A solar thermochemical processing system is disclosed. The system includes a first unit operation for receiving concentrated solar energy. Heat from the solar energy is used to drive the first unit operation. The first unit operation also receives a first set of reactants and produces a first set of products. A second unit operation receives the first set of products from the first unit operation and produces a second set of products. A third unit operation receives heat from the second unit operation to produce a portion of the first set of reactants.

Systems and methods relating to use of external air for inventory control of a closed thermodynamic cycle system or energy storage system, such as a reversible Brayton cycle system, are disclosed. A method may involve, in a closed cycle system operating in a power generation mode, circulating a working fluid may through a closed cycle fluid path. The closed cycle fluid path may include a high pressure leg and a low pressure leg. The method may further involve in response to a demand for increased power generation, compressing and dehumidifying environmental air. And the method may involve injecting the compressed and dehumidified environmental air into the low pressure leg.

Extra heat in a closed cycle power generation system, such as a reversible closed Brayton cycle system, may be dissipated between discharge and charge cycles. An extra cooling heat exchanger may be added on the discharge cycle and disposed between a cold side heat exchanger and a compressor inlet. Additionally or alternatively, a cold thermal storage medium passing through the cold side heat exchanger may be allowed to heat up to a higher temperature during the discharge cycle than is needed on input to the charge cycle and the excess heat then dissipated to the atmosphere.

A special solar energy water jacket heating furnace in vacuum mode for an oil field comprises a vacuum heating system and a water jacket furnace heating system; the vacuum heating system comprises a steam generator, a vacuum heater and an ejector; the water jacket furnace heating system comprises a water jacket furnace, a burner, a flue gas chamber, a U-shaped pipe and a chimney, the flue gas chamber and the U-shaped pipe are arranged inside the water jacket furnace, and an inlet and an outlet of the flue gas chamber are respectively connected with the burner and the chimney through flue gas pipes; and the vacuum heater is provided with a crude oil inlet and a crude oil outlet, the steam generator is provided with a first outlet and the first outlet is connected with the ejector. A method for heating crude oil is further disclosed.

A method to generate electrical power and cold energy from any grade of thermal energy (e.g., ambient, solar, waste heat, geothermal, combustion products, nuclear, or any combination thereof) in a cryogenic, closed loop (e.g., regenerative) cycle is disclosed. The method includes supplying a first stream of a pressurized first fluid in a liquid state having low or above cryogenic temperature range to absorb an externally supplied energy in the first heat exchanger disposed upstream of the first prime mover where the first fluid expands in a polytropic process and is submitted for full condensation or for cooling only by the second stream of the pressurized second fluid in a liquid state having cryogenic temperature in the second heat exchanger disposed upstream of the secondary prime mover, through which the preheated second fluid expands polytropically producing a cryogenic two phase flow that is further submitted to a combination of separators and Joule-Thompson valves to achieve maximum liquification of the second fluid. Non-condensed cryogenic vapor is pressurized in a compressor, with discharge been cooled by the first and/or second fluid and further combined with the second fluid before expansion in the second prime mover. Both prime movers may be operably connected to an electric generator or a propulsion system to produce required electrical power or work. The first and the second fluid may be of the same or a different origin selected from the substances like Air, N.sub.2, O.sub.2, Methane, and CO.sub.2, etc. The cold energy of the first and the second fluid can be used for a regenerative liquification of hazardous combustion emissions, CO.sub.2, and/or liquified industrial gases by individual species for a subsequent storage and sales.

Systems and methods for variable pressure inventory control of a closed thermodynamic cycle power generation system or energy storage system, such as a reversible Brayton cycle system, with at least a high pressure tank and an intermediate pressure tank are disclosed. Operational parameters of the system such as working fluid pressure, turbine torque, turbine RPM, generator torque, generator RPM, and current, voltage, phase, frequency, and/or quantity of electrical power generated and/or distributed by the generator may be the basis for controlling a quantity of working fluid that circulates through a closed cycle fluid path of the system.

A turbine for solar thermal power generation and a Brayton cycle are disclosed. The turbine includes a blade which has a cooling working medium inlet and a cooling working medium jet orifice. The blade is provided as a cavity with hollow interior; the cooling working medium inlet is located inside the blade; the cooling working medium jet orifice is provided on the blade surface on which is provided a spectral conversion coating; the spectral conversion coating converts heat on the blade surface into conversion characteristic band radiation which is radiation energy adjacent to cooling working medium characteristic band radiation of a cooling working medium. The turbine adopts a characteristic spectral coating and a jet cooling to enhance the cooling effect for a turbine blade and to improve the system efficiency of the Brayton cycle.

Systems and methods for cooling solar panels and recovering energy therefrom are disclosed. In one aspect, the system includes at least one solar panel configured to convert at least a portion of incident light into electrical energy. The system also includes a first loop including a heat exchanger configured to receive a first working fluid and circulate the working fluid in proximity to the solar panel so as to extract heat from the solar panel into the working fluid. The system further includes a second loop including an electricity generator configured to receive a second working fluid and generate electricity based on enthalpy of the second working fluid. The first loop and the second loop are configured to transfer heat from the first working fluid to the second working fluid.

A dispatchable storage combined cycle power plant comprises a combustion turbine generator, a steam power system, a heat source other than the combustion turbine generator, and a thermal energy storage system. Heat from the heat source, from the thermal energy storage system, or from the heat source and the thermal energy storage system is used to generate steam in the steam power system. Heat from the combustion turbine may be used in series with or in parallel with the thermal energy storage system and/or the heat source to generate the steam, and additionally to super heat the steam.

A solar vapor generator includes an absorber to absorb sunlight and an emitter, in thermal communication with the absorber, to radiatively evaporate a liquid under less than 1 sun illumination and without pressurization. The emitter is physically separated from the liquid, substantially reducing fouling of the emitter. The absorber and the emitter may also be heated to temperatures higher than the boiling point of the liquid and may thus may be used to further superheat the vapor. Solar vapor generation can provide the basis for many sustainable desalination, sanitization, and process heating technologies.