Device for controlling a working fluid according to a rankine cycle and method using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926812-B2
Application number	US-201113020938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2011
Priority date	Feb 11, 2010
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for controlling the working fluid with low freezing point circulating in a closed circuit ( 10 ) operating according to a Rankine cycle, said circuit including a compression pump ( 12 ) for the fluid in liquid form, a heat exchanger ( 22 ) swept by a hot source ( 28 ) for evaporation of said fluid, an expander ( 30 ) for expanding the fluid in vapor form and a cooling exchanger ( 40 ) swept by a cold source (F) for condensation of the working fluid. According to the invention, the device includes a fluid collection tank for draining said circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for controlling a working fluid with a low freezing point circulating in a closed circuit operating according to a Rankine cycle, the circuit comprising a compression pump for the fluid in liquid form, a heat exchanger swept by a hot source for evaporation of the fluid, expansion means for expanding the fluid in vapour form and a cooling exchanger swept by a cold source for condensation of the working fluid, characterized in that the device comprises a fluid collection tank provided outside and connected to the circuit and configured to drain the circuit while the circuit is turned off,
characterized in that the device comprises a first line connecting the circuit to the tank for draining off the fluid from the circuit into the tank and a second line connecting the tank to the circuit for filling the circuit with the fluid from the tank, at least one of the first line and the second line comprises a valve, and the second line for filling the circuit with the fluid from the tank includes a fluid circulation pump configured to drain the fluid from the tank into the circuit, and
characterized in that the tank comprises a heating system for the fluid contained in the tank.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the tank is an insulated tank.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the tank is an expansible tank.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that a capacity of the tank is larger than the volume of the fluid contained in the circuit.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the first line for draining off the fluid from the circuit into the tank and the second line for the filling circuit with the fluid from the tank comprises the fluid circulation pump.

6. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the first line for draining off the fluid from the circuit into the tank and the second line for the filling circuit with the fluid from the tank is connected to a point of a circulation line between the compression pump and the heat exchanger for evaporation of the fluid.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 , characterized in that the circulation line carries a valve arranged between the point and the heat exchanger for evaporation of the fluid.

8. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the fluid is water without an antifreeze additive.

9. The device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the hot source comes from an exhaust gas of an internal-combustion engine for a motor vehicle.

10. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tank is configured to drain substantially all of the fluid in the circuit.

11. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tank is disposed outside the circuit.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first line for draining off the fluid from the circuit into the tank and the second line for filling the circuit with the fluid from the tank are connected to a section of the circuit configured to feed the working fluid from the compression pump to the heat exchanger swept by the hot source for evaporation of the fluid.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a processing unit controlling the fluid circulation pump to stop operation of the fluid circulation pump after feeding all of the fluid from the tank into the circuit.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a processing unit configured to control the valve and the fluid circulation pump to drain the fluid from the circuit into the tank while the circuit is turned off.

15. A method of controlling a working fluid with a low freezing point circulating in a closed circuit operating according to a Rankine cycle, the circuit comprising a compression pump for the fluid in liquid form, a heat exchanger swept by a hot source for evaporation of the fluid, expansion means for expanding the fluid in vapour form and a cooling exchanger swept by a cold source for condensation of the working fluid, characterized in that the method comprises, while the circuit is turned off, transferring at least part of the fluid contained in the circuit into a tank provided outside and connected to the circuit, and
characterized in that the method further comprises draining the fluid from the tank into the circuit through a line connecting the tank to the circuit under the action of a circulation pump carried by the line connecting the tank to the circuit, and that the method comprises heating the fluid contained in the tank.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , characterized in that the method further comprises transferring the fluid to the tank, while the circuit is turned off, when the ambient temperature is below a freezing temperature of the fluid.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , characterized in that the method further comprises transferring the fluid contained in the tank to the circuit when the circuit is turned on.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 , characterized in that the method further comprises circulating the fluid in the line connecting the circuit to the tank under the action of the compression pump.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises, while the circuit is turned off, transferring substantially all of the fluid contained in the circuit into the tank.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the tank is disposed outside the circuit.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the line connecting the tank to the circuit is connected to a section of the circuit configured to feed the working fluid from the compression pump to the heat exchanger swept by the hot source for evaporation of the fluid.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein operation of the fluid circulation pump is stopped after feeding all of the fluid from the tank into the circuit.

23. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the hot source comes from the exhaust gas of an internal-combustion engine for a motor vehicle.

24. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said transferring at least part of the fluid contained in the circuit into a tank provided outside and connected to the circuit comprises transferring at least part of the fluid contained in the circuit into the tank through a line different from the line connecting the tank to the circuit under the action of a circulation pump through which the fluid from the tank is drained into the circuit.

Assignees

• Ternel Cyprien
• Leduc Pierre
• Duparchy Alexandre
• Ifp Energies Now

Inventors

• Ternel Cyprien
• Leduc Pierre
• Duparchy Alexandre

Classifications

• F01K13/00 Primary

  General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants · CPC title

• F01K23/065

  the combustion taking place in an internal combustion piston engine, e.g. a diesel engine · CPC title