Rankine cycle and steam power plant utilizing the same
US7325400B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 9, 2004 |
| Grant date | Feb 5, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF01K21/00
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A steam power plant (100) implementing an improved Rankine cycle (55) wherein steam is injected (82, 96) directly into the energy addition portion of the plant, and the resulting two-phase flow is pressurized by multiphase pumps (88, 98). By relying more heavily on pump pressurization than on a temperature difference for energy injection, plant efficiency is improved over prior art designs since energy injection by pump pressurization results in less irreversibility than energy injection by temperature difference. Direct steam injection and multiphase pumping may be used to bypass the condenser (20), to replace any one or all of the feedwater heaters (24, 32, 34), and/or to provide additional high-pressure energy addition.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.