Optimizing power generation from waste heat in large industrial facilities such as petroleum refineries by utilizing a subset of all available hot source streams selected based, in part, on considerations for example, capital cost, ease of operation, economics of scale power generation, a number of ORC machines to be operated, operating conditions of each ORC machine, combinations of them, or other considerations are described. Recognizing that several subsets of hot sources can be identified from among the available hot sources in a large petroleum refinery, subsets of hot sources that are optimized to provide waste heat to one or more ORC machines for power generation are also described. Further, recognizing that the utilization of waste heat from all available hot sources in a mega-site such as a petroleum refinery and aromatics complex is not necessarily or not always the best option, hot source units in petroleum refineries from which waste heat can be consolidated to power the one or more ORC machines are identified.

Optimizing power generation from waste heat in large industrial facilities such as petroleum refineries by utilizing a subset of all available hot source streams selected based, in part, on considerations for example, capital cost, ease of operation, economics of scale power generation, a number of ORC machines to be operated, operating conditions of each ORC machine, combinations of them, or other considerations are described. Recognizing that several subsets of hot sources can be identified from among the available hot sources in a large petroleum refinery, subsets of hot sources that are optimized to provide waste heat to one or more ORC machines for power generation are also described. Further, recognizing that the utilization of waste heat from all available hot sources in a mega-site such as a petroleum refinery and aromatics complex is not necessarily or not always the best option, hot source units in petroleum refineries from which waste heat can be consolidated to power the one or more ORC machines are identified.

A heat engine, in particular an ORC engine, includes a crankcase and at least one working cylinder connected to the crankcase, in which cylinder a working piston that is rigidly connected to a piston rod can be moved and the end of the piston rod facing away from the working piston is articulatedly connected to a connecting rod by crosshead running in the longitudinal direction of the piston rod. The interior of the working cylinder, which is supplied with a working medium, is separated from the interior of the crankcase, which is supplied with oil, by two walls, each of which has a sealing through-opening for the piston rod.

A heat engine, in particular an ORC engine, includes a crankcase and at least one working cylinder connected to the crankcase, in which cylinder a working piston that is rigidly connected to a piston rod can be moved and the end of the piston rod facing away from the working piston is articulatedly connected to a connecting rod by crosshead running in the longitudinal direction of the piston rod. The interior of the working cylinder, which is supplied with a working medium, is separated from the interior of the crankcase, which is supplied with oil, by two walls, each of which has a sealing through-opening for the piston rod.

Thermal energy storage systems are disclosed in this application. Systems of the inventive subject matter are designed to reduce maintenance requirements by sequestering, for example, corrosive fluids that might otherwise damage difficult-to-fix internal components are kept out of those components by introducing a non-corrosive heat transfer fluid to facilitate heat transfer between a thermal energy storage medium (e.g., molten sulfur) and a potentially corrosive working fluid. Thus, the potentially corrosive fluid is kept out of a thermal energy storage tank containing the thermal energy storage medium, which, by design, is difficult to repair when internal components corrode or otherwise require maintenance.

A process for energy storage comprises carrying out a cyclic thermodynamic transformation wherein, in a charge phase, a condensation of a working fluid is executed by means of heat absorption by a heat carrier in order to store the working fluid in the liquid or supercritical phase; in a discharge phase, an evaporation of the working fluid is executed starting from the liquid or supercritical phase and by transfer of heat from the heat carrier; provision is made for actively adjusting at least one parameter of the working fluid related to the condensation and/or to the evaporation, in order to control at least one temperature of the heat carrier and uncouple it from the ambient temperature without the aid of systems outside the cyclic thermodynamic transformation.

A power generation installation in which exhaust gas from a gas turbine is fed to a thermal energy accumulator, wherein energy in the thermal energy accumulator can be employed for various purposes, a method for operating such an installation, and a method for the modification of existing installations. The thermal energy accumulator has sufficient capacity to permit the operation of a steam turbine in isolation for the storage of thermal energy from exhaust gas in the thermal energy accumulator.

A power generation installation in which exhaust gas from a gas turbine is fed to a thermal energy accumulator, wherein energy in the thermal energy accumulator can be employed for various purposes, a method for operating such an installation, and a method for the modification of existing installations. The thermal energy accumulator has sufficient capacity to permit the operation of a steam turbine in isolation for the storage of thermal energy from exhaust gas in the thermal energy accumulator.

The present disclosure provides pumped thermal energy storage systems that can be used to store and extract electrical energy. A pumped thermal energy storage system of the present disclosure can store energy by operating as a heat pump or refrigerator, whereby net work input can be used to transfer heat from the cold side to the hot side. A working fluid of the system is capable of efficient heat exchange with heat storage fluids on a hot side of the system and on a cold side of the system. The system can extract energy by operating as a heat engine transferring heat from the hot side to the cold side, which can result in net work output.

Provided is a solar thermal power generation facility that includes: a compressor; a medium heating heat receiver that receives sunlight and heats a compressed medium from the compressor; a turbine that is driven by the compressed medium heated by the medium heating heat receiver; a power generator that generates electric power by driving of the turbine; and a tower that supports these components. The compressor, the turbine, and the power generator are formed as arranged devices. A plurality of the arranged devices are aligned in a vertical direction.