Thermoelectric power generation system, abnormality detection method, drain amount calculation method, and program

Abstract

To provide a thermoelectric power generation system that can efficiently utilize power generated by using a discharged drain.SOLUTION: A thermoelectric power generation system 1 according to the present embodiment includes: a thermoelectric power generation device 3 that includes thermoelectric elements and generates power using a drain discharged from a steam trap; and a pH measurement unit 4 that measures the pH of the drain discharged from the steam trap. The pH measurement unit 4 measures the pH of the drain with the power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device 3. Additionally, the thermoelectric power generation system 1 includes a monitoring device that monitors the state of the drain. The monitoring device 2 has an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in drain piping which is the flow path of the drain whose pH is measured and steam supply piping which is the flow path of the steam that became the drain whose pH is measured on the basis of the value of the pH measured by the pH measurement unit 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermoelectric power generation system, an abnormality detection method, a drain amount calculation method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a drain flow meter that measures the flow rate of drain discharged from a steam trap, comprising: a drain discharge pipe connected to the outlet side of the steam trap; a cooling fluid supply pipe and a first flow meter attached to the drain discharge pipe; a drain branch pipe branching off from the drain discharge pipe; a second flow meter attached to the drain branch pipe; and a calculation unit that calculates the flow rate of drain discharged from the steam trap from the difference in flow rate values ​​detected by the second flow meter and the first flow meter. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a drain flow rate measuring device comprising: a drain discharge pipe connected to the secondary side of a drain trap that discharges drainage formed by condensing steam; an indirect cooling type cooler provided in the drain discharge pipe; and a flow meter provided in the drain discharge pipe downstream of the cooler. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-246020 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-161545 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a thermoelectric power generation system that efficiently utilizes electric power generated by utilizing discharged drain. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The thermoelectric power generation system of the present invention includes a thermoelectric power generation device that includes a thermoelectric element and generates power using drain discharged from a steam trap, and a pH measurement unit that measures the pH of the drain discharged from the steam trap, and the pH measurement unit measures the pH of the drain using the power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device.

[0006] Preferably, the system further includes a monitoring device for monitoring the state of the drain, and the monitoring device has an abnormality detection unit for detecting abnormalities in a drain piping, which is a flow path for the drain whose pH has been measured, and a steam supply piping, which is a flow path for the steam that has become the drain whose pH has been measured, based on the pH value measured by the pH measurement unit.

[0007] Preferably, the thermoelectric power generation device further has a storage section that separates the drain discharged from the steam trap into liquid and gas and stores the separated drain in the storage section, the thermoelectric power generation device generates power by utilizing the gaseous drain that is separated and stored in the storage section, and the pH measurement unit measures the pH of the liquid drain separated by the storage section.

[0008] Preferably, the container discharges the separated liquid drain outside the thermoelectric power generation device, and the pH measurement unit measures the pH of the drain within a predetermined time after it is discharged by the container.

[0009] Preferably, the monitoring device further includes a plurality of the thermoelectric power generation devices and a drainage pit for temporarily storing drainage discharged from the plurality of thermoelectric power generation devices, and when power is generated by the thermoelectric power generation device, the pH measurement unit measures the pH of the drainage stored in the drainage pit using power supplied by the thermoelectric power generation device, and the monitoring device further includes an identification unit for identifying the thermoelectric power generation device that supplied power to the pH measurement unit, and the abnormality detection unit detects abnormalities in the drain piping and the steam supply piping based on the pH value measured by the pH measurement unit and the thermoelectric power generation device identified by the identification unit.

[0010] Preferably, the monitoring device has a plurality of the thermoelectric power generation devices, the pH measurement units are installed corresponding to each of the thermoelectric power generation devices, and the monitoring device further has an identification unit that identifies the thermoelectric power generation device that discharges the drain in which an abnormality has been detected, based on identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device included in the measurement results received from each pH measurement unit.

[0011] The thermoelectric power generation system of the present invention includes a thermoelectric power generation device that includes a thermoelectric element and generates power by utilizing drain discharged from a steam trap, a power generation amount measurement unit that measures the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device or the open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device, a steam amount estimation unit that estimates the amount of gas drain used for power generation based on the amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage measured by the power generation amount measurement unit, and a drain amount calculation unit that calculates the amount of liquid and gas drain discharged from the steam trap based on the amount of gas drain estimated by the steam amount estimation unit.

[0012] The anomaly detection method according to the present invention includes a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power by utilizing drain discharged from a steam trap, a pH measurement unit that measures the pH of the drain discharged from the steam trap, and a monitoring device that monitors the state of the drain whose pH has been measured by the pH measurement unit, and includes a power receiving step in which the pH measurement unit receives power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device, a measurement step in which the pH measurement unit measures the pH of the discharged drain with the power received in the power receiving step, and an anomaly detection step in which the monitoring device detects an abnormality in a piping which is a flow path of the drain whose pH has been measured, and an abnormality in a steam supply piping for the steam that has become the drain whose pH has been measured, based on the pH of the drain measured in the measurement step.

[0013] The program of the present invention causes a computer to execute a receiving step of receiving a measurement result of the pH of the drain discharged from a steam trap by a pH measurement unit that measures the pH of the drain discharged from a steam trap, and an abnormality detection step of detecting an abnormality in a piping that is a flow path of the drain whose pH is measured, and an abnormality in a steam supply piping for the steam that has become the drain whose pH is measured, based on the measurement result received in the receiving step, wherein the pH measurement unit includes a thermoelectric element and measures the pH of the drain using electricity generated by a thermoelectric power generation device that generates electricity using the drain discharged from the steam trap.

[0014] A drain amount calculation method according to the present invention includes a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power by utilizing drain discharged from a steam trap, an open-circuit voltage measurement unit that measures the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device or the open-circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device, and a monitoring device that monitors the amount of drain discharged from the thermoelectric power generation device, the monitoring device having a steam amount estimation step of estimating the amount of drain that has become gas used for power generation, based on the amount of power generation or the open-circuit voltage measured by the power generation amount measurement unit, and a drain amount calculation step of calculating the amount of drain including liquid and gas discharged from the steam trap, based on the amount of gas drain estimated by the steam amount estimation unit.

[0015] The program according to the present invention causes a computer to execute a receiving step of receiving an amount of power generated by a thermoelectric power generation device that generates power using drain discharged from a steam trap, or an open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device, a steam amount estimating step of estimating an amount of drain that has become gas and has been used for power generation based on the amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage received in the receiving step, and a drain amount calculating step of calculating an amount of drain of liquid and gas discharged from the steam trap based on the amount of drain of gas estimated in the steam amount estimating step, and the amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage received in the receiving step is measured using power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device. The steps of power generation and measurement may be switched by storing power using a storage battery or the like. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, the electric power generated by utilizing the discharged drain can be efficiently utilized. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a thermoelectric power generation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a thermoelectric power generation device 3 in the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a thermoelectric power generation unit 30. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a management server 2. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a management server 2. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an abnormality detection process (S10) in the thermoelectric power generation system 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a thermoelectric power generation system according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] First, the background of the present invention will be described. In production facilities that use steam generated by a boiler, steam supply piping is installed to supply high-temperature steam to a specified location. Steam traps are installed along the steam supply piping at specified intervals. The steam trap discharges drain, which is condensed water formed when part of the saturated steam is condensed due to a drop in the temperature of the steam caused by heat radiation from the steam supply piping, out of the steam supply piping. However, the steam supply piping becomes corroded due to the acidification of the steam passing through it, which results in a shortened lifespan of the steam supply piping and increased maintenance costs. Furthermore, there are problems in that the corrosion of the steam supply piping causes steam leaks, which increase loss costs.

[0019] In order to solve the above problems, the thermoelectric power generation system 1 of this embodiment detects the acidification of the steam flowing through the steam supply pipe by measuring the pH of the drain passing through the steam supply pipe and issues a warning, thereby solving the above problems. Also, the thermoelectric power generation system 1 of this embodiment makes it possible to detect abnormalities in the steam trap and the steam supply pipe by monitoring the amount of drain discharged.

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a thermoelectric power generation system 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, steam produced in a boiler is supplied to a production facility that uses the steam through a steam supply pipe. In the production facility, steam traps are installed at predetermined intervals along the steam supply pipe through which the supplied steam flows. A steam trap is a device that discharges drainage and air condensed from steam flowing inside a steam supply pipe to the outside of the steam supply pipe. In a production facility, the steam trap is connected to a steam supply pipe that supplies steam and a drain discharge pipe through which the drain discharged by the steam trap flows. Thermoelectric power generation system 1 generates power by using the drain discharged from the drain discharge pipe.

[0021] The thermoelectric power generation system 1 includes a monitoring server 2, a thermoelectric power generation device 3, a pH measurement unit 4, a power generation amount measurement unit 5, and a network 7. The monitoring server 2 monitors the state of the drain discharged from the steam trap. Specifically, the monitoring server 2 is a computer terminal that monitors the state of the steam supply pipe, which is the steam flow path, and the drain discharge pipe, which is the drain flow path. More specifically, the monitoring server 2 determines the possibility of corrosion of the steam supply pipe and the drain discharge pipe based on the pH value of the drain discharged from the thermoelectric power generation device 3. The monitoring server 2 is an example of a monitoring device according to the present invention. The thermoelectric power generation device 3 is a power generation device that generates power by utilizing the heat of the drain discharged from the steam trap. The thermoelectric power generation device 3 also supplies the generated power to a pH measurement unit 4 and a power generation amount measurement unit 5.

[0022] The pH measurement unit 4 measures the pH of the drain discharged from the steam trap using the pH meter 40, and notifies the monitoring server 2 of the measurement result via the network 7. Specifically, the pH measurement unit 4 measures the pH of the drain discharged from the thermoelectric power generation device 3 using the power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device 3. The electrodes of the pH meter 40 are installed at a position in contact with the liquid drain separated by the storage tank 32 of the thermoelectric power generation device 3. Specifically, the electrodes are set at a position where the tip of the electrode contacts the liquid drain in the storage tank 32 of the thermoelectric power generation device 3, or where the tip of the electrode contacts the drain of a drainage pit in which the drain discharged from the storage tank 32 is stored. For example, a PHT-5 manufactured by Fuji Precision Electric Co., Ltd. is used for the pH meter 40, and a GR-1TH manufactured by Fuji Precision Electric Co., Ltd. is used for the electrodes.

[0023] The pH measurement unit 4 measures the pH value of the drain that has formed as a result of the steam that has flowed from the steam supply pipe to the drain discharge pipe, and transmits the measurement result to the monitoring server 2. The pH measurement unit 4 includes a power receiving section 400 , a measurement section 402 , and a transmission section 404 . The power receiving unit 400 receives the power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device 3. The measurement unit 402 measures the pH of the liquid drain discharged from the steam trap, using electric power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device 3 utilizing the heat of the flash steam, which is the gas drain. Specifically, the measurement unit 320 measures the pH of the liquid drain, out of the drain separated into liquid and gas within the thermoelectric power generation device 3, using the pH meter 40 that has received electric power. The transmitting unit 404 transmits the measurement result measured by the measuring unit 402 to the monitoring server 2 using the power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device 3 utilizing the heat of the drain. Specifically, the transmitting unit 404 notifies the monitoring server 2 of the identification information of the thermoelectric power generating device 3 accommodating the drain whose pH has been measured and the measured pH value. The transmitting unit 324 may transmit the measurement result to the monitoring server 2 using, for example, a frequency modulation method in the 920 MHz band called LoRa (Long Range) among wireless communication standards called low power long distance wireless (LPWA).

[0024] The power generation amount measuring unit 5 measures the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device 3 or the open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generating device 3 , and transmits the measured value to the monitoring server 2 . The power generation amount measuring unit 5 includes a power receiving section 500 , a power generation amount measuring section 502 , and a transmitting section 504 . The power receiving unit 500 receives the power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device 3. The measurement unit 502 uses the electric power generated by the thermoelectric generation device 3 by utilizing the heat of the drain to measure the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric generation device 3 or the open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric generation device 3. Specifically, the measurement unit 502 measures the voltage of the generated electric power using the voltmeter 50 that receives the electric power. When measuring the open circuit voltage, the power generation circuit is temporarily switched to the measurement circuit. The transmitting unit 504 transmits the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device 3 using the heat of the drain and the open circuit voltage measured by the measuring unit 502 to the monitoring server 2. The transmitting unit 504 may transmit the measurement result to the monitoring server 2 by using, for example, a frequency modulation method in the 920 MHz band called LoRa (Long Range) among wireless communication standards called Low Power Wide Area (LPWA).

[0025] The network 7 is a communication network that connects the management server 2 and the pH meter in a wired or wireless manner so that information can be communicated between them. For example, the network 7 may be a long-distance wide area network (LoRaWAN: Long Range Wide Area Network) that uses a wireless communication standard called Low Power Wide Area (LPWA: Low Power Wide Area).

[0026] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 in this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the thermoelectric power generation device 3 includes a thermoelectric power generation unit 30 and a storage tank 32. The thermoelectric power generation unit 30 is a power generation device that generates power by utilizing the heat of the drain discharged from the steam trap.

[0027] The storage tank 32 is an example of a storage unit according to the present invention, and is a container that stores the drain discharged from the steam trap at a pressure lower than the pressure of the steam supply pipe. The storage tank 32 separates the drain into a gas and a liquid and stores them. The thermoelectric power generation unit 30 generates power by using the flash steam stored in the storage tank 32. The storage tank 32 includes an inclined bottom 320 and a drain discharge pipe 322. The inclined bottom 320 is a bottom surface of the storage tank 32 that is inclined downward with respect to a waste outlet for disposing of drainage from within the storage tank 32 to the outside. In the present example, the inclined bottom 320 is provided with a waste outlet for disposing of drainage at the bottom of the storage tank 32, and the bottom surface of the storage tank 32 is inclined downward with respect to the provided waste outlet. The drain discharge pipe 322 is a pipe for discharging drain from inside the storage tank 32 to the outside of the thermoelectric power generation device 3. The drain discharged from the drain discharge pipe 322 to the outside is stored in a drainage pit that temporarily collects and stores the drain.

[0028] Next, the detailed configuration of the thermoelectric power generation unit 30 will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a thermoelectric power generation unit 30. As shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the thermoelectric power generation unit 30 includes a unit body 300 and an induction section 308 . The unit body 300 is a power generation unit that converts thermal energy of steam flash-evaporated from the drain in the storage tank 32 into electrical energy. The unit body 300 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, with the vertical length being shorter than the horizontal length. Specifically, the unit body 300 is disposed such that the short side of the unit body 300 faces the vertical direction, and the long side of the unit body 300 faces the horizontal direction. The unit body 300 also includes a housing 302, a cooling flow path 304, and a thermoelectric module 306.

[0029] The housing 302 is disposed outside the cooling flow passage 304 described later, and is an exterior of the unit body 300 configured to cover a part of the outside of the cooling flow passage 304. The housing 302 is made of a metal plate, and is made by combining aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, or copper plate materials. The housing 302 is preferably made of aluminum or stainless steel if it is a material with good workability. Furthermore, stainless steel is more preferable because of its good corrosion resistance. The housing 302 is approximately rectangular parallelepiped in shape, and the vertical length is shorter than the horizontal length. Specifically, the housing 302 is disposed such that the short side of the housing 10 faces the vertical direction, and the long side of the housing 302 faces the horizontal direction. The outer wall surface of the housing 302 of the unit body 300 at the position where the guide portion 308 described later protrudes is a flat surface.

[0030] The cooling flow passage 304 is a pipe material through which a cooling medium passes from one side to the other side in the longitudinal direction of the unit body 300. Here, the cooling medium may be liquid or gas, and if it is liquid, it is cooling water (water), and if it is gas, it is air. The cooling medium in this example is liquid cooling water. The cooling flow passage 304 cools the thermoelectric module 306 described later. The cooling flow passage 304 is a pipe material made of aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, or copper, and both ends are closed, and a cooling water inlet is provided at one end and a cooling water outlet is provided at the other end. If the material is easily processable, the cooling flow passage 304 is preferably made of aluminum or stainless steel. The cooling flow passage 304 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the unit body 5, penetrating the housing 302, and both ends (the cooling water inlet and the cooling water outlet) are located outside the housing 302.

[0031] The thermoelectric module 306 is a module in which a plurality of thermoelectric elements that convert heat and electric energy into each other are arranged and electrically connected. The thermoelectric module 306 may be a bismuth-tellurium-based (Bi-Te-based), lead-tellurium-based (Pb-Te-based), magnesium-based (Mg-Si-based, Mg-Si-Sn-based, Mg-Ag-Sb-based), silicide-based (Mn-Si, Fe-Si) or silicon-germanium-based (Si-Ge-based) thermoelectric element, so long as the thermoelectric element is capable of generating power by utilizing a temperature difference.

[0032] 3, the thermoelectric module 306 is located between the housing 302 and the cooling flow path 304, and is disposed in thermal contact with the housing 302 and the tubing cooling flow path 304. Specifically, the thermoelectric module 306 is disposed in a state where one surface of the thermoelectric module 306 is in contact with the housing 302, and the other surface of the thermoelectric module 306 is in contact with the cooling flow path 304. The thermoelectric module 306 generates power by having the surface in contact with the cooling flow path 304 as the low temperature side and the surface in contact with the inner wall surface of the housing 10 as the high temperature side. The thermoelectric module 306 is in contact with the housing 302 and the cooling channel 304 via a thermally conductive member. The thermally conductive member is a material with high thermal conductivity, and may be, for example, thermally conductive grease, a thermally conductive adhesive, a liquid metal, or a thermally conductive sheet. In the case of a thermally conductive sheet, it is preferable that the main component is inorganic carbon or that the main component is a polymer material. The thermally conductive member is located between the thermoelectric module 306 and the cooling channel 304, and between the thermoelectric module 306 and the housing 302, and can fill the gaps. Further, the thermoelectric modules 306 are arranged at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the unit body 5, and in this example, three to five thermoelectric modules 306 are arranged in a position inside the storage tank 32 of the thermoelectric power generation unit.

[0033] The guiding portion 308 is a plate-like member that is long in the longitudinal direction of the unit body 300, and is provided so as to protrude outward from the outer wall surface 302A of the housing 302 of the unit body 300. The base end of the guiding portion 308 is connected to the lower side in the lateral direction of the unit body 300, i.e., the lower side in the lateral direction of the housing 302, and the tip end is provided so as to protrude outward from the outer wall surface 302A. Furthermore, the guiding portion 308 is provided so that the plate surface 308A and the outer wall surface 302A of the housing 302 are continuous. In addition, the induction section 308 is provided so that the angle X between the outer wall surface 302A of the housing 302 of the unit body 300 and the plate surface 308A of the induction section 308 is an obtuse angle. The angle X between the outer wall surface 302A and the plate surface 308A is, for example, an angle of 140 degrees or more and 160 degrees or less, and is 150 degrees in this example. That is, the angle X between the outer wall surface 302A and the plate surface 308A is an angle at which the liquid drain of condensed steam can move smoothly from the outer wall surface 310A to the plate surface 308A of the induction section 308. This allows the liquid drain to be quickly moved from the outer wall surface 302A of the housing 302, and prevents the liquid drain from accumulating at the joints of the housing 302, etc.

[0034] Next, the detailed configuration of the monitoring server 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the monitoring server 2. As shown in FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the monitoring server 2 includes a CPU 200, a memory 202, a HDD 204, a network interface 206 (network IF 206), a display device 208, and an input device 210, which are connected to each other via a bus 212. The CPU 200 is, for example, a central processing unit. The memory 202 is, for example, a volatile memory, and functions as a main storage device. The HDD 204 is, for example, a hard disk drive device, and serves as a non-volatile storage device for storing computer programs and other data files (for example, the measurement result storage DB 600 exemplified in FIG. 5). The network IF 206 is an interface for wired or wireless communication, and realizes communication with the pH measurement unit 4 and the power generation amount measurement unit 5, for example. The display device 208 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. The input device 210 is, for example, a keyboard and a mouse.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the monitoring server 2. 5, the monitoring server 2 has a monitoring program 20 installed and a measurement result storage database 600 configured. The monitoring program 20 is stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, and is installed in the monitoring server 20 via the recording medium. The monitoring program 20 may also be downloaded from the Internet and installed in the monitoring server 20. The monitoring program 20 has a receiving unit 220, an abnormality detection unit 222, a warning unit 224, a flash steam amount estimation unit 226, and a drain amount calculation unit 228. Note that a part or all of the monitoring program 20 may be realized by hardware such as an ASIC, or may be realized by partially borrowing functions of an OS (Operating System).

[0036] The receiving unit 220 receives the measurement result of the pH of the drain transmitted by the transmitting unit 404 of the pH measuring unit 4. Specifically, the receiving unit 220 stores in the measurement result storage DB 600 the identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 in which the drain whose pH was measured was housed, in association with the received pH value. Furthermore, the receiving unit 220 receives the power generation amount or the open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 transmitted by the transmitting unit 504 of the power generation amount measuring unit 5. Specifically, the receiving unit 220 stores in the measurement result storage DB 600 the identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 whose power generation amount or open circuit voltage has been measured, in association with the received power generation amount or open circuit voltage. The abnormality detection unit 222 detects an abnormality in the steam supply pipe and the drain discharge pipe based on the pH value of the drain. Specifically, the abnormality detection unit 222 determines whether the pH value received by the receiving unit 220 is equal to or greater than a specified value, and determines that the pH value of the drain is abnormal if the pH value is equal to or greater than the specified value. The abnormality detection unit 222 identifies the drain discharge pipe connected to the thermal power generation device 3 that discharged the drain for which an abnormality was detected, and the steam supply pipe further upstream of the drain discharge pipe. The abnormality detection unit 222 notifies the warning unit 224 of the piping information, which is the flow path of the steam that became the drain for which an abnormality was detected, and the pH value. Here, the pH being equal to or greater than the specified value indicates that the acidity of the drain is equal to or greater than the specified value.

[0037] The warning unit 224 warns of the piping abnormality notified by the abnormality detection unit 222. The warning method may be, for example, issuing an alert, notifying a person in charge, displaying on the display device 208, or the like. The flash steam amount estimation unit 226 is one example of a steam amount estimation unit according to the present invention, and estimates the amount of flash steam used for power generation based on the power generation amount or the release voltage measured by the power generation amount measurement unit 5. Specifically, the flash steam amount estimation unit 226 estimates the steam amount of the flash steam separated and stored in the storage tank 32. The drain amount calculation section 228 calculates the amount of drainage, which is the sum of the amount of liquid separated and stored in the storage tank 32 and the amount of flash steam, based on the amount of flash steam estimated by the flash steam amount estimation section 226. If the amount of drainage is so large that it exceeds the maximum power generation capacity of the thermoelectric power generation unit, a cooler may be installed before or after the thermoelectric power generation unit. The cooler can condense the flash steam using cooling water. The amount of condensed flash steam can be calculated by measuring the temperature and flow rate of the inlet and outlet of the cooling water used in the cooler. The amount of drainage can be calculated by combining the condensation amount of the cooler with the amount of flash steam estimated from the power generation capacity of the power generation unit. In this case as well, data on the inlet and outlet temperature and flow rate of the cooling water is obtained using the power generation of the thermoelectric power generation unit and sent to a server, etc.

[0038] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the abnormality detection process (S10) in the thermoelectric power generation system 1. Here, a case will be described in which the pH of drainage stored in a drainage pit is measured. 6, in step 100 (S100), the thermoelectric power generation device 3 generates power by using flash steam formed by turning part of the drain discharged from the steam trap into steam. Specifically, power is generated by using flash steam separated in the accommodation section 32. In step 105 (S105), if the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device 3 or the open-circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 exceeds a specified value, the abnormality detection process (S10) proceeds to S110, and waits if the amount of power generated or the open-circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 does not reach the specified value. In step 110 (S110), the thermoelectric power generation device 3 supplies the generated power to the pH measurement unit 4, and the power receiving section 400 of the pH measurement unit 4 receives the power. In step 115 (S115), the measurement section 402 of the pH measurement unit 4 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since drain was discharged from the thermal power generation device 3 to the drainage pit. If the predetermined time has passed since drain was discharged (S115: Yes), the abnormality detection process (S10) proceeds to S120, and if the predetermined time has passed (S115: No), the process waits until the next drain is discharged.

[0039] In step 120 (S120), the measuring section 402 of the pH measuring unit 4 operates the pH meter 40 using the power received by the power receiving section 400, and measures the pH of the liquid drain in the drainage pit. In step 125 (S125), using the power received by the power receiving section 400, the transmitting section 404 of the pH measuring unit 4 notifies the monitoring server 2 of the pH value measured by the measuring section 402 in association with the identification information of the thermoelectric power generating device 3 that discharged the drain whose pH value was measured. The receiving section 220 of the monitoring server 2 receives the identification information of the thermoelectric power generating device 3 and the pH value of the drain. In step 130 (S130), the receiving unit 220 of the monitoring server 2 stores the identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device 3, which is the measurement result, and the pH value of the drain in the measurement result storage DB 600 in association with each other. In step 135 (S135), if the pH value received by the receiving unit 220 is equal to or greater than a specified value, the abnormality detection unit 222 of the monitoring server 2 determines that there is an abnormality in the piping leading to the drainage to the thermoelectric power generation device 3 (S135: Yes), and proceeds to S140. If the pH value is within the specified value (S135: No), the abnormality detection process (S10) ends. In step 140 (S140), the warning unit 224 of the monitoring server 2 warns the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that discharged the drain determined to have an abnormality that there is an abnormality in the piping leading to the drain discharge.

[0040] As described above, the thermoelectric power generation system 1 in this embodiment generates power using drain discharged from production equipment that uses steam, making it possible to effectively utilize energy. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent corrosion of the pipes by measuring the pH of the drain flowing through the pipes using the generated power and detecting and warning the acidification of the steam from the pH value. In addition, since the measurement results are transmitted to the monitoring server 2 using the generated power, it is possible to grasp the state of the drain even in a remote location without visiting the site. Moreover, according to the thermoelectric power generation system 1, the amount of drain discharged is calculated based on the power generation amount of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 or the open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device 3, so that it is possible to calculate recoverable thermal energy based on the calculated amount of drain. Furthermore, by recording the amount of drain discharged and detecting changes in the amount of drain, it is possible to detect an increase in the amount of drain caused by a piping abnormality and a failure of a steam trap.

[0041] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the transmitter 404 of the pH measurement unit 4 transmits identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device 3, and the monitoring server 2 identifies the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that discharged the drain whose pH was measured. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that discharged the drain whose pH was measured may be identified by detecting that the thermoelectric power generation device 3 has generated electricity.

[0042] A thermoelectric power generation system 1 in a modified example will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a thermoelectric power generation system 1 according to a modified example. 7, in a thermoelectric power generation system 1 in the modified example, steam is supplied from a boiler to a plurality of production facilities, each production facility is provided with a steam trap, and the drain discharged from the steam trap is used to generate power by each thermoelectric power generation device 3. A monitoring server 2 identifies the flow path of the drain whose pH value is equal to or greater than a specified value by detecting the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that generated power. Note that a pH measurement unit 4 in the modified example measures the pH of the liquid drain stored in a drainage pit.

[0043] Here, because drain is discharged from the steam trap irregularly, the power generation by the thermoelectric power generation device 3 occurs at the same time as the drain is discharged from the steam trap. Therefore, in the thermoelectric power generation system 1 in the modified example, by detecting power generation, it is detected which thermoelectric power generation device 3 supplied power to the pH meter 40, and it is identified which thermoelectric power generation device 3 the drain in the drainage pit measured by the pH measurement unit 4 was discharged from. By identifying the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that is the drain discharge source, the piping that is the flow path of the drain in which an abnormality was detected is identified. 5, the monitoring program 20 of the monitoring server 2 has an identification unit 230, which identifies the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that discharged the drain that is the measurement target of the measurement result received from the pH measurement unit 4. More specifically, the identification unit 230 detects the power generation of each thermoelectric power generation device 3, and identifies the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that supplied power to the pH measurement unit 4. Furthermore, the power receiving section 400 of the pH measurement unit 4 may identify the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that is the power supply source, and notify the monitoring server 2 of the measurement result.

[0044] Furthermore, when a pH measurement unit 4 is installed for each of multiple thermoelectric power generation devices 3, the identification unit 230 identifies the thermoelectric power generation device 3 that discharged the drain in which an abnormality was detected, based on the identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device 3 contained in the measurement results received from each pH meter 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Thermoelectric power generation system 2. Monitoring server 3. Thermoelectric power generation device 4...pH measurement unit 5…Power generation measurement unit 7. Network 30…Thermoelectric power generation unit 300…Unit body 302…Housing 304... Cooling channel 306…Thermoelectric module 308...guiding section 32…Storage tank 320…Slanted bottom 322…Drain discharge pipe

Claims

1. a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power using drain discharged from the steam trap; A pH measurement unit for measuring the pH of drain discharged from the steam trap; having The pH measuring unit measures the pH of the drain using the power generated by the thermoelectric power generating device. Thermoelectric power generation system.

2. A monitoring device for monitoring the state of the drain and The monitoring device includes: An abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in a drain pipe, which is a flow path for the drain whose pH has been measured, and in a steam supply pipe, which is a flow path for the steam that has become the drain whose pH has been measured, based on the pH value measured by the pH measurement unit. Have The thermoelectric power generation system of claim 1 .

3. The thermoelectric power generation device is A storage section that separates the drain discharged from the steam trap into liquid and gas and stores it. and the thermoelectric power generation device generates power by utilizing a drain of gas that is separately accommodated in the accommodation portion, The pH measuring unit measures the pH of the drain of the liquid separated by the storage unit. The thermoelectric power generation system of claim 1 .

4. The container discharges the separated liquid drain to the outside of the thermoelectric power generation device, The pH measuring unit measures the pH of the drain discharged within a predetermined time after the drain is discharged from the storage section. The thermoelectric power generation system according to claim 3 .

5. A plurality of the thermoelectric power generation devices; a drainage pit for temporarily storing drainage discharged from the plurality of thermoelectric power generation devices; and the pH measurement unit measures a pH of the drain stored in the drainage pit using the electric power supplied by the thermoelectric power generation device when the thermoelectric power generation device generates electric power; The monitoring device includes: An identification unit that identifies a thermoelectric power generation device that has supplied power to the pH measurement unit. and The abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality in the drain pipe and the steam supply pipe based on the pH value measured by the pH measurement unit and the thermoelectric power generation device identified by the identification unit. The thermoelectric power generation system according to claim 2 .

6. A plurality of the thermoelectric power generation devices are provided, the pH measuring units are provided corresponding to the respective thermoelectric power generating devices, The monitoring device includes: an identification unit that identifies a thermoelectric power generation device that discharges the drain in which an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection unit, based on identification information of the thermoelectric power generation device included in the measurement results received from each of the pH measurement units; Further having The thermoelectric power generation system according to claim 2 .

7. a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power using drain discharged from the steam trap; a power generation amount measuring unit that measures the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device or an open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device; a steam amount estimation unit that estimates a drain amount of a gas used for power generation based on the power generation amount or the open circuit voltage measured by the power generation amount measurement unit; a drain amount calculation unit that calculates the drain amount of liquid and gas discharged from the steam trap based on the drain amount of gas estimated by the steam amount estimation unit; have Thermoelectric power generation system.

8. a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power using drain discharged from the steam trap; A pH measuring unit for measuring the pH of drain discharged from the steam trap; A monitor for monitoring the state of the drain whose pH has been measured by the pH measuring unit; having a power receiving step in which the pH measurement unit receives power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device; a measuring step in which the pH measuring unit measures a pH of the discharged drain using the power received in the power receiving step; an anomaly detection step in which the monitoring device detects an anomaly in a pipe which is a flow path of the drain whose pH is measured and an anomaly in a steam supply pipe for the steam which becomes the drain whose pH is measured, based on the pH of the drain measured in the measurement step; have Anomaly detection methods.

9. A receiving step of receiving a measurement result of the pH of the drain discharged from the steam trap by a pH measurement unit; an anomaly detection step of detecting an anomaly in a pipe which is a flow path of the drain whose pH is measured and an anomaly in a steam supply pipe for the steam which has become the drain whose pH is measured, based on the measurement result received in the receiving step; on the computer, The pH measurement unit includes a thermoelectric element and measures the pH of the drain using electricity generated by a thermoelectric power generation device that generates electricity using the drain discharged from the steam trap. program.

10. a thermoelectric power generation device including a thermoelectric element and generating power using drain discharged from the steam trap; a power generation amount measuring unit that measures the amount of power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device or an open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric power generation device; a monitoring device that monitors the amount of drainage discharged from the thermoelectric power generation device; having The monitoring device, a steam amount estimation step of estimating an amount of drain that has turned into gas and is used for power generation based on the amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage measured by the power generation amount measurement unit; a drain amount calculation step of calculating the drain amount of liquid and gas discharged from the steam trap based on the drain amount of gas estimated by the steam amount estimation unit; have Drain volume calculation method.

11. a receiving step of receiving an amount of power generated by a thermoelectric generating device that generates power using drain discharged from the steam trap, or an open circuit voltage of the thermoelectric generating device; a steam amount estimation step of estimating an amount of drainage that has turned into gas and is used for power generation, based on the amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage received in the receiving step; a drain amount calculation step of calculating the drain amount of liquid and gas discharged from the steam trap based on the drain amount of gas estimated in the steam amount estimation step; on the computer, The amount of power generation or the open circuit voltage received in the receiving step is measured using the power generated by the thermoelectric power generation device. program.

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