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US 10,767,513 B2Granted
Thermal electric power generator
AssigneePanasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
InventorsSubaru Matsumoto, Osao Kido, Atsuo Okaichi, Takumi Hikichi, Osamu Kosuda, Noriyoshi Nishiyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal electric power generator includes an evaporator, an expander, an electric generator, a condenser, and a pump. A working fluid used in the thermal electric power generator is an organic working fluid. The evaporator includes a heat exchanger, a bypass channel, and a flow rate adjustment mechanism. The bypass channel allows a heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger. The flow rate adjustment mechanism adjusts a flow rate of the heat medium to be supplied to the heat exchanger and a flow rate of the heat medium to be supplied to the bypass channel.
Claims18
A thermal electric power generator comprising:
- an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
- an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
- an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
- a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander;
- and
- a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
- a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
- a first damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium;
- and
- a controller including a processor and a memory storing a program,
- wherein the program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to perform:
- obtaining, by a sensor, an information indicating at least one selected from the group consisting of a pressure of the organic working fluid, a temperature of the organic working fluid and an amount of electric power generated by the electric generator;
- supplying a part of the heat medium to the heat exchanger so that the temperature of the organic working fluid in the heat exchanger remains lower than a thermal decomposition temperature of the organic working fluid based on the information;
- and
- supplying a remaining heat medium to the bypass channel.
12 more elements
A thermal electric power generator comprising:
- an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
- an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
- an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
- a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander;
- and
- a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
- a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
- a damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium;
- and
- a controller including a processor and a memory storing a program,
- wherein the program, when executed by the processor, causes the controller to perform:
- determining a pressure of the organic working fluid by a sensor;
- and
- supplying, based on the pressure, a part flow rate of the heat medium to the heat exchanger and a remaining part of the heat medium to the bypass channel by moving the damper.
11 more elements
A method for operating a thermal electric power generator, the thermal electric power generator including:
- an evaporator that includes a heat exchanger that allows heat exchange between a heat medium supplied from a heat source and an organic working fluid;
- an expander that extracts power from the organic working fluid heated at the evaporator;
- an electric power generator that converts the power extracted by the expander to electric power;
- a condenser that cools the organic working fluid having a reduced pressure reduced in the expander;
- and
- a pump that takes in the organic working fluid cooled by the condenser and ejects the organic working fluid to the evaporator;
- a bypass channel that allows the heat medium to bypass the heat exchanger;
- a first damper that is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium, the method comprising:
- obtaining, by a sensor, an information indicating at least one selected from the group consisting of a pressure of the organic working fluid, a temperature of the organic working fluid and an amount of electric power generated by the electric generator;
- supplying a part of the heat medium to the heat exchanger so that the temperature of the organic working fluid in the heat exchanger remains lower than a thermal decomposition temperature of the organic working fluid based on the information;
- and
- supplying a remaining heat medium to the bypass channel.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.