This application is the U.S. national stage of PCT Application No. PCT/SE2017/050043, filed Jan. 18, 2017, titled “A HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM AND A METHOD USING A HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM TO CONVERT HEAT INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY” which claims the benefit of and priority to Swedish Patent Application 1600014-3 filed on Jan. 20, 2016.
This invention relates to recovery and utilization of waste heat for power generation.
This invention addresses the fact that in power generation (power plants, combustion engines, combustion devices, refineries, industry) significant amounts of valuable energy are lost through hot exhaust gases.
A system using a steam turbine to convert the heat in said exhaust gases into useful energy, for example electrical energy, is established and proven technology. A steam turbine could extract thermal energy from exhaust gases independently of any ORC. However, this would require cooling of the steam exiting the steam turbine, and typically requires large and expensive condensation vessels operating under vacuum.
It is also technically feasible to extract more heat from exhaust gases, and to use such heat e.g. at 90° C. in Rankine cycles. However, at low temperatures corrosive substances will condense during heat extraction, possibly leading to severe corrosion problems. Ideally, usage of low temperatures for energy recovery is combined with proper methods for removal of sulfur, nitrogen oxides and other corrosives.
The disclosures and references presented below give a general picture of power plant technology and waste heat recovery systems.
US2013 0341 929A1 by Ralph Greif (University of California) et al describes a variation of the ORC cycle, referred to as Organic Flash Cycle. The authors describe general problems associated with power generation from saturated vapours, see section [0045].
U.S. Pat. No. 8,889,747 by Kevin DiGenova et al (BP, 2011) describes the use of ORC systems in combination with Fischer-Tropsch reactors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,258 (Brown Boveri, 1986) discloses general wet steam turbine technology.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,900,431 by George Atkinson et al (Parsons Brinckerhoff, 2006) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,817 by Hans Linhardt, 1987, also give interesting general background to wet steam turbine applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,614 (Westinghouse, 1973) discloses a power plant scheme including a combination of steam turbines and waste heat recovery by employing steam generators.
Various types of steam turbines are available, such as condensing, non-condensing, reheat, extraction and induction types, and the reader is referred to A. Stodola, “Steam and gas turbines”, McGraw Hill, and similar text books.
US20140069098A1 (Mitsubishi, 2012) discloses a power-generating device using an ORC which uses heat recovered from an exhaust gas treated in an exhaust gas treatment device, the power-generating device including a heat exchanger, an evaporator, a steam turbine, a power generator, a condenser, and a medium pump.
US20140352301A1 by Torsten Mueller (GM, 2013) discloses a waste heat recovery system for a motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,850,814 by Uri Kaplan (Ormat, 2009) discloses a waste heat recovery system using jacket cooling heat and exhaust gas heat. Here, jacket cooling heat is used to pre-heat a liquid organic working fluid which later is evaporated using heat from exhaust gases. Said heat is delivered in the form of expanded steam which has passed a steam turbine.
Despite the known solutions, there is still a need to provide an improved method and a simplified system for recovery and utilization of waste heat for power generation enabling use of low-cost equipment and where maximum use of exergy and easy control is provided.
An object of the invention is to provide such a system and method.
It is feasible and part of the invention to also employ an organic solvent instead of water, as used in the steam turbines, for energy recovery from the exhaust gases. The invention is arranged to recuperate heat from exhaust gases using heat exchangers, a steam turbine and an additional thermodynamic Rankine cycle, preferably an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) for recovery of heat at about 70-120° C.
It is also beneficial that the two heat sources, i.e. jacket cooling and exhaust gas, are supplying thermal input to separate systems and can produce energy independent of each other.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide a method and a system using where the different thermodynamic cycles included in the system can be used independent of the other to produce electrical energy. Thus, if one closed-loop thermodynamic system fails, the other still is operative.
A further benefit of the invention is also that the steam turbine utilising a second high temperature thermodynamic cycle is “cooled” using the second stream which is input to the first low temperature thermodynamic cycle.
Another object is to extract all energy generated by a heat generation unit, for example waste heat such as from exhaust gases, and convert it to electricity to the maximum extent possible, thus using maximum thermal input from all available heat streams.
The herein mentioned objects are achieved by a heat recovery system and a method performed by a such a heat recovery system for converting heat from a heat generating unit into electrical energy according to the appended claims.
Hence one aspect of the invention is a heat recovery system arranged to be used together with a first closed loop system configured as a first closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system, to convert heat from a heat generating unit into electrical energy, wherein said heat generating unit is arranged to generate at least one heat stream. Said heat recovery system comprises a second closed loop system configured as a closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system arranged to convert the heat in the at least one heat stream into a first batch of said electrical energy. The second closed-loop system comprises a circulating second system working medium, a first heat exchanger arranged to vaporize said second system working medium to become a vapour by transferring heat from said at least one waste heat stream to the first working medium, a turbine arranged to expand said second system working medium and produce energy to be extracted as the first batch of electrical energy and a second heat exchanger arranged to condensate said second system working medium to become a liquid. Said heat recovery system further comprises a third closed loop system comprising a circulating third system working medium. The third system working medium is arranged to be circulated through said second heat exchanger and acts as a condensation medium of said first working medium. Said second heat exchanger is arranged to transfer the condensation enthalpy of the vaporised second system working medium to said third system working medium and increasing its temperature. The heat from the third system working medium is arranged to be used as an initial thermal input to the first closed loop system configured as a closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system. Said first closed loop system is hereby arranged to convert heat from the third system working medium into a second batch of said electrical energy.
Said heat generating unit may be a power plant of any type, a combustion device, an engine, an incineration plant or the like. The said at least one heat stream may be exhaust heat generated by an exhaust gas system of the heat generating unit. The second closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system may use a high temperature thermodynamic cycle and the first closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system may use a low temperature thermodynamic cycle. The low temperature thermodynamic cycle may be an organic Rankine system.
In a heat recovery system according to the above, each closed-loop thermodynamic system can be used independent of the other to produce electrical energy. Thus, if one closed-loop thermodynamic system fails, the other still is operative. Further, here the second thermodynamic closed-loop system is used to boost the thermodynamic input to the first thermodynamic closed-loop system, hereby increasing the efficiency of the first thermodynamic cycle.
In one embodiment, the second closed-loop system of the heat recovery system further comprises a first control arrangement for controlling the circulation and/or pressurization of said second system working medium. In one embodiment, the pressure of said second system working medium directly after said turbine is controlled to be a pressure corresponding to the condensation temperature of said second system working medium. In one embodiment, wherein said second working medium is water, said pressure is controlled to be above atmospheric pressure, i.e. approximately around or above 1 bar. In one embodiment, said first arrangement for controlling the circulation and/or pressurization comprises at least one of a valve and a pump. It is of course possible to use more than one valve and/or pump to control the circulation and/or pressurization.
When the pressure of said second system working medium after the turbine is a pressure corresponding to the condensation temperature of said second system working medium, preferably near or above atmospheric pressure, less condensation occurs in the turbine and more in the second heat exchanger. At a pressure near or above atmospheric pressure at maximum 15% by weight of said second system working medium is condensed during said expansion step. More preferably a maximum 8% by weight is condensed, most preferably a maximum 3% by weight is condensed during said expansion step.
When the pressure of said second system working medium after the expansion is below atmospheric pressure, more condensation occurs in the turbine. Droplets of water in the turbine increase wear. Further, the efficiency of the heat recovery system decreases since less condensation enthalpy will be available in the second heat exchanger. With less available condensation enthalpy, the temperature increase of the third system working medium, acting as thermal input to the first closed-loop system, is lower. A lower thermal input to the first closed-loop system generates less energy.
In one embodiment, said heat generating unit is arranged to generate at least a first waste heat stream and a second waste heat stream, wherein the temperature of said first waste heat stream is higher than the temperature of said second waste heat stream, and wherein the waste heat recovery system is arranged to use the heat from the second heat stream as an initial thermal input to the third closed loop system.
This system utilises the heat from more than one heat source generated by the heat generating unit. Here, the third system working medium receives a stream of an initial temperature generated by the second heat source. The said initial temperature is increased by adding condensation enthalpy from the first closed-loop system.
In one embodiment, the second closed-loop system comprises at least two parallel turbines arranged to expand said second system working medium and to produce energy to be extracted as at least a part of said first batch of electrical energy.
When more than one turbine is used, it is possible to control the system to produce maximum power output even when the heat generating unit is generating a heat stream with a lower temperature than T1, e.g. if the heat generating unit is an engine working on part load.
In one embodiment, the third closed loop system comprises a pump arranged to create a controllable circulation and/or pressurization of said third system working medium in the third closed loop system.
Hereby, the heat transfer between the second system working medium and third system working medium is controlled so that essentially all vaporised second system working medium is condensed during the heat exchange and that the condensation enthalpy of the vaporised second system working medium is transferred to the third system working medium.
In one embodiment, the pump is arranged to pressurize the third closed loop system to a pressure above the pressure of the second system working medium before entering the second heat exchanger.
Hereby, internal boiling is prevented, particularly during shut down procedure.
In one embodiment, the circulation of the third system working medium through the second heat exchanger is arranged to be controlled in order maintain a predefined temperature difference between the temperature of the second system working medium entering the second heat exchanger and the temperature of the second system working medium exiting the second heat exchanger.
When a predefined temperature difference is maintained, it can be determined that essentially all vaporised second system working medium is condensed during the heat transfer and that the condensation enthalpy of the second system working medium is transferred to the third system working medium.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a method to use a heat recovery system together with a first closed loop system configured as a first closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system, to convert heat from a heat generating unit into electrical energy. Said heat generating unit is arranged to generate at least one heat stream. The heat recovery system comprises a second closed loop system comprising a second system working medium, wherein the second closed loop system is configured as a second closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system arranged to convert the heat in the at least one heat stream into a first batch of said electrical energy and a third closed loop system comprising a circulating third system working medium. The method comprises the steps: vaporizing said second system working medium to become a vapour by transferring heat from said at least one heat stream to the second system working medium, expanding said second system working medium and extracting a first batch of electrical energy, condensing said second system working medium to become a liquid having a lower heat enthalpy than said vapour. The method further comprises the steps: transferring the condensation heat enthalpy of the vaporised second system working medium to said third system working medium and increasing its temperature, using the heat from the third system working medium as an initial thermal input to the first closed loop system configured as a first closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system arranged to convert heat from the third system working medium into a second batch of said electrical energy.
In one embodiment, said method comprises the step of: controlling the pressure of said expanded second system working medium to be above atmospheric pressure.
In one embodiment, said method comprises the step of: using the heat from a second heat stream generated by said heat generating unit as an initial thermal input to the third closed loop system.
In one embodiment, said method comprises the step of: controlling the circulation and/or pressurization of said third system working medium. In one embodiment, the circulation of said third system working medium is controlled based on a measured temperature difference between the temperature of said second system working medium of the expanded and condensed second system working medium in order maintain a predefined temperature difference. In another embodiment, the pressurization of said third system working medium is controlled so that the pressure of the third system working medium is above the pressure in the expanded second system working medium.
In one embodiment, said method uses a heat recovery system according to any of embodiments of the first aspect of this invention.
In the following descriptions of embodiments are presented. Temperatures given should be interpreted with a margin of at least +/−5° C. Pressures given should be interpreted with a margin of at least +/−10%. The definition “thermodynamic cycle” can be any power generation cycle, including Rankine cycle, Organic Rankine cycle (ORC), and in the context of this text any process converting heat to mechanical energy and ideally to electrical energy.
The heat recovery system comprises a second closed-loop system S2 and a third closed loop system S3.
The second closed-loop system S2 is configured as a second closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system arranged to convert the heat in the at least one heat stream HS1 into a first batch E1 of said electrical energy E. The second closed-loop system S2 may be a high temperature thermodynamic cycle. The second closed-loop system S2 comprises a circulating second system working medium W2. Said second system working medium W2 is chosen as a medium changing phase between liquid and vapour at a certain vaporization temperature and to change phase between vapour and liquid at a certain condensation temperature. In one embodiment, the second system working medium W2 of the second closed-loop system S2 may comprise water or a solvent such as methanol, ethanol, acetone, isopropanol or butanol, or ketones or high-temperature stable silicone derivatives or freons/refrigerants. When the second system working medium W2 is water said condensation temperature is 100° C. corresponding to pressure near or above atmospheric pressure, i.e. 1 bar.
The second closed-loop system S2 comprises a first heat exchanger 2 arranged to vaporize said second system working medium W2 by transferring heat from said at least one waste heat stream HS1 to the second system working medium W2. The second system working medium W2 is preferably heated by the first heat stream HS1 at a nearly constant pressure in the first heat exchanger 3 to become a dry saturated vapour or steam. In one embodiment, when said first medium is water, said evaporation step will be resulting in steam at 170° C. and 6 bar. This vapour/steam is led through a pipe 5a to a turbine 3. The turbine 3 is arranged to expand said second system working medium W2 and produce energy to be extracted as the first batch of electrical energy E1. Said turbine 3 may be a steam turbine. This expansion step decreases the temperature and pressure of the vapour resulting in an expanded second system working medium having a specific temperature and pressure. A valve 10 can be used to create a pressure drop before the turbine 3. A controlled pressure drop before the turbine can ensure that the steam entering the turbine is superheated. The expanded vapour exiting said first turbine is lead through pipe 5b to a second heat exchanger 4. The second heat exchanger 4 is arranged to condensate said second system working medium W2 to become a liquid resulting in a condensed second system working medium having a specific temperature and pressure. Said second system working medium W2 is condensed at a nearly constant temperature. In one embodiment the temperature change is within the range 1-5° C. maximum. The second heat exchanger 4 thus acts as a condenser as well as a heat exchanger. Condensed steam is led through pipe 5c back to the first heat exchanger 2.
The second closed-loop system S2 also comprises a first control arrangement 8, 12 for controlling the circulation and/or pressurization of said second system working medium W2. Especially this control arrangement is used to control the pressure on the low pressure side of the turbine 3. Said first control arrangement may comprise a valve 8, or an adjustable restriction of any kind. The first control arrangement may also comprise a pump 12, see
The third closed loop system S3 comprising a circulating third system working medium W3. The third system working medium W3 is preferably mainly water, possibly with additives e.g. for anti-corrosion effect. The third system working medium W3 is not arranged to change phase during the circulation in the third closed loop system. The third system working medium W3 is circulated through the second heat exchanger 4. When the both the second system working medium W2 and the third system working medium W3 are passing through the second heat exchanger 4, the condensation enthalpy of the vaporised second system working medium W2 is transferred to the third system working medium W3. The third closed loop system S3 further comprises a second control arrangement 11, 14 for controlling the circulation and/or pressurization of said third system working medium W3 through thirds closed loop system S3 and the second heat exchanger 4. The second control arrangement 11, 14 comprises a pump 11 arranged to control the circulation of said third system working medium W3. The second control arrangement may also comprise a valve 14, see
The heat from the third system working medium W3 is used as an initial thermal input to a first closed loop system S1. The first closed loop system S1 is configured as a first closed-loop thermodynamic Rankine cycle system. The first closed loop system S1 is arranged to convert heat from the third system working medium W3 into a second batch E2 of said electrical energy E. The first closed-loop system S1 may be a low temperature organic Rankine thermodynamic cycle and is further described in
The third system working medium W3 is arranged to be circulated thorough said second heat exchanger 4 and act as a condensation medium of said second system working medium W2. In the second heat exchanger 4, preferably all or most of the condensation enthalpy from condensation of said second system working medium W2 is transferred to the third system working medium W3 supplying the first low temperature thermodynamic cycle used in the first closed-loop system S1. Said second heat exchanger 4 may be a tube and shell type heat exchanger. The first closed-loop system S1 can operate only using this third system working medium W3 as thermal input.
An arrangement for controlling the pressure comprising a valve 8 and/or a pump 12, may be placed before or after the second heat exchanger 4, to ensure flow of liquid second system medium W2 in the second closed-loop system S2 of this embodiment. A pump 12 may also be used in the first embodiment, show in
Heat supply to the first closed-loop thermodynamic system S1 by the first heat source HS1 and the optional second heat source, i.e. for example a) exhaust gas system and b) jacket cooling, are controlled by software and hardware controls (valves etc) for optimized heat utilization.
In one embodiment, also shown in
The first thermodynamic cycle system S1 requires cooling, these heat flows are not shown in
In
Exemplary Embodiments
a) Marine Engines
Hot jacket cooling water exits marine engines typically at 85° C., and is fed back into the engine at typically 75° C. Instead of cooling this heat with sea water, the heat is supplied to a thermodynamic cycle such as a Rankine cycle. Exhaust gases from marine engines are sent through a chimney at typically above 200° C. Within the exhaust gas system, heat is extracted such that the second system working medium W2, preferably water, is evaporated by the first heat exchanger 4, preferably providing steam at 170° C. and 6 bar. The first heat exchanger 4 is in this application usually named exhaust gas boiler, EGB. Said steam is used to drive a steam turbine 3 to produce electricity E1. Steam is expanded to and condensed at preferably 98° C. and at least to atmospheric pressure. The condensation heat is, to the maximum extent possible, transferred to the liquid input to the first closed-loop thermodynamic cycle S1. Practically, a second heat exchanger 4 may be employed in which condensate heat from the steam turbine 3 exit is transferred to incoming third system working medium, i.e. hot jacket cooling water, and said third system working medium, i.e. hot jacket cooling water, is raised in temperature from 85° C. to 95° C. This way, the first closed-loop thermodynamic cycle S1 can produce electricity using a temperature difference of (95−75=20° C.) instead of only (85−75=10° C.). The condensate from the steam turbine is pumped back to the exhaust gas system, for the steam turbine cycle to start again. Heat supply to the thermodynamic cycle by a) jacket cooling and b) exhaust gas system are controlled by software and hardware controls (valves etc) for optimized heat utilization.
In a practical embodiment, hot jacket cooling water, i.e. third system working medium W3, provides 50% of the thermal input to the first closed-loop thermodynamic cycle, and heat from the exhaust gas recovery, i.e. second system working medium W2, provides the remaining 50% of the thermal input, as apparent from the temperature data given above. In this arrangement, the first closed-loop thermodynamic cycle S1 produces some 70% of the totally extractable electricity whilst the second closed-loop thermodynamic cycle S2, utilizing the steam turbine, produces the remaining 30%.
In one embodiment, 150 kW are produced by the thermodynamic cycle fed by 82° C. jacket cooling water, lifted to 95° C. by heating with condensate from the steam turbine cycle. Jacket cooling is fed back to the engine at 72° C. 170° C. steam is driving a steam turbine producing an additional 54 kW at a turbine efficiency of 60% (steam quality=0.96, mass flow=0.3 kg/s).
b) Land-based Generator Sets for Electricity Production
Essentially, land based generator sets are almost identical to large ship engines. The methods described under a) can be used with minor modifications.
c) Power Plants and Industrial Waste Heat
The system and method according to the invention can universally be applied where the following is available: an initial second system working medium temperature is at least 40° C. or preferably more than 60° C. higher than the initial third system medium temperature. The initial second system working medium temperature depend on the temperature T1 of the first heat source. In one embodiment of the invention, the initial third system working medium temperature depend on the temperature T2 of the second heat source HS2. In many industries and power plants, e.g. in the steel, aluminium and metal industry, in biomass, waste incineration and other power plants, in the cement, paper, chemical, oil refining and many other industries, the initial temperature of the third system working medium is e.g. 60-100° C. Initial temperature of the second system working medium is in these cases above 140° C.
Applications are also feasible where hot exhaust gases are used as thermal input for power generation by (steam) turbines, and the condensation enthalpy from said steam turbines is used for increasing the temperature of the thermal input of thermodynamic cycles including ORC and specifically including Climeon's C3 thermodynamic cycle. The first thermal input to the thermodynamic cycle may come from a different source.
d) Other Embodiments
In one embodiment, the initial third system working medium temperature is at a temperature of 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 or 120° C. or more. In this case, the first heat stream, typically from exhaust gases, may provide condensation enthalpy from condensing a working medium, typically water. The working points of the steam turbine may be set such that e.g. steam condenses at 110° C. and a pressure of above 1.5 bar.
In one embodiment, a stream of low temperature third working fluid at 55-75° C. used in the first low temperature thermodynamic cycle, such as available in the paper industry, is contacted or heat-exchanged with a second stream of high temperature second system working fluid W2 used in the first high temperature thermodynamic cycle, i.e. condensate downstream of a steam turbine which is powered by exhaust gases, with the purpose to increase the temperature of the heat input to the first low temperature thermodynamic cycle to e.g. 75-95° C. In a sense, the stream of third system working medium W3 serves as highly efficient cooling source for the condensation of steam downstream of the steam turbine.
In one embodiment, steam turbines employed are of axial or radial type. Axial turbines tolerate up to about 13% by weight liquid droplets. For radial turbines, less practical experience is available, but liquid contents up to 10% are considered acceptable.
In one embodiment relevant for the metal industry, waste heat from hot rolling of steel or from hot minerals produced during metal, e.g. iron, production is extracted, representing the first heat source HS1.
It should be understood that above embodiments are merely examples of useful arrangements and temperature/pressure/medium combinations to achieve the objective of the invention, namely to utilize waste heat from various processes including combustion processes efficiently and convert said waste heat to useful energy, preferably electricity.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to restrict the invention to the variants described. Many modifications and variations will obviously be apparent to one skilled in the art.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1600014 | Jan 2016 | SE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/SE2017/050043 | 1/18/2017 | WO | 00 |
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WO2017/127010 | 7/27/2017 | WO | A |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20190120088 A1 | Apr 2019 | US |