Flotation Tank Pressure Buffer for Supercritical CO2 Cycle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power generation systems using supercritical CO2 require expensive materials and components to withstand high pressures, increasing costs and reducing economical efficiency due to the need for a mass control tank connected to high-pressure lines.
Innovation Solution
A device with a flotation tank positioned between the precooler and compressor, utilizing a piston accumulator type tank to control pressure and flow rate by adjusting the supply of control fluid and working fluid based on inlet and outlet pressures, eliminating the need for expensive high-pressure components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mass control tank is connected to the high pressure line of the outlet of the compressor to control pressure and flow rate, then the pressure and flow rate can be controlled, but expensive materials and components are required to withstand high pressure, leading to increased cost and decreased economical efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a low-pressure buffer tank as an intermediary component between the high-pressure compressor and the power generation cycle. The buffer tank receives working fluid through a pressure-reducing valve that lowers the pressure from high-pressure levels to low-pressure levels, allowing the buffer tank to be constructed with inexpensive materials while still enabling effective pressure and flow rate control of the working fluid supply
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the pressure control function from the mass control tank by separating the pressure reduction operation (performed by the pressure-reducing valve) from the buffer/storage function (performed by the low-pressure buffer tank). This allows the buffer tank to operate at low pressure using cheap materials while the pressure control is handled by the valve mechanism
2Productivity
If a mass control tank is connected to the high pressure line to control flow rate of the working fluid, then the flow rate can be controlled, but expensive materials are required, increasing construction cost
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure-reducing valve serves as an intermediary that transforms high-pressure working fluid into low-pressure working fluid before it enters the buffer tank. This allows the buffer tank to control flow rate to the power generation cycle while operating at low pressure, eliminating the need for expensive high-pressure materials
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the expensive high-pressure mass control tank with a combination of a low-pressure buffer tank and a pressure-reducing valve. The buffer tank can be made from inexpensive materials since it operates at low pressure, while the pressure-reducing valve handles the high-pressure-to-low-pressure transformation
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 device efficiently controls the flow rate and pressure of the working fluid, reducing construction costs and improving economical efficiency by acting as a pressure buffer without requiring expensive materials, thus optimizing the power generation cycle.
Implementation Method 1
a flotation tank disposed between the precooler and the compressor to flow or temporarily store the working fluid, wherein a pressure within the flotation tank and a flow rate of the working fluid are controlled depending on pressures at an inlet of the compressor and an outlet of the precooler
Data Source
AI summary
A device for controlling a supply of a working fluid to a power generation cycle with a compressor compressing the working fluid and a precooler cooling the working fluid supplied to the compressor comprises a storage tank storing the working fluid supplied to the power generation cycle and a flotation tank disposed between the precooler and the compressor to flow or temporarily store the working fluid, wherein a pressure within the flotation tank and a flow rate of the working fluid are controlled based on pressures at an inlet of the compressor and an outlet of the precooler.