US 6,981,378 B2 | ||
Method of and apparatus for producing uninterruptible power | ||
Lucien Y. Bronicki, Yavne (Israel) | ||
Assigned to Ormat Technologies Inc., Sparks, Nev. (US) | ||
Appl. No. 10/470,800 PCT Filed Feb. 11, 2002, PCT No. PCT/US02/21866 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Feb. 24, 2004, PCT Pub. No. WO02/093722, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 21, 2002. |
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Application 10/470800 is a continuation in part of application No. 09/917812, filed on Jul. 31, 2001, abandoned. | ||
Application 09/917812 is a continuation in part of application No. 09/780672, filed on Feb. 12, 2001, granted, now 6,494,042. | ||
Prior Publication US 2004/0128999 A1, Jul. 08, 2004 | ||
Int. Cl. F01K 13/02 (2006.01) |
U.S. Cl. 60—646 | 6 Claims |
1. An uninterruptible power supply associated with a power line supplying a load comprising:
a) a load circuit connecting said power line to said load for supplying power to the same while said power line is operative;
b) a rotatable member including a Rankine cycle turbine coupled to a device that operates as a motor when line power is applied
to said device thereby rotating said member, and as a generator when line power is inoperative and said member is rotated
by the application of vaporized working fluid to said turbine;
c) a driver circuit connecting said power line to said device thereby rotating said rotatable member at a standby rotational
speed while said power line is operative for storing a predetermined amount of kinetic energy in the rotating member;
d) a boiler containing working fluid;
e) a burner associated with said boiler operable to produce vaporized working fluid and to maintain the same at an operational
temperature level when said line power is inoperative;
f) a resistance heater associated with said boiler and connected to said line power for holding said working fluid at a standby
temperature level while said power line is operative, said standby level of said boiler being greater than said operational
level of said boiler whereby said working fluid contains a predetermined amount of thermal energy while said power line is
operative;
g) a valve operable to connect said boiler to said turbine for applying vaporized working fluid to said turbine thereby rotating
said rotatable member;
h) a control responsive to loss of line power (1) for operating said burner that causes said boiler to produce vaporized working
fluid and for operating said valve that supplies vaporized working fluid to said Rankine cycle turbine which thereby rotates
said member at a nominal operational speed that is less than said standby rotational speed, and (2) for connecting to said
load whereby power is supplied to said load while said power line is inoperative, said thermal energy in said working fluid
in said boiler and said predetermined amount of kinetic energy being converted by said device to power for said load upon
loss of line power.
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