Energy storage technology for demanded supply optimisation

Abstract

A comburant gas supply system is provided for a combustion boiler/turbine of a thermal power plant, a combustion boiler/turbine system and a thermal power plant. The gas supply system has an air separation module to separate and output an oxygen rich gas from an input air supply; a comburant gas storage module fluidly connected to the output of the air separation module for storage in liquid state of separated oxygen rich gas; a comburant gas supply module to supply the oxygen rich gas to the combustion boiler selectively from the air separation system and/or the comburant gas storage system. The air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity determined from a demand rating for the combustion boiler/turbine adjusted with reference to a load factor across a predetermined operating period and/or the ASU size is increased to provide longer term energy storage capacity.

1 . A comburant gas supply system for a combustion boiler/turbine of a thermal power plant comprising:
 an air separation module to separate and output an oxygen rich gas from an input air supply;   a comburant gas storage module fluidly connected to the output of the air separation module for storage in liquid state of separated oxygen rich gas;   a comburant gas supply module to supply the oxygen rich gas to the combustion boiler selectively from the air separation system and/or the comburant gas storage system;   wherein the air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity based on one or both of:   a demand rating for the combustion boiler/turbine adjusted with reference to a load factor across a predetermined operating period;   a demand for electrical energy storage that is required.   
     
     
         2 . A combustion boiler/turbine system of a thermal power plant comprising a combustion boiler for combustion of a fuel in the presence of an oxygen rich comburant gas; a turbine unit driven thereby; and a comburant gas supply system in accordance with  claim 1  fluidly linked thereto to supply comburant gas to the combustion boiler to support combustion of the fuel. 
     
     
         3 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity that is less than 100% of the nominal steady state comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit to which it supplies comburant gas. 
     
     
         4 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 ,wherein the air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity that is more than 100% of the nominal steady state comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit to which it supplies comburant gas. 
     
     
         5 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity sized to a percentage of the full nominal comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit to which it supplies oxygen rich comburant gas, which percentage is related to a predetermined operational load factor of the associated combustion boiler/turbine unit over a suitable operating period. 
     
     
         6 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module has an oxygen rich gas output capacity sized to provide a long term energy storage capacity and additionally a percentage of the full nominal comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit to which it supplies oxygen rich comburant gas, which percentage is related to a predetermined operational load factor of the associated combustion boiler/turbine unit over a suitable operating period. 
     
     
         7 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module has a minimum comburant gas supply capacity determined as the product of a nominal steady state comburant gas demand for the associated combustion boiler/turbine unit and a predetermined boiler/turbine unit operational load factor over a suitable operating period. 
     
     
         8 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the comburant gas storage module is sized and adapted to accommodate variation in comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit over the operating period, and supply up to the nominal full load comburant gas requirement of the boiler/turbine unit, in that the comburant gas storage module is configured selectively to store excess separated oxygen rich gas or be a source of supply of additional separated oxygen rich gas to the comburant gas supply module. 
     
     
         9 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the comburant gas storage module is sized at least to a sufficient level to effect at least the following:
 that the air separation module is capable of producing at least the total volume of comburant gas needed to meet the total demand of the associated boiler/turbine unit across the time period;   that in combination with the comburant gas storage module, supply of comburant gas is enabled which meets at least the nominal steady state demand of the associated boiler/turbine unit at any time during the said period when it is operating at full steady state load.   
     
     
         10 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module is adapted to produce and supply gas that is substantially free of nitrogen. 
     
     
         11 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module is adapted to store separated nitrogen/argon rich gas in nitrogen/argon storage facility for release in response to a demanded energy recovery. 
     
     
         12 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein air separation module is adapted to produce and supply gas that is substantially pure oxygen. 
     
     
         13 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the air separation module is configured to make use of electrical energy from the renewable source or low cost source, where low cost energy is not derived from the process that is utilising Oxygen gaseous product. 
     
     
         14 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein a load factor is determined across a suitable period of operation to accommodate changes in daily/seasonal/annual demand or a period of scheduled down-time. 
     
     
         15 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein a load factor is determined across a period of at least 24 hours. 
     
     
         16 . A system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein a load factor is determined across a period of up to one year. 
     
     
         17 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising a combustion furnace provided with one or more burners for the combustion of carbonaceous fuel. 
     
     
         18 . A system in accordance with  claim 13  comprising one or more coal burners. 
     
     
         19 . A system in accordance with  claim 1 , further comprising a carbon dioxide compression and storage module for the compression and storage of at least some of the carbon dioxide produced by combustion of fuel in the combustion boiler. 
     
     
         20 . A system in accordance with  claim 15  further comprising a carbon dioxide compression and storage module having a capacity related to the carbon dioxide output of the combustion boiler such as to enable a nominal carbon emissions rate of zero or less during steady state operation of the boiler/turbine. 
     
     
         21 . A thermal power plant comprises a power generation unit having a comburant gas supply system and/or a combustion boiler/turbine system in accordance with  claim 1 . 
     
     
         22 . A combustion furnace unit acting as industrial or domestic heat source having a comburant gas supply system and/or a combustion boiler/turbine system in accordance with  claim 1 . 
     
     
         23 . A method of operation of a thermal power plant having an air separation module for the separation of an oxygen rich comburant gas supply for oxyfuel firing of fossil fuel an oxygen rich comburant gas storage facility, characterized by the steps of:
 providing a combustion boiler/turbine system of a thermal power plant having a combustion boiler for combustion of a fuel in the presence of an oxygen rich comburant gas;   determining for the said combustion boiler a nominal steady state comburant gas demand;   determining for the combustion boiler a design load factor across a pre-determined operating period;   and/or defining required energy storage capacity required to determine ASU unit and LOX storage size;   providing in association therewith an air separation module to separate and output an oxygen rich comburant gas from an input air supply, a comburant gas storage module fluidly connected to the output of the air separation module for storage in liquid state of separated oxygen rich gas, and a comburant gas supply module to supply the oxygen rich gas to the combustion boiler selectively from the air separation system and/or the comburant gas storage system;   wherein the air separation module is operated at an oxygen rich gas separation capacity based on the said comburant gas demand of the combustion boiler/turbine adjusted to take account of the said determined load factor and/or said required energy storage capacity.   
     
     
         24 . A method in accordance with  claim 23  wherein a minimum output capacity of the air separation module is determined as the product of the nominal steady state comburant gas demand and the design load factor. 
     
     
         25 . A method of determination of a design capacity of an air separation module according to  claim 23 , with reference to the demand capacity of a combustion boiler which it is to supply with comburant gas, which method comprises the steps of:
 determining a nominal comburant gas supply level for steady state operation for the combustion boiler;   determining a load factor for the combustion boiler across a pre-determined operating period;   and/or defining a required energy storage capacity;   determining a comburant gas output capacity for the air separation module from the nominal steady state demand rating adjusted with reference to the determined load factor and/or required energy storage capacity.   
     
     
         26 . A method in accordance with  claim 25  wherein the step of determining a comburant gas output capacity for the air separation module comprises determining a design output for the air separation module which is less than the nominal comburant gas demand of the combustion boiler at steady state, but which is at least the product of the nominal steady state comburant gas demand and the design load factor.