1005results about "Water feed control" patented technology

A multi-function controller for a water heater is advanced comprising a control panel and a plurality of sensors that monitor a variety of functions that impact the operation of a water heater. A flammable gas sensor, placed in proximity to the air intake, detects the presence of an unsafe concentration of gas and issues a signal to the control panel, which subsequently discontinues the operation of the burners. Detection of a blocked vent pipe is achieved by a carbon monoxide sensor placed near the draft hood. The control panel is equipped with circuitry which monitors usage of the heater for a specified time period to develop a pattern of use. Subsequent to the monitoring period, the controller will activate the burners a predetermined time prior to an anticipated period of high use. During periods of low use, the controller will decrease the temperature to which the water is to be heated, thereby resulting in a more efficient heater. Non-volatile memory records data from the sensors so that the operation status of the heater may be ascertained subsequent to a power outage. The control panel contains a plurality of visual alarms, each of which corresponds to a sensor. Consequently, repair and maintenance are simplified because the cause of a malfunction is quickly recognized.

Methods are described for generating electrical power from low grade heat sources from refining and petrochemical processes, including overhead vapors from vapor-liquid contacting apparatuses such as distillation columns, absorbers, strippers, quenching towers, scrubbers, etc. In many cases, these overhead vapors exit the apparatuses at a temperature from about 90° C. (194° F.) to about 175° C. (347° F.). Rather than rejecting the low temperature heat contained in these vapors to cooling air and/or cooling water, the vapors may instead be used to evaporate an organic working fluid. The vapors of the working fluid may then be sent to a turbine to drive a generator or other load.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for the low energy flash-like vaporization of liquids and the release of the resulting vaporized liquid into the atmosphere in the form of a visible plume, mist or cloud. Vaporization is occasioned in a geometrically small device capable of producing vaporized liquid that varies little in composition in comparison to the starting liquid feed to the device. The apparatus and method are primarily directed towards the treatment of small areas for residential air fragrancing, odor elimination, treatment of insects or pests, air sanitization, air and surface antibacterial or antimicrobial treatment, administration of personal pharmaceuticals or medicaments, as well as other ambient air or surface modification by way of gas, vapor or droplet distribution.

A cycle control system for use with a boiler having a fluid therein and a method of monitoring a boiler to determine the presence of an adequate level of fluid therein. The cycle control system includes a timing circuit producing a burner control signal having alternating on and off states corresponding to on and off period timers to allow foam to settle so that a probe can accurately check the fluid level in the boiler. A burner monitor circuit monitors when a demand controller turns the burner on and off responsive to demand. The on-period timer is reset whenever the burner monitor circuit indicates the demand control circuit has turned off the burner for a length of time sufficient for the probe to accurately check the fluid level.

A control system is provided for a modulated heating system including a plurality of modulating water heaters, which may be modulating boilers. A deadband control scheme provides for reduced cycling of the modulating heater when total system heat demand falls between the maximum output of one heater and the sum of the maximum output of that one point and the minimum firing point of the next subsequent heater.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a thermoelectric energy storage system (TEES) and method for converting electrical energy into thermal energy to be stored and converted back to electrical energy with an improved round-trip efficiency are disclosed. The TEES includes a working fluid circuit for circulating a working fluid through a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, a thermal storage medium circuit for circulating a thermal storage medium, the thermal storage medium circuit having at least one hot storage tank coupled to a cold storage tank via the first heat exchanger. The arrangement maximizes the work performed by the cycle during charging and discharging for a given maximum pressure and maximum temperature of the working fluid.

Systems and methods for controlling exhaust steam temperatures from a finishing superheater are provided. In certain embodiments, the system includes a controller which includes control logic for predicting an exhaust temperature of steam from the finishing superheater using model-based predictive techniques (e.g., based on empirical data or thermodynamic calculations). Based on the predicted exhaust temperature of steam, the control logic may use feed-forward control techniques to control the operation of an inter-stage attemperation system upstream of the finishing superheater. The control logic may determine if attemperation is required based on whether the predicted exhaust temperature of steam from the finishing superheater exceeds a set point temperature as well as whether the inlet temperature of steam into the finishing superheater drops below a set point temperature of steam. The attemperation system may include a characterizing function to linearize the valve operation controlled by the control logic to inject cooled, high-pressure feedwater into the steam upstream of the finishing superheater, which may, in turn, control the exhaust temperature of steam from the finishing superheater. The disclosed embodiments may also be applied to any systems where an outlet temperature of a fluid from a heat transfer device may be controlled.

The present invention provides thermal devices, materials and methods for use in transferring heat from heat sources. One embodiment comprises a thermal transfer body that has first and second end portions and includes a thermally anisotropic material that conducts more thermal energy in a longitudinal direction than in a direction transverse thereto, wherein at least one of the first and second end portions includes a projection having a surface area oriented obliquely to the longitudinal direction. Multiple projections may be provided of various geometries, such as pyramids, cones, triangular prismoids and domes. The thermally anisotropic material may include an ensemble of longitudinally thermally conductive fibers, such as carbon fibers derived from precursors such as petroleum or coal pitch, which may be embedded in a support matrix of various materials.

A system includes sensors configured to measure parameters related to a vessel including liquid level, gas flow rate, pressure in the vessel, temperature of the vessel, and feed-liquid flow rate. A signal processing unit receives sensor output signals and generates a first filtered output signal representative of liquid level, a second filtered output signal representative of gas flow rate, a third filtered output signal representative of feed-liquid flow rate, a fourth filtered output signal representative of vessel pressure, and a fifth filtered output signal representative of vessel temperature. A flow demand control unit receives the first filtered output signal and generates an output signal representative of feed-liquid flow demand. A shaping unit receives the second, fourth, and fifth filtered output signal and generates an output signal representative of shaped gas flow rate as a function of pressure, temperature, or combination thereof in the vessel. A liquid level control unit controls the liquid level within predetermined limits by controlling one or more components based on the output signals from the flow demand control unit, the shaping unit, and the third filtered output signal.

A system is provided to optimize multiple boiler plant systems having mixed condensing and non-condensing boiler groups. The system advantageously employs the independent groups of boilers depending on preset conditions under control of a system control unit. The preset conditions are checked against operating conditions of the boiler plant, and a system control unit controls which of the groups of boilers is the lead and which is secondary. In some instances, both groups of boilers may be utilized under heavy load. Further, effective switching between groups and within groups is also provided to minimize unnecessary repetitive boiler operation.

An oxygen enriched boiler having a burner subassembly and a steam subassembly is disclosed. The burner subassembly has a fuel inlet, an oxidant inlet, a combustion chamber, a flue gas composition detector and a flue gas outlet. The fuel inlet provides fuel to the combustion chamber, the oxidant inlet provides an oxygen-enriched inlet stream to the combustion chamber, the combustion chamber burns the fuel and the flue gas composition detector measures at least one characteristic of the flue gas. The steam subassembly has a supply water inlet, a heat exchange zone, a water drum, a steam quality actuator and a steam outlet. The supply water inlet provides feed water to the heat exchange zone, the heat exchange zone transfers heat generated by combustion of the fuel to the water to generate steam, the water drum receives the heated water and steam from the heat transfer zone and maintains the water and steam at a selected steam pressure and water level, and the steam quality actuator regulates at least one characteristic of the steam. Flue gas characteristics, as well as other boiler performance variables, are monitored. At least one controller actuates on the oxidant injections to control combustion. The controller calculates the optimum oxidant distribution in real-time for a series of injection points to minimize undesired flue gas emissions while maintaining the desired steam conditions and boiler operating conditions.

A method for capturing working fluid which includes a hazardous component and is discharged from a power generating system, includes directing the discharge to a container. There, the discharged working fluid is combined with a liquid in which the hazardous component is soluble to form a less hazardous mixture.

A method for generating steam from a feedwater inlet stream including impurities is disclosed. The method involves receiving the feedwater inlet stream at an inlet of a steam generator and causing the feedwater stream to flow through a tubing circuit to an outlet of the tubing circuit, the tubing circuit having a substantially un-rifled bore defined by a metal wall. The method also involves delivering a heat flux to the feedwater stream through the metal wall of the tubing circuit to generate steam by causing evaporation of feedwater within the tubing circuit, and controlling at least one of a flow rate of the feedwater stream and the heat flux to cause generation of an outlet stream at the outlet includes a steam portion and liquid phase portion, the steam portion being greater than about 80% of the outlet stream by mass. The steam portion provides sufficient cooling of the metal wall to maintain a wall temperature at less than a threshold temperature.

Modularized, superheated steam generators comprise a steam module (46), a thermocouple module (41), and an electrode module (45) assembled within a containment enclosure (66). The multi-stage steam module (46) comprises a plurality of first stage pressure vessels (77) surrounding and feeding a second stage pressure vessel (78). The steam module (46) is coaxially surrounded by insulation (48) disposed within a cylindrical shroud (72). The electrode module (45) radiantly heats the steam module with resistive heating elements (119). The thermocouple module (41) includes thermocouples monitoring first stage temperatures within and between pressure vessels (77). PLC computer SCADA software (600) operates the generators. Thermocouple data is analyzed to control heater temperatures, the water feeding system (340), and outputted steam temperature. PLC software (600) provides operating logic (602) establishing a start up subroutine (602), a ramp up subroutine (603), a steady state subroutine (605), and a shut down subroutine (606).

The invention discloses a method for controlling a direct-current generator set of a coal-fired boiler, and belongs to the technical field of generator set control. The method comprises the following steps of receiving a standard adjustment instruction; acquiring the current actual output power and the like of the direct-current generator set of the coal-fired boiler; acquiring a coal supply rate reference value corresponding to a target output power; acquiring a target coal supply rate; acquiring a target air supply rate; acquiring target water supply flow; acquiring target attemperation water flow; acquiring target turbine valve opening; generating a direct adjustment instruction and sending the direct adjustment instruction to the direct-current generator set of the coal-fired boiler. The output power of the direct-current generator set of the coal-fired boiler is adjusted by simultaneously adjusting the coal supply rate and the like which have influence on the output power of the direct-current generator set of the coal-fired boiler, the fluctuation degree of the output power can be reduced, and the fluctuation time of the output power can be shortened.

An exhaust gas collection system for capturing the exhaust gas emitted by auxiliary engines, auxiliary boilers and other sources on an Ocean Going Vessel (OGV) while at berth or at anchor, so that these gases may be carried to an emissions treatment system for removal of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The exhaust gas collection system includes a diverter to redirect the exhaust gas normally carried by exhaust pipes to the OGV's stack for release to the atmosphere, to an exhaust gas treatment system. The emissions treatment system may be land-based, water-based, or on the OGV. When the emissions treatment system is land-based, water-based, the exhaust gas is carried to a connection location that accessible by a ducting system to carry the exhaust gas to the emissions treatment system. The exhaust gas collection system preferably includes parallel-flow ducts and a manifold to combine the parallel-flows into a single duct for more convenient routing through the vessel.