In some aspects, a thermal elevation system includes a base plant including an evaporator to vaporize a working fluid. A lift conduit is coupled to the base plant and includes multiple lift stages to lift the working fluid in the vapor state. An elevated plant is coupled to the lift conduit and condenses the working fluid at the elevated plant. A power generation conduit is coupled to the elevated plant and flows the working fluid through multiple power generator stages that each generate electrical power. The working fluid may return to the base plant for recirculation.

In some aspects, a thermal elevation system includes a base plant including an evaporator to vaporize a working fluid. A lift conduit is coupled to the base plant and includes multiple lift stages to lift the working fluid in the vapor state. An elevated plant is coupled to the lift conduit and condenses the working fluid at the elevated plant. A power generation conduit is coupled to the elevated plant and flows the working fluid through multiple power generator stages that each generate electrical power. The working fluid may return to the base plant for recirculation.

A system for using excess energy of a power generation system and an sCO2 (supercritical carbon dioxide) stream to store and generate power. An air separation unit uses the excess energy to cool and liquify ambient air into liquid nitrogen (L-N2) and liquid oxygen (L-O2). The L-O2 and L-N2 are stored until energy is desired. An L-O2 energy discharge path has an oxygen heat exchanger that vaporizes and heats the oxygen, a combustor that combusts the oxygen and fuel to produce exhaust, and a first turbine is driven by the exhaust to produce energy. An L-N2 energy discharge path has a nitrogen heat exchanger that vaporizes and heats the L-N2, thereby providing expanded nitrogen, and a second turbine is driven by the expanded nitrogen to produce energy. Heat for the heat exchangers on both discharge paths is provided by the sCO2 stream.

The single-working-medium vapor combined cycle is provided in this invitation and belongs to the field of energy and power technology. A single-working-medium vapor combined cycle consists of ten processes which are conducted with M.sub.1 kg of working medium, M.sub.2 kg of working medium and H kg of working medium separately or jointly: a pressurization process 1-2 of M.sub.1 kg of working medium, a heat-absorption and vaporization process 2-3 of M.sub.1 kg of working medium, a pressurization process 1-e of H kg of working medium, a mixing heat-absorption process e-6 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium and H kg of working medium, a pressurization process 6-3 of M.sub.2 kg of working medium, a heat-absorption process 3-4 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium, a depressurization process 4-5 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium, a mixing heat-releasing process 5-6 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium and H kg of working medium, a depressurization process 6-7 of (M.sub.1+H) kg of working medium, a heat-releasing and condensation process 7-1 of (M.sub.1+H) kg of working medium.

The single-working-medium vapor combined cycle is provided in this invitation and belongs to the field of energy and power technology. A single-working-medium vapor combined cycle consists of ten processes which are conducted with M.sub.1 kg of working medium, M.sub.2 kg of working medium and H kg of working medium separately or jointly: a pressurization process 1-2 of M.sub.1 kg of working medium, a heat-absorption and vaporization process 2-3 of M.sub.1 kg of working medium, a pressurization process 1-e of H kg of working medium, a mixing heat-absorption process e-6 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium and H kg of working medium, a pressurization process 6-3 of M.sub.2 kg of working medium, a heat-absorption process 3-4 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium, a depressurization process 4-5 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium, a mixing heat-releasing process 5-6 of (M.sub.1+M.sub.2) kg of working medium and H kg of working medium, a depressurization process 6-7 of (M.sub.1+H) kg of working medium, a heat-releasing and condensation process 7-1 of (M.sub.1+H) kg of working medium.

A combined cooling, heating and power system is formed by integrating a CO.sub.2 cycle subsystem, an ORC cycle subsystem, and an LNG cold energy utilization subsystem based on an SOFC/GT hybrid power generation subsystem. The combined system can achieve efficient and cascade utilization of energy and low carbon dioxide emission. An SOFC/GT hybrid system is used as a prime mover. High-, medium-, and low-temperature waste heat of the system are recovered through CO.sub.2 and ORC cycles, respectively. Cold energy (for air conditioning and refrigeration), heat, power, natural gas, ice, and dry ice can be provided by using LNG as a cold source of the CO.sub.2 and ORC cycles. Low CO.sub.2 emission is achieved by condensation and separation of CO.sub.2 from flue gas, so energy loss of the system can be reduced, and efficient and cascade utilization of energy can be achieved, thereby realizing energy conservation and emission reduction.

A combined cooling, heating and power system is formed by integrating a CO.sub.2 cycle subsystem, an ORC cycle subsystem, and an LNG cold energy utilization subsystem based on an SOFC/GT hybrid power generation subsystem. The combined system can achieve efficient and cascade utilization of energy and low carbon dioxide emission. An SOFC/GT hybrid system is used as a prime mover. High-, medium-, and low-temperature waste heat of the system are recovered through CO.sub.2 and ORC cycles, respectively. Cold energy (for air conditioning and refrigeration), heat, power, natural gas, ice, and dry ice can be provided by using LNG as a cold source of the CO.sub.2 and ORC cycles. Low CO.sub.2 emission is achieved by condensation and separation of CO.sub.2 from flue gas, so energy loss of the system can be reduced, and efficient and cascade utilization of energy can be achieved, thereby realizing energy conservation and emission reduction.

A hybrid geothermal electrical power generation system that utilizes the heat from a deep geothermal reservoir to vaporize a working fluid, such as steam, CO.sub.2 or an organic fluid. The vaporized working fluid is used to turn a turbine connected to an electrical power generator. A solar collector may be used to increase the temperature of the working fluid during sunlight hours and a thermal storage unit may be utilized to increase the temperature of the working fluid during the night. A supercritical CO.sub.2 power generation cycle may be used alone or in combination with a steam turbine power generation cycle to utilize all of the heat energy. A vapor compression cycle, a vapor absorption cycle may be utilized to provide heating and cooling. A low temperature shallow geothermal reservoir may be used as a heat exchanger to regulate or store excess heat.

A hybrid geothermal electrical power generation system that utilizes the heat from a deep geothermal reservoir to vaporize a working fluid, such as steam, CO.sub.2 or an organic fluid. The vaporized working fluid is used to turn a turbine connected to an electrical power generator. A solar collector may be used to increase the temperature of the working fluid during sunlight hours and a thermal storage unit may be utilized to increase the temperature of the working fluid during the night. A supercritical CO.sub.2 power generation cycle may be used alone or in combination with a steam turbine power generation cycle to utilize all of the heat energy. A vapor compression cycle, a vapor absorption cycle may be utilized to provide heating and cooling. A low temperature shallow geothermal reservoir may be used as a heat exchanger to regulate or store excess heat.

A method for extracting and storing, respectively, energy in the form of concentration gradients wherein a process of extracting energy comprising the steps of feeding stored gaseous working medium into a working volume (2), compressing the working medium in the working volume (2), spraying a dilute solution into the working volume (2) before or during compression, increasing the temperature of the working medium fed in the working volume (2) by compression, evaporating the dilute solution with the working medium of increased temperature, removing heat from the working medium by the evaporating solution, keeping the heat extracted from the working medium in the form of latent heat of the vapor in the working volume (2), further increasing the temperature of the working medium until the partial pressure of the vapor in it approaches the vapor pressure of a solution of higher concentration at a corresponding temperature, spraying a solution of higher concentration of a vapor pressure of up to 60% of the vapor pressure of the dilute solution into the working medium of an expanding and high solvent vapor content, condensing the vapor in the working volume (2) onto solution droplets of the atomized solution and thereby heating the solution droplets, transferring the heat energy of the heated solution droplets to the working medium through contact surfaces of the solution and the working medium, feeding the heat previously conveyed to the dilute solution vapor during the compression back into the working medium plus as much heat as the condensation heat of the warmer vapor to the solution of higher concentration exceeds the heat of evaporation of the dilute solution, using the heat thus fed for performing work by the expansion of the working medium, obtaining the work performed by the working medium, removing the working medium and the solution from the working volume (2) after the gaseous working medium of low relative humidity is getting into a state near to its initial state, separating the working medium and the solution and returning the working medium to a container (7) for working medium and returning the slightly diluted solution of higher concentration to one of a container (11) for solution of higher concentrations and an additional intermediate container (24). The invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing the method. The invention can be used in all fields, where electric or mechanical energy should be stored for later use, but especially for leveling out the production and consumption differences on electrical power grids.