# US 2014/0311147 A1 · High performance steam power topping cycle

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- Number: US 2014/0311147 A1
- Document ID: US20140311147A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/216,408
- Filed: 2014-03-17
- Published: 2014-10-23
- Earliest claimed: 2013-03-15
- Assignees: Firestar Engineering, LLC
- Inventors: Gregory S. Mungas
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140311147A1

## CPC

- F01K 7/025: {Consecutive expansion in a turbine or a positive displacement engine}
- F01K 3/242: {delivering steam to a common mains}
- F01K 23/06: combustion heat from one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle
- F22B 27/00: Instantaneous or flash steam boilers
- Y02E 20/16: Combined cycle power plant [CCPP], or combined cycle gas turbine [CCGT]
- F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D)
- F22B: METHODS OF STEAM GENERATION; STEAM BOILERS
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A topping piston engine comprising:
a thermal energy input adapted to receive a quantity of thermal energy from a heat source at a first input temperature;
a reciprocating piston that converts a portion of the received thermal energy into work; and
a first heat exchanger coupled to an input of the reciprocating piston, the first heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat a fluid volume to generate work.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the first heat exchanger flash heats the fluid volume in less than 100 milliseconds.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the reciprocating piston converts the portion of the received thermal energy into work by providing for expansion and cooling of a fluid volume.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the first input temperature is greater than 650 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, further comprising:
a second heat exchanger adapted to couple a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to a low temperature power cycle, wherein the heat exchanger is adapted to transfer a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature to the low temperature power cycle for conversion into work.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The topping piston engine of claim 4, wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the fluid volume is initially a liquid that the first heat exchanger flash-heats into a gas.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, further comprising a pump coupled to the thermal energy input.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the first temperature is outside thermal operational limits of a steam turbine cycle.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, further comprising a burner that supplies heat to the thermal energy input.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the second heat exchanger condenses a gas output of the reciprocated piston into a liquid.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The topping piston engine of claim 1, wherein the second heat exchanger is adapted to transfer heat between a fluid volume downstream of the reciprocating piston and a working fluid of a low temperature power cycle.

### Claim 13

A method for producing high efficiency power, comprising:
receiving, at a first heat exchanger, a quantity of thermal energy from a heat source at a first input temperature, the first heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat a fluid volume; and
operating a reciprocating piston to convert a portion of thermal energy of the flash-heated fluid volume into work.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the first input temperature is greater than 650 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, further comprising:
transferring, via a second heat exchanger, a portion of remaining non-converted thermal energy from a thermal output of the reciprocating piston to an input of a low temperature power cycle for conversion into work, the remaining non-converted thermal energy at a second temperature lower than the first input temperature.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the transferring operation further comprises condensing a fluid volume output of the reciprocating piston.

### Claim 18 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the first heat exchanger flash-heats the fluid volume in less than 100 milliseconds.

### Claim 19 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the fluid volume is initially a liquid that the first heat exchanger flash-heats into a gas.

### Claim 20 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the reciprocating piston converts the portion of the received thermal energy into work from a fluid volume by providing for expansion and cooling of the fluid volume.

### Claim 21

A system comprising:
a heat exchanger adapted to flash-heat a pressurized fluid; and
a reciprocating piston with an input coupled to an output of the heat exchanger, the reciprocating piston adapted to accept the pressurized fluid at a first temperature and to release the pressurized fluid at a second temperature, the second temperature lower than the first temperature.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, further comprising:
a thermal coupling that transfers heat from the released, pressurized fluid to a low temperature power cycle to decrease the temperature of the pressurized fluid down to a third temperature lower than the second temperature.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The system of claim 22, wherein the low temperature power cycle is a steam turbine cycle.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature exceeds 650 degrees Celsius.