Pumped heat energy storage system integrated with coal-fired energy generation unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12428979-B2
Application number	US-202218719424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2022
Priority date	Dec 14, 2021
Publication date	Sep 30, 2025
Grant date	Sep 30, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure provides pumped heat energy storage systems that can be integrated with a Coal Fired Energy Generation Unit (CF-EGU) to repurpose CF-EGUs as thermal energy storage systems. A pumped heat energy storage system of the present disclosure can store thermal energy by operating as a heat pump with heat discharge occurring as a result of heat engine operation of the pumped heat energy storage system and/or a steam cycle of the CF-EGUs to provide heating thereto. For example, thermal energy can be exchanged via working fluids flowing between the pumped heat energy storage systems and the CF-EGUs to drive turbines that provide power to generators while repurposing equipment from the CF-EGUs to create energy.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An integrated system ( 3500 ) comprising:
a pumped heat energy storage (“PHES”) system ( 3005 ) operable in charge mode to accept electrical energy and convert the accepted electrical energy into stored thermal energy, the PHES system ( 3005 ) comprising:
a first compressor system ( 830 ) and a first turbine system ( 840 );
a hot-side heat exchanger (“HHX”) system ( 500 );
a cold-side heat exchanger (“CHX”) system ( 600 );
a working fluid loop ( 300 ) comprising a charge-mode working fluid loop arranged to circulate a working fluid through, in sequence, the charge compressor system, the HHX system, the turbine system, the CHX system, and back to the charge compressor system,
wherein the PHES system in charge mode is configured to convert at least a portion of the accepted electricity into at least a portion of the stored thermal energy in a hot thermal storage medium (“HTS medium”) by transferring heat from the working fluid to heat the HTS medium; and,

a coal plant ( 1803 ), comprising:
a second turbine system that drives a generator, wherein the second turbine system is driven by a steam heated at least in part by the stored thermal energy in the hot HTS medium; and
a steam heat exchanger (“SHX”) system ( 1830 ) operable in generation mode to accept stored thermal energy from the PHES system ( 3005 ) and transfer the accepted thermal energy to the steam for use in the second turbine system, wherein the SHX system is configured to transfer heat from the hot HTS medium to provide the steam to drive the second turbine system,
wherein the coal plant is configured to provide return heat to the PHES system from steam from the second turbine system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the coal plant comprises a condenser system configured to receive at least a portion of the steam from the second turbine system for condensing, and to transfer heat to the PHES system.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the condenser system comprises a cooling heat exchanger system for communicating heat to the PHES system from a condenser coolant flow circulating in thermal contact with the portion of the steam from the second turbine system for condensing.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the condenser coolant flow is arranged in thermal contact with a cooling tower of the coal plant.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the cooling heat exchanger system is arranged to thermally contact the condenser coolant flow with cold thermal storage medium (“CTS medium”) of the PHES system to transfer heat from the coal plant to the CTS medium.

6. The system of any of claim 5 , wherein the cooling heat exchanger receives cold CTS medium from a cold CTS tank system ( 692 ) in fluid communication with the CHX system ( 600 ).

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the SHX system ( 1830 ) is formed as a molten salt steam generator (“MSSG”) that generates steam for the second turbine system with heat from the HTS medium.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the MSSG is configured to transfer heat from the HTS medium to provide steam for use in the second turbine system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the MSSG comprises a pre-heater, heater, and superheater each configured to transfer heat from the HTS medium to provide steam for use in the second turbine system.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the MSSG comprises a reheater configured to transfer heat from the HTS medium for reheating steam from a portion of the second turbine system.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein a return outlet temperature of HTS medium from the MSSG to the PHES system is about 310° C.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the SHX system receives the hot HTS medium from a hot HTS tank ( 520 ) in fluid communication with the HHX system ( 500 ).

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the PHES is configured without a discharge mode to provide net electricity.

Assignees

• Malta Inc

Inventors

• Truong Bao H
• Bollinger Benjamin R

Classifications

• F01K23/08

  with working fluid of one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle · CPC title

• F28D2020/0082

  Multiple tanks arrangements, e.g. adjacent tanks, tank in tank · CPC title

• F01K3/12

  having two or more accumulators · CPC title

• F01K7/38

  the engines being of turbine type · CPC title

• F02C6/14

  Gas-turbine plants having means for storing energy, e.g. for meeting peak loads · CPC title