Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F03—MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; WIND, SPRING, OR WEIGHT MOTORS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03G—SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F03G6/00—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy
  • F03G6/003—Devices for producing mechanical power from solar energy having a Rankine cycle
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F22—STEAM GENERATION
  • F22B—METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
  • F22B1/00—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method
  • F22B1/006—Methods of steam generation characterised by form of heating method using solar heat
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S20/00—Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments
  • F24S20/20—Solar heat collectors for receiving concentrated solar energy, e.g. receivers for solar power plants
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
  • F24S23/00—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors
  • F24S23/70—Arrangements for concentrating solar-rays for solar heat collectors with reflectors
  • F24S2023/87—Reflectors layout
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
  • Y02E10/46—Conversion of thermal power into mechanical power, e.g. Rankine, Stirling or solar thermal engines

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates generally to a solar steam generator, and more particularly, to a solar steam generator having a continuous moving bed (CMB) of energy absorbing material.
• CMB continuous moving bed
• a solar generator includes a solar receiver for heating a heat transfer fluid by concentrating solar radiant energy collected by a plurality of mirrors and/or heliostats on the receiver.
• the temperature of the heat transfer fluid decreases or cools down, resulting in energy loss and a need for increased recovery time to re-heat the heat transfer fluid once sufficient solar radiant energy is again provided to the solar receiver.
• a solar generation and storage system includes a solar receiver having an inlet and an outlet such that a stream of particulate material flows therethrough and absorbs heat of solar radiant energy provided to the solar receiver.
• a first chamber having an inlet is coupled to the receiver. The first chamber receives the heated stream of particulate material from the solar receiver.
• a first tube is disposed in the first chamber. The first tube includes a heat transfer fluid passing therethrough. In one embodiment, in the first chamber the heated stream of particulate material flows past the first tube transferring heat to the heat transfer fluid and cooling the heated stream of particulate material.
• the system also includes a second chamber that receives the cooled stream of particulate material, and a transport conduit that carries the cooled stream of particulate material to the inlet of the solar receiver.
• the heat transfer fluid includes at least one of water and steam.
• the heat transfer fluid When heated, the heat transfer fluid includes at least one of steam, reheated steam and superheated steam.
• the first tube includes a plurality of tubes.
• a second tube of the plurality of tubes includes water and generated steam.
• At least a third tube of the plurality of tubes includes steam, reheated steam and superheated steam.
• the solar generation and storage system further includes at least one first particulate control valve that controls the flow of the particulate material from the first chamber to the second chamber.
• the solar generation and storage system may also include a particulate separator included in the solar receiver that receives the particulate material from the second chamber.
• the system further includes at least a second particulate control valve that controls the flow of the particulate material from the second chamber to the solar receiver, and in one embodiment the second particulate control valve controls the flow to the separator.
• FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a solar receiver portion of a steam generation and storage system, in accordance with one embodiment
• FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a continuous motion bed (CMB) arrangement of the solar receiver of FIG. 1 , included within a steam generation and storage system in accordance with one embodiment;
• CMB continuous motion bed
• FIG. 3 is schematic diagram of the CMB solar receiver steam generation and storage system of FIG. 2 incorporated into a steam turbine-generator system in accordance with one embodiment; and [0013] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the CMB solar receiver steam generation and storage system of FIG. 2 incorporated into a chemical process system, in accordance with yet another embodiment.
• a solar receiver 10 is disposed on a tower 12 in proximity to a plurality of solar collectors 14 such as, for example, mirrors or heliostats.
• An exemplary solar generator including the solar receiver 10 is described in the above identified commonly assigned, co- pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/045,361.
• the solar collectors 14 direct solar radiant energy 15 from the sun 16 to the solar receiver 10.
• the collectors 14 have a curved or flat configuration, and are independently adjustable in response to the relative position of the sun 16.
• one or more of the collectors 14 are controlled by one or more control devices (not shown) to detect and track the relative position of the sun 16 as it moves during a period of time. As such, the collectors 14 periodically adjust according to a current position of the sun 16 to reflect the solar radiant energy 15 (e.g., sunlight) onto the receiver 10, thereby heating the receiver 10 and a heat transfer medium 30 provided to the receiver 10 through an inlet conduit 18 and carried from the receiver 10 through an outlet conduit 20.
• the solar radiant energy 15 e.g., sunlight
• FIG. 2 illustrates the receiver 10 of FIG. 1 employed within a continuous moving bed (CMB) solar steam generation and storage system 100 for the production of steam during both periods of receipt of increased solar radiant energy (e.g., daylight) and periods of receipt of decreased solar radiant energy (e.g., at night or on cloudy days).
• the system 100 generates and stores thermal energy for process purposes.
• the receiver 10 contains a flowing stream of particulate material 30 that absorbs solar radiation 15 as particles within the flowing stream 30 pass through a portion 11 of the receiver 10 and through concentrated beams of solar radiation 15 provided by the solar collector field 14.
• the particles of the stream of particulate material 30 are comprised of granular particulate having a particle size that is selected to maximize heat storage, while minimizing a temperature difference between surface and average internal regions of the particles.
• Other factors of interest in selecting the particle size include, for example, aerodynamic considerations to prevent particle loss due to wind currents at the receiver interface, particle thermal transport properties and density, and economic considerations such as, for example, material cost and availability. As can be appreciated, all of these considerations are optimized in selecting preferred particle sizes.
• the stream of particulate material 30 is passed from the receiver 10 at a temperature in a range of, for example, about one thousand five hundred to about two thousand degrees Fahrenheit (1500 0 F to 2000 0 F, about 816 0 C to about 1093 0 C) into a first chamber 40 such as, for example, a hot storage chamber 40 coupled to the receiver 10.
• the first chamber 40 includes a steam generating tube bundle 42 located in a portion of the first chamber 40.
• the tube bundle 42 includes a heat transfer fluid.
• the steam generating tube bundle 42 is located in a lower portion 44 of the first chamber 40.
• the steam generating tube bundle 42 generates, regenerates and superheats steam 46 from the heat transfer fluid and the steam 46 is directed to one or more steam turbine- generators 202 (FIG. 3), a petrochemical cracking tower 302 (FIG. 4), or as process steam for use in other commercial and/or industrial processes.
• the hot particulate material 30 flows into the first chamber 40, circulates and flows past the steam generating tube bundle 42 by, for example, gravity flow and/or mechanically assisted flow (e.g., is pumped into and about the chamber 40), such that steam is generated, regenerated and/or super heated from the heat transfer fluid and/or steam in the tube bundle 42.
• gravity flow and/or mechanically assisted flow e.g., is pumped into and about the chamber 40
• steam is generated, regenerated and/or super heated from the heat transfer fluid and/or steam in the tube bundle 42.
• the tube bundle 42 includes a plurality of tubes, one or more of the plurality of tubes having extended surfaces such as, for example, fins, ribs, and the like, to increase a rate at which heat transfers to the tube bundle 42.
• the fins may also reduce weight and/or cost of manufacture and maintenance of the tube bundle 42 and portions thereof. It should be appreciated that by holding a supply of heated particulate material 30 in the first chamber 40 and permitting it to circulate about and/or flow past the tube bundle 42 steam may be generated and/or regenerated (e.g., superheated and/or reheated) during periods of time when the receiver 10 is receiving a decreased amount or intensity of solar radiant energy 15 (e.g., at night or on cloudy days).
• a flow rate of the stream of particulate material 30 out of the first chamber 40 is controlled by one or more flow control valves 50 coupled to an output 48 of the first chamber 40 and, for example, downstream of the flow about the steam generating tube bundle 42.
• the cooled particulate material 30 passes through the flow control valves 50 to a second chamber 60 such as, for example, a cold storage chamber 60.
• the control valves 50 cooperate to control the amount of particulate material 30 passing through, circulating about and/or flowing past the tube bundle 42 and, thus, control the amount, temperature, pressure and/or intensity of steam generated by the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100.
• the inventors have found it advantageous to control the flow of particulate material 30 from the first chamber 40 during the periods of increased receipt of solar radiant energy (e.g., during daylight periods) so that the first chamber 40 slowly fills with hot particulate material 30 during such increased receipt periods for current and subsequent use.
• the inventors have found it advantageous to control the flow of particulate material 30 from the first chamber 40 during the periods of decreased receipt of solar radiant energy (e.g., during night time or cloudy day periods) so that the first chamber 40 maintains within and continues to permit circulation and flow of the hot particulate material 30 past the tube bundle 42 during such decreased receipt periods such that steam continues to be generated, regenerated and/or super heated during such periods.
• particle flow rates and size of the chambers 40 and 60 are selected to permit continuous operation at full load over, for example, a twenty-four (24) hour time period.
• the cooled particulate material 30 is passed from the first chamber 40 at a temperature in a range of about three hundred to about five hundred degrees Fahrenheit (300 0 F to 500 0 F, about 149 0 C to about 26O 0 C) into the second chamber 60 coupled to the control valves 50.
• the particulate material 30 is removed or drained from the second chamber 60 into a transport conduit 70 such as, for example, a pneumatic transport conduit 70, through one or more particulate control valves 72 at an output 62 of the second chamber 60.
• the transport conduit 70 carries the particulate material 30 to the inlet conduit 18 of the receiver 10.
• a cyclone 80 is coupled to the inlet conduit 18 in, for example, the receiver 10 to remove, for example, air or gas 82 used within the transport conduit 70 to drive the particulate material 30 back to the receiver 10.
• the particulate material 30 accumulates and drains from the cyclone 80 into the portion 11 of the receiver 10 to expose the particulate material 30 to the concentrated beams 15 from the solar field 14 and to complete the flow cycle of particulate material 30 through the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100.
• the size and/or storage capacity of one or more of the receiver 10, the first chamber 40, the second chamber 60 and the steam generator tube bundle 42 are selected to optimize steam generation during one or more of periods of increased receipt of solar radiant energy (e.g., during periods of sunlight) and decreased receipt of solar radiant energy (e.g., during cloudy day or night time periods).
• FIG. 3 illustrates the integration of the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100 into a steam- electric power generation system 200 having one or more turbines 202.
• the steam 46 generated in the steam generating tube bundle 42 is directed to the one or more steam turbines 202 to drive the turbines and a generator 204 coupled thereto to generate electricity E.
• FIG. 3 illustrates the integration of the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100 into a steam- electric power generation system 200 having one or more turbines 202.
• the steam 46 generated in the steam generating tube bundle 42 is directed to the one or more steam turbines 202 to drive the turbines and a generator 204 coupled thereto to generate electricity E.
• FIG. 3 illustrates the integration of the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100 into a steam- electric power generation system 200 having one or more turbines 202.
• the steam 46 generated in the steam generating tube bundle 42 is directed to the one or more steam turbines 202 to drive the turbines and a generator 204 coupled thereto to generate electricity E.
• the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100 is integrated into a chemical processing system 300 such as, for example, to provide steam to a petrochemical cracking tower 302 where the high temperature steam is used to break relatively large hydrocarbons (e.g., heavy crude oil) into smaller hydrocarbons (e.g., gasoline, kerosene, etc.) and other chemicals and materials.
• the CMB solar steam generation and storage system 100 provides the steam 46 to a steam reforming process such as, for example, a steam methane reforming (SMR) process for producing hydrogen (H 2 ).
• SMR steam methane reforming

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Sustainable Energy (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engine Equipment That Uses Special Cycles (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
• Central Heating Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

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• 2009
  • 2009-04-13 CN CN2009801141998A patent/CN102007294A/zh active Pending
  • 2009-04-13 WO PCT/US2009/040338 patent/WO2009129170A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2009-04-13 EP EP09733374A patent/EP2289151A2/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2010
  • 2010-09-19 IL IL208227A patent/IL208227A0/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2010-10-15 MA MA33249A patent/MA32229B1/fr unknown

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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