Solar thermal power system
US7735323B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 12, 2008 |
| Grant date | Jun 15, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 17, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/7072
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A solar thermal power generator includes an inclined elongated boiler tube positioned in the focus of a solar concentrator for generating steam from water. The boiler tube is connected at one end to receive water from a pressure vessel as well as connected at an opposite end to return steam back to the vessel in a fluidic circuit arrangement that stores energy in the form of heated water in the pressure vessel. An expander, condenser, and reservoir are also connected in series to respectively produce work using the steam passed either directly (above a water line in the vessel) or indirectly (below a water line in the vessel) through the pressure vessel, condense the expanded steam, and collect the condensed water. The reservoir also supplies the collected water back to the pressure vessel at the end of a diurnal cycle when the vessel is sufficiently depressurized, so that the system is reset to repeat the cycle the following day. The circuital arrangement of the boiler tube and the pressure vessel operates to dampen flow instabilities in the boiler tube, damp out the effects of solar transients, and provide thermal energy storage which enables time shifting of power generation to …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.