Thermal energy recovery device and control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9797272-B2
Application number	US-201514672768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2015
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A thermal energy recovery device includes: a circulating flow path connected to a heater, an expander, a condenser and a circulating pump for circulating a working medium; a bypass valve in a bypass path connecting the upstream side region and the downstream side region of the expander in the circulating flow path; a power recovery machine connected to the expander; a circulating pump sending the working medium condensed in the condenser to the heater; a cooling medium pump sending a cooling medium to the condenser; an upstream side sensor detecting the pressure/temperature of the working medium on the expander upstream side in the circulating flow path; and a controller controlling the bypass valve and the cooling medium pump. The controller opens the bypass valve after stopping the circulating pump, and drives the cooling medium pump if the pressure/temperature of the working medium on the expander upstream side exceeds a threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal energy recovery device comprising:
a heater which heats a working medium by exchanging heat between a heat medium and the working medium;
an expander into which the working medium flowed out from the heater flows;
a power recovery machine connected to the expander;
a condenser which condenses the working medium flowed into from the expander by heat exchange with a cooling medium;
a circulating pump which sends the working medium condensed in the condenser to the heater;
a circulating flow path which connects the heater, the expander, the condenser and the circulating pump and through which the working medium circulates;
a bypass path which connects the region on the upstream side of the expander, in the circulating flow path, and the region on the downstream side of the expander;
a bypass valve provided in the bypass path;
a cooling medium pump which sends the cooling medium to the condenser;
a cooling medium flow path which connects the cooling medium pump and the condenser and through which the cooling medium circulates; and
a controller,
wherein, when a stoppage of the circulating pump is detected, the controller executes a communication control that is a control for communicating the heater and the condenser via the bypass path by opening the bypass valve, and executes a supply control that is a control for supplying the cooling medium to the condenser by driving the cooling medium pump in the cooling medium flow path in order to condense the working medium evaporated in the heater.

2. The thermal energy recovery device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor which is arranged in a pathway in the circulating flow path from the heater to the condenser and detects the pressure or temperature of the working medium,
wherein the controller executes the communication control ahead, and executes the supply control if a detection value of the sensor exceeds a threshold value.

3. The thermal energy recovery device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sensor which is arranged in a region between the heater and the expander in the circulating flow path and detects the pressure or temperature of the working medium,
wherein the controller executes the communication control and the supply control if a detection value of the sensor exceeds a threshold value.

4. The thermal energy recovery device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a shut-off valve which shuts off the working medium flowing into the expander,
wherein the controller closes the shut-off valve in time with the stoppage of the circulating pump.

5. A pressure control method at the time of stoppage of a thermal energy recovery device provided with a circulating flow path which circulates a working medium between a heater, an expander, a condenser, a circulating pump, and a power recovery machine connected to the expander, comprising:
a stopping step of stopping the circulating pump;
a communicating step of communicating the heater and the condenser via a bypass path by opening a bypass valve after the stopping step; and
a supplying step which is a control for supplying a cooling medium to the condenser by driving a cooling medium pump in a cooling medium flow path after the stopping step.

6. The control method of the thermal energy recovery device according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a detecting step of detecting the pressure or temperature of the working medium on the upstream side of the expander in the circulating flow path after the stopping step; and
a cooling step of sending the cooling medium to the condenser by operating the cooling medium pump if the pressure or temperature detected in the detecting step exceeds a threshold value.

Assignees

• Kobe Steel Ltd

Inventors

• Adachi Shigeto
• Fukuda Takayuki
• Hashimoto Koichiro

Classifications

• F01K25/08

  using special vapours · CPC title

• F01K13/02 Primary

  Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting · CPC title

• F01K21/00

  Steam engine plants not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F02G5/00

  Profiting from waste heat of combustion engines, not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F01K25/10

  the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether · CPC title