Solar and steam hybrid power generation system including a solar steam generator, an external steam regulator, a turboset, and a power generator. A steam outlet end of the solar steam generator is connected to a steam inlet of the turboset. A steam outlet end of the external steam regulator is connected to the steam inlet of the turboset. A steam outlet of the turboset is connected to the input end of a condenser, and the output end of the condenser is connected to the input end of a deaerator. The output end of the deaerator is connected to the input end of a water feed pump. The output end of the water feed pump is connected to a circulating water input end of the solar steam generator. The output end of the water feed pump is connected to a water-return bypass of the external steam.

A solar thermal power system includes a solar receiver, and a thermal energy storage arrangement having thermal energy storage fluid to be circulated through the solar receiver to store thermal energy. The system includes a multistage steam turbine operable on variable pressure steam generated by a steam generator arrangement, by utilizing the thermal energy storage fluid. The arrangement includes an economizer section, an evaporator section, and a superheater section communicably configured to utilize the heat of the hot thermal energy storage fluid to generate and supply the variable pressure steam to the turbine. The system includes a recirculation line configured around the economizer section to recirculate the heated water to an inlet of the economizer section, increasing pressure range of the variable pressure steam in the arrangement.

The invention relates to a method and to a steam power plant, wherein solar energy can be very flexibly and very efficiently coupled into the water steam circuit of the steam power plant.

An Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) system having a turbine with an upstream side and a downstream side. Warm water under a partial vacuum is converted into a vapor, the vapor being supplied to the upstream side of the turbine at a pressure controlled by the temperature of the warm water. A condenser is situated on the downstream side of the turbine to cause the vapor, after passing through the turbine, to undergo a phase change back to a liquid, which can be used as potable water. The condenser is coupled to a source of a cooling liquid, and the pressure of the vapor on the downstream side of the turbine is determined by the temperature of the cooling liquid. A flexible floating solar collector supplies the warm liquid to the upstream side at a temperature higher than normal ambient temperature.

A system for extracting work from the expansion of a working fluid includes a vessel having at least a portion of the working fluid, a heating device in thermal communication with the portion of the working fluid in the vessel for heating the portion of the working fluid in the vessel and expanding the working fluid, and a conversion tool. The conversion tool is in fluid communication with the vessel and is configured to receive working fluid from the vessel when the working fluid expands. The conversion tool is further configured to extract work from the expanded working fluid.

A hybrid steam power plant is disclosed using the steam generator as a sub-construction for a solar receiver.

A thermal energy storage and retrieval device includes at least one working fluid and a plurality of thermodynamic circuits. Each thermodynamic circuit has a first process exchanging heat with a first material in a first temperature range common for all of the thermodynamic circuits. Each thermodynamic circuit also has a second process exchanging heat with a second material in a second temperature range. The second material comprises a heat storage material or a working fluid in another circuit or another device. Each thermodynamic circuit includes a gas pressure changing device and a liquid pressure changing device.

A solar aided coal-fired power generation system participating in primary frequency regulation and a control method thereof propose a system configuration with two regulation schemes by coupling medium-low-temperature solar collectors and a coal-fired generation unit. The two regulation schemes are a high-pressure feedwater bypass scheme and a low-pressure condensate bypass scheme. The present invention formulates a primary frequency regulation control logic, so as to efficiently and accurately participate in the primary frequency regulation, thereby keeping the power grid frequency rapidly stable. The present invention also formulates a working fluid outlet temperature control logic for the solar aided coal-fired thermal system, which adjusts a heat exchange working fluid flow of the solar collectors to ensure that the temperature in each section is stable during the primary frequency regulation. The present invention uses operation matching of the turbine system and the solar collectors to improve effectiveness of the primary frequency regulation.

A unique method and ternary cycle process that captures heat from low temperature sources currently considered not commercially usable to produce electricity and desalinate water. In one cycle a novel flash tower operating at vacuum pressure causes a fraction of low temperature water to flash into steam. The steam passes to an indirect heat exchanger with a circulating refrigerating agent such as CO.sub.2, which condenses the steam on its outside surfaces to produce desalinated water product. The steam heat of condensation vaporizes the refrigerating agent, which is part of a binary refrigerate cycle that uniquely conditions it for turbine expansion to produce electricity in a connected electric generator.

Apparatus for extracting useful work or electricity from low grade thermal sources comprising a chamber, a source of heated dense heat transfer fluid in communication with the chamber, a source of motive fluid in communication with the chamber, wherein the motive fluid comprises a liquid phase, a flow control mechanism cooperating with the source of heated dense heat transfer fluid and with the source of motive fluid to deliver said fluids into the chamber in a manner that said fluids come into direct contact with each other in the chamber to effect a phase change of the motive fluid from liquid to gas to increase the pressure within the chamber to yield pressurized fluids, and a work extracting mechanism in communication with the chamber that extracts work from the pressurized fluids by way of pressure let down.