Patent ID: 9540961
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: F01K

Claim:
1. A method for heating a thermal fluid of a closed-loop electrical power generating organic Rankine thermal cycle, the method comprising: determining an operating capacity of a maritime vessel engine, the engine comprising a turbocharger; comparing the operating capacity of the engine with a threshold capacity of the engine; in response to determining that the operating capacity of the engine is above the threshold capacity; heating, in a first heat exchanger coupled to a compressor outlet of the turbocharger, the thermal fluid with heated air output to the first heat exchanger from a turbocharger compressor of the turbocharger, providing exhaust from an exhaust outlet of the engine through an exhaust stack coupled to the exhaust outlet of the engine, entirely bypassing a bypass duct that is coupled to the exhaust stack, generating steam from water in a second heat exchanger in the exhaust stack with the exhaust provided from the exhaust outlet of the engine through the exhaust stack, and in response to determining that the operating capacity of the engine is at or below the threshold capacity; providing exhaust from the exhaust outlet of the engine through the bypass duct, entirely bypassing the exhaust stack, and heating, in a third heat exchanger in the bypass duct, the thermal fluid with the exhaust provided from the engine through the bypass duct.