Mass management system for a supercritical working fluid circuit
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F01K-025/08
F01K-025/06
F01K-007/06
F01K-007/32
F01K-013/02
F01K-011/04
F01K-023/18
F01K-025/10
출원번호
US-0776200
(2014-03-12)
등록번호
US-10077683
(2018-09-18)
국제출원번호
PCT/US2014/024305
(2014-03-12)
국제공개번호
WO2014/159587
(2014-10-02)
발명자
/ 주소
Close, Cameron
출원인 / 주소
Echogen Power Systems LLC
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
4
초록▼
Provided herein is a heat engine system and a method for transforming energy, such as generating mechanical energy and/or electrical energy from thermal energy. The heat engine system may have one of several different configurations of a mass management system (MMS) fluidly coupled to a working flui
Provided herein is a heat engine system and a method for transforming energy, such as generating mechanical energy and/or electrical energy from thermal energy. The heat engine system may have one of several different configurations of a mass management system (MMS) fluidly coupled to a working fluid circuit. The MMS may be utilized to control the amount of working fluid added to, contained within, or removed from the working fluid circuit. The MMS may contain a mass control tank, an inventory transfer line, and system/tank transfer valves. The MMS may contain a transfer pump fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the pressure in the inventory transfer line. The MMS may have two or more transfer lines, such as an inventory return line and valve, and an inventory supply line and valve.
대표청구항▼
1. A heat engine system, comprising: a working fluid circuit having a high pressure side and a low pressure side and being configured to flow a working fluid therethrough, wherein at least a portion of the working fluid circuit contains the working fluid in a supercritical state, and the working flu
1. A heat engine system, comprising: a working fluid circuit having a high pressure side and a low pressure side and being configured to flow a working fluid therethrough, wherein at least a portion of the working fluid circuit contains the working fluid in a supercritical state, and the working fluid comprises carbon dioxide;a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit, configured to be fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with a heat source, and configured to transfer thermal energy from the heat source to the working fluid within the high pressure side;an expander fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and disposed between the high pressure side and the low pressure side and configured to convert a pressure drop in the working fluid to mechanical energy;a driveshaft coupled to the expander and configured to drive a device with the mechanical energy;a system pump fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit between the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to circulate or pressurize the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;a recuperator fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and operative to transfer thermal energy between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit;a cooler in thermal communication with the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to remove thermal energy from the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit; anda mass management system fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and comprising: an inventory transfer line fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to transfer the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit on the low pressure side;a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to receive, store, and dispense the working fluid;a system transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit; anda tank transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the mass control tank. 2. The heat engine system of claim 1, wherein the system transfer valve and the tank transfer valve each comprises an isolation shut-off valve or a modulating valve. 3. A method for transferring the working fluid between the mass management system and the working fluid circuit within the heat engine system of claim 1, comprising: providing the system transfer valve in a closed position and the tank transfer valve in an opened position;circulating the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;providing a high pressure in the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a high pressure threshold range;providing a low pressure in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a low pressure threshold range;monitoring the low pressure via a process control system operatively connected to the working fluid circuit;detecting an undesirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the undesirable value is less than or greater than the low pressure threshold range;adjusting the system transfer valve to an opened position;transferring the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank;detecting a desirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the desirable value is within the low pressure threshold range; andadjusting the system transfer valve to the closed position. 4. A heat engine system, comprising: a working fluid circuit having a high pressure side and a low pressure side and being configured to flow a working fluid therethrough, wherein at least a portion of the working fluid circuit contains the working fluid in a supercritical state, and the working fluid comprises carbon dioxide;a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit, configured to be fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with a heat source, and configured to transfer thermal energy from the heat source to the working fluid within the high pressure side;an expander fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and disposed between the high pressure side and the low pressure side and configured to convert a pressure drop in the working fluid to mechanical energy;a driveshaft coupled to the expander and configured to drive a device with the mechanical energy;a system pump fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit between the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to circulate or pressurize the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;a recuperator fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and operative to transfer thermal energy between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit;a cooler in thermal communication with the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to remove thermal energy from the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit; anda mass management system fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and comprising: an inventory transfer line fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to transfer the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit on the low pressure side;a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to receive, store, and dispense the working fluid;a system transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit;a tank transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the mass control tank; anda transfer pump in fluid communication with the mass control tank and the inventory transfer line and configured to control the pressure of a section of the inventory transfer line disposed between the system and tank transfer valves. 5. The heat engine system of claim 4, wherein the system transfer valve and the tank transfer valve each comprises an isolation shut-off valve or a modulating valve. 6. The heat engine system of claim 4, wherein the transfer pump is configured to transfer the working fluid from the mass control tank to the working fluid circuit. 7. The heat engine system of claim 4, further comprising a transfer pump line fluidly coupled to and disposed between the mass control tank and the inventory transfer line. 8. The heat engine system of claim 4, further comprising a restricted flow device fluidly coupled within the inventory transfer line and disposed between the system and tank transfer valves, wherein the restricted flow device is configured to reduce a flowrate of the working fluid flowing from the system transfer valve towards the tank transfer valve. 9. The heat engine system of claim 8, further comprising a bypass line in fluid communication with the inventory transfer line and configured to circumvent the restricted flow device, wherein a first end of the bypass line is fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and disposed between the system transfer valve and the restricted flow device, and a second end of the bypass line is fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and disposed between the tank transfer valve and the restricted flow device. 10. The heat engine system of claim 8, further comprising a bypass valve fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the flow of the working fluid circumventing the restricted flow device. 11. A method for transferring the working fluid between the mass management system and the working fluid circuit within the heat engine system of claim 4, comprising: providing the system transfer valve in an opened position and the tank transfer valve in a closed position;circulating the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;providing a high pressure in the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a high pressure threshold range;providing a low pressure in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a low pressure threshold range;pressurizing, with the transfer pump, the section of the inventory transfer line disposed between the system and tank transfer valves to a transfer pressure within the low pressure threshold range;monitoring the low pressure via a process control system operatively connected to the working fluid circuit;detecting an undesirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the undesirable value is less than or greater than the low pressure threshold range;adjusting the tank transfer valve to transfer the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank;detecting a desirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the desirable value is within the low pressure threshold range; andadjusting the tank transfer valve to the closed position. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modulating the system transfer valve while transferring the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank.
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