Granted Patent B2

US 10,077,683 · App. 14/776,200 · Granted Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

Claims (57)

1. A heat engine system, comprising:

a working fluid circuit having a high pressure side and a low pressure side and being configured to flow a working fluid therethrough, wherein at least a portion of the working fluid circuit contains the working fluid in a supercritical state, and the working fluid comprises carbon dioxide;

a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit, configured to be fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with a heat source, and configured to transfer thermal energy from the heat source to the working fluid within the high pressure side;

an expander fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and disposed between the high pressure side and the low pressure side and configured to convert a pressure drop in the working fluid to mechanical energy;

a driveshaft coupled to the expander and configured to drive a device with the mechanical energy;

a system pump fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit between the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to circulate or pressurize the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;

a recuperator fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and operative to transfer thermal energy between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit;

a cooler in thermal communication with the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to remove thermal energy from the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit; and

a mass management system fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and comprising:

an inventory transfer line fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to transfer the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit on the low pressure side;

a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to receive, store, and dispense the working fluid;

a system transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit; and

a tank transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the mass control tank.

2. The heat engine system of claim 1 , wherein the system transfer valve and the tank transfer valve each comprises an isolation shut-off valve or a modulating valve.

3. A method for transferring the working fluid between the mass management system and the working fluid circuit within the heat engine system of claim 1 , comprising:

providing the system transfer valve in a closed position and the tank transfer valve in an opened position;

circulating the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;

providing a high pressure in the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a high pressure threshold range;

providing a low pressure in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a low pressure threshold range;

monitoring the low pressure via a process control system operatively connected to the working fluid circuit;

detecting an undesirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the undesirable value is less than or greater than the low pressure threshold range;

adjusting the system transfer valve to an opened position;

transferring the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank;

detecting a desirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the desirable value is within the low pressure threshold range; and

adjusting the system transfer valve to the closed position.

4. A heat engine system, comprising:

a working fluid circuit having a high pressure side and a low pressure side and being configured to flow a working fluid therethrough, wherein at least a portion of the working fluid circuit contains the working fluid in a supercritical state, and the working fluid comprises carbon dioxide;

a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit, configured to be fluidly coupled to and in thermal communication with a heat source, and configured to transfer thermal energy from the heat source to the working fluid within the high pressure side;

an expander fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and disposed between the high pressure side and the low pressure side and configured to convert a pressure drop in the working fluid to mechanical energy;

a driveshaft coupled to the expander and configured to drive a device with the mechanical energy;

a system pump fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit between the low pressure side and the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to circulate or pressurize the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;

a recuperator fluidly coupled to the working fluid circuit and operative to transfer thermal energy between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit;

a cooler in thermal communication with the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to remove thermal energy from the working fluid in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit; and

a mass management system fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and comprising:

an inventory transfer line fluidly coupled to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to transfer the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit on the low pressure side;

a mass control tank fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to receive, store, and dispense the working fluid;

a system transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the working fluid circuit;

a tank transfer valve coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the transfer of the working fluid from and to the mass control tank; and

a transfer pump in fluid communication with the mass control tank and the inventory transfer line and configured to control the pressure of a section of the inventory transfer line disposed between the system and tank transfer valves.

5. The heat engine system of claim 4 , wherein the system transfer valve and the tank transfer valve each comprises an isolation shut-off valve or a modulating valve.

6. The heat engine system of claim 4 , wherein the transfer pump is configured to transfer the working fluid from the mass control tank to the working fluid circuit.

7. The heat engine system of claim 4 , further comprising a transfer pump line fluidly coupled to and disposed between the mass control tank and the inventory transfer line.

8. The heat engine system of claim 4 , further comprising a restricted flow device fluidly coupled within the inventory transfer line and disposed between the system and tank transfer valves, wherein the restricted flow device is configured to reduce a flowrate of the working fluid flowing from the system transfer valve towards the tank transfer valve.

9. The heat engine system of claim 8 , further comprising a bypass line in fluid communication with the inventory transfer line and configured to circumvent the restricted flow device, wherein a first end of the bypass line is fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and disposed between the system transfer valve and the restricted flow device, and a second end of the bypass line is fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and disposed between the tank transfer valve and the restricted flow device.

10. The heat engine system of claim 8 , further comprising a bypass valve fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the flow of the working fluid circumventing the restricted flow device.

11. A method for transferring the working fluid between the mass management system and the working fluid circuit within the heat engine system of claim 4 , comprising:

providing the system transfer valve in an opened position and the tank transfer valve in a closed position;

circulating the working fluid within the working fluid circuit;

providing a high pressure in the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a high pressure threshold range;

providing a low pressure in the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit within a low pressure threshold range;

pressurizing, with the transfer pump, the section of the inventory transfer line disposed between the system and tank transfer valves to a transfer pressure within the low pressure threshold range;

monitoring the low pressure via a process control system operatively connected to the working fluid circuit;

detecting an undesirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the undesirable value is less than or greater than the low pressure threshold range;

adjusting the tank transfer valve to transfer the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank;

detecting a desirable value of the low pressure via the process control system, wherein the desirable value is within the low pressure threshold range; and

adjusting the tank transfer valve to the closed position.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising modulating the system transfer valve while transferring the working fluid between the working fluid circuit and the mass control tank.

Assignments (3)

Cited By (10)

US 12,305,624 US 12,312,981 US 12,331,664 US 12,359,613 US 12,385,474 US 12,428,979 US 12,428,989 US 12,454,896 US 12,516,855 US 12,534,990