Thermal power generation system

Abstract

We provide a thermal power generation system that dramatically improves power generation efficiency, enabling highly efficient thermal power generation. [Solution] A fuel pipe 16 extends from a fuel tank 14 where fuel is stored to a burner 18. Four sets of emitters 20 and solar cells 22 are arranged opposite the burner 18. One set of solar cells 22 is positioned opposite the top of the burner 18 via the emitters 20. Five solar cells 22 are capable of transmitting the generated electricity to the outside. Part of a circulation pipe 24 is located above the burner 18, and a steam turbine 26 is positioned at the end of the circulation pipe 24. A generator 28 is connected to this steam turbine 26, and the generator 28 rotates and generates electricity as the steam turbine 26 rotates.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal power generation system that dramatically improves power generation efficiency and enables high-efficiency thermal power generation, and is suitable for thermal power plants that generate power using fossil fuels such as gas and petroleum. [Background Art]

[0002] As a power generation facility for improving the efficiency of conventional thermal power generation, combined cycle power generation has been conventionally considered. This power generation method combines a gas turbine and a steam turbine, and has a thermal efficiency of about 50%. Even combined cycle power generation, which has higher power generation efficiency than conventional thermal power generation, still only achieves an efficiency of about 50%, meaning that nearly half of the input energy is not utilized.

[0003] Furthermore, a drawback of combined cycle power generation is that the combination of gas turbine and steam turbine results in complicated equipment, which not only leads to large initial investment and long construction period, but also requires advanced operation and maintenance to maintain high efficiency.

[0004] On the other hand, although various prior arts exist for thermal power generation systems, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are known as prior arts. That is, Patent Document 1 comprises a power generation facility using a turbine and a water-splitting photocatalytic hydrogen production facility, wherein the hydrogen produced by the water-splitting photocatalytic hydrogen production facility is supplied to the power generation facility. Patent Document 2 recycles part or all of the exhaust gas discharged from a combustor, mixes the recycled exhaust gas as a diluent into fuel gas, and causes nitrogen oxides and oxygen in the diluent to react with ammonia in the fuel gas before combustion in the combustor. According to the technologies disclosed in these Patent Documents 1 and 2, it can be understood that thermal power generation aiming at higher efficiency can be achieved. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-92066 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-31768 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, even with the thermal power generation systems mentioned above, the initial investment is large, the construction period is long, and they do not achieve sufficiently high efficiency. As a result, they have not been able to adequately meet the electricity demands arising from recent energy conservation efforts and the increase in data centers and other facilities due to the spread of AI. This invention has been made in view of the above background, and aims to provide a thermal power generation system that dramatically improves power generation efficiency and enables highly efficient thermal power generation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The thermal power generation system according to claim 1 includes a combustor that burns fuel supplied from a fuel tank for storing fuel, A portion of the circulating pipe is located near the combustor and supplies the heat transfer medium, A steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe, A generator connected to a steam turbine to produce electricity, Around the combustion chamber Facing the combustor In addition to being positioned in multiple locations, it is also provided to the top of the combustor via a circulation pipe. The placed solar cells, Includes.

[0008] In the thermal power generation system of claim 1, a combustor burns fuel sent from a fuel tank that stores fuel, and a portion of the circulation pipe that carries the heat transfer medium is located near the combustor, so the heat transfer medium is heated by the combustor. Consequently, a steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe rotates due to the heated heat transfer medium, and a generator connected to this steam turbine generates electricity. Furthermore, solar cells located opposite the combustor generate electricity through the thermophotovoltaic effect in conjunction with the combustion of fuel.

[0009] Therefore, according to the thermal power generation system of this claim, power generation efficiency can be dramatically improved by generating power not only by steam turbines but also by the thermophotovoltaic effect of solar cells, making highly efficient thermal power generation possible.

[0010] The thermal power generation system according to claim 2 includes a combustor that burns fuel sent from a fuel tank for storing fuel, A portion of the circulating pipe is located near the combustor and supplies the heat transfer medium, A steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe, A generator connected to a steam turbine to produce electricity, Solar cells placed on top of the combustor, A thermal power generation system having, Located on the underside of the solar cell Multiple sets of circulation pipes, steam turbines, and generators are arranged.

[0011] The thermal power generation system of claim 2, similar to claim 1, burns fuel supplied from a fuel tank that stores fuel in a combustor, and a portion of the circulation pipe that supplies the heat transfer medium is located near the combustor, so the heat transfer medium is heated by the combustor. Consequently, similar to claim 1, a steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe rotates with the heated heat transfer medium, and a generator connected to this steam turbine generates electricity. However, in this claim, multiple sets of these circulation pipes, steam turbines, and generators are arranged, and each generator connected to each steam turbine generates electricity.

[0012] Therefore, according to the thermal power generation system of this claim, as power generation is increased by generating electricity with each generator connected to each steam turbine, it becomes possible to dramatically improve power generation efficiency and achieve highly efficient thermal power generation.

[0013] Claim 3 is the thermal power generation system according to Claim 1 above, wherein an emitter that emits thermal radiation is disposed in front of a solar cell, and the solar cell is disposed opposite to a combustor via the emitter. Accordingly, not only is heating performed merely by fuel combusted in the combustor, but also heat radiation can be actively radiated to the solar cell via the emitter, enabling power generation through a more efficient thermophotovoltaic effect.

[0014] Claim 4 is the thermal power generation system according to Claim 2 above, wherein four sets of a circulation pipe, a steam turbine, and a generator are provided. Accordingly, the circulation pipes, steam turbines, and generators can be appropriately arranged, whereby power generation efficiency is dramatically improved, and high-efficiency thermal power generation can be reliably implemented.

[0015] Claim 5 is the thermal power generation system according to Claim 2 above, wherein a cross-section of each circulation pipe is quadrilateral. Accordingly, even when the circulation pipes are arranged densely, the circulation pipes do not contact each other, and as the circulation pipes are brought close to each other, a heat medium can be more efficiently heated by the combustor.

[0016] Claim 6 is the thermal power generation system according to any one of Claim 1 or 2 above, wherein Using thermophotovoltaic power generation, thermal radiation power generation, and Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) accordingly, stable power generation is possible while dramatically improving power generation efficiency. Effects of the Invention

[0017] As described above, according to the present invention, an excellent effect is obtained in that a thermal power generation system that dramatically improves power generation efficiency and enables high-efficiency thermal power generation can be obtained. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal power generation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the thermal power generation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan cross-sectional view of the thermal power generation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of a circulating pipe applied to a thermal power generation system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the thermal power generation system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figure 1, in this embodiment, the thermal power generation system 10 has a fuel pipe 16 extending from a fuel tank 14 located outside the power generation facility building 12, where fuel such as natural gas or petroleum is stored, to a burner 18, which is a combustor that burns the fuel inside the power generation facility building 12. Therefore, the inside of the power generation facility building 12 acts as the boiler.

[0020] Furthermore, rectangular solar cells 22 are arranged around the burner 18 via rectangular emitters 20 that radiate heat from the burner 18 in four directions. In other words, four sets of emitters 20 and solar cells 22 are positioned opposite the flame F of the burner 18.

[0021] Furthermore, above these four sets of emitters 20 and solar cells 22, and facing the top of the burner 18, one set of rectangular solar cells 22 is arranged via an emitter 20 that is also rectangular in shape. These five solar cells 22 are capable of transmitting the generated electricity to the outside via wiring (not shown).

[0022] In other words, these emitters 20 and solar cells 22 enable TPV (Thermo-photovoltaic) power generation using the thermo-photovoltaic effect. Therefore, the radiation emitted through the emitter 20, which is heated to a high temperature by the flame F of the burner 18, is received by the compound semiconductor solar cell 22 to generate electricity. This allows the radiant energy irradiated onto the solar cell 22 to be increased by the emitter 20, making it possible to obtain stable power. Here, the material of the emitter 20 can be metal or ceramic, for example, and the material of the solar cell 22 can be GaSb, InGaAsSb, Mg2Si, etc.

[0023] On the other hand, a portion of the circulation pipe 24 is located below the upper emitter 20 and above the burner 18, and a steam turbine 26 is positioned at the end of this circulation pipe 24. A generator 28 is connected to this steam turbine 26, and the generator 28 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steam turbine 26, which can be driven and rotated by steam, thereby generating electricity.

[0024] Furthermore, a condenser 30, which cools the steam that acts as the heat transfer medium, is located below the steam turbine 26, and the steam that has rotated the steam turbine 26 returns to this condenser 30. The starting end of the circulation pipe 24 is connected to this condenser 30. Part of a cooling pipe 32 that can circulate external seawater W is built into the condenser 30, and the steam inside the condenser 30 is cooled by heat exchange with the circulating seawater W. As a result, the cooled water circulates again through the circulation pipe 24 and is heated by the burner 18, and is turned back into steam.

[0025] Next, the operation of the thermal power generation system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment of the thermal power generation system 10, a burner 18 burns fuel sent from a fuel tank 14 to a fuel pipe 16, and a portion of the circulation pipe 24 that carries the heat transfer medium is located near the burner 18, so the heat transfer medium is heated by the burner 18. Consequently, a steam turbine 26 located at the end of the circulation pipe 24 rotates due to the heated steam, and a generator 28 connected to this steam turbine 26 also rotates to generate electricity.

[0026] Furthermore, by placing a heat-emitting emitter 20 in front of the solar cell 22 and positioning the solar cell 22 opposite the burner 18 via this emitter 20, the solar cell 22 generates electricity through the thermophotovoltaic effect in conjunction with the combustion of fuel in the burner 18.

[0027] Therefore, according to the thermal power generation system 10 of this embodiment, not only is power generated by the steam turbine 26 possible, but power generation by the thermophotovoltaic effect of the solar cells 22 also dramatically improves power generation efficiency, enabling highly efficient thermal power generation. In this case, by arranging the solar cells 22 opposite the burner 18 via a heat-radiating emitter 20, the solar cells 22 are not only heated by the fuel burned in the burner 18, but heat radiation is actively radiated to the solar cells 22 by the emitter 20, enabling more efficient power generation by the thermophotovoltaic effect.

[0028] On the other hand, in this embodiment, by arranging power generation facilities such as the burner 18, emitter 20, solar cell 22, and circulation pipe 24 inside the power generation facility building 12, stable power generation becomes possible while dramatically improving power generation efficiency, without being affected by external weather conditions or temperatures.

[0029] A second embodiment of the thermal power generation system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the thermal power generation system 40, similar to the first embodiment, has a fuel pipe 16 extending from a fuel tank 14 located outside the power generation facility building 12, where fuel such as natural gas or petroleum is stored, to a burner 18 inside the power generation facility building 12 that burns the fuel. Also, similar to the first embodiment, a rectangular solar cell 22 is positioned opposite the top of the burner 18 via a rectangular emitter 20.

[0030] On the other hand, above the burner 18, which is below the upper emitter 20, as shown in Figure 4, there are four rectangular circulation pipes 24, each with a square cross-section, with parts of each pipe positioned at 90-degree angles to one another. Steam turbines 26 are positioned at the ends of each of these circulation pipes 24. Generators 28 are connected to each of these steam turbines 26, so that the generators 28 rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the steam turbines 26 to generate electricity. In other words, in this embodiment, the four circulation pipes 24, the four steam turbines 26, and the four generators 28 are arranged to extend in directions that are 90 degrees apart from each other.

[0031] Furthermore, condensers 30 for cooling the steam, which is the heat transfer medium, are located below each steam turbine 26, and the steam that has rotated each steam turbine 26 returns to these four condensers 30. The starting end of each circulation pipe 24 is connected to each condenser 30. Each condenser 30 has a portion of a cooling pipe 32 that can circulate external seawater W, and the steam inside the condenser 30 is cooled by heat exchange with the circulating seawater W, and the heat transfer medium, which has turned into water, circulates again through the circulation pipe 24 and is heated by the burner 18 and turned back into steam.

[0032] Next, the operation of the thermal power generation system 40 according to this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment of the thermal power generation system 40, the burner 18 burns the fuel sent from the fuel tank 14 to the fuel pipe 16, and a portion of the circulation pipe 24 that carries the heat transfer medium is located near the burner 18, so the heat transfer medium is heated by the burner 18.

[0033] Accordingly, an emitter 20 that emits heat was placed in front of the solar cell 22 at a position above the burner 18, and the solar cell 22 was positioned facing the burner 18 via this emitter 20. As a result, the solar cell 22 receives radiation emitted through the emitter 20, which becomes hot due to the flame F of the burner 18 as fuel burns in the burner 18, and generates electricity through the thermophotovoltaic effect.

[0034] Then, a steam turbine 26, located at the end of a rectangularly shaped circulation pipe 24, rotates using steam, which is a heated heat transfer medium, and a generator 28 connected to this steam turbine 26 generates electricity. However, in this embodiment, these circulation pipes 24, steam turbines 26, and generators 28 are arranged in multiple sets of four, and each generator 28 connected to each steam turbine 26 generates electricity.

[0035] Therefore, according to the thermal power generation system 40 of this embodiment, in addition to power generation by the thermophotovoltaic effect of the solar cells 22, there are four sets of circulation pipes 24, steam turbines 26, and generators 28. This makes it possible to arrange these circulation pipes 24, steam turbines 26, and generators 28 appropriately. Furthermore, by generating power with each generator 28 connected to each steam turbine 26, the power generation efficiency is increased, making it possible to dramatically improve power generation efficiency and achieve highly efficient thermal power generation.

[0036] On the other hand, by making the cross-section of each circulation pipe 24 rectangular as shown in Figure 4, even when the circulation pipes 24 are arranged closely together, they can be placed close to each other without touching, and consequently, the heat transfer medium can be heated more efficiently by the burner 18.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the cross-section of each circulation pipe 24 is rectangular, but it may also be a square cross-section, and the material of the circulation pipe 24 may be steel or other metals that are commonly used. By making the circulation pipe 24 square, more heat from inside the boiler can be absorbed by the circulation pipe 24, and more energy can be generated by turning multiple steam turbines. In addition, although natural gas and petroleum were used as fuel in the above embodiment, coal or other fuels may also be used.

[0038] On the other hand, in the above embodiment, TPV (Thermo photovoltaic) power generation using the thermophotovoltaic effect was used. This TPV power generation mainly converts infrared radiation into energy, and for example, the energy conversion efficiency is said to be around 40%. In other words, the flame F of the burner 18 uses a lot of infrared radiation, and this TPV power generation converts that into energy. However, since the solar cell 22 is made of semiconductor material, there is a risk that some infrared radiation will pass through the solar cell 22 as light, so the solar cell 22 may be arranged in a double layer, and the emitter 20 may be omitted.

[0039] On the other hand, since the boiler of a conventional thermal power plant is kept at a temperature of around 700 to 1400 degrees Celsius, the energy conversion efficiency of the steam turbine and generator is approximately 60% to 63%. However, by using four sets of these, it is conceivable that the energy conversion efficiency could be further increased. Furthermore, although four sets were used in the above embodiment, the number of these combinations could be increased even further.

[0040] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] The thermal power generation system according to the present invention is applicable not only to power generation but also to fields such as mechanical engineering, civil engineering, architecture, chemistry, and materials science, as well as to research fields within these areas. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 10 Thermal power generation system 12. Buildings for power generation facilities (buildings) 14 Fuel tank 18. Burner (combustion device) 20 Emitter 22 solar cells 24 Circulation pipe 26 Steam Turbine 28 Generators 40 Thermal power generation system

Claims

1. A combustor that burns the fuel supplied from a fuel tank that stores fuel, A portion of the circulating pipe is located near the combustor and supplies the heat transfer medium, A steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe, A generator connected to a steam turbine to produce electricity, Multiple solar cells are arranged around the combustor, facing it, and also on top of the combustor via circulation pipes. A thermal power generation system including a thermal power plant.

2. A combustor that burns the fuel supplied from a fuel tank that stores fuel, A portion of the circulating pipe is located near the combustor and supplies the heat transfer medium, A steam turbine located at the end of the circulation pipe, A generator connected to a steam turbine to produce electricity, Solar cells placed on top of the combustor, A thermal power generation system having, A thermal power generation system in which multiple sets of circulation pipes, steam turbines, and generators are arranged below the solar cells.

3. The thermal power generation system according to claim 1, wherein a heat-emitting emitter is installed in front of the solar cell, and the solar cell is positioned facing the combustor via the emitter.

4. The thermal power generation system according to claim 2, wherein there are four sets of circulation pipes, steam turbines, and generators.

5. The thermal power generation system according to claim 2, wherein the cross-section of each circulation pipe is square.

6. A thermal power generation system according to claim 1 or 2, utilizing thermophotovoltaic power generation, thermal radiation power generation, and Thermophotovoltaics (abbreviated as TPV).

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