Loading patent…
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRobert Z. Litwin, Adon Delgado, Jr., Michael P. Moriarty, Charles M. Jones
Estimating the term…
Systems and methods capable of producing electrical power from solar energy through the use of air cycles without fossil fuel combustion. The system includes a solar receiver, a generator, a compressor, and an expander. The expander is coupled to the generator to drive the generator and coupled to the compressor to drive the compressor. The system uses solar generated heat from the solar receiver to heat compressed air from the compressor. The solar generated heat can be directly transferred from the solar receiver to the compressed air as the compressed air flows through receiver tubes of the solar receiver, or the solar receiver can transfer the solar generated heat to a liquid metal, with the liquid metal transferring thermal energy to the compressed air. The expander receives and expands the heated compressed air to drive the generator to produce electricity, and to drive the compressor to compress air.
A system capable of producing electrical power from solar energy through the use of an air cycle without fossil fuel combustion, the system comprising:
A method of producing electrical power from solar energy through the use of an air cycle without fossil fuel combustion, the method comprising:
The method of claim 11, further comprising transferring thermal energy from the expanded air to the compressed air.
A method of producing electrical power from solar energy through the use of an air cycle without fossil fuel combustion, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.