Industrial steam system

Abstract

The utility model relates to an industrial steam system which comprises a steam supply unit, a steam energy storage unit and a steam consumption unit, the steam energy storage unit comprises a steam inlet, a steam storage tank and a steam outlet, and the steam inlet is connected to the steam supply unit to receive steam generated by the steam supply unit; the steam storage tank is configured to store steam from the steam inlet as superheated water and / or steam, the steam consumption unit is connected to the steam outlet of the steam energy storage unit to receive and use the steam from the steam energy storage unit, and the steam pressure provided by the steam supply unit is larger than the steam pressure in the steam storage tank. And the steam pressure in the steam storage tank is greater than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit. According to the industrial steam system, the steam generated by the steam supply unit can be stored and supplied to the steam consumption unit when needed, so that supply and demand of the steam are at least partially balanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an industrial steam system, and more particularly to an industrial steam system including a steam energy storage unit to provide improved supply-demand regulation when the production and demand of steam fluctuate. Background Art

[0002] Steam is an important resource and utility in many industrial production processes (such as chemical production processes). When the steam supply cannot meet the production demand, it will lead to the instability of the production process, thereby affecting production safety, product quality and production efficiency. Therefore, achieving the balance of steam supply and demand is crucial for improving production stability, product quality and safe production. As an example, in a chemical production base, due to the peaks and valleys of the overall steam load during the production process and some unplanned production conditions, the demand for steam fluctuates greatly, and the supply and demand of steam are often in a dynamic balance. In the case of having an external steam source outside the production base (for example, steam provided by the public infrastructure pipeline network in the industrial park), external steam sources can be purchased to at least partially meet the demand during the peak steam load period. In contrast, in the case of lacking an external steam supply outside the production base as a supplementary source, the supply-demand relationship of the steam system in the production base is in an "island" operation mode. In this case, when the steam supply is insufficient, only by reducing the load of the turbines and steam-consuming devices inside the production base to reduce steam consumption and / or gradually increasing the steam production by the boilers and other means can the adverse effects caused by insufficient steam supply be reduced.

[0003] However, it takes a long time for the turbines to reduce the load and the steam boilers to increase the steam production to gradually reach a new steam supply-demand balance. Before the steam supply and demand reach the balance, the production base will be in a high-risk state of steam imbalance, and further lead to risks in production stability, product quality and even production safety. To solve this problem, the production base often needs to keep a large margin of steam production in the steam boilers daily to meet the supplementary demand when the steam demand suddenly decreases. This will result in a considerable amount of surplus steam that can only be used for turbine power generation in the production base or sent to the air-cooled condenser to recover steam condensate under normal circumstances. However, even for turbine power generation, only part of the energy can be recovered in the production base, thus resulting in waste of energy and an increase in carbon emissions. It can be seen that there is still a need in the art to develop an industrial steam system with an improved way to achieve steam supply-demand balance. Summary of the Utility Model

[0004] This application discloses an industrial steam system, which at least partially solves the above technical problems and provides improved supply-demand regulation when the steam production and demand in the production base fluctuate. According to one aspect of this application, the industrial steam system includes: a steam supply unit that generates steam, a steam energy storage unit that stores and releases steam, and a steam consumption unit that consumes steam as a resource for production operations. The steam energy storage unit includes a steam inlet, a steam storage tank, and a steam outlet. The steam inlet is connected to the steam supply unit to receive the steam generated by the steam supply unit, and the steam storage tank is configured to store the steam from the steam inlet as superheated water and / or steam. The steam consumption unit is connected to the steam outlet of the steam storage tank of the steam energy storage unit to receive and use the steam from the steam energy storage unit. In some examples, the steam pressure provided by the steam supply unit is greater than the steam pressure in the steam storage tank, and the steam pressure in the steam storage tank is greater than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit. Without being limited by any theory, the superheated water in the steam storage tank can be flashed into steam under reduced pressure (for example, when the steam outlet is opened) and quickly supplied to the steam consumption unit, without waiting for the slow process of gradually increasing the steam production of the steam supply unit such as a boiler, nor reducing the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit.

[0005] In some examples, the steam energy storage unit further includes a drain port provided at its lower part for discharging at least part of the liquid in the steam storage tank, such as discharging at least part of it and supplementing fresh steam from the steam supply unit when the temperature and pressure of the superheated water / steam in the steam storage tank drop, or emptying the liquid during the maintenance of the steam energy storage unit.

[0006] In some examples, the steam energy storage unit further includes a vent port provided at its upper part for discharging at least part of the gas in the steam storage tank, such as discharging at least part of the non-steam gas when the steam storage tank contains too much non-steam gas to reduce the space occupied by the non-steam gas.

[0007] In some examples, the steam energy storage unit further includes a steam distribution assembly. The steam distribution assembly is connected to the steam inlet inside the steam storage tank and includes a plurality of steam distribution ports distributed in the horizontal direction, so that the steam can be more evenly distributed from the steam inlet into the steam storage tank and avoid the influence caused by blockage of individual distribution ports, etc.

[0008] In some examples, a direct connection pipeline is further included, with both ends of the direct connection pipeline directly connected to the steam supply unit and the steam consumption unit respectively. It can be understood that although the steam energy storage unit can store the surplus steam and quickly provide supplementary steam when the demand increases and the supply is insufficient, there are inevitable certain energy losses due to reasons such as heat dissipation and flashing during this storage. Therefore, when there is no need for additional steam supplementation in the production base due to the balance between steam supply and demand, the direct connection pipeline can be used to directly supply the steam generated by the steam supply unit to the steam consumption unit without passing through the steam energy storage unit, so as to at least partially reduce the energy losses caused by storing superheated water / steam and flashing in the entire industrial steam system. In some embodiments, the steam pressure generated by the steam supply unit is still higher than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit after the pressure drop through the direct connection pipeline. In this case, a pressure regulating component can be correspondingly provided in the direct connection pipeline or the steam consumption unit to regulate the steam pressure to the pressure required by the steam consumption unit. Similarly, the steam pressure from the steam energy storage unit may also still be higher than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit. In this case, a pressure regulating component can be correspondingly provided in the pipeline at the steam outlet or the steam consumption unit.

[0009] In some examples, the steam energy storage unit further includes a liquid level detection component arranged in the steam storage tank, the steam inlet includes a steam inlet valve, and the steam outlet includes a steam outlet valve. In some examples, the steam supply unit, the steam energy storage unit, and the steam consumption unit are configured such that: in response to receiving a low liquid level signal from the liquid level detection component, the steam inlet valve opens and the steam outlet valve closes, and / or the steam output of the steam supply unit increases, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit decreases; and in response to receiving a high liquid level signal from the liquid level detection component, the steam inlet valve closes and the steam outlet valve opens, and / or the steam output of the steam supply unit decreases, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit increases. By opening and closing the steam inlet valve and the steam outlet valve of the steam energy storage unit in response to the liquid level in the steam storage tank, the amount of superheated water / steam stored in the steam storage tank can be adjusted to an appropriate amount in a timely manner.

[0010] In some examples, the direct connection pipeline includes a flow detection component, and the steam energy storage unit is configured such that when the steam flow rate detected by the flow detection component is lower than a first threshold, the steam inlet valve closes and the steam outlet valve opens. When the steam flow rate in the direct connection pipeline is too low, it may mean that the output of the steam supply unit is abnormal, such as a boiler failure. In this case, the steam energy storage unit is configured to automatically supply steam to the steam consumption unit to avoid fluctuations caused by insufficient steam supply.

[0011] In some examples, the steam supply unit includes a steam boiler, an acrylic acid ice plant, a syngas plant, or a combination thereof, and the steam consumption unit includes a turbine, a heat exchanger, a steam compressor, a stripping column, or a combination thereof. Description of the Drawings

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an industrial steam system according to the present application.

[0013] 100 - Steam supply unit; 300 - Steam energy storage unit; 310 - Steam inlet; 312 - Steam inlet valve; 320 - Steam storage tank; 330 - Steam outlet; 332 - Steam outlet valve; 340 - Drain port; 350 - Vent port; 360 - Steam distribution assembly; 370 - Liquid level detection assembly; 500 - Steam consumption unit; 700 - Direct connection pipeline; 702 - Direct connection valve. Detailed Embodiments

[0014] The industrial steam system according to the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 The positions and connection sequences of the various units, components, pipelines, etc. are schematically shown, without representing the actual or necessary positional relationships, relative dimensions, or connection sequences of these units, components, and pipelines. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make reasonable adjustments and changes to the positions, dimensions, or connections of these units, components, and pipelines based on reading the present application, and can reasonably add or subtract units, components, and pipelines, without departing from the teachings of the present application.

[0015] As Figure 1 shown, the present application discloses an industrial steam system, which may include a steam supply unit 100, a steam energy storage unit 300, and a steam consumption unit 500. In some embodiments, the steam supply unit 100 may include devices dedicated to producing steam and / or devices that generate steam along with the product production process, such as steam boilers, acrylic acid ice devices, syngas devices, etc. or combinations thereof, and is capable of generating high-pressure or medium-high-pressure steam for storage in the steam energy storage unit 300 for standby or optionally supplied to the steam consumption unit 500 after pressure reduction. In some embodiments, the steam required by the steam consumption unit 500 is medium-pressure, low-pressure steam, or a combination thereof. By way of example, the steam consumption unit 500 may include devices dedicated to steam power generation and / or devices that consume steam as a production resource in the product production process, such as turbines, heat exchangers, steam compressors, strippers, etc. or combinations thereof. By way of example, the steam energy storage unit 300 is used to store the input high-pressure or medium-high-pressure steam under normal operating conditions, and releases medium-pressure or low-pressure steam in the case of insufficient steam supply caused by a decrease in the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 and / or an increase in the steam demand of the steam consumption unit 500, thereby at least partially making up for the demand of the steam consumption unit 500.

[0016] In some examples, the steam energy storage unit 300 may include a steam inlet 310, a steam storage tank 320, and a steam outlet 330. The steam inlet 310 is connected to the steam supply unit 100 to receive the steam generated by the steam supply unit 100, while the steam storage tank 320 is configured to store the steam from the steam inlet 310 as superheated water and / or steam. The steam consumption unit 500 is connected to the steam outlet 330 of the steam storage tank 320 so as to receive and use the steam from the steam energy storage unit 300 when the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 is insufficient. In some examples, the steam pressure provided by the steam supply unit 100 is greater than the steam pressure inside the steam storage tank 320. For example, the steam supply unit 100 provides high-pressure steam, while the steam pressure inside the steam storage tank 320 is medium-high pressure. In some examples, the steam pressure inside the steam storage tank 320 is greater than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit 500. For example, the steam pressure inside the steam storage tank 320 is medium-high pressure, while the steam consumption unit 500 requires medium-pressure steam. It should be understood that the relative high and low pressures of the steam in each unit are described above, and the absolute pressure of the steam can be reasonably selected and designed according to specific requirements.

[0017] Without being limited by any theory, in the case of superheated water stored in the steam storage tank 320, the superheated water can be flashed into steam with or without heating under the condition of pressure reduction (for example, when the steam outlet 330 is opened), and quickly supplied to the steam consumption unit 500. During this process, there is no need to wait for the time for the steam supply unit 100 such as a boiler to gradually increase the steam output, so that the steam supply and demand in the production base can be restored to stability more quickly. In contrast, in the case of supplementing steam by increasing the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 such as a boiler, the increase in steam output is gradual and time-consuming. In this case, in order to supplement steam at any time, the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 such as a boiler often needs to be maintained at a large surplus daily, resulting in waste of energy.

[0018] In some embodiments, the steam energy storage unit 300 may further include a drain port 340 provided at its lower part for discharging at least part of the liquid in the steam storage tank 320. As an example, when the temperature and / or pressure of the superheated water / steam in the steam storage tank 320 decreases due to heat dissipation losses, the drain port 340 can be opened to discharge at least part of the superheated water / steam in the steam storage tank 320, and fresh steam from the steam supply unit 100 can be supplemented. As another example, during the maintenance of the steam energy storage unit 300, the drain port 340 can be opened to empty the superheated water / steam in the steam storage tank 320.

[0019] In some embodiments, the steam energy storage unit 300 may further include an exhaust port 350 provided at its upper part for discharging at least part of the gas in the steam storage tank 320. As an example, when the steam storage tank 320 contains excessive non-steam gas (such as air), the exhaust port 340 can be at least partially opened to discharge at least part of the non-steam gas, thereby reducing the space occupied by the non-steam gas and improving the space utilization rate of the steam storage tank 320. As another example, in the event of an accident in the steam energy storage unit 300, the exhaust port 350 can discharge the gas pressure in the steam storage tank 320, thus avoiding accidents.

[0020] In some embodiments, the steam energy storage unit 300 may further include a steam distribution assembly 360. As Figure 1 shown, the steam distribution assembly 360 is connected to the steam inlet 310 inside the steam storage tank 320 and may include a plurality of steam distribution ports distributed in the horizontal direction. The plurality of steam distribution ports can make the steam more evenly distributed from the steam inlet 310 into the steam storage tank 320, promote the heat exchange between the incoming steam and the superheated water, and can avoid the influence caused by the blockage of individual distribution ports.

[0021] In some embodiments, the industrial steam system according to the present application may further include a direct connection pipeline 700, and both ends of the direct connection pipeline 700 are directly connected to the steam supply unit 100 and the steam consumption unit 500 respectively. It can be understood that although the steam energy storage unit 300 can store surplus steam and quickly provide supplements when the steam demand increases and / or the supply decreases, there will inevitably be a certain amount of energy loss due to factors such as heat dissipation and flashing during this storage. Therefore, when there is no need for additional steam supplementation in the production base due to the balance between steam supply and demand, the direct connection valve 702 in the direct connection pipeline 700 can be opened, so that the steam generated by the steam supply unit 100 is directly provided to the steam consumption unit 500 through the direct connection pipeline 700 without passing through the steam energy storage unit 300, to at least partially reduce the energy loss caused by heat dissipation and / or flashing, etc. In some embodiments, the steam pressure generated by the steam supply unit 100 is still higher than the steam pressure required by the steam consumption unit 500 after the pressure drop through the direct connection pipeline 700. In this case, a pressure regulating assembly (not shown) is correspondingly provided in the direct connection pipeline 700 to regulate the steam pressure to the pressure required by the steam consumption unit 500.

[0022] In some embodiments, the steam energy storage unit 300 further includes a liquid level detection assembly 370 disposed in the steam storage tank 320. The steam inlet 310 includes a steam inlet valve 312, and the steam outlet 330 includes a steam outlet valve 332. In some embodiments, while the direct connection valve 702 in the direct connection pipeline 700 is opened, the steam inlet valve 312 is also opened and the steam outlet valve 332 is closed, so as to store the surplus steam in the steam energy storage unit 300 while directly supplying the steam generated by the steam supply unit 100 to the steam consumption unit 500.

[0023] In some embodiments, the industrial steam system including the steam supply unit 100, the steam energy storage unit 300, and the steam consumption unit 500 is configured such that, in response to receiving a low liquid level signal from the liquid level detection assembly 370, the steam inlet valve 312 is opened and the steam outlet valve 332 is closed, and / or the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 is increased, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit 500 is reduced, thereby increasing the steam reserve in the steam energy storage unit 300 to provide sufficient steam during a future decrease in steam supply and / or increase in demand. In some embodiments, the industrial steam system is further configured such that, in response to receiving a high liquid level signal from the liquid level detection assembly 370, the steam inlet valve 312 is closed and the steam outlet valve 332 is opened, and / or the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 is reduced, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit 500 is increased, thereby slowing down or stopping the steam energy storage unit 300 from continuing to store steam. By opening and closing the steam inlet valve 312 and the steam outlet valve 332 of the steam energy storage unit 300 in response to the liquid level in the steam storage tank 320, and optionally adjusting the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 and / or the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit 500 in a timely manner, the superheated water / steam stored in the steam storage tank 320 can be adjusted to an appropriate amount while ensuring the balance between steam supply and demand at the production base.

[0024] It should be understood that the adjustment of the steam consumption of the steam consumption unit 500 and the steam output of the steam supply unit 100 as described above are optional and not necessarily achievable. As an example, when the steam supply unit 100 includes a boiler, the steam output can be adjusted by adjusting the load of the boiler. However, when the load of the boiler exceeds the ideal operating range, it may cause a decrease in the energy efficiency ratio, and thus an increase in energy consumption and carbon emissions. In this case, compared with adjusting the load of the boiler too drastically, appropriately adjusting the steam storage capacity of the steam energy storage unit 300 may be more cost-effective. Similarly, when the steam consumption unit 500 includes a turbine for power generation, the amount of steam consumed can be adjusted by adjusting the load of the turbine (i.e., the power generation amount). However, there is also a relatively efficient operating range for turbine power generation. Compared with adjusting the load of the turbine too drastically, appropriately adjusting the steam storage capacity of the steam energy storage unit 300 may be more cost-effective. On the contrary, when the steam supply unit 100 and the steam consumption unit 500 include production devices, steam may be generated / consumed during the production process of the products in the production process. Accordingly, when the target output of the product is a fixed value, the corresponding steam output / consumption may be relatively fixed. Therefore, the peak shaving and valley filling of steam supply and demand can be achieved by more flexibly adjusting the steam storage capacity of the steam energy storage unit 300.

[0025] In some embodiments, the direct connection pipeline 700 may include a flow detection component (not shown). As an example, the steam energy storage unit 300 is configured such that when the steam flow rate in the direct connection pipeline 700 detected by the flow detection component is lower than a first threshold, the steam inlet valve 312 of the steam energy storage unit 300 is closed and the steam outlet valve 332 is opened. It can be understood that when the steam flow rate in the direct connection pipeline 700 is too low, it may mean that the output of the steam supply unit 100 is abnormal, such as a boiler failure. In this case, the steam energy storage unit 300 is configured to automatically open the steam outlet valve 332, so that the stored superheated water flashes through pressure reduction, thereby quickly supplying supplementary steam to the steam consumption unit 500 to avoid operation fluctuations of the steam consumption unit 500 caused by insufficient steam supply. In another embodiment, the direct connection pipeline 700 may further include a pressure measurement component (not shown), and the steam inlet valve 312 and the steam outlet valve 332 are similarly adjusted based on the pressure in the direct connection pipeline 700 being lower than a second threshold.

[0026] The industrial steam treatment system according to the present application has been described above in combination with embodiments and illustrations. These embodiments and illustrations give some exemplary implementation manners, and do not indicate that the included features are the preferred or necessary features of the industrial steam system according to the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can modify and vary the described embodiments without departing from the teachings of the present application.

Claims

1. An industrial steam system, characterized in that: include: a steam providing unit configured to generate steam; a steam energy storage unit, comprising a steam inlet, a steam storage tank and a steam outlet, wherein the steam inlet is configured to be connected to the steam providing unit to receive steam generated by the steam providing unit, and the steam storage tank is configured to store the steam from the steam inlet as superheated water and / or steam; and a steam consumption unit configured to be connected to the steam outlet of the steam energy storage unit to receive and use the steam from the steam energy storage unit, The steam pressure provided by the steam providing unit is greater than the steam pressure in the steam storage tank, and the steam pressure in the steam storage tank is greater than the steam pressure required by the steam consuming unit.

2. The industrial steam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam energy storage unit further includes a liquid drain port disposed at a lower portion thereof for draining at least a portion of the liquid in the steam storage tank.

3. The industrial steam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam energy storage unit further includes a drain port disposed at an upper portion thereof, wherein the drain port is configured to discharge at least a portion of the gas in the steam storage tank.

4. The industrial steam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam energy storage unit further includes a steam distribution assembly configured to be connected to the steam inlet in the steam storage tank and including a plurality of steam distribution ports distributed in a horizontal direction.

5. The industrial steam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a direct connection pipeline, both ends of which are respectively configured to be directly connected to the steam providing unit and the steam consuming unit.

6. The industrial steam system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The steam energy storage unit further includes a liquid level detection assembly disposed in the steam storage tank, the steam inlet includes a steam inlet valve, and the steam outlet includes a steam outlet valve.

7. The industrial steam system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The steam providing unit, the steam energy storage unit and the steam consuming unit are configured as follows: In response to receiving a low liquid level signal from the liquid level detection assembly, the steam inlet valve is opened and the steam outlet valve is closed, and / or the steam production of the steam providing unit is increased, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consuming unit is reduced, and In response to receiving a high liquid level signal from the liquid level detection assembly, the steam inlet valve is closed and the steam outlet valve is opened, and / or the steam production of the steam providing unit is reduced, and / or the steam consumption of the steam consuming unit is increased.

8. The industrial steam system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The direct connection pipeline includes a flow detection component, and the steam energy storage unit is configured such that when the steam flow detected by the flow detection component is lower than a first threshold value, the steam inlet valve is closed and the steam outlet valve is opened.

9. The industrial steam system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam providing unit includes a steam boiler, a glacial acrylic acid device, a synthesis gas device or a combination thereof, and the steam consuming unit includes a turbine, a heat exchanger, a steam compressor, a stripping tower or a combination thereof.

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