Synergistic heat pumped thermal storage and flexible carbon capture system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12264599-B2
Application number	US-202118034469-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Oct 30, 2020
Publication date	Apr 1, 2025
Grant date	Apr 1, 2025

Abstract

A power plant system is disclosed. The power plant system includes a combustor configured, a turbine configured to generate electricity, a heat exchanger and a steam turbine, a carbon capture system configured to remove at least a portion of carbon-based gasses from the flue gas downstream from the heat recovery steam generator, and a thermal storage system including a hot storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a hot temperature, the hot temperature greater than ambient temperature. The power plant is configured to operate in at least a first mode for storing thermal energy in the thermal storage system and a second mode for releasing the stored thermal energy from the thermal storage system and during the second mode, heat stored in the hot storage unit is transferred to the carbon capture system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power plant system configured to generate electricity, the power plant system comprising:
a carbon-based fuel-fired power plant including a combustor configured to receive and combust air and a carbon-based fuel thereby producing heat and exhausting a flue gas, and a turbine configured to generate electricity;
a heat recovery steam generator including at least one heat exchanger and at least one steam turbine, the at least one heat exchanger configured to receive the flue gas and transfer heat from the flue gas to a fluid before the fluid enters the at least one steam turbine;
a carbon capture system configured to remove at least a portion of carbon-based gasses from the flue gas downstream from the heat recovery steam generator; and
a thermal storage system including a hot storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a hot temperature and a cold storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a cold temperature, the hot temperature greater than ambient temperature and the cold temperature less than ambient temperature;
wherein the power plant is configured to operate in at least a first mode for storing thermal energy in the thermal storage system and a second mode for releasing the stored thermal energy from the thermal storage system;
wherein during the second mode, before the air is combusted in the combustor the air is configured to transfer heat to the cold storage unit thereby lowering the temperature of the air received in the combustor; and
wherein during the second mode, heat stored in the hot storage unit is transferred to the carbon capture system.

2. The power plant system of claim 1 , wherein the hot temperature is less than 250° C.

3. The power plant system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage system includes a first heat pump using a refrigerant as a first working fluid and a second heat pump using a second refrigerant as a second working fluid; and
wherein the first refrigerant is configured to transfer heat from the cold storage unit and the second refrigerant is configured to transfer heat to the hot storage unit.

4. The power plant system of claim 3 , wherein the second refrigerant is steam.

5. The power plant system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage system includes a heat pump configured to use the flue gas as a working fluid.

6. The power plant system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage system includes a heat pump configured to use air as a working fluid.

7. The power plant system of claim 6 , wherein the flue gas is configured to transfer heat to the air in the heat pump during the first mode.

8. The power plant system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage system includes a heat pump configured to use steam as a working fluid.

9. The power plant system of claim 6 , wherein the flue gas is configured to transfer heat to the steam in the heat pump during the first mode but not in the second mode.

10. The power plant system of claim 6 , wherein steam from the heat recovery steam generator is configured to transfer heat to the steam in the heat pump during the first mode.

11. The power plant system of claim 6 , wherein steam from the heat recovery steam generator is configured to be the working fluid.

12. A power plant system configured to generate electricity, the power plant system comprising:
a carbon-based fuel-fired power plant including a combustor configured to receive and combust air and a carbon-based fuel thereby producing heat and exhausting a flue gas, and a turbine configured to generate electricity;
a heat recovery steam generator including at least one heat exchanger and at least one steam turbine, the at least one heat exchanger configured to receive the flue gas and transfer heat from the flue gas to a fluid before the fluid enters the at least one steam turbine;
a carbon capture system configured to remove at least a portion of carbon-based gasses from the flue gas downstream from the heat recovery steam generator; and
a thermal storage system including a heat pump with a cold storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a cold temperature, the cold temperature less than ambient temperature;
wherein the power plant is configured to operate in at least a first mode for storing thermal energy in the thermal storage system and a second mode for releasing the stored thermal energy from the thermal storage system; and
wherein during the second mode, before the air is combusted in the combustor the air is directed through the cold storage unit thereby lowering the temperature of the air received in the combustor.

13. The power plant system of claim 12 , wherein the cold temperature is less than −10° C.

14. The power plant system of claim 12 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use the flue gas as a working fluid.

15. The power plant system of claim 12 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use air as a working fluid.

16. The power plant system of claim 15 , wherein the flue gas is configured to transfer heat to the air in the heat pump during the first mode.

17. The power plant system of claim 12 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use a refrigerant as a working fluid.

18. A power plant system configured to generate electricity, the power plant system comprising:
a carbon-based fuel-fired power plant including a combustor configured to receive and combust air and a carbon-based fuel thereby producing heat and exhausting a flue gas, and a turbine configured to generate electricity;
a heat recovery steam generator including at least one heat exchanger, at least one steam turbine, and a condenser configured to receive and condense steam into water, the at least one heat exchanger configured to receive the flue gas and transfer heat from the flue gas to a fluid before the fluid enters the at least one steam turbine;
a carbon capture system configured to remove at least a portion of carbon-based gasses from the flue gas downstream from the heat recovery steam generator; and
a thermal storage system including a heat pump having a hot storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a hot temperature and a cold storage unit configured to store thermal energy at a cold temperature, the hot temperature greater than ambient temperature and the cold temperature less than ambient temperature;
wherein the power plant is configured to operate in at least a first mode for storing thermal energy in the thermal storage system and a second mode for releasing the stored thermal energy from the thermal storage system;
wherein water is configured to leave the condenser and recirculate back into the heat recovery steam generator; and
wherein during the first mode, at least a first portion of the flue gas is configured to be routed directly to the carbon capture system, and during the second mode, a second portion of the flue gas is configured to be first routed to transfer heat from the flue gas to the condensed water recirculated back into the heat recovery steam generator and then routed to the carbon capture system, the second portion including at least a part of the first portion.

19. The power plant system of claim 18 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use the flue gas as a working fluid.

20. The power plant system of claim 18 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use air as a working fluid.

21. The power plant system of claim 18 , wherein the heat pump is configured to use steam as a working fluid.

22. The power plant system of claim 21 , wherein steam from the hea

Assignees

• Univ Colorado State Res Found

Inventors

• Bandhauer Todd M
• Herber Daniel
• Limb Braden
• Quinn Jason
• Garland Shane
• Markey Ethan
• Vercellino Roberto

Classifications

• F01K15/00

  Adaptations of plants for special use {(F01K7/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F01K3/12

  having two or more accumulators · CPC title

• Y02E20/16

  Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT] · CPC title

• F01K17/02

  for heating purposes, e.g. industrial, domestic (F01K17/06 takes precedence; domestic- or space-heating systems, e.g. central-heating systems, in general F24D1/00, F24D3/00, F24D9/00) · CPC title

• F01K23/10 Primary

  with exhaust fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle (F01K17/025 takes precedence) · CPC title