Method and apparatus for acquiring heat from multiple heat sources

• US 20050066660A1
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Recurrent Engineering, LLC (Kalina Power Limited), Recurrent Resources
• Original Assignee: Recurrent Engineering, LLC (Kalina Power Limited)
• Inventors: Mirolli, Mark D., Lerner, Yakov, Pelletier, Richard I., Rhodes, Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,829 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/651
• 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 relates to systems and methods for implementing a closed loop thermodynamic cycle utilizing a multi-component working fluid to acquire heat from two or more external heat source streams in an efficient manner utilizing countercurrent exchange. The liquid multi-component working stream is heated by a first external heat source stream at a first heat exchanger and is subsequently divided into a first substream and a second substream. The first substream is heated by the first working stream at a second external heat source stream at a second heat exchanger. The second substream is heated by the second working stream at a third heat exchanger. The first substream and the second substream are then recombined into a single working stream. The recombined working stream is heated by the second external heat source stream at a fourth heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

expanding a multi-component gaseous working stream transforming its energy into a usable form and producing a spent stream;

condensing the spent stream producing a condensed stream;

pressurizing the condensed stream and producing a working stream;

heating the working stream utilizing multiple external heat source streams.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple external heat source streams have different temperatures.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein two or more of the multiple external heat source streams share a same temperature region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein heating the working stream comprises acquiring heat from two or more external heat source streams.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising splitting the working stream into a first substream and a second substream.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first substream is heated utilizing at least a first external heat source stream.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second substream is heated utilizing at least a second external heat source stream.

8. A method for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

transforming energy from a gaseous multi-component working stream into a usable form and producing a spent stream;

condensing the spent stream to produce a liquid working stream;

heating the liquid working stream to the bubble point;

heating the working stream from the bubble point at least to the boiling region utilizing overlapping same-temperature regions of a plurality of external heat source streams to increase the heating capacity at the boiling region; and

heating the working stream to above the boiling point to create a heated gaseous working stream.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein condensing the spent stream to produce a liquid working stream comprises condensing the spent stream to form a condensed stream and pressurizing the condensed stream to produce a liquid working stream.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein heating the liquid working stream is conducted in a heat exchanger.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the heating the liquid working stream is conducted in a heat exchanger comprising an economizer preheater.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising splitting the liquid working stream into a first substream and a second substream.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first substream is heated utilizing an overlapping same temperature region of a first external heat source stream.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second substream is heated utilizing an overlapping same temperature region of a second external heat source stream.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of external heat source streams comprises two or more external heat source streams.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of external heat source streams comprise more than two external heat source streams.

17. A method for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

expanding a multi-component gaseous working stream transforming its energy into a usable form and producing a spent stream;

condensing the spent stream and producing a condensed stream;

pressurizing the condensed stream and producing a liquid working stream;

splitting the liquid working stream into a first substream and a second substream;

heating the first substream utilizing at least a first external heat source stream; and

heating the second substream utilizing at least a second external heat source stream.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first substream is heated in a first heat recovery vapor generator.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second substream is heated in a second heat recovery vapor generator.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the second substream is pressurized at a greater pressurization than the first substream.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first substream and the second substream are expanded without being recombined.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the first substream and the second substream are expanded after being recombined.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first substream and the second substream are heated in a single vapor recovery generator.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the second substream is split creating additional substreams, the additional substreams of the second substream being heated by first and second external heat source streams and the first substream is heated in a first heat recovery generator utilizing a third external heat source stream.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first substream is heated at a lower pressurization than the substreams of the second substream.

26. An apparatus for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

an expander that is connected to receive a multi-component gaseous working stream and that is adapted to transform the energy of the multi-component gaseous working stream into a usable form and producing a precondensed stream;

a condenser adapted to condense the pre-condensed stream producing a liquid working stream;

a pump configured to pressurize the condensed stream to produce a working stream;

a heat exchanger configured to heat the working stream utilizing multiple sources of external heat.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the expander comprises a turbine.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the turbine includes a first component and a second component.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the expander comprises a first turbine and a second turbine.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the condenser comprises a distillation/condensation subsystem.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a plurality of heat exchangers.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein a first heat exchanger comprises an economizer preheater which heats the liquid working stream to near the bubble point.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein at least a second heat exchanger heats the working stream in the boiling point region.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein at least a third heat exchanger superheats the working stream to a heated gaseous working stream.

35. An apparatus for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

an expander that is connected to receive a multi-component gaseous working stream and that is adapted to transform the energy of the multi-component gaseous working stream into a usable form and producing a precondensed stream;

a condenser adapted to condense the pre-condensed stream producing a liquid working stream;

a pump configured to pressurize the condensed stream to produce a working stream;

a means for transferring heat to a working stream utilizing multiple sources of external heat.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the means for transferring heat comprises a heat exchanger.

37. An apparatus for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

an expander adapted to expand a multi-component gaseous working stream transforming its energy into a usable form and producing a spent stream;

a condenser for converting the spent stream to produce a condensed stream;

a pump for pressurizing condensed stream to produce a working stream;

a first heat exchanger to heat the working stream utilizing a first external heat source stream;

a divider to form a first substream and a second substream form a working stream;

a second heat exchanger to heat the first substream utilizing the first external heat source stream;

a third heat exchanger to heat the second substream utilizing a second external heat source stream;

a recombiner to form a recombined stream from the first substream and the second substream; and

a fourth heat exchanger to heat the recombined stream to form a heated gaseous working stream.

38. A method for implementing a thermodynamic cycle comprising:

expanding a multi-component gaseous working stream transforming its energy into a usable form and producing a spent stream;

condensing the spent stream producing a condensed stream;

pressurizing the condensed stream and producing a working stream;

heating the working stream utilizing a first external heat source stream;

splitting the working stream to form a first substream and a second substream;

heating the first substream utilizing the first external heat source stream;

heating the second substream utilizing a second external heat source stream;

recombining the first substream and the second substream to form a recombined stream; and

heating the recombined stream to from a heated gaseous working stream.