Power system

• US 8,193,659 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ormat Technologies Incorporated (Ormat Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ormat Technologies Incorporated (Ormat Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Bronicki, Lucien Y., Shitrit, Shlomo
• Primary Examiner(s): DeBeradinis, Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US12/624,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20110115445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 307/44
• US Class Current: 307/44
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 13/02 Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/10 the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/48 Controlling the sharing of the in-phase component
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/50 Controlling the sharing of the out-of-phase component
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2205/03 Power loop, i.e. comparison of the motor power with a power reference
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/02 Details of the control

Abstract

A power system is provided for delivering a custom level of electrical power to an industrial or commercial facility, comprising a local generator connected to a turbine operating in accordance with an organic Rankine cycle, the local generator having a capacity at least greater than a maximum anticipated power level needed for the electrical needs of a local industrial or commercial facility, one or more control devices operatively connected to the local generator for regulating active and reactive power generated by the generator, a detector for sensing active voltage induced by said generator, a detector for sensing reactive voltage produced by the generator, and a controller in electrical communication with said one or more control devices and with the active and reactive voltage detectors, wherein the controller directs the one or more control devices to regulate the generator such that the active power and reactive power generated by the generator are sufficient to satisfy active and reactive load conditions, of local industrial or commercial facilities. The present invention is also directed to a power system for providing a fast acting spinning reserve, comprising a turbine module of a organic Rankine cycle that is coupled to a generator, a main conduit through which motive fluid heated in said thermodynamic cycle is delivered to the turbine module, and a flow control component operatively connected to said main conduit for automatically limiting the flow of the motive fluid to the turbine module during base load conditions and for automatically increasing the flow of the motive fluid to the turbine module during variable load conditions.

Claims

1. A power system for delivering a custom level of electrical power to an industrial or commercial facility, comprising

an organic Rankine cycle including a turbine, a conduit containing an organic motive fluid, the conduit communicating with said turbine to supply motive fluid vapor to said turbine and also being arranged to receive heat from a source of geothermal heat for vaporizing the organic motive fluid, and a flow control component operatively connected to said conduit for limiting the flow of the motive fluid vapor therein,

a local generator connected to the turbine, said local generator having a capacity at least greater than a maximum anticipated power level needed for the electrical needs of a local industrial or commercial facility,

one or more control devices operatively connected to said local generator for regulating active and reactive power generated by said generator,

a detector for sensing active voltage produced by said generator,

a detector for sensing reactive voltage produced by said generator, and

a controller in electrical communication with said one or more control devices and with said active and reactive voltage detectors, wherein said controller directs said one or more control devices to regulate said generator, and controls the flow control component according to active and reactive load conditions, to limit the flow of the motive fluid vapor to said turbine, such that the active power and reactive power generated by said generator are sufficient to satisfy active and reactive load conditions, respectively, of said local industrial or commercial facility.

2. The power system according to claim 1, wherein the active power and reactive power generated by the local generator sufficiently supplement the active power and reactive power, respectively, supplied by an electric network to satisfy the load conditions of the local industrial or commercial facility.

3. The power system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further in communication with an active power sensor and with a reactive power sensor for detecting an instantaneous accumulative electrical load imposed by the local industrial or commercial facility at a gate region, the controller directing one or more control devices in response to sensed values received from said active and reactive power sensors to regulate said generator such that the active power and reactive power generated by the generator are sufficient to satisfy active and reactive load conditions, respectively, of the local industrial or commercial facility.

4. The power system according to claim 1 wherein said organic Rankine cycle utilizes pentane as its motive fluid.

5. The power system according to claim 4, wherein the controller is further in communication with a flow controlling component of the thermodynamic cycle, said flow control component adapted to limit the flow of motive fluid to the turbine during base load conditions.

6. The power system according to claim 1, wherein the one or more control devices are selected from the group of voltage controller, reactive voltage ampere controller, power factor controller, rotor speed controller, and frequency controller, or a combination thereof.

7. The power system according to claim 1, wherein a surplus amount of active power and reactive power generated by the generator and not needed by the industrial or commercial facility is supplied to an electric network or grid.

8. A power grid incorporating the power system of claim 1.

9. The power grid of claim 8 having a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or battery operated electric vehicle electrically connected thereto, to charge the vehicle.

10. A power system for delivering a custom level of electrical power to an industrial or commercial facility, comprising

a local generator connected to a turbine operating in accordance with an organic Rankine cycle, said local generator having a capacity at least greater than a maximum anticipated power level needed for the electrical needs of a local industrial or commercial facility,

one or more control devices operatively connected to said local generator for regulating active and reactive power generated by said generator,

a detector for sensing active voltage produced by said generator,

a detector for sensing reactive voltage produced by said generator, and

a controller in electrical communication with said one or more control devices and with said active and reactive voltage detectors, wherein said controller directs said one or more control devices to regulate said generator such that the active power and reactive power generated by said generator are sufficient to satisfy active and reactive load conditions, respectively, of said local industrial or commercial facility,

wherein a surplus amount of active power and reactive power generated by the generator and not needed by the local industrial or commercial facility is supplied to a remote industrial or commercial facility, and

wherein the controller is in data communication with a controller of the remote industrial or commercial facility, the surplus amount of active power and reactive power being supplied to the remote industrial or commercial facility following transmission of a request signal from the controller of the remote industrial or commercial facility to the controller of the local industrial or commercial facility.

11. A power system providing a fast acting spinning reserve for satisfying a load, comprising

a generator for supplying power to satisfy the load,

a turbine module operating in accordance with a geothermally heated organic Rankine cycle coupled to the generator,

a main conduit through which motive fluid vapor heated in said organic Rankine cycle is supplied to said turbine module, and

a flow control component operatively connected to said main conduit, and

a flow control component controller responsive to load conditions, for automatically limiting the flow of the motive fluid vapor to said turbine module during base load conditions and for automatically increasing the flow of the motive fluid vapor to said turbine module during variable load conditions.

12. The power system according to claim 11, wherein the motive fluid is heated by means of a main heat exchanger through which high temperature fluid flows.

13. The power system according to claim 12, wherein the high temperature fluid is geothermal fluid.

14. The power system according to claim 11 wherein said organic Rankine cycle utilizes pentane as its motive fluid.

15. The power system according to claim 11, wherein the flow control component is a bypass valve for diverting a portion of the heated motive fluid to a second conduit.

16. The power system according to claim 15, wherein the diverted motive fluid flows via the second conduit to a secondary heat exchanger wherein fluid used in industrial process heat is heated.

17. The power system according to claim 15, wherein the diverted motive fluid flows via the second conduit to a condenser of the organic Rankine cycle.

18. The power system according to claim 11, further comprising a controller in communication with the flow control component and with a control component of the generator, said controller adapted to regulate the generator such that active power and reactive power generated by the generator are sufficient to satisfy active and reactive load conditions, respectively, of an industrial or commercial facility.

19. The power system according to, claim 11 further comprising:

a further generator for supplying power to satisfy the load,

a further turbine module operating in accordance with a geothermally heated organic Rankine cycle coupled to the generator,

a further main conduit through which motive fluid vapor heated in said organic Rankine cycle is supplied to said turbine module, and a further flow control component operatively connected to said main conduit, and

a flow control component controller responsive to load conditions, for automatically limiting the flow of the motive fluid vapor to said further turbine module during base load conditions and for automatically increasing the flow of the motive fluid vapor to said further turbine module during variable load conditions.

20. The power system according to claim 11 wherein said power system is connected to a power grid.

21. The power system according to claim 20 wherein said power grid has a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or battery operated electric vehicle electrically connected thereto, to charge the vehicle.