METHOD FOR THE GENERATING WATER VAPOR WITH DEFINED VAPOR PARAMETERS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for generating steam with defined steam parameters according to independent claim 1.

[0002] Steam is frequently used in industrial processes and for heat supply; the term "industrial processes" will be used generally below. A typical application is the provision of heat, for example, for cooking, evaporation, or distillation processes. Furthermore, steam can also be used for drying processes or to provide heat for endothermic reactions in the chemical industry. Steam used in industrial processes is often also referred to as process steam.

[0003] The generation of steam for industrial processes places high demands on the equipment required for its production, and its generation also significantly impacts energy consumption. Conventional steam generation using a boiler (and possibly a steam turbine) is limited in its operational flexibility (load gradients, start-up time, etc.). Furthermore, the use of a boiler entails high investment costs. The boiler is typically fueled with fossil fuels, which negatively affects the plant's emissions and thus also its environmental and economic viability.

[0004] Document DE102015218502 A1 discloses a steam turbine power plant comprising a combustion chamber 11 in which oxygen is combusted with hydrogen, and wherein steam is added to the oxygen shortly before it enters the combustion chamber 11. The object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art in providing steam with defined steam parameters and to demonstrate a more efficient process for providing the steam.

[0005] The problem is solved by the features of independent claim 1.

[0006] Further embodiments of the invention, which can be used individually or in combination with each other, are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0007] The inventive method for generating steam with defined steam parameters is characterized by the following process steps: Pressurized, internal combustion of hydrogen with oxygen and with the addition of water (regardless of its state of matter) in a steam generator to produce live steam; supplying the live steam generated in the steam generator to a steam turbine; expanding the live steam along an expansion section in the steam turbine; extracting intermediate steam along the expansion section and / or extracting exhaust steam at the end of the expansion section with defined steam parameters and supplying the extracted intermediate steam and / or exhaust steam to a subsequent industrial process.

[0008] In contrast to conventional steam generation using a conventional boiler, this method offers significantly increased operational flexibility (load gradients, start-up time, etc.). In particular, the internal combustion of hydrogen with oxygen results in very short start-up times. The addition of water (regardless of its state of matter) allows for pre-conditioning of the live steam. The supply and expansion of the live steam in the steam turbine enables the provision of steam with defined and potentially varying steam parameters. For this purpose, steam with the appropriate parameters can be extracted via one or more intermediate steam extraction points along the expansion section within the steam turbine and fed to the respective industrial process. Alternatively or additionally to the steam turbine as the control element for the process steam parameters, other technical devices such as throttles (e.g.,...) can also be used.in combination with water injection or other cooling).

[0009] One embodiment of the invention provides that the hydrogen and oxygen used for combustion are generated using renewable energy. This allows the generation of process steam to be completely emission-free.

[0010] A further embodiment of the invention provides that at least a portion of the live steam is extracted before entering the steam turbine and fed directly to an industrial process. By adding water, the steam parameters of the live steam, which is produced during the internal combustion of hydrogen with oxygen, can be adjusted so that at least a portion of the live steam can be fed directly to the industrial process. If further steam with lower parameters is required, it can be provided by expanding another portion of the live steam in a steam turbine.

[0011] A further embodiment of the invention provides that the mechanical energy generated by the steam turbine is used to drive machines and / or to generate electrical energy with the aid of a generator. This dual use of the steam, also known as combined heat and power (CHP), allows for particularly high overall efficiencies, which increase the economic viability of the process according to the invention.

[0012] Further advantages of the invention are explained below with reference to a figure. The figure shows a system suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention. The figure shows only the essential components necessary for explaining the method and is not to scale.

[0013] The system for carrying out the method according to the invention essentially comprises a steam generator 1 and a steam turbine 2 downstream of the steam generator.

[0014] In the method according to the invention, steam is generated by internal combustion and not, as is usually the case, by pure heat input (partly from external combustion), as is the case, for example, when using a conventional boiler.

[0015] The internal combustion takes place in a steam generator 1 designated as a Clean Steam Generator (CSG). The CSG 1 is characterized by a pressurized, internal combustion of hydrogen (H2) with oxygen (O2) and the addition of water (H2O2) (regardless of its state of matter), producing live steam (SL) with defined steam parameters (pressure, temperature, etc.) and in a defined quantity and purity.

[0016] The live steam SL is then fed to the steam turbine 2 downstream of the CSG. Along an expansion section, which extends from a steam turbine inlet 4 to a steam turbine outlet 5, the live steam is expanded to lower steam parameters. Depending on the steam parameters required for the respective industrial process, the steam can be extracted along the expansion section through one or more intermediate steam extraction points and fed to the respective industrial process as process steam S P2. The remaining portion of the steam is fully expanded along the expansion section and exits the steam turbine at steam turbine outlet 5 as exhaust steam SW. The exhaust steam can then be fed to a condenser or to another industrial process as process steam S P3.Depending on whether the steam at the end of the expansion section is supplied to the condenser as exhaust steam or to an industrial process as process steam, the steam turbine 1 is designed as a (supply) condensing turbine or as a (supply) back-pressure turbine.

[0017] If an industrial process requires very high steam parameters, some or all of the live steam can be diverted before the steam turbine and fed directly into the industrial process as process steam S P1. The distribution of the steam S P1 - S P3 among the different industrial processes can vary both in terms of timing and the respective steam volume.

[0018] In the exemplary embodiment, the steam turbine drives a generator 3 to generate electrical energy; alternatively, the steam turbine can also drive a working machine (compressor, pump,...).

[0019] The steam turbine can be single-stage or multi-stage and can consist of one or more casings. Furthermore, it is possible for the live steam to be divided among several steam turbines, expanded, and supplied to different industrial processes. The various steam turbines and casings can be operated at the same or different speeds and do not necessarily have to be mechanically coupled to each other via a shaft (multiple generators) nor do they necessarily have to serve the same purpose (e.g., a high-pressure turbine as the mechanical drive of a motor, a low-pressure turbine as the drive of a generator).

[0020] The hydrogen and oxygen used for combustion can preferably be generated using renewable energy and then stored in the CSG for further use. Due to the renewable generation of hydrogen and oxygen, the inventive process for generating process steam can be carried out without CO₂ emissions.

[0021] The inventive method for generating steam offers significant advantages over the conventional method, both in terms of fuel utilization and operational flexibility (the CSG can operate at higher load gradients than a conventional boiler).

Claims

1. Process for generating steam with defined steam parameters comprising the following process steps: - pressurized, internal combustion of hydrogen with oxygen with addition of water in a steam generator (1) and generation of makeup steam; - supplying the makeup steam generated in the steam generator (1) to a steam turbine (2); - expanding the makeup steam along an expansion path in the steam turbine (2); - withdrawing intermediate steam along the expansion path and / or withdrawing waste steam at the end of the expansion path with defined steam parameters and - supplying the withdrawn intermediate steam and / or waste steam to a subsequent industrial process.

2. Process for generating steam with defined steam parameters according to Claim 1, wherein the hydrogen and oxygen utilized for combustion are generated using renewable energy.

3. Process for generating steam with defined steam parameters according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the makeup steam is withdrawn before entry into the steam turbine (2) and supplied to an industrial process.

4. Process for generating steam with defined steam parameters according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mechanical energy generated by the steam turbine (1) is utilized to drive machines or to generate electrical current by means of a generator (3).