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Title:
THERMAL POWER STATION WITH REDUCED EMISSION AND PROCEDURE FOR ITS USE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2017/064541
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The invention is a power station with reduced emission, which is fitted with a boiler (1), uptake (2), chimney (3), steam turbine (5), CO2 container (9), condenser (17), fuel pipe (14), and air inlet pipe (15), and the CO2 container (9) is connected to the condenser (17), and the boiler (1) is suitable by design for incinerating coal and/or other fuel with oxygen. It is characterized in that it has a turbine CO2 pipe (4), exhaust CO2 pipe (6), and a liquid CO2 pipe (8), and the turbine CO2 pipe (4) is located between the boiler (1) and the steam turbine (5), and the exhaust CO2 pipe (6) is located between the steam turbine (5) and the condenser (17), and the steam turbine (5) is suitable by design for operating without water steam and converting the thermal energy of the CO2 steam. The subject of the invention also includes the procedure for its use.

Inventors:
CSEH PETER (HU)
MOLNAR PAL (HU)
Application Number:
PCT/IB2015/058666
Publication Date:
April 20, 2017
Filing Date:
November 10, 2015
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
CSEH PETER (HU)
MOLNAR PAL (HU)
International Classes:
F01K13/00; F01K25/10
Domestic Patent References:
WO2014127913A22014-08-28
WO1997007329A11997-02-27
Foreign References:
US8826638B12014-09-09
EP0127092A11984-12-05
US5724805A1998-03-10
US6148602A2000-11-21
US20110311429A12011-12-22
JP2012180742A2012-09-20
CN102628401A2012-08-08
CN102305109A2012-01-04
CN103372365A2013-10-30
CN104157891A2014-11-19
CN101130151A2008-02-27
CN102784546A2012-11-21
CN103272467A2013-09-04
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Claims:
CLAIMS

1. Power station with reduced emission, which is fitted with a boiler (1), uptake (2), chimney (3), steam turbine (5), CO2 container (9), condenser (17), fuel pipe (14), and air inlet pipe (15), and the CO2 container (9) is connected to the condenser (17), and the boiler (1) is suitable by design for incinerating coal and/or other fuel with oxygen, characterized in that it has a turbine CO2 pipe (4), exhaust CO2 pipe (6), and a liquid CO2 pipe (8), and the turbine CO2 pipe (4) is located between the boiler (1) and the steam turbine (5), and the exhaust CO2 pipe (6) is located between the steam turbine (5) and the condenser (17), and the steam turbine (5) is suitable by design for operating without water steam and converting the thermal energy of the CO2 steam.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that a liquid CO2 pipe (8) is located between the condenser (17) and the boiler (1) in order to re-use CO2.

3. Any of the devices according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has a CO2 capturing unit (10), and the CO2 capturing unit (10) is connected to the condenser (17).

4. Any of the devices according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has an oxygen pipe (12) and an air separator (13).

5. Any of the devices according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has a methanol producing unit (11).

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that the methanol producing unit (11) is connected to the condenser (17) through a liquid CO2 pipe (8).

7. Any of the devices according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that an oxygen pipe (12) is located between the methanol producing unit (11) and the boiler (1) to return the oxygen.

8. Any of the devices according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it has an SO2 capturing unit (7) and/or a dust separator (16).

9. Procedure for using the power station according to claim 1, in the course of which coal and/or other fuel is channelled into the boiler (1) through the fuel pipe (14), and air is channelled through the air inlet pipe (15), and coal and/or other fuel is incinerated in the boiler (1), characterized in that CO2 is channelled into the steam turbine (5) through the turbine CO2 pipe (4) without adding water steam, and the thermal energy of the overheated CO2 steam is converted into mechanical energy in the steam turbine (5), and the waste CO2 - which is free of water steam - is channelled into the condenser (17) for further use, and the CO2 is condensed into a liquid state in the condenser (17).

10. The procedure according to claim 9, characterized in that an air separator (13) is connected to the air inlet pipe (15), and oxygen is channelled to the boiler (1) from the air separator (13) through an oxygen pipe (12).

11. Any of the procedures according to claims 9 to 10, characterized in that a methanol producing unit (11) is connected to the condenser (17) through a liquid CO2 pipe (8), and methanol is produced in the methanol producing unit (11) by processing CO2.

12. The procedure according to claim 11, characterized in that the liquefied CO2 is channelled from the condenser (17) into the boiler (1) and/or the CO2 container (9) and/or the methanol producing unit (11) through the liquid CO2 pipe (8).

13. Any of the procedures according to claims 11 to 12, characterized in that oxygen is channelled back from the methanol producing unit (11) into the boiler (1) through the oxygen pipe (12).

Description:
Thermal power station with reduced emission and procedure for its use

The subject of the invention is a thermal power station with reduced emission. The subject of the invention also includes the procedure for its use.

The environmental consciousness of our age results in the creation of more and more solutions that are less harmful to our planet. Significant efforts are made worldwide by power providers and other researchers and experts financed by them to find a most efficient solution for reducing emissions or, at least, for eliminating the emitted C0 2 . Thus, a main goal is to reduce the harmful emissions, mostly the emitted carbon-dioxide. The purpose of "clean coal" power stations is to make the after-damp generated during incineration more easy to manage by using cleaner fuels. This is why oxygen is used for incineration, instead of plain air. In other words, these power stations try to transform and manipulate the fuel to generate a process that, in the end, helps to reduce the harmful emission of the power station. For example, the production of nitrogen-dioxides during incineration may be avoided by removing nitrogen from the air.

The state of the art includes the following solutions. Publication document No. US5724805 A of the United States of America describes a green power station that is fitted with a unit that separates the components of common air, with a gas turbine operated by methane, and a steam turbine that utilizes the waste gases leaving the gas turbine as well. No C0 2 is emitted as it is stored and re-used during the process. In order to increase volume, liquid C0 2 is injected into the internal combustion gas turbine. The internal chemical reaction is based on the following formula: CH 4 +20 2 = C0 2 +2H 2 0. Oxygen is used to burn the gas. Carbon-dioxide is used to increase the volume during evaporation, thereby improving the operation of the turbine.

Publication document No. US6148602 A of the United States of America describes a mixed combustion power station that catches carbon-dioxide. The power station has only one turbine that is driven by a mix a steam and waste gas consisting of carbon-dioxide. Water is also added to achieve volume increase by having the water evaporated during incineration, thereby increasing the working capacity of the waste gas in the turbine. The internal chemical reaction is based on the following formula: 2CO+H 2 +20 2 =C0 2 +2H 2 0. The power station uses the waste gas from the internal combustion engine to produce electricity in the system according to the invention. The internal combustion system is used in a compression turbine to generate the necessary high pressure oxygen. A disadvantage of the invention is that it uses fossil coal the incineration of which produces S0 2 in 1 to 2 percent. The injected water is turned into sulphuric acid by the S0 2 , which acid damages the turbine. This solution is also different from the present invention in that it only uses oxygen that is separated from the atmosphere during the process.

Publication document No. US6148602 A of the United States of America describes a coal power station that does not emit any coal-dioxide and where the turbine is driven by a mixture of carbon-dioxide and steam. In other words, the invention is similar to the previous solution. The waste gases of the gas turbine (natural gas, synthesis gases, and oxygen) are working in three turbines that drive the same generator. During the operation of the three turbines, the waste gas leaving the high-pressure gas turbine enters a medium-pressure turbine and then it proceeds to a low-pressure turbine and, after that, it proceeds to the exit gas condenser and finally to the containers.

Patent document No. US2011311429 Al of the United States of America describes a coal power station that catches carbon-dioxide. It also describes a procedure for separating C0 2 absorbed in a liquid. The invention only relates to the act of capturing.

Japanese publication document No. JP2012180742 A describes a solution for a coal power station fitted with a gas turbine. The invention does not emit carbon-dioxide, and some of the exiting waste gases are re-used in the steam turbine. The incineration process in the device is based on oil.

Chinese patent document No. CN102628401 A describes a coal power station solution with minimal emission, which is fitted with an air separator component. The coal is cleaned in advance and is incinerated in a pressure-tight chamber with added oxygen. Water is also added to the incineration chamber to achieve pressure increase by having the water evaporated. The generated waste gas is led to the gas turbine directly. The steam leaving the turbine is cooled and thereby separated from the carbon-dioxide. The remaining gas is collected for further use or storage. It is an internal combustion device without any gas turbine. It is a disadvantage that clean coal is required for its use, which requires significant power investments.

The solution described by Chinese patent document No. CN102305109 A is a coal power station with low energy consumption. Liquefied carbon-dioxide is flowing in one turbine to control temperature. The internal chemical reaction is based on the following formula: 2CO+0 2 =2C0 2 . The synthesis gas is not completely incinerated in the gas turbine, but - with the addition of oxygen - some of it is incinerated in the 1 st and 2 nd steam turbine. It is a disadvantage that the number of moles is reduced during the burning of CO-gas, so that the reaction causes a loss in temperature. Chinese publication document No. CN103372365 A also describes a coal power station with reduced power consumption. Instead of emission, the power station catches carbon-dioxide, thereby making the invention environmentally friendlier.

Similarly, Chinese publication documents Nos. CN104157891 A, CN101130151 A, CN102784546 A, and CN103272467 A describe coal power stations the inventors of which aimed to reduce carbon-dioxide emission and power consumption. The chemical reaction described in Chinese patent description No. CN104157891 A is based on the following formula: 2CO+0 2 =2C0 2 . The synthesis gases of the melted carbonate fuel cell is incinerated in the steam turbine. It is an internal combustion system, where all waste heat is required for the fuel cell. Chinese patent documents Nos. CN103272467 A and CN102784546 A describe a C0 2 capturing system that may be used in any coal power station.

Several of the inventions that use coal, in whole or in part, adds coal to the incineration process in a gaseous form (carbon-monoxide, CO). This solution is obviously cleaner than burning mineral coal. However, the incineration of carbon-monoxide has significant disadvantages as well. The formula of the chemical reaction shows that the reaction turns 3 molecules into 2 molecules: 2CO+02=2C02 This means that number of moles and, consequently, the pressure is reduced by 33%. This loss of pressure is made up for by the heat released during incineration.

It is a disadvantage of the solutions belonging to the state of the art that their primary aim is to reduce the CO 2 emission, while increasing the efficiency is either a secondary objective only or is mostly ignored. Another disadvantage is that they can be used in new power stations only. All solutions consist of internal - or mixed - combustion devices. A disadvantageous consequence is that the combustion chamber is the same as the space of work. The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the shortfalls of the known solutions and to create a device, as well as a procedure for its use, that can work with nearly zero emission, is environmentally friendly, uses external combustion, is free of water steam, thus requires less energy, and works with increased efficiency. The inventive step is based on the recognition that the implementation of claim 1 may result in a solution that is more advantageous than the previous ones. The basis of the inventive idea is that a thermal power station that does not use water steam requires far less energy without any loss in efficiency. According to the desired purpose, the most general implementation form of the solution according to the invention is described in claim 1. The most general procedure of use is described in the main procedural claim. The various implementation forms are described in the sub -claims.

The invention is a thermal power station with generally reduced emission, which is fitted with a boiler, uptake, chimney, steam turbine, C0 2 container, condenser, fuel pipe, and air inlet pipe, and the C0 2 container is connected to the condenser, and the boiler is suitable by design for incinerating coal and/or other fuel using oxygen.

A characteristic feature of the invention is that it is fitted with a turbine C0 2 pipe, exhaust C0 2 pipe, and liquid C0 2 pipe, the turbine C0 2 pipe is located between the boiler and the steam turbine, and the exhaust C0 2 pipe is located between the steam turbine and the condenser, and the steam turbine is designed to be fit for operating without water steam and for converting the thermal energy of the C0 2 steam.

Another possible implementation form is where a liquid C0 2 pipe is placed between the condenser and the boiler to re-use C0 2 .

Another characteristic feature may be that the invention is fitted with a C0 2 capturing unit and the C0 2 capturing unit is connected to the condenser.

Another characteristic feature may be that the invention is fitted with an oxygen pipe and a separator.

Another implementation form may be where the invention is fitted methanol producing unit. Another characteristic feature may be that the methanol producing unit is connected to the condenser through the liquid C0 2 pipe.

Another characteristic feature may be that an oxygen pipe is located between the methanol producing unit and the boiler to re-supply the boiler with oxygen.

Yet another implementation form may be where the device includes a S0 2 capturing unit connected to the chimney and/or a dust separator.

In the course of the general use of the invention, coal and/or other fuel is filled into the boiler through the fuel pipe, and air is supplied through the air inlet pipe, and coal and/or other fuel is incinerated in the boiler.

A characteristic feature of the application is that C0 2 is channelled to the steam turbine through a turbine C0 2 pipe without adding water steam, the thermal energy of the overheated C0 2 steam is converted to mechanical energy, the - water steam free - waste C0 2 is channelled to a condenser for further use, and the C0 2 is condensed into a liquid state in the condenser. Another feature of the application may be that an air separator is connected to the air inlet pipe, and oxygen is channelled to the boiler by the air separator through an oxygen pipe.

Another feature of the application may be that a methanol producing unit is connected to the condenser through a liquid C0 2 pipe, and methanol is produced by the methanol producing unit by using C0 2 .

Another characteristic feature of the procedure may be that liquid C0 2 is channelled to the boiler and/or the C0 2 container and/or the methanol producing unit from the condenser through the liquid C0 2 pipe.

Yet another characteristic feature of the procedure may be that oxygen is channelled to the boiler from the methanol producing unit through the oxygen pipe.

The invention is presented in more detail through a drawing relating to the implementation form used as example.

On the attached drawing,

Figure 1 shows the connection schematics of the device.

Figure 1 shows the relative connections between the parts and components of the thermal power station with reduced emission. The figure makes understanding the procedure quite easy. Air is channelled to the air separator 13 through the air inlet pipe 15, where the air is broken down into its components. From here, oxygen is channelled to the boiler 1 through the oxygen pipe 12, and coal and/or other fuel, such as fossil fuel, is channelled to the boiler 1 through the fuel pipe 14. In another possible implementation form, air is channelled into the boiler 1 directly through the air inlet pipe 15, without separating the components of the air. In the boiler 1 - to which an uptake 2 and a chimney 3 is connected - coal and/or other fuel (e.g. fossil fuel: sulphur, carbo-hydrates: natural gas, natural oil, any kind of mined coal) is incinerated in the presence of oxygen or air. An S0 2 capturing unit 7 and a dust separator 16 may also be connected to the chimney 3. When incinerating coal, the chemical reaction taking place in the boiler is defined by the following formula: C+0 2 =C0 2 . In the boiler, liquid C0 2 is boiled instead of water. The C0 2 is channelled from the boiler 1 through the turbine C0 2 pipe 4 into the steam turbine 5. A turbine is one of the most efficient device of 21 st century technology for producing power. More than one turbine may be also used in the device. The steam turbine 5 is driven by C0 2 steam exclusively, but it is not taken from the incineration chamber directly. The waste gas is not used to drive the steam turbine 5, it only produces heat. This invention increases the level of efficiency of heat utilization by replacing water steam. The steam turbine 5 converts the thermal energy of the overheated C0 2 steam to mechanical energy. The steam turbine 5 operates without water steam and it is the working space as well, while the boiler 1 serves as the incineration chamber. As the two spaces (working space and incineration space) is clearly separated, the system is an external combustion system. The boiler 1 uses a heat exchanger to heat the C0 2 to 560 °C, just like it heated the water, but it uses 67% less heat, approximately 1,328 kJ/kg. Water would require approximately 3,568 kJ/kg energy to achieve the same heat. The reason for the significant difference is that water uses a lot of energy for boiling. The C0 2 leaves the steam turbine 5 through the exhaust C0 2 pipe 6. The waste C0 2 is channelled into the condenser 17 directly. A C0 2 capturing unit 10 may also be built into the system, in which case the power station produces zero emission. An important feature of this solution is that the produced carbondioxide is not released into the atmosphere. The C0 2 capturing unit 10 may use ammoniac C0 2 absorption, among others. The condenser 17 liquefies the C0 2 . In addition to capturing C0 2 , the invention may also include the re-use of C0 2 , which is an important and advantageous feature of this solution. The liquid C0 2 pipe 8 may exit the condenser 17 in three possible directions. First, a methanol producing unit 11 may form part of the power station that can utilize even more C0 2 in a useful manner, i.e. by producing marketable methanol. This procedure also produces oxygen that may be channelled back to the boiler 1 through the oxygen pipe 12. Second, the liquid C0 2 pipe 8 may lead to the C0 2 container 9, and thirdly to the boiler 1, so that the C0 2 may become part of the process again. In this case, the available liquid C0 2 can be heated in the boiler. Of course, more than one of these directions may be active at the same time, meaning that they are not exclusive. For example, the C0 2 container 9 may be implemented as a large and closed container, and it may be cooled advantageously before storing C0 2 . Doing so might achieve significant savings in terms of energy and cooling water.

During the use of the invention and according to the desired outcome, coal and/or other fuel is channelled into the boiler 1 through the fuel pipe 14, as well as oxygen through the oxygen pipe 12 or air through the air inlet pipe 15. When using oxygen for incineration, the oxygen is produced by the air separator 13 through the air inlet pipe 15. Coal and/or other fuel, e.g. fossil fuel is incinerated in the boiler 1. C0 2 is channelled into the boiler 1 through the liquid C0 2 pipe 8, and the C0 2 is heated until boiling in the boiler 1. The boiling C0 2 is channelled into the steam turbine 5 through the turbine C0 2 pipe 4 without adding water steam. This means that there is only carbon-dioxide in the steam turbine. There, the thermal energy of the overheated C0 2 steam is converted into mechanical energy. The waste C0 2 is channelled from the steam turbine 5 through the exhaust C0 2 pipe 6 into the condenser 17 directly. The condenser 17 liquefies the C0 2 . A C0 2 capturing unit 10 is connected to the condenser 17. Optionally, the waste C0 2 may be channelled to the C0 2 capturing unit 10 for further use, thereby preventing it from returning to the atmosphere. Subsequently, the liquefied carbon- dioxide may be used in various manners. A methanol producing unit 11 may be connected to the condenser 17 through a liquid C0 2 pipe 8, so that the C0 2 can be used to produce methanol in the methanol producing unit 11. This way, even more carbon-dioxide may be used for useful purposes. The liquefied C0 2 can be channelled into three directions from the condenser 17 through the liquid C0 2 pipe 8: to the boiler 1, to the C0 2 container 9, and to the methanol producing unit 11. Optionally, oxygen may be channelled back from the methanol producing unit 11 to the boiler 1 through the oxygen pipe 12.

The presented device has numerous advantages. An advantage of the invention is that it has a reduced emission and it is environmentally friendly. The emission level may be even zero when using a C0 2 capturing unit. Furthermore, the device requires only a limited amount of energy but operates with high efficiency, which may be increased even further by re-using carbondioxide and oxygen. This invention increases the efficiency of utilizing heat by replacing water steam. It nearly doubles the efficiency of steam engines. It is a closed system, which collects 90% of C0 2 , and does not discharge any nitrogen-oxide or sulphur-dioxide into the atmosphere. It not only captures, but is even capable of re-using carbon-dioxide, for example by channelling it into the boiler or by producing methanol. Methanol may be sold on the market easily (e.g. as fuel) and is easy to transport in a pipe or tank truck. This is an important economic advantage. Its production does not require any additional energy and it may be covered by the output of the power station. It is another advantage that the oxygen generated during the methanol production process can be returned to the power generation process as a fuel for incineration. Another important advantage is that the power station delivers a steady performance level. In addition to saving a significant amount of energy, the device also saves cooling water. It is safe to say that this invention is an important step toward slowing down climate change while it is economically reasonable. It should also be mentioned that, when power stations according to the present solution are introduced, the owner would be required to pay at least 90% less C0 2 quota. It is rather advantageous that the carbon-dioxide and the oxygen can be returned to the power production process, thereby increasing its efficiency and reducing the required power investment. As it is an external combustion system, it can work well with coal as well as other power sources that provide heat. For example, fossil fuels: mineral or mined coal, natural gas, natural oil, wood, synthetic/artificial energy sources: synthetic oil, algal oil etc., as well as renewable power sources: wind, solar, water, wave, biomass, nuclear energy, and geothermal energy. It is also an advantage that already existing and operating power stations may be fitted with components of the power station according to the invention, thereby their efficiency may be increased and they may become environmentally more friendly. The power station meets the emission related requirements due to the S0 2 capturing unit and the dust separator unit.

In addition to the above examples, the invention may be implemented in other possible forms within the scope of protection.




 
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