Solar power energy system with rankine engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12405039-B2
Application number	US-202519190856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2025
Priority date	Dec 19, 2022
Publication date	Sep 2, 2025
Grant date	Sep 2, 2025

Abstract

The systems of the present disclosure include a solar-powered steam Rankine cycle (SRC) subsystem to convert solar energy into thermal energy and store the thermal energy; an ejector refrigeration cycle (ERC) subsystem to provide a first refrigeration effect with a first range of temperature based on the thermal energy; an absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC) subsystem to provide a second refrigeration effect with a second range of temperature based on the thermal energy; a brine refrigeration cycle (BRC) subsystem to generate and store when there is no cooling demand and provide a third refrigeration effect with a third range of temperature based on the electrical power generated by the ERC subsystem and the ice being melted; and an adsorption refrigeration cycle (ADRC) subsystem to provide a fourth refrigeration effect with a fourth range of temperature based on the thermal energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a solar-powered steam Rankine cycle (SRC) subsystem configured to receive solar energy, convert the solar energy into thermal energy, and store the thermal energy;
an ejector refrigeration cycle (ERC) subsystem configured to
generate an electrical power based on the thermal energy, and
provide a first refrigeration effect with a first range of temperature based on the thermal energy;

an absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC) subsystem configured to provide a second refrigeration effect with a second range of temperature based on the thermal energy;
a brine refrigeration cycle (BRC) subsystem configured to
generate and store when there is no cooling demand, and
provide a third refrigeration effect with a third range of temperature based on the electrical power generated by the ERC subsystem and the ice being melted; and

an adsorption refrigeration cycle (ADRC) subsystem configured to provide a fourth refrigeration effect with a fourth range of temperature based on the thermal energy,
wherein the SRC comprises a heat recovery vapor generator (HRVG) configured to generate superheated steam for the ERC subsystem;
wherein the ERC subsystem includes a steam turbine (T) configured to generate the electrical power based on the superheated steam from the HRVG of the SRC subsystem; and
wherein the BRC subsystem includes a compressor (COMP) powered by the electrical power generated from the steam turbine of the ERC subsystem and configured to generate high-pressure superheated refrigerant vapor.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the SRC subsystem includes
a central receiver (CR) configured to receive the solar energy to heat cold molten salt flowing through the central receiver;
wherein the heat recovery vapor generator (HRVG) is configured to generate the superheated steam based on the heated molten salt, and pass the heated molten salt to the ARC subsystem;
a hot molten salt storage tank configured to
store the heated molten salt, and
pass the heated molten salt from the CR to the HRVG;

a cold molten salt storage tank configured to
store the cold molten salt, and
pass the cold molten salt from the ADRC subsystem to the CR; and

a heat transfer fluid (HTF) pump configured to pump the cold molten salt from the cold molten salt storage tank to the CR.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ERC subsystem includes
a first evaporator (E 1 ) configured to provide the first refrigerant effect with the first range of temperature by evaporating water flowing through the first evaporator into water vapor;
a steam ejector configured to generate a mixture by mixing an exhaust from the steam turbine and the water vapor from the first evaporator;
a first condenser (C 1 ) configured to cool the mixture from the steam ejector into the water;
a first throttling valve (TV 1 ) configured to
pass a first volume of the water from the first condenser to the first evaporator, and
reduce a pressure of the first volume of the water to a pressure of the first evaporator; and

a first pump (P 1 ) configured to pump a second volume of the water from the first condenser to the HRVG of the SRC subsystem.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the BRC subsystem includes
a third evaporator (E 3 ) configured to provide the third refrigeration effect with the third range of temperature by evaporating liquid refrigerant flowing through the third evaporator into superheated refrigerant vapor;
wherein the compressor is configured to generate high-pressure superheated refrigerant vapor by compressing the superheated refrigerant vapor from the third evaporator;
a third condenser (C 3 ) configured to cool the high-pressure superheated refrigerant vapor into the liquid refrigerant flowing to the third evaporator;
a fourth throttling valve (TV 4 ) configured to
pass the liquid refrigerant from the third condenser to the third evaporator, and
reduce a pressure of the liquid refrigerant to a pressure of the third evaporator; and

an ice storage system configured to build the ice when there is no cooling demand and melt the ice when there is cooling demand.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the ARC subsystem includes
a generator (G) configured to
pass the heated molten salt from the HRVG of the SRC subsystem to adsorption chambers of the ADRC subsystem,
generate superheated water vapor refrigerant based on the heated molten salt flowing through the generator, and
generate a strong solution based on a weak solution flowing into the generator;

a second condenser (C 2 ) configured to generate saturated liquid refrigerant by cooling the superheated water vapor refrigerant from the generator;
a second evaporator (E 2 ) configured to provide the second refrigeration effect with the second range of temperature by generating saturated water vapor based on the saturated liquid refrigerant from the second condenser;
a second throttle valve (TV 2 ) configured to
pass the saturated liquid refrigerant from the second condenser to the second evaporator, and
reduce a pressure of the saturated liquid refrigerant to a pressure of the second evaporator;

an absorber (A) configured to generate the weak solution by mixing the strong solution with the saturated water vapor from the second evaporator;
a solution heat exchanger (SHX) configured to
pre-heat the weak solution from the absorber,
pass the pre-heated weak solution to the generator, and
pre-cool the strong solution from the generator;

a second pump (P 2 ) configured to pump the weak solution from the absorber to the SHX; and
a third throttling valve (TV 3 ) configured to
pass the pre-cooled strong solution from the SHX to the absorber, and
reduce a pressure of the pre-cooled strong solution to a pressure of the absorber.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the ADRC subsystem includes
two adsorption chambers (AC- 1 and AC- 2 ) configured to alternatively and respectively perform as adsorber and desorber;
a fourth evaporator (E 4 ) configured to provide the fourth refrigerant effect with the fourth range of temperature by evaporating water flowing through the four evaporator into water vapor flowing to a first adsorption chamber of the two adsorption chambers performing as the absorber; and
a fourth condenser (C 4 ) configured to cool the water vapor from a second adsorption chamber of the two adsorption chambers performing as the desorber,
wherein the heated molten salt is cooled through the two adsorption chambers and returns to the cold molten salt storage tank of the SRC subsystem.

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Alazazmeh Ayman Jamal

Classifications

• F25B25/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00 · CPC title

• C02F2103/08

  Seawater, e.g. for desalination · CPC title

• B01D2313/243

  Pumps · CPC title

• F24S20/20

  Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants · CPC title

• F22B1/006

  using solar heat · CPC title