of the power supplied from said power receiving means or part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means at a time of low power demand, and power replenishment means for supplying the power stored in said power storage means to said power consuming installation.

20. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising gas storage means for storing at least hydrogen gas generated along with oxygen gas through an electrolysis of water carried out by using superfluous power.

21. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising back-current means for causing a back current of part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means when the power generated by said in-system power generating means exceeds a power demand.

22. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising reform means for producing hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon fuel received at said fuel receiving means.

23. An energy supply system as defined in claim 2, further comprising a solar cell connected to said power consuming installation.

24. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, wherein said in-system power generating means includes at least a fuel cell means for generating electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

25. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising heat storage means for storing superfluous heat generated by said in-system power generating means, and heat replenishment means for supplying the heat stored in said storage means to said heat consuming installation.

26. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising electricity-to-heat converting means operable, when the heat load of said heat consuming installation is greater than a quantity of heat produced from said in-system power generating means, to compensate for a heat shortage with thermal conversion of superfluous power.

27. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising power storage means for storing part of the power supplied from said power receiving means or part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means at a time of low power demand, and power replenishment means for supplying the power stored in said power storage means to said power consuming installation.

28. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising gas storage means for storing at least hydrogen gas generated along with oxygen gas through an electrolysis of water carried out by using superfluous power.

29. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising back-current means for causing a back current of part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means when the power generated by said in-system power generating means exceeds a power demand.

30. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising reform means for producing hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon fuel received at said fuel receiving means.

31. An energy supply system as defined in claim 4, further comprising a solar cell connected to said power consuming installation.

32. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, wherein said in-system power generating means includes at least a fuel cell means for generating electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

33. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising heat storage means for storing superfluous heat generated by said in-system power generating means, and heat replenishment means for supplying the heat stored in said storage means to said heat consuming installation.

34. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising electricity-to-heat converting means operable, when the heat load of said heat consuming installation is greater than a quantity of heat produced from said in-system power generating means, to compensate for a heat shortage with thermal conversion of superfluous power.

35. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising power storage means for storing part of the power supplied from said power receiving means or part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means at a time of low power demand, and power replenishment means for supplying the power stored in said power storage means to said power consuming installation.

36. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising gas storage means for storing at least hydrogen gas generated along with oxygen gas through an electrolysis of water carried out by using superfluous power.

37. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising back-current means for causing a back current of part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means when the power generated by said in-system power generating means exceeds a power demand.

38. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising reform means for producing hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon fuel received at said fuel receiving device.

39. An energy supply system as defined in claim 5, further comprising a solar cell connected to said power consuming installation.

40. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, wherein said in-system power generating means includes at least a fuel cell means for generating electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

41. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising heat storage means for storing superfluous heat generated by said in-system power generating means, and heat replenishment means for supplying the heat stored in said storage means to said heat consuming installation.

42. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising electricity-to-heat converting means operable, when the heat load of said heat consuming installation is greater than a quantity of heat produced from said in-system power generating means, to compensate for a heat shortage with thermal conversion of superfluous power.

43. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising power storage means for storing part of the power supplied from said power receiving means or part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means at a time of low power demand, and power replenishment means for supplying the power stored in said power storage means to said power consuming installation.

44. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising gas storage means for storing at least hydrogen gas generated along with oxygen gas through an electrolysis of water carried out by using superfluous power.

45. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising back-current means for causing a back current of part of the power generated by said in-system power generating means when the power generated by said in-system power generating means exceeds a power demand.

46. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising reform means for producing hydrogen gas from a hydrocarbon fuel received at said fuel receiving means.

47. An energy supply system as defined in claim 6, further comprising a solar cell connected to said power consuming installation.