Power plants – Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat – Process of power production or system operation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-01-25
2001-12-11
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)
Power plants
Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat
Process of power production or system operation
C060S659000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06327858
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a back-up generator set operating on compressed air.
Current generator sets mainly comprise an alternator tasked with producing electricity while they are running, driven by a combustion engine running on petrol, diesel or some other gas. These engines are particularly noisy and polluting and consume expensive energy which has frequently to be replenished. Systems allowing the use of compressed air as a reserve of energy have been described, in particular, in patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,799, but use complex solutions involving numerous parts with an air compressor, a compressed-air motor, an alternator and an electric motor.
The author has filed numerous published patent applications, WO 96/27737, WO 97/48884, WO 98/12062, WO 98/15440, regarding the use of compressed air as energy storage, particularly for driving vehicle engines or for other uses.
The generator set according to the invention sets out to solve the problems associated with supplying generator sets with fuel, by using compressed air to operate it; it comprises a reversible compressed-air motor which can operate either as a motor or as a compressor—compressed-air motor-compressor—driven by, or driving an electric motor which is also reversible and which can operate as a generator—motor-generator. During operation, the motor-generator, in electric motor mode, which receives its power from an electricity network, for example the town mains, runs, driving the compressed-air motor-compressor which is therefore in compressor mode and fills one or more high-pressure, for example 200 bar, compressed-air reservoirs and keeps them full. When there is a break in the electricity supply, for example during a power cut, the motor-compressor is automatically switched into motor mode and, powered with energy by the compressed air contained in the storage reservoir or reservoirs, it drives the motor-generator which has also been automatically switched into generator mode to supply electricity.
The switch from one mode of operation to the other is managed by an electromechanical, electronic or some other device.
As a preference, the back-up generator set according to the invention comprises a system for recuperating ambient thermal energy as described by the author in his patent application No. FR 97/00851, where the compressed air contained in the storage reservoir at very high pressure, for example 200 bar, and at ambient temperature, for example 20 degrees C., prior to its end use in the motor-compressor, at a pressure below 30 bar for example, has its pressure reduced to a pressure close to that needed for its end use, in a variable-volume system, for example a piston in a cylinder, producing work which can be recuperated and used by any known means, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic or other. This pressure reduction with work has the result of cooling the compressed air which has had its pressure reduced to a pressure close to the service pressure to a very low temperature, for example minus 100° C. This pressure-reduced compressed air at its service pressure and at a very low temperature is then sent into an exchanger with the ambient air, is reheated to a temperature close to ambient temperature, and thus increases its pressure and/or its volume, recuperating the heat energy taken from the atmosphere.
As another preference, the engine operating method according to the invention comprises a thermal heating system as described by the author in his patent application FR 98/00877, in which he proposes a solution which allows the amount of usable and available energy to be increased, characterized by the fact that the compressed air, before being let into the engine combustion and/or expansion chamber, coming from the storage reservoir either directly or after passing through the air-air heat exchanger and before being let into the combustion chamber is routed through a heater in which its pressure and/or volume increases still further before it is let into the combustion and/or expansion chamber, thus considerably improving performance still further.
When the back-up generator set is used in buildings supplied with town gas, the heater may advantageously be supplied with the said town gas.
The back-up generator set according to the invention may be installed in a set location in buildings or other private dwellings. It may also be fitted to a mobile unit which will be powered with electricity and have its reservoirs filled before being used on outdoor sites.
Other objects, advantages and features of the invention will emerge from reading the description, with no implied limitation, of several embodiments, which is given with reference to the appended drawings in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 4347706 (1982-09-01), Drost
patent: 4479352 (1984-10-01), Yamaoka et al.
patent: 5296799 (1994-03-01), Davis
patent: 5448889 (1995-09-01), Bronicki
patent: 5537822 (1996-07-01), Shnaid et al.
patent: 2363103 (1975-06-01), None
patent: 07042573 (1995-10-01), None
patent: 2758589 (1997-01-01), None
Negre Cyril
Negre Guy
Jacobson & Holman PLLC
Nguyen Hoang
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