Potential energy-based power generation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9951746-B2
Application number	US-201314784593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2013
Priority date	Aug 21, 2013
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

A potential energy-based power generation system comprises a first reservoir disposed on an upper part of a building and configured to reserve water, a second reservoir located underground of the building and configured to reserve the water, a small hydro power generation unit including a small hydro power generation turbine to generate the power, a fuel cell power generation unit disposed at one side of the first reservoir and configured to generate the power using the hydrogen gas, an electrolysis device disposed in the second reservoir and configured to perform electrolysis for decomposition of the water into the oxygen and hydrogen gas by using the external power or the power generated by the small hydro power generation unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A potential energy-based power generation system comprising:
a first reservoir disposed on an upper part of a building and configured to reserve water;
a second reservoir located underground of the building and configured to reserve the water;
a first supply pipe connecting the first reservoir and the second reservoir for supplying the water from the first reservoir to the second reservoir;
a small hydro power generation unit configured to convert the potential energy of the water from the first reservoir into first power and comprising:
a small hydro power generation turbine disposed on the first supply pipe, and
a first power generator coupled to the small hydro power generation turbine;

a fuel cell power generation unit configured to generate second power by obtaining hydrogen gas and to store the water produced as a by-product in the first reservoir, the fuel cell power generation unit comprising
a fuel cell provided at one side of the first reservoir, and
a second power generator coupled to the fuel cell;

an electrolysis device disposed in the second reservoir and configured to perform electrolysis for decomposition of the water in the second reservoir into the hydrogen gas and oxygen gas;
a hydrogen transferring pipe connecting the electrolysis device and the fuel cell power generation unit for transferring the hydrogen gas produced from the electrolysis device to the fuel cell power generation unit;
a ground water-collecting source disposed separately from the first and second reservoirs;
a second supply pipe separate from the first supply pipe and connecting the ground water-collecting source with the first supply pipe to supply ground water by the potential energy of the ground water from the ground water-collecting source to the small hydro power generation turbine;
a third supply pipe configured to supply the ground water from the ground water-collecting source to the first reservoir; and
a first control valve being a three-way valve having three ports and disposed on the second supply pipe, wherein first and second ports of the first control valve are coupled to the second supply pipe for controlling an amount of the ground water from the ground water-collecting source to the small hydro power generation turbine, and a third port is coupled to the third supply pipe for controlling an amount of the ground water from the ground water-collecting source to the first reservoir.

2. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 further comprising:
a power converter for converting an external power or the first power generated by the small hydro power generation turbine into direct current to be supplied to the electrolysis device; and
an oxygen transferring pipe for transferring the oxygen gas produced from the electrolysis to an oxygen storage tank.

3. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 2 , wherein the hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell thereby generating the second power through electrochemical reaction.

4. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , further comprising
a first pump installed on the third supply pipe for transferring the ground water from the ground water-collecting source to the first reservoir, wherein the first pump is driven by an external power.

5. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the second power generated by the fuel cell power generation unit is transferred to a grid.

6. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 5 , wherein the first power generated by the small hydro power generation unit is transferred to the grid.

7. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen transferring pipe includes an inner pipe through which the hydrogen gas passes, and an outer pipe in which an inert gas is filled.

8. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the small hydro power generation unit generates the first power by the potential energy of the ground water from the ground water-collecting source in a case such that no water is supplied to the small hydro power generation unit from the first reservoir.

9. The potential energy-based power generation system of claim 1 , wherein the first power generated by the small hydro power generation unit is transferred to a grid.

10. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen and oxygen gas are transferred to the first reservoir and oxygen storage tank, respectively, without any extra power source.

11. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen gas is supplied to the fuel cell thereby generating the second power through electrochemical reaction.

12. The potential energy-based power generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first supply pipe is provided with a first second control valve for controlling an amount of the water supplied from the first reservoir.

Assignees

• Korea Inst Energy Res

Inventors

• Im Yong Hoon
• Lee Dong Hyun
• Lee Jae Yong

Classifications

• Y02E70/20

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F05B2220/61

  for hydrogen and/or oxygen production · CPC title

• H01M8/0656

  by electrochemical means (H01M8/065 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M2250/10

  Fuel cells in stationary systems, e.g. emergency power source in plant · CPC title

• Y02B90/14

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic