Hybrid Supercritical Power Cycle with Decoupled High-side and Low-side Pressures

• US 20120186219A1
• Filed: 01/22/2012
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael Gurin
• Original Assignee: Michael Gurin
• Inventors: Gurin, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,249,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/39.19
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1223 Methanol
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/1258 Pre-treatment of the feed
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2203/82 Several process steps of C01B2203/02 - C01B2203/08 integrated into a single apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 3/22 by decomposition of gaseous or liquid organic compounds C01B3/0005 takes precedence ; coking liquid carbonaceous materials C10B55/00
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1011 Biomass
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/42 Catalytic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/103 Carbon dioxide F01K25/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/04 Gas-turbine plants providing heated or pressurised working fluid for other apparatus, e.g. without mechanical power output F02C6/18 takes precedence ; for a fluidised-bed combustor F02C3/205
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 6/18 using the waste heat of gas-turbine plants outside the plants themselves, e.g. gas-turbine power heat plants using waste heat as source of energy for refrigeration plants F25B27/02; using the waste heat of a gasturbine for steam generation or in a steam cycle see F01K23/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 20/18 Integrated gasification combined cycle [IGCC], e.g. combined with carbon capture and storage [CCS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/129 Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/54 using solvents, e.g. supercritical solvents or ionic liquids
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 using bio-feedstock

Abstract

The present invention generally relates to power generation methods and secondary processes yielding a supply of carbon dioxide. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle power generator utilizing at least a portion of waste heat from the secondary process that also provides at least a portion of carbon dioxide within the supercritical carbon dioxide cycle.

Claims

1. An energy production system operable to increase energy efficiency of a combined supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle and a first carbon dioxide source comprising:

a) the first carbon dioxide source operable to provide at least a partial source of carbon dioxide to the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle that concurrently provides at least a part of the thermal energy which powers the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle; and

b) a pressurizing device operable to increase the pressure of the first carbon dioxide source into the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle.

2. The energy production system according to claim 1 wherein the first carbon dioxide source is a biomass to biofuel process.

3. The energy production system according to claim 2 wherein the biomass to biofuel process is a catalytic process at a state point above the supercritical temperature and pressure of carbon dioxide, and wherein the biomass to biofuel process is a second source of carbon dioxide.

4. The energy production system according to claim 3 wherein the first carbon dioxide source is from a top cycle power generating Brayton cycle that concurrently produces waste heat, wherein the Brayton cycles waste heat is utilized first to disassociate an organic molecule into syngas and second to superheat the second source of carbon dioxide.

5. The energy production system according to claim 4 wherein the top cycle power generating Brayton cycle consumes a fuel that is a byproduct of the biomass to biofuel process.

6. The energy production system according to claim 5 wherein the byproduct of the biomass to biofuel process includes hydrogen and methane gas.

7. The energy production system according to claim 1 wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle has a high-side pressure and low-side pressure portion within the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle, and wherein the first carbon dioxide source is operable to decouple the high-side pressure portion from the low-side pressure portion.

8. The energy production system according to claim 7 wherein the high-side pressure portion is further comprised of a high pressure storage tank, and the low-side pressure portion is further comprised of a low pressure storage tank.

9. The energy production system according to claim 8 further comprised of at least one carbon dioxide venting to at least one of the low pressure storage tank and ambient environment.

10. The energy production system according to claim 8 wherein the high pressure storage tank and the low pressure storage tank decouple the high-side pressure portion from the low-side pressure portion whereby transients on either the high-side pressure portion or the low-side pressure portion are asynchronous.

11. The energy production system according to claim 10 wherein the transients are asynchronous by at least 0.1 seconds.

12. The energy production system according to claim 10 wherein the transients are asynchronous by at least 0.5 seconds.

13. The energy production system according to claim 10 wherein the transients are asynchronous by at least 5 seconds.

14. The energy production system according to claim 10 wherein the transients are asynchronous by at least 20 seconds.

15. The energy production system according to claim 1 is further comprised of a top cycle power generating Brayton cycle having a combustor that concurrently produces waste heat and combustion exhaust, and wherein a slipstream from the combustion exhaust is the first carbon dioxide source to the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle.

16. The energy production system according to claim 1 wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle has a high-side pressure and low-side pressure portion within the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle, and wherein the first carbon dioxide source is operable to decouple the mass flow rate of the high-side pressure portion from the mass flow rate of the low-side pressure portion.

17. The energy production system according to claim 16 wherein the mass flow rate of the high-side pressure portion has a variance from the mass flow rate of the low-side pressure portion by at least 0.5 percent.

18. The energy production system according to claim 16 wherein the mass flow rate of the high-side pressure portion has a variance from the mass flow rate of the low-side pressure portion by at least 1.0 percent.

19. The energy production system according to claim 16 wherein the mass flow rate of the high-side pressure portion has a variance from the mass flow rate of the low-side pressure portion by at least 0.2 percent.

20. The energy production system according to claim 15 wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle has a high-side pressure and low-side pressure portion within the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle, wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle is further comprised of a venting valve from at least one of the high-side pressure and low-side pressure portion, wherein the top cycle power generating Brayton cycle has combustion exhaust containing carbon dioxide and a carbon dioxide sequestration system operable to capture at least 1.0 percent of the top cycle power generating Brayton cycle combustion exhaust whereby the carbon dioxide vented from the venting valve of the supercritical carbon dioxide thermodynamic power generating cycle is upstream of the carbon dioxide sequestration system.

21. A method for operating an energy production system according to claim 16 having a control system operable to regulate the mass flow rate of the low-side pressure portion independently of the mass flow rate of the high-side pressure portion.