Sunlight-utilizing gas turbine power generation system provided with hydrogen-generating unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196978-B2
Application number	US-201514695192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2015
Priority date	Oct 26, 2012
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A power generation system having a gas turbine engine that utilizes sunlight, includes a compressor configured to compress an air which is a working medium, a solar heater configured to heat the air compressed by the compressor, utilizing sunlight as a heat source, a hydrogen combustor configured to burn the air compressed by the compressor utilizing hydrogen as a fuel, a turbine configured to output a motive power from a high-temperature gas heated by at least one of the solar heater and the hydrogen combustor, a power generator configured to be driven by the turbine, and at least one hydrogen-generating unit configured to generate hydrogen by utilizing an output of the turbine or exhaust heat from the turbine to decompose a water, and supply the hydrogen so generated to the hydrogen combustor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power generation system having a gas turbine engine that utilizes sunlight, the power generation system comprising:
a compressor configured to compress an air which is a working medium;
a solar heater configured to heat the air compressed by the compressor, utilizing sunlight as a heat source;
a hydrogen combustor configured to burn the air compressed by the compressor, utilizing hydrogen as a fuel;
a turbine configured to output a motive power from a high-temperature gas heated by at least one of the solar heater and the hydrogen combustor;
a power generator configured to be driven by the turbine; and
at least one hydrogen-generating unit configured to generate hydrogen by decomposing a water, and supply the hydrogen so generated to the hydrogen combustor,
wherein the at least one hydrogen-generating unit is an electrolysis hydrogen-generating unit configured to perform the decomposing of the water by performing electrolysis of the water utilizing power generated by driving the power generator with the turbine,
wherein the power generation system further comprises:
a pyrolysis hydrogen-generating unit configured to generate hydrogen by utilizing an exhaust gas from the turbine to pyrolyze a water; and
a compressed air preheating path configured to preheat the air compressed by the compressor, utilizing a heat generated in the pyrolysis hydrogen-generating unit.

2. The power generation system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the compressed air preheating path is provided with a mechanism to switch a flow path thereof in response to interchanging of a reaction chamber in which an endothermic reaction is conducted with a reaction chamber in which an exothermic reaction is conducted in the pyrolysis hydrogen-generating unit, such that the flow path extends near the reaction chamber in which the exothermic reaction is conducted.

3. The power generation system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an exhaust gas heat exchange path configured to cause the exhaust gas from the turbine to pass therethrough to exchange heat between the exhaust gas and the pyrolysis hydrogen-generating unit,
wherein the exhaust gas heat exchange path is provided with a mechanism to switch a flow path thereof in response to interchanging of a reaction chamber in which an endothermic reaction is conducted with a reaction chamber in which an exothermic reaction is conducted in the pyrolysis hydrogen-generating unit, such that the flow path extends near the reaction chamber in which the endothermic reaction is conducted.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd
• B&B Agema Gmbh

Inventors

• Tanimura Kazuhiko
• Sugimoto Takao
• Kusterer Karsten

Classifications

• F02C7/22

  Fuel supply systems · CPC title

• F02C1/05

  characterised by the type or source of heat, e.g. using nuclear or solar energy · CPC title

• F02C6/10

  supplying working fluid to a user, e.g. a chemical process, which returns working fluid to a turbine of the plant · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• F24S90/00

  Solar heat systems not otherwise provided for · CPC title