Evaporative Condenser for Binary Power Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Binary electric power generation systems face challenges in procuring large amounts of cooling water, which increases costs and requires significant pumping power, and existing condensing mechanisms may not consistently achieve excellent thermal efficiency due to variations in heat exchange.
Innovation Solution
A power generating apparatus that incorporates a condensing mechanism with heat exchanger pipes, a cooling water sprayer, and cooling fans to enable both sensible and latent heat exchange, controlled by a device that adjusts the degree of liquefaction of the working medium, reducing the need for large cooling water quantities and optimizing thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a large amount of cooling water is used for condensing the working medium, then the condensing effect is improved, but the pumping power requirement increases and the real effective electric generation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes the evaporation of cooling water (phase transition from liquid to vapor) to absorb latent heat from the working medium during condensation. This phase change mechanism allows efficient heat transfer without requiring large quantities of cooling water, thereby reducing pumping power requirements while maintaining effective condensing performance
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the conventional mechanical pumping system that relies on circulating large volumes of cooling water with a system that uses evaporative cooling. The cooling water is sprayed onto heat exchanger pipes where it evaporates, absorbing heat from the working medium. This substitution eliminates the need for high-power pumps and reduces water consumption while achieving effective condensation
2Temperature
If a large amount of cooling water is used for condensing the working medium, then the condensing effect is improved, but the operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the latent heat of vaporization during the evaporation of cooling water, the system achieves highly efficient heat transfer. This phase transition mechanism reduces the total amount of cooling water needed, thereby reducing operational costs associated with water procurement, pumping, and disposal while maintaining effective condensing performance
Solution Approach 2:
The evaporative cooling system is self-regulating to an extent, as the evaporation process naturally absorbs heat from the working medium without requiring external pumping power. The system uses the ambient environment and the heat itself to drive the cooling process, reducing operational energy consumption and costs
3Device complexity
If conventional heat exchange is used for condensing, then the system is simple, but the thermal efficiency varies and does not consistently achieve excellent performance
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporative cooling mechanism provides more consistent and reliable heat transfer compared to conventional sensible heat exchange. The phase change process of water evaporation absorbs latent heat, which is a more efficient and stable thermal transfer mechanism that consistently achieves excellent thermal efficiency while maintaining relatively simple system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the thermal exchange parameter from sensible heat transfer to latent heat transfer by utilizing evaporation. This parameter change fundamentally improves the reliability and consistency of thermal efficiency, as latent heat transfer is a more robust and predictable thermal process that lessens variability in performance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus effectively reduces the amount of cooling water required, decreases pumping power, and maintains excellent thermal efficiency by controlling the degree of liquefaction, thus lowering operational costs and environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling water sprayer configured to spray cooling water as the cooling medium over one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes of the at least one heat exchanger pipe
Implementation Method 2
a cooling fan configured to blow ambient air over the one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes to evaporate cooling water attached to the surface of the one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes
Implementation Method 3
allow the working medium and the cooling medium to perform not only sensible heat exchange but also latent heat exchange
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a power generating apparatus including an evaporator configured to evaporate a working medium with a heating medium supplied from the outside of a working medium flow path, an expander to which a driven machine is connected and which is configured to convert expansion force of the evaporated working medium into rotational force to drive the driven machine, a condensing mechanism configured to condense the working medium discharged from the expander with a cooling medium supplied from the outside of the working medium flow path, the condensing mechanism having at least one heat exchanger pipe through which the working medium flows, a cooling water sprayer configured to spray cooling water as the cooling medium over the surface of one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes of the at least one heat exchanger pipe, and a cooling fan configured to blow ambient air over the one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes to evaporate cooling water attached to the surface of the one or a plurality of heat exchanger pipes, and a circulating pump configured to pressurize and supply the condensed working medium to the evaporator.