Thermal electric power generator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767513-B2
Application number	US-201514929412-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

A thermal electric power generator includes an evaporator, an expander, an electric generator, a condenser, and a pump. A working fluid used in the thermal electric power generator is an organic working fluid. The evaporator includes a heat exchanger, a bypass channel, and a flow rate adjustment mechanism. The bypass channel allows a heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger. The flow rate adjustment mechanism adjusts a flow rate of the heat medium to be supplied to the heat exchanger and a flow rate of the heat medium to be supplied to the bypass channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal electric power generator comprising:
an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander; and
a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
a first damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium; and
a controller including a processor and a memory storing a program,
wherein the program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to perform:
obtaining, by a sensor, an information indicating at least one selected from the group consisting of a pressure of the organic working fluid, a temperature of the organic working fluid and an amount of electric power generated by the electric generator;
supplying a part of the heat medium to the heat exchanger so that the temperature of the organic working fluid in the heat exchanger remains lower than a thermal decomposition temperature of the organic working fluid based on the information; and
supplying a remaining heat medium to the bypass channel.

2. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicates a temperature of the organic working fluid at an inlet of the expander.

3. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicates a pressure of the organic working fluid at an inlet of the expander.

4. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicates a difference between a pressure of the organic working fluid at an inlet of the expander and a pressure of the organic working fluid at an outlet of the expander.

5. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the information indicates the amount of electric power generated by the electric generator.

6. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , further comprising a first actuator connected to the first damper,
wherein the program further causes the controller to cause the first actuator to move the first damper.

7. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second damper that is disposed downstream of the heat exchanger in the flow direction of the heat medium,
wherein the program further causes the controller to cause the second damper to move to prevent backflow of the heat medium from a downstream side of the heat exchanger toward the heat exchanger.

8. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 7 , further comprising a second actuator connected to the second damper,
wherein the program further causes the controller to cause the second actuator to move the second damper.

9. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger allows direct heat exchange between the heat medium and the organic working fluid.

10. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the condenser cools the organic working fluid with air.

11. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the condenser cools the organic working fluid with water.

12. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , wherein the evaporator allows the heat medium having a temperature higher than the thermal decomposition temperature of the organic working fluid to flow therethrough.

13. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an expander bypass channel that allows the organic working fluid to bypass the expander; and
a valve disposed in the expander bypass channel,
wherein the program further causes the controller to perform opening the valve such that the organic working fluid flows through the expander bypass channel if the thermal electric power generator is determined to have had a failure.

14. A thermal electric power generator comprising:
an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander; and
a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
a damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium; and
a controller including a processor and a memory storing a program,
wherein the program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to perform:
determining a pressure of the organic working fluid by a sensor; and
supplying, based on the pressure, a part flow rate of the heat medium to the heat exchanger and a remaining part of the heat medium to the bypass channel by moving the damper.

15. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 14 , wherein the determining the pressure of the organic working fluid comprises determining a pressure of the organic working fluid at an inlet of the expander.

16. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 15 , wherein the program further causes the controller to perform:
determining a pressure of the organic working fluid at an outlet of the expander by a sensor, and
wherein the supplying the part the heat medium to the heat exchanger and the remaining part of the heat medium to the bypass channel is based on the pressure of the organic working fluid at the inlet and the outlet of the expander.

17. The thermal electric power generator according to claim 16 ,
wherein the supplying the part of the heat medium to the heat exchanger and the remaining part of the heat medium to the bypass channel is based on a difference between the pressure of the organic working fluid at the inlet of the expander and the pressure of the organic working fluid at the outlet of the expander.

18. A method for operating a thermal electric power generator, the thermal electric power generator including:
an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander; and
a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
a first damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a sensor, an information indicating at least one selected from the group consisting of a pressure of the organic workin

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumoto Subaru
• Kido Osao
• Okaichi Atsuo
• Hikichi Takumi
• Kosuda Osamu
• Nishiyama Noriyoshi

Classifications

• F01K13/02 Primary

  Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting · CPC title

• F22B1/167

  using an organic fluid · CPC title

• F22B37/42

  Applications, arrangements or dispositions of alarm or automatic safety devices (for feed-water heaters F22D1/14 {; emergency feed-water supply F22D11/003}) · CPC title

• Y02E20/12

  Heat utilisation in combustion or incineration of waste · CPC title

• F01K9/003

  condenser cooling circuits · CPC title