Hybrid solar and fuel-fired steam generation system and method
AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.
InventorsCraig Bradley Edward Wildman, Emmanouil Kasseris
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Abstract
A method of generating steam using a combination of fuel and solar energy includes delivering liquid to a fuel-fired steam generator operating at least at partial load during a first time period, delivering liquid to a solar steam generator operating at least at partial load during a second time period, delivering saturated steam to a steam separator from at least one of the operating fuel-fired or solar steam generator, and delivering saturated vapor from the steam separator to a steam distribution system.
Claims16
A method of generating steam using a combination of fuel and solar energy, the method comprising:
- delivering liquid to a fuel-fired steam generator operating at least at partial load during a first time period;
- delivering liquid to a solar steam generator operating at least at partial load during a second time period;
- delivering saturated steam to a steam separator from at least one of the operating fuel-fired or solar steam generator;
- and
- delivering saturated vapor from the steam separator to a steam distribution system.
A steam generator system using a combination of fuel and solar energy, the system comprising:
- a fuel-fired steam generator operable at least at partial load during a first time period to generate saturated steam;
- a solar steam generator operable at least at partial load during a second time period to generate saturated steam, the solar steam generator further operable at about a beginning of the second time period to send heated water to the fuel-fired steam generator;
- and
- a steam separator common to at least one of the fuel-fired and solar steam generators, the steam separator configured to send saturated vapor to a steam distribution system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.