Power plant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9512741-B2
Application number	US-201214237393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2012
Priority date	Aug 19, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A binary power generation device is equipped with the flow path of a medium circulating through a heat exchanger, a turbine, a condenser, and a pump. A method for removing air that has intruded into the flow path of the medium includes: an air intrusion detection step of calculating, based on the pressure and temperature of a gas retaining portion communicatively connected to the flow path of the medium, a pressure threshold value obtained by adding the saturated vapor pressure of the medium and a margin value and of detecting, by comparing the pressure of a gas phase portion with the pressure threshold value, that air has intruded into the medium; a medium liquefaction step of producing a gas by pressurizing a mixed gas of the medium and air to reduce the amount of the medium in the mixed gas; and an exhaust step of exhausting the gas.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power plant comprising:
a vaporizer configured to exchange heat between a medium having a lower boiling point than water and a geothermal heat source to generate a medium gas;
a turbine configured to receive a pressure of the medium gas supplied from the vaporizer to rotate;
an electric generator configured to be connected to the turbine;
a condenser configured to cool the medium gas discharged from the turbine, a cooling source of the condenser being the atmosphere;
a circulation pump configured to supply the medium discharged from the condenser to the vaporizer;
a medium flow path configured to pass through the vaporizer, the turbine, the condenser, and the circulation pump; and
an air removing device configured to remove air intruding into the medium, the air removing device comprising:
a gas retaining portion provided on an outlet side of the condenser and configured to retain a gas in the medium,
a pressure gauge configured to measure a pressure in the gas retaining portion,
a thermometer configured to measure a temperature in the gas retaining portion,
a controller configured to calculate a pressure threshold value based on a saturated vapor pressure value of the medium calculated using the temperature of the thermometer, and compare a pressure value of the pressure gauge and the pressure threshold value to determine whether or not the air has intruded into the medium, and
a releaser configured to release the gas in the gas retaining portion when it is determined that the air has intruded, the releaser including
a first chamber to which the gas retained in the gas retaining portion is transferred when the controller determines that the air has intruded,
a medium supplier configured to supply a liquid medium to the first chamber to compress the gas, the gas remaining in the first chamber being released after the medium is supplied, the medium supplier including
a liquid medium tank configured to store the liquid medium, and
a liquid medium feed pump configured to supply the liquid medium from the liquid medium tank to an inside of the first chamber,

a first valve provided in a pipe connecting the gas retaining portion and a lower portion of the first chamber,
a second valve provided in a pipe connecting the liquid medium feed pump and the first chamber,
a third valve provided in a pipe connecting an upper portion of the first chamber to a second chamber,
a fourth valve configured to release the gas from the second chamber, and
a fifth valve provided in a pipe connecting the gas retaining portion to the upper portion of the first chamber.

2. The power plant according to claim 1 , wherein, when determining that the air has intruded,
the controller controls the second valve and the third valve to be closed and the first valve and the fifth valve to be opened so that the gas in the gas retaining portion is transferred to the first chamber, and then controls the first valve and the fifth valve to be closed, the second valve to be opened, and the liquid medium feed pump to supply the liquid medium to the first chamber so that the gas is compressed, and
subsequently the controller controls the third valve to be opened while the fourth valve is closed so that the gas in the first chamber is transferred to the second chamber, and then controls the third valve to be closed and the fourth valve to be opened so that the gas in the second chamber is released to an outside of the second chamber.

3. The power plant according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a combustor configured to burn the medium remaining in the gas released from the second chamber; and
an air supply portion configured to supply an air to the combustor.

4. The power plant according to claim 3 , further comprising a sixth valve provided in a pipe connecting to the combustor to the air supply portion, the controller controlling opening degrees of the fourth valve and the sixth valve to adjust a flow rate.

5. The power plant according to claim 2 , comprising:
a combustor configured to burn the medium remaining in the gas released from the second chamber; and
an air supply portion configured to supply air to the combustor.

6. The power plant according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that the air has intruded when the pressure value of the pressure gauge is larger than the pressure threshold value.

7. The power plant according to claim 2 , wherein the controller determines that the air has intruded when the pressure value of the pressure gauge is larger than the pressure threshold value.

8. The power plant according to claim 3 , wherein the controller determines that the air has intruded when the pressure value of the pressure gauge is larger than the pressure threshold value.

9. The power plant according to claim 4 , wherein the controller determines that the air has intruded when the pressure value of the pressure gauge is larger than the pressure threshold value.

Assignees

• Myogan Ichiro
• Shibata Hiroaki
• Kawahara Yoshitaka
• Osawa Isamu
• KUBOTA Kokan
• Fuji Electric Co Ltd

Inventors

• Myogan Ichiro
• Shibata Hiroaki
• Kawahara Yoshitaka
• Osawa Isamu
• KUBOTA Kokan

Classifications

• F01K9/00 Primary

  Plants characterised by condensers arranged or modified to co-operate with the engines (by condensers structurally combined with engines F01K11/00; steam condensers per se F28B)(F01K23/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01K19/00

  Regenerating or otherwise treating steam exhausted from steam engine plant ({F01K3/006 takes precedence} plants characterised by use of means for storing steam in an alkali to increase steam pressure F01K5/00; returning condensate to boiler F22D) · CPC title

• F01K25/08 Primary

  using special vapours · CPC title

• F01K9/023

  Control thereof · CPC title