Alstom Technology Limited

General Electric Technology Gmbh

Abhinaya Joshi

Xinsheng Lou

Hao Lei

Rahul Jayant Terdalkar

Apurba Kumar Das

James A McCombe

Armand A Levasseur

Joseph W Quinn

Carl H Neuschaefer

Pedro Israel Inigo

Gary Pashko

Shu Zhang

Shizhong Yang

Chuan Wang

John David McGrane

Jundong Zhang

Michael M Clark

Alain Adrien Kukonya

Lionel Aimi

Robert Derosa

John M Peluso

Michael Chris Tanca

A molten salt central receiver arrangement for transferring heat from panels to a molten salt that flows through the panels. A control device allows to change the condition of at least one of the panel arrangements of the molten salt central receiver arrangement depending on at least an operating parameter of at least one panel and/or depending on an environment signal that characterizes the actual or forecast available heat for the heat transfer to the molten salt. In normal operation passes, each having one or more panels, are connected in series such that molten salt flows in a serpentine or alternating way upward and downward through subsequent passes. In a parallel flow condition, molten salt may flow upward through all of the panels in parallel. In a drain condition, the molten salt is forced out of one or more panels and replaced by compressed air.

Molten salt central receiver arrangement and operating method

An automatic tuning control system and method for controlling air pollution control systems such as a dry flue gas desulfurization system is described. The automatic tuning control system includes one or more PID controls and one or more supervisory MPC controller layers. The supervisory MPC controller layers are operable for control of an air pollution control system and operable for automatic tuning of the air pollution control systems using particle swarm optimization through simulation using one or more dynamic models, and through control system tuning of each of the PID controls, MPC controller layers and an integrated MPC/PID control design.

Automatic tuning control system for air pollution control systems

A control system for optimizing a chemical looping ('CL') plant includes a reduced order mathematical model ('ROM') that is designed by eliminating mathematical terms that have minimal effect on the outcome. A non-linear optimizer provides various inputs to the ROM and monitors the outputs to determine the optimum inputs that are then provided to the CL plant. An estimator estimates the values of various internal state variables of the CL plant. The system has one structure adapted to control a CL plant that only provides pressure measurements in the CL loops A and B, a second structure adapted to a CL plant that provides pressure measurements and solid levels in both loops A, and B, and a third structure adapted to control a CL plant that provides full information on internal state variables. A final structure provides a neural network NMPC controller to control operation of loops A and B.

Nonlinear model predictive control for chemical looping process

A solar thermal power system includes a solar receiver for heating thermal energy storage fluid to be stored and utilized from a thermal energy storage arrangement having hot and cold storage tanks. The system includes a steam generator arrangement, which utilizes the heat of the thermal energy storage fluid to produce steam to run a turbine. The arrangement includes a bypass line configured to bypass the hot storage tank from the steam generator arrangement, and to supply the hot thermal energy storage fluid from the solar receiver directly to the steam generator arrangement, during day times, when the solar receiver the steam generator arrangement are both in operating mode, thereby recovering stored potential energy available in the down corner hot thermal energy storage fluid from the solar receiver.

Bypass system for a solar thermal power plant

The molten salt solar tower systemis provided for controlling molten salt temperature in a solar receiverfor effective operation of the systemwhile without degrading physical properties of molten salt. The systemincludes two circuits, firstand second. The first circuitis configured to supply relatively cold molten salt in the solar receiverfor heating, and the second circuitis configured to supply a predetermined amount of the relatively cold molten salt in the first circuit, as and when the temperature of the relatively hot molten salt circulating through the solar receiverexceeds a predetermined set temperature value thereof.

System and method for controlling molten salt temperature

An oxy-combustion boiler unit is disclosed which includes a furnace for combusting fuel and for emitting flue gas resulting from combustion. The furnace has first, second and third combustion zones, and an air separation unit for separating oxygen gas from air and providing a first portion of the separated oxygen to a first oxidant flow, a second portion to a second oxidant flow, and a third portion of the separated oxygen gas to the first, second, and third zones of the furnace. A controller can cause the separated oxygen gas to be distributed so that the first and second oxygen flows have a desired oxygen content, and so that the first, second, and third zones of the furnace receive a desired amount of oxygen based on a combustion zone stoichiometry control.

Oxy-fired boiler unit and method of operating the same

A control system for optimizing a chemical loop system includes one or more sensors for measuring one or more parameters in a chemical loop. The sensors are disposed on or in a conduit positioned in the chemical loop. The sensors generate one or more data signals representative of an amount of solids in the conduit. The control system includes a data acquisition system in communication with the sensors and a controller in communication with the data acquisition system. The data acquisition system receives the data signals and the controller generates the control signals. The controller is in communication with one or more valves positioned in the chemical loop. The valves are configured to regulate a flow of the solids through the chemical loop.

Control and optimization system and method for chemical looping processes

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Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Abhinaya Joshi