Dynamic leak control for system with working fluid
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsLance D. Woolley, Sean P. Breen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An organic rankine cycle system includes a sensor for sensing a condition indicative of pressure within the system and a control which responsively provides heat to said system when the pressure within the system is sensed to be at a predetermined threshold, near ambient pressure, during periods in which the system is shut down or preparing to operate. Provision is also made to remove the heat from the system when the pressure therein rises to a predetermined higher pressure threshold.
Claims10
A method of preventing migration of gases into a closed loop organic rankine cycle system during selected periods of time comprising the steps of:
- establishing a threshold pressure to be maintained in the closed loop organic rankine cycle system in order to prevent migration of gases therein when the closed loop organic rankine cycle system is in a shutdown condition;
- using a sensor, and sensing a characteristic indicative of the pressure within the closed loop organic rankine cycle system during the shutdown condition;
- comparing the established threshold pressure with the sensed characteristic indicative of the pressure within the closed loop organic rankine cycle system during the shutdown condition;
- and
- providing heat to said closed loop organic rankine cycle system to cause the pressure therein to rise above the threshold pressure when the pressure within the closed loop organic rankine cycle system is at or below the threshold pressure so as to prevent migration of gases into the closed loop organic rankine cycle system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.