Supplying off-grid power to a remote facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11277004-B1
Application number	US-202117140266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 4, 2021
Priority date	Jan 4, 2021
Publication date	Mar 15, 2022
Grant date	Mar 15, 2022

Abstract

An off-grid power system includes a first renewable electrical power assembly configured to produce direct current (DC) electrical power from a first renewable source; a second renewable electrical power assembly configured to produce DC electrical power from a second renewable source; an electrical power circuit that electrically couples the first and second renewable electrical power assemblies together and changes the DC electrical power to at least one of a DC power supply or an alternating current (AC) power supply; and an off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility electrically coupled to the electrical power circuit to receive the at least one of the DC power supply or the AC power supply from the electrical power circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system, comprising:
a photovoltaic (PV) assembly that comprises a plurality of PV cells configured to produce direct current (DC) electrical power from solar energy;
a hydrogen-based polymer exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell assembly configured to produce DC electrical power from a hydrogen fuel source, the hydrogen fuel source comprising one or more portable hydrogen fuel storage tanks;
a power electronics assembly comprising at least one of:
at least one DC/DC converter configured to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to a DC electrical power supply, or
at least one DC/AC inverter configured to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to an alternating current (AC) electrical power supply; and

an off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility electrically coupled to the power electronics assembly to receive at least one of the DC electrical power supply or the AC electrical power supply from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly.

2. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the power electronics assembly comprises both of:
the at least one DC/DC converter configured to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to the DC electrical power supply, and
the at least one DC/AC inverter configured to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to the AC electrical power supply.

3. The power system of claim 2 , wherein the power electronics assembly further comprises:
a DC power bus electrically coupled to the PV assembly and the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly on a first side through the at least one DC/DC converter; and
an AC power bus electrically coupled to a second side of the DC power bus opposite the first side through the at least one DC/AC inverter.

4. The power system of claim 3 , wherein the power electronics further comprises at least another DC/DC converter electrically coupled to the second side of the DC power bus.

5. The power system of claim 3 , further comprising an energy storage assembly electrically coupled to the PV assembly and the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly through the first side of the DC power bus.

6. The power system of claim 5 , wherein the energy storage assembly is electrically coupled to the off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility through the power electronics assembly.

7. The power system of claim 3 , wherein the power electronics further comprises at least one transformer electrically coupled between the AC power bus and the off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility.

8. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen fuel source further comprises:
at least one multi-fuel reformer assembly configured to receive one or more fuel fluids and a combustion fluid and produce a methane rich gas or a mixture of hydrogen (H 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ); and
at least one catalytic membrane reformer fluidly coupled to the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly and the at least one multi-fuel reformer assembly to receive the produced methane rich gas or the mixture of H 2 and CO 2 , the at least one catalytic membrane reformer configured to convert the produced methane rich gas or the mixture of H 2 and CO 2 into hydrogen and CO 2 and provide the hydrogen to the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly.

9. The power system of claim 1 , further comprising a carbon capture and utilization unit fluidly coupled to the at least one catalytic membrane reformer to receive the CO 2 from the at least one catalytic membrane reformer.

10. The power system of claim 1 wherein the one or more fuel fluids comprises at least one of liquefied petroleum gas, ammonia, or methane.

11. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly comprises a reversible fuel-cell assembly.

12. The power system of claim 11 , wherein the reversible fuel-cell assembly comprises a reversible PEM fuel cell assembly.

13. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen fuel source further comprises:
at least one multi-fuel ammonia decomposition assembly configured to produce a mixture of hydrogen (H 2 ) and nitrogen (N 2 ); and
at least one catalytic membrane ammonia fluidly coupled to the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly and the at least one multi-fuel reformer assembly to receive the produced methane rich gas or the mixture of H 2 , and CO 2 , the at least one catalytic membrane reformer configured to convert the produced methane rich gas or the mixture of H 2 and CO 2 into hydrogen and CO 2 and provide the hydrogen to the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly.

14. A method for producing electrical power, comprising:
producing direct current (DC) electrical power from solar energy with a plurality of photovoltaic (PV) cells of a PV assembly;
producing DC electrical power from a hydrogen fuel source with a hydrogen-based polymer exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell assembly, the hydrogen fuel source comprising one or more portable hydrogen fuel storage tanks;
supplying hydrogen from the one or more portable hydrogen fuel storage tanks to the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly;
operating a power electronics assembly electrically coupled to the PV assembly and the hydrogen-based PEM fuel cell assembly, the operating comprising:
operating at least one DC/DC converter to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to a DC electrical power supply, or
operating at least one DC/AC inverter to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to an alternating current (AC) electrical power supply; and

supplying at least one of the DC electrical power supply or the AC electrical power supply from the power electronics assembly to an off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
operating the at least one DC/DC converter to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to the DC electrical power supply, and
operating the at least one DC/AC inverter to convert the produced DC electrical power from one or both of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to the AC electrical power supply.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein operating the power electronics assembly further comprises:
providing the produced DC power from at least one of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly to a first side of a DC power bus through the at least one DC/DC converter; and
providing converted DC power from a second side of the DC power bus opposite the first side to an AC power bus through the at least one DC/AC inverter.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising converting the produced DC power from the at least one of the PV assembly or the hydrogen-based PEM fuel assembly through the DC power bus with at least another DC/DC converter electrically coupled between the second side of the DC power bus and the off-grid hydrocarbon production or processing facility.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising providing DC electrical power from an energy storage assembly to the first side of the DC power bus.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Katikaneni Sai P
• Lee Kunho
• Tural Tolga

Classifications

• H02J2101/24

  Photovoltaics · CPC title

• H02J2101/30

  Fuel cells · CPC title

• Y02P80/10

  Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier · CPC title

• H02J4/00

  Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as AC or DC; Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks combining AC and DC sections or sub-networks (arrangements using intermediate DC-AC-DC conversion H02J1/002; arrangements using high-voltage DC [HVDC] links H02J3/36) · CPC title

• H02J3/28 Primary

  Arrangements for balancing of the load in networks by storage of energy · CPC title