Patent ID: 8464532
Filing Date: 2013-06-18
Classification: F01K,F02C

Abstract:
1. A method for heat conversion comprising the steps of: converting a portion of heat in at least one fully vaporized, superheated rich working fluid stream into a useable form of energy in a turbine subsystem (TSS) to form a spent rich working fluid stream, heating a richer working fluid stream and a lean or leaner working fluid stream with heat from the spent rich working fluid stream in a vaporizing and superheating subsystem (VSS) including a heat recovery vapor generator (HRVG) and at least one VSS heat exchange unit, fully vaporizing and superheating the rich working fluid stream comprising the heated richer working fluid stream and the heated lean or leaner working fluid stream with from heat derived from an external heat source stream in the HRVG to form the fully vaporized, superheated rich working fluid stream, heating a higher pressure second leaner working fluid substream and a pre-heated, higher pressure richer working fluid stream with heat from a condensing working fluid stream in a heat exchange and separation subsystem (HESS) including at least one HESS heat exchange unit, a separator and at least two HESS pumps, separating a cooled condensing working fluid stream in the separator into a rich vapor stream and a liquid leaner working fluid stream, splitting the liquid leaner working fluid stream into first, second and third leaner working fluid substreams, pressurizing the first leaner working fluid substream to form a higher pressure first leaner working fluid stream, pressurizing the second leaner working fluid stream to form a higher pressure second leaner working fluid stream, combining a cooled spent rich working fluid stream and the higher pressure, second leaner working fluid substream to form the condensing working fluid, and pre-heating a higher pressure fully condensed richer working fluid stream with heat from the richer working fluid stream comprising the third leaner working fluid substream and the rich vapor stream to form a pre-heated richer working fluid stream and a partially condensed richer working fluid stream in a condensing subsystem (CSS) including two CSS heat exchange units and a CSS pump, condensing the partially condensed richer working fluid stream using an external coolant stream to form a fully condensed richer working fluid stream, and pressurizing the fully condensed richer working fluid stream to form the higher pressure fully condensed richer working fluid stream, where all of the streams are derived from a single multi-component fluid including at least one lower boiling point component and at least one higher boiling point component, where the rich vapor stream has a first fluid composition, where the richer working fluid streams having a second fluid composition, where the rich working fluid streams have a third fluid composition, where the condensing streams have a fourth fluid composition, where the leaner working fluid streams have a fifth fluid composition and where the lean working fluid streams have a sixth composition, where the first fluid composition has a higher concentration of the at least one lower boiling point component than the second fluid composition, which has a higher concentration of the at least one lower boiling point component than the third fluid composition and where the fifth composition has a higher concentration of the higher boiling point component than the fourth composition and where the third and fourth compositions are the same or the third composition has a higher concentration of the lower boiling point component than the fourth composition.