Solar heat receiver and solar heat power generation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10060418-B2
Application number	US-201214353169-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2012
Priority date	Nov 25, 2011
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A solar heat receiver includes a casing having an aperture, and a piping system provided in the casing and discharging a heat medium, which is sent from a fluid supply source, to a fluid supply destination after the heat medium is heated by the solar light. The piping system includes: heat receiver tubes that heat the heat medium flowing therein; an inlet header tube that distributes the heat medium, which is introduced from the fluid supply source, to each of the heat receiver tubes, and an outlet header tube that collects the heat medium passing through each of the heat receiver tubes, and leads the heat medium to the fluid supply destination. The inlet header tube and the outlet header tube have a larger inner diameter than each of the heat receiver tubes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solar heat receiver comprising:
a casing having an aperture configured to let solar light to enter; and
a piping system provided inside the casing,
wherein the piping system includes:
a plurality of heat receiver tubes spaced away from each other at predetermined pitches and planarly arranged in a row defining a vertical plane with an extending direction directed vertically, the plurality of heat receiver tubes having equal lengths and being configured to receive the solar light entering through the aperture of the casing;
an inlet header tube which communicates with a first end of each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes and which is configured to flow a heat medium into the plurality of heat receiver tubes from a fluid supply source which is provided outside the casing;
an outlet header tube which communicates with a second end of each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes and which is configured to flow the heat medium through each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes to a fluid supply destination which is provided outside the casing;
a fluid supply passage including a fluid supply tube which extends downward vertically from the inlet header tube and is loosely inserted into a first through-hole formed in a bottom wall of the casing; and
a fluid discharge passage including a fluid discharge tube which extends upward vertically from the outlet header tube and is loosely inserted into a second through-hole formed in a top wall of the casing,

wherein each of the inlet header tube and the outlet header tube has a larger inner diameter than each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes,
wherein the outlet header tube is set to have a larger inner diameter than that of the inlet header tube, and
wherein the inlet header tube, the outlet header tube, the fluid supply tube, and the fluid discharge tube are arranged in the casing in the vertical plane same as the plurality of heat receiver tubes, such that the inlet header tube, the outlet header tube, the fluid supply tube, and the fluid discharge tube are each bisected by a common axis defined by a flow path of the heat medium.

2. The solar heat receiver according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inlet header tube and the outlet header tube includes a plurality of flow ports, through which the heat medium is caused to flow and which is installed between an outside and the at least one of the inlet header tube and the outlet header tube.

3. The solar heat receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the heat medium is air.

4. The solar heater receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the casing has a box shape having a front wall, a rear wall parallel to the front wall, the top wall arranged between the front wall and the rear wall, the bottom wall arranged parallel to the top wall and attached to the rear wall, and an inclined wall having said aperture and arranged between the front wall and the bottom wall to face obliquely downwardly.

5. The solar heater receiver according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of heat receiver tubes is arranged linearly along the rear wall at a side of the rear wall relative to the inclined wall, and
the inlet header tube includes a plurality of flow ports, through which the heat medium flows into the plurality of heat receiver tubes.

6. The solar heat receiver according to claim 1 , wherein the inlet header tube has two inlets spaced apart from each other to uniformly supply the heat medium from the two inlets to the first ends of the plurality of heat receiver tubes to suppress energy loss generated therebetween, and
the outlet header tube has an outlet arranged on a middle portion between the two inlets of the inlet header tube in a horizontal direction, and a flow distance of the heat medium from the outlet to the second ends of the plurality of heat receiver tubes is longer than a flow distance from the two inlets to the first ends to inhibit an increase of a flow speed of the heat medium.

7. A solar heat power generation device comprising:
a solar heat receiver comprising:
a casing having an aperture configured to let solar light to enter; and
a piping system provided inside the casing,
wherein the piping system includes:
a plurality of heat receiver tubes spaced away from each other at predetermined pitches and planarly arranged in a row defining a vertical plane with an extending direction directed vertically, the plurality of heat receiver tubes having equal lengths and being configured to receive the solar light entering through the aperture of the casing;
an inlet header tube which communicates with a first end of each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes and which is configured to flow a heat medium into the plurality of heat receiver tubes from a fluid supply source which is provided outside the casing;
an outlet header tube which communicates with a second end of each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes and which is configured to flow the heat medium through each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes to a fluid supply destination which is provided outside the casing;
a fluid supply passage including a fluid supply tube which extends downward vertically from the inlet header tube and is loosely inserted into a first through-hole formed in a bottom wall of the casing; and
a fluid discharge passage including a fluid discharge tube which extends upward vertically from the outlet header tube and is loosely inserted into a second through-hole formed in a top wall of the casing,

wherein each of the inlet header tube and the outlet header tube has a larger inner diameter than each of the plurality of heat receiver tubes,
wherein the outlet header tube is set to have a larger inner diameter than that of the inlet header tube, and
wherein the inlet header tube, the outlet header tube, the fluid supply tube, and the fluid discharge tube are arranged in the casing in the vertical plane same as the plurality of heat receiver tubes, such that the inlet header tube, the outlet header tube, the fluid supply tube, and the fluid discharge tube are each bisected by a common axis defined by a flow path of the heat medium;

a tower built on a ground, an upper portion of the tower having the solar heat receiver;
a plurality of heliostats disposed around the tower within a predetermined angular range and each being configured to cause the solar light to enter through the aperture of the solar heat receiver; and
a gas turbine unit comprising a compressor acting as the fluid supply source, a turbine acting as the fluid supply destination, and an electric generator configured to be driven rotatably by the turbine.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kobayashi Kazuta
• Tagawa Masashi
• Osada Toshiyuki
• Okubo Takeshi

Classifications

• F03G6/04 Primary

  gaseous {(F03G6/064, F03G6/068 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F24J2/245

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• Y02E10/46

  Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines · CPC title

• F03G6/064 Primary

  having a gas turbine cycle, i.e. compressor and gas turbine combination · CPC title

• Y02E10/41

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic