Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Claim Objections
Claim 21 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“(a)” in line 3 should be --step (a)--;
“(b)” in line 5 should be --step (b)--;
“converting solar energy” in line 5 should be --converting the solar energy--;
“(c)” in line 3 should be --step (c)--;
“a heat engine” in line 8 should be --the heat engine--;
“a heat pump” in line 11 should be --the heat pump.
Claims 22-28 are each objected to because a comma should be inserted after “21” in each line 1 of the respective claim.
Claim 22 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“step (c)” in line 1 should be --the step (c)--;
“heat from the hot store” in line 2 should be --the heat from the hot store--.
Claim 23 is objected to because “step (c)” in line 1 should be --the step (c)--.
Claim 24 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“wherein the combined effect of the hot store (source) and the cold store (sink) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective to the operation of the heat engine” in lines 1-4 should be --wherein the hot store and the cold store contribute to heat transfer and increase thermodynamic efficiency of the heat engine--;
“in that the operating ΔT of the heat engine is the difference of (a) the temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store (source) to the heat engine and (b) the temperature output of the thermal energy transferred to the cold store from the heat engine” in lines 4-7 should be --in that [[the]]an operating ΔT of the heat engine is [[the]]a difference of (a) [[the]]a temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store a temperature output of [[the]]a thermal energy transferred to the cold store from the heat engine--.
Claim 25 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“in step (b)” in line 2 should be --in the step (b)--;
“and a separate heat engine in step (c)” in line 2 should be --and the heat engine is a separate heat engine in the step (c)”--.
Claim 26 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the charging/cooling step (b)” in line 2 should be --the step (b)--;
“the performance of the engine/expansion step (c)” in lines 2-3 should be --performance of the step (c)--.
Claim 27 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the engine/expansion step (c)” in line 2 should be --the step (c)--;
“the performance” in line 2 should be --performance--;
“the charging/cooling step (b)” in lines 2-3 should be --the step (b)--.
Claim 28 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the same heat engine” in lines 1-2 should be --the heat engine--;
“steps (b) and (c)” in line 2 should be --the step (b) and the step (c)--;
“the stage” in line 4 should be --a stage--.
Claim 29 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“(a)” in line 3 should be --step (a)--;
“(b)” in line 5 should be --step (b)--;
“converting solar energy” in line 5 should be --converting the solar energy--;
“(c)” in line 3 should be --step (c)--;
“a heat engine” in line 8 should be --the heat engine--;
“the same heat engine” in line 11 should be --the heat engine--;
“steps (b) and (c)” in line 11-12 should be --the step (b) and the step (c)--;
“(compression/refrigeration)” in line 13 should be deleted;
“the stage” in line 14 should be --a stage--;
“in order to enhance” in line 14 should be --to enhance--.
Claims 30-38 are each objected to because a comma should be inserted after “29” in each line 1 of the respective claim.
Claim 30 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“in both cycles” in line 2 should be --in the forward thermodynamic cycle and the reverse thermodynamic cycle--;
“the working fluid” line 3 should be --a working fluid--;
“in compression and expansion modes” in line 4 should be --in a compression mode and an expansion mode--.
Claim 31 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“step (c)” in line 1 should be --the step (c)--;
“heat from the hot store” in line 2 should be --the heat from the hot store--.
Claim 32 is objected to because “step (c)” in line 1 should be --the step (c)--.
Claim 33 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“wherein the combined effect of the hot store (source) and the cold store (sink) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective to the operation of the heat engine” in lines 1-4 should be --wherein the hot store and the cold store contribute to heat transfer and increase thermodynamic efficiency of the heat engine--;
“in that the operating ΔT of the heat engine is the difference of (a) the temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store (source) to the heat engine and (b) the temperature output of the thermal energy transferred to the cold store (containing material such as such as an ice slurry) from the heat engine” in lines 4-8 should be --in that [[the]]an operating ΔT of the heat engine is [[the]]a difference of (a) [[the]]a temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store a temperature output of [[the]]a thermal energy transferred to the cold store
Claim 34 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“in step (b)” in line 2 should be --in the step (b)--;
“in step (c)” in line 2 should be --in the step (c)”--.
Claim 35 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the charging/cooling step (b)” in line 2 should be --the step (b)--;
“the performance of the engine/expansion step (c)” in lines 2-3 should be --performance of the step (c)--.
Claim 36 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the engine/expansion step (c)” in line 2 should be --the step (c)--;
“the performance” in line 2 should be --performance--;
“the charging/cooling step (b)” in lines 2-3 should be --the step (b)--.
Claim 37 is objected to because “the capacity of system” in lines 2-3 should be --a capacity of the system--.
Claim 38 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the capacity of system” in line 2 should be --a capacity of the system--;
“run in a complimentary manner to a chiller” in line 3 should be --run complimentary to a chiller--;
“they share” in line 3 should be --the heat pump and the chiller share--;
“the same” in line 3 should be --a same--.
Claim 39 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“(a)” in line 3 should be --step (a)--;
“converting solar energy” in line 3 should be --converting the solar energy--;
“thermal energy” in line 4 should be --the thermal energy--;
“sourcing thermal energy” in line 5 should be --sourcing the thermal energy--;
“(b)” in line 8 should be --step (b)--;
“converting solar energy” in line 8 should be --converting the solar energy--;
“electrical energy” in line 9 should be --the electrical energy--;
“(c)” in line 13 should be --step (c)--;
“to the working fluid of the heat engine” in lines 16-17 should be --to the working fluid of the first heat engine or a working fluid of the second heat engine--;
“the working fluid” in line 18 should be --the working fluid of the first heat engine or the working fluid of the second heat engine--;
“the working fluid” in lines 20-21 should be --the working fluid of the first heat engine or the working fluid of the second heat engine--;
“(d)” in line 22 should be --step (d)--;
“the working fluid” in line 22 should be --the working fluid of the first heat engine or the working fluid of the second heat engine--;
“in step (b)” in line 22 should be --in the step (b)--;
“(e)” in line 23 should be --step (e)--;
“from step (d)” in line 23 should be --from the step (d)--;
“the working fluid” in line 23 should be --the working fluid of the first heat engine or the working fluid of the second heat engine--;
“in step (c)” in lines 23-24 should be --in the step (c)--;
“the performance” in line 24 should be --a performance--;
“of step (c)” in line 24 should be --of the step (c)--;
“in steps (d) and (e)” in line 25 should be --in the step (d) and the step (e)--;
“wherein a combined effect of the hot store and the cold store in steps (d) and (e) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective to the operation of the heat engine” in lines 25-27 should be -- wherein in the step (d) and the step (e) the hot store and the cold store contribute to heat transfer and increase thermodynamic efficiency of the heat engine--;
“the operating ΔT” in line 28 should be --an operating ΔT--;
“the heat engine” in line 28 should be --the first heat engine of the second heat engine--;
“the difference” in line 28 should be --a difference--;
“the heat engine” in line 29 should be --the first heat engine of the second heat engine--;
“the thermal energy” in line 30 should be --a thermal energy--;
“the heat engine” in lines 30-31 should be --the first heat engine of the second heat engine--Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 40 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 39” in line 1;
“the engine/expansion step (c)” in line 2 should be --the step (c)--;
“the performance” in line 2 should be --a performance--;
“the charging/cooling step (b)” in lines 2-3 should be --the step (b)--.
Claim 41 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 39” in line 1;
“in step (b)” in line 2 should be --in the step (b)--;
“in step (c)” in line 2 should be --in the step (c)--.
Claim 42 is objected to because a comma should be inserted after “claim 39” in line 1.
Claim 43 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 41” in line 1;
“the capacity of system” in lines 2-3 should be --a capacity of the plant--.
Claim 44 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 41” in line 1;
“the capacity of system” in line 2 should be --a capacity of the pump--;
“run in a complimentary manner to the chiller” in line 3 should be --run complimentary to the chiller--;
“they share” in line 3 should be --the heat pump and the chiller share--;
“the same” in line 3 should be --a same--.
Claim 45 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 39” in line 1;
“the first and second heat engines” in lines 1-2 should be --the first heat engine and the second heat engine--;
“the stage of operation” in line 5 should be --a stage of operation--.
Claim 46 is objected to because of the following informalities:
a comma should be inserted after “claim 45” in line 1;
“in both cycles” in line 2 should be --in the forward cycle and the reverse cycle--;
“the heat engine” in lines 3-4 should be --the reversable heat engine--;
“in compression and expansion modes” in line 4 should be --in the forward cycle and the reverse cycle--.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 39-46 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Almogy (U.S. 2016/0156309).
Re claim 39:
Almogy discloses a method (Figs. 1 and 11) of operating a large scale solar energy plant (1400) that converts solar energy (Para 129 - “…solar energy collector 1405…”) into electrical energy and thermal energy (Para 129 - “…solar energy collector 1405 collects heat Q1 and generates electrical energy We…”), the method (Figs. 1 and 11) including:
(a) a first energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 605, and 609 and Para 96 (see also Paras 128-131)) comprising converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into thermal energy (Q1, heat - Para 129 ( “…photovoltaic-thermal solar energy collector 1405 collects heat Q1…”))(see Fig. 1 at 601, 605 and Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 129) and heating a first volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…heating the hot reservoir…water in the hot reservoir…”)) to charge a hot store (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 - “…Hot Reservoir…” (1415 in Fig. 11)), with the first energy storage stage including sourcing thermal energy from a coolant (M1, coolant flow - Para 122) used to cool a solar cell receiver (1405, photovoltaic thermal storage energy collector - Para 129) of the solar energy plant (1400)(see Fig. 11 at 1406 and Fig. 1 at 617) when the solar cell receiver is illuminated with sunlight (see Fig. 11 and Para 129);
(b) a second energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 130) comprising converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into electrical energy (e1, electrical energy - Para 96 (We in Fig. 11))(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603, and Para 96) and using the electrical energy (e1/We) to operate a first heat engine (1471, 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475, 1476 (elements 1471, 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475, and 1476 are collectively a type of heat engine as shown in Fig. 11 and as described in Paras 128-131 (especially Paras 130-131))) to cool a second volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…cooling the cold reservoir…water in the cold reservoir…”)) and charge a cold store (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 - “…Cold Reservoir…” (1420 in Fig. 11)) via heat exchange (see Fig. 11 at 1472 and 1408 (heat exchanger per Para 130)) with a working fluid (M4, working fluid flow - Para 130; M5, working fluid flow - Para 131) of the first heat engine (1471-1476) that is in heat exchange relationship with the cold store (1420)(see Fig. 11 and Paras 128-131 (especially Para 130)), with the first heat engine (1471-1476) extracting heat from the second volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 601, 603, 607, and 613 and Fig. 11 at 1420 and Paras 128-131 (especially Para 130));
(c) an energy discharge stage (see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 131) comprising using the hot store (1415) and the cold store (1420) to operate the first heat engine (1471-1476) or a second heat engine to power an electrical generator (see Fig. 11 at Wout and Para 131 - “…heated vaporized fluid M5 from ORC evaporator 1471 is expanded in ORC turbine 1475 to drive the turbine and generate useful work Wout which may be electrical work…”)(see Fig. 1 at 611, Fig. 11, and Paras 128-131) including:
(i) using the hot store (1415) to transfer heat to the working fluid (M4/M5) of the heat engine (1471-1476)(see Fig. 11 at 1471 and 1407 and Paras 128-131 (especially Para 131)),
(ii) transferring thermal energy from the working fluid (M4/M5) and generating power (see Fig. 11 and Para 131), and,
(iii) using the cold store (1420) as a cold sink to extract heat from the working fluid (M4/M5)(see Fig. 11 at 1408 and Para 131);
(d) recuperating heat energy from the working fluid (M4/M5) in step (b)(see Fig. 1 at 615; see Fig. 11 at 1472 and Paras 128-131 (especially Paras 130-131)); and,
(e) transferring recuperated heat energy from step (d) to the working fluid (M4/M5) in step (c) to enhance the performance of step (c)(see Fig. 11 at 1472 and Paras 121-131 (especially Paras 130-131));
wherein a combined effect of the hot store (1415) and the cold store (1420) in steps (d) and (e) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective (see Fig. 11, Paras 130-131 (also see Paras 134 and 137)) to the operation of the heat engine (1471-1476) during the energy discharge stage (see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 11 at 1475 and Para 131) in that the operating ΔT of the heat engine (1471-1476) is the difference of (a) a temperature of input thermal energy transferred from the hot store (1415) to the heat engine (1471-1476) and (b) a temperature output of the thermal energy transferred to the cold store (1420) from the heat engine (1471-1476)(see Fig. 11 and Para 139).
Re claim 40:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 39 (as described above) further comprising recuperating energy from the engine/expansion step (c)(see Fig. 11 and Para 131) to enhance the performance of the charging/cooling step (b)(see Fig. 11 and Para 130)(see Fig. 11 (Paras 128-131), Paras 133 and 139).
Re claim 41:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 39 (as described above) further comprising using a refrigeration unit (1473) in step (b)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 130) and a separate heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476 (elements 1471, 1472, 1475, and 1476 are collectively a type of separate heat engine as described in Para 131)) in step (c)(see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 131) and the first heat engine (1471-1476) is a chiller (see Fig. 11 and Paras 130-131).
Re claim 42:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 39 (as described above) further comprising using a heat pump (1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 (elements 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 are collectively a type of heat pump per described function in Para 130)) to generate heat (Q5, heat - Para 130)(see Fig. 11 and Para 130).
Re claim 43:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 41 (as described above) further comprising using a heat pump (1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 (elements 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 are collectively a type of heat pump per described function in Para 130)) in cascade with the chiller (1471-1476) to generate more heat (Q5, heat - Para 130) to increase the capacity of system (see Fig. 11 and Paras 130-131).
Re claim 44:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 41 (as described above) further comprising using a heat pump (1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 (elements 1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 are collectively a type of heat pump per described function in Para 130)) to generate more heat (Q5, heat - Para 130) to increase the capacity of system (see Fig. 11 and Paras 130-131) and the heat pump (1472-1475) is run in a complimentary manner to the chiller (1471-1476) such that they can share the same liquid to air heat exchanger (1473)(see Fig. 11 and Para 130).
Re claim 45:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 39 (as described above) wherein the first (1471-1476) and second heat engines (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476 (elements 1471, 1472, 1475, and 1476 are collectively a type of separate heat engine as described in Para 131)) are incorporated into a heat engine unit (see Fig. 11 at 1471-1476 (elements 1471-1476 are shown incorporated into a type of heat engine unit)) with the heat engine unit (Fig. 11 at 1471-1476) being a reversible heat engine capable of operating in a forward thermodynamic cycle, such as a Carnot cycle (expansion/engine) (see Fig. 11 and Para 131), and a reverse thermodynamic cycle (compression/refrigeration)(see Fig. 11 and Para 130) depending on the stage of operation of the method (see Fig. 11 and Paras 128-131).
Re claim 46:
Almogy discloses the method (Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 45 (as described above) wherein, in order to operate at a required efficiency in both cycles, the reversible heat engine (Fig. 11 at 1471-1476) includes a control system (Para 128 - “…one or more valves may be operated to switch operation…” (requires a type of control system to perform described function)) that selectively controls a valving sequence (Para 128 - “…one or more valves…”) for flow of the working fluid to and from the heat engine (Fig. 11 at 1471-1476) when operating in compression and expansion modes (see Fig. 11 and Para 128).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 21-38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Almogy et al. (U.S. 2016/0156309) in view of Yaoi et al. (U.S. 2013/0240012).
Re claim 21:
Almogy discloses a method (Figs. 1-4C) of operating a large scale solar plant (100/200/300/302/303 in Figs. 2-4C), the method includes:
(a) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into thermal energy (h1, useful heat - Para 96)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 605 and Para 96) and heating a first volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…heating the hot reservoir…water in the hot reservoir…”)) to charge a hot store (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 - “…Hot Reservoir…” (115/215/315/355/375 in Figs. 2-4C)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 605, and 609 and Para 96) of the method (Figs. 1-4C);
(b) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into electrical energy (e1, electrical energy - Para 96)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603, and Para 96) and using the electrical energy (e1) to operate a heat engine or other device (see Fig. 1 at 607 - “Heat Pump” (110/210/310/350/370 in Figs. 2-4C)) to cool a second volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…cooling the cold reservoir…water in the cold reservoir…”)) and charge a cold store (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 - “…Cold Reservoir…” (120/220/320/360/380 in Figs. 2-4C)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96) of the method (Figs. 1-4C); and
(c) using the hot store (Para 96 - “…hot reservoir…”) and the cold store (Para 96 - “…cold reservoir…”) to operate a heat engine (125, heat engine - Para 97 (365/385 in Figs. 4B and 4C)) to power an electrical generator (Para 97 - “…heat engine (HE) is used to generate electrical energy…”) or for use in another application during an energy discharge stage (see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 2 at 125 and Para 97; Fig. 4C at 385 and Para 106) of the method (Figs. 1-4C),
wherein the method (Figs. 1-4C) further comprises using a heat pump (110/210/310/350/370) in cascade with a chiller (382, heat exchanger - Para 106)(see Fig. 4C and Para 106) to generate more heat to enhance system efficiency (see Fig. 4C, Paras 104, 106, and Para 94 - “…used to cool one or more photovoltaic cells to increase their efficiency…”) such that the large scale solar plant (100/200/300/302/303) is capable of generating at least
Almogy fails to disclose generating at least 600 kW of power.
Yaoi teaches a method (Fig. 11) of operating a large scale solar plant (1, photovoltaic system - Para 162) such that the large scale solar plant (1) is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power (Para 164).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the method of Almogy after that of Yaoi, thereby operating the large scale solar plant of Almogy such that the large scale solar plant of Almogy is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power in the way taught by Yaoi, for the advantage of output of 1,000 kW (Yaoi; Para 164).
Re claim 22:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein step (c) includes using heat from the hot store (115/215/315/355/375) to provide energy to the heat engine (125)(see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 2 at 125 and Para 97; Fig. 4C at 385 and Para 106).
Re claim 23:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein step (c) includes using the cold store (120/220/320/360/380) as a cold sink to extract heat from a working fluid of the heat engine (385)(see Fig. 4C and Para 106).
Re claim 24:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein the combined effect of the hot store (375) and the cold store (380) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective to the operation of the heat engine (385) during the energy discharge stage of the method (Figs. 1-4C)(see Fig. 4C at 375, 385, 390 and Para 106) in that the operating ΔT of the heat engine (385) is the difference of (a) the temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store (375) to the heat engine (385) and (b) the temperature output of the thermal energy transferred to the cold store (380) from the heat engine (385)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 25:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising using a refrigeration unit (370) in step (b)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96; and see Fig. 4C at 370 and Para 106) and a separate heat engine (385) in step (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 26:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising recuperating energy from the charging/cooling step (b) to enhance the performance of the engine/expansion step (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 27:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising recuperating energy from the engine/expansion step (c) to enhance the performance of the charging/cooling step (b)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 28:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 21 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising using the same heat engine (385) in steps (b) and (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106) with the heat engine (385) being a reversible heat engine capable of operating in a forward thermodynamic cycle and a reverse thermodynamic cycle (compression/refrigeration) depending on the stage of operation of the method (see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106 (“…the heat pump 370 and the heat engine 385 are integrated into a single unit…”)).
Re claim 29:
Almogy discloses a method (Figs. 1-4C) of operating a large scale solar plant (100/200/300/302/303 in Figs. 2-4C), the method includes:
(a) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into thermal energy (h1, useful heat - Para 96)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 605 and Para 96) and heating a first volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…heating the hot reservoir…water in the hot reservoir…”)) to charge a hot store (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 - “…Hot Reservoir…” (115/215/315/355/375 in Figs. 2-4C)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 605, and 609 and Para 96) of the method (Figs. 1-4C);
(b) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into electrical energy (e1, electrical energy - Para 96)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603, and Para 96) and using the electrical energy (e1) to operate a heat engine or other device (see Fig. 1 at 607 - “Heat Pump” (110/210/310/350/370 in Figs. 2-4C)) to cool a second volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…cooling the cold reservoir…water in the cold reservoir…”)) and charge a cold store (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 - “…Cold Reservoir…” (120/220/320/360/380 in Figs. 2-4C)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96) of the method (Figs. 1-4C); and
(c) using the hot store (Para 96 - “…hot reservoir…”) and the cold store (Para 96 - “…cold reservoir…”) to operate a heat engine (125, heat engine - Para 97 (365/385 in Figs. 4B and 4C)) to power an electrical generator (Para 97 - “…heat engine (HE) is used to generate electrical energy…”) or for use in another application during an energy discharge stage (see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 2 at 125 and Para 97; Fig. 4C at 385 and Para 106) of the method (Figs. 1-4C),
wherein the method further includes using the same heat engine (385) in steps (b) and (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106 (“…the heat pump 370 and the heat engine 385 are integrated into a single unit…”)) with the heat engine (385) being a reversible heat engine capable of operating in a forward thermodynamic cycle (Para 106 - “…heat pump 370 operating in reverse functions as the heat engine to convert thermal energy in the hot reservoir 375 to electrical energy e2…”) and a reverse thermodynamic cycle (compression/refrigeration)(Para 106 - “…Heat pump 370 is driven at least in part with electrical energy e1 to draw heat h2 from cold reservoir 380…”) depending on the stage of operation of the method (see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106 (“…the heat pump 370 and the heat engine 385 are integrated into a single unit…”)) in order to enhance system efficiency such that the large scale solar plant is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power (e2, electrical energy - Para 96)(see Figs. 1-4C).
Almogy fails to disclose generating at least 600 kW of power.
Yaoi teaches a method (Fig. 11) of operating a large scale solar plant (1, photovoltaic system - Para 162) such that the large scale solar plant (1) is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power (Para 164).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the method of Almogy after that of Yaoi, thereby operating the large scale solar plant of Almogy such that the large scale solar plant of Almogy is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power in the way taught by Yaoi, for the advantage of output of 1,000 kW (Yaoi; Para 164).
Re claim 31:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein step (c) includes using heat from the hot store (115/215/315/355/375) to provide energy to the heat engine (125)(see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 2 at 125 and Para 97; Fig. 4C at 385 and Para 106).
Re claim 32:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein step (c) includes using the cold store (120/220/320/360/380) as a cold sink to extract heat from a working fluid of the heat engine (385)(see Fig. 4C and Para 106).
Re claim 33:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein the combined effect of the hot store (375) and the cold store (380) is to contribute positively from a heat transfer perspective and a thermodynamic efficiency perspective to the operation of the heat engine (385) during the energy discharge stage of the method (Figs. 1-4C)(see Fig. 4C at 375, 385, 390 and Para 106) in that the operating ΔT of the heat engine (385) is the difference of (a) the temperature of the input thermal energy transferred from the hot store (375) to the heat engine (385) and (b) the temperature output of the thermal energy transferred to the cold store (380) (containing material such as such as an ice slurry) from the heat engine (385)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 34:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising using a refrigeration unit (370) in step (b)(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96; and see Fig. 4C at 370 and Para 106) and a separate heat engine (385) in step (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 35:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising recuperating energy from the charging/cooling step (b) to enhance the performance of the engine/expansion step (c)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 36:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising recuperating energy from the engine/expansion step (c) to enhance the performance of the charging/cooling step (b)(see Figs. 1, 4C, Paras 96 and 106).
Re claim 37:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1-4C) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising using a heat pump (110/210/310/350/370) in cascade with a chiller (382, heat exchanger - Para 106)(see Fig. 4C and Para 106) to generate more heat to increase the capacity of system (see Fig. 4C, Paras 104, 106, and Para 94 - “…used to cool one or more photovoltaic cells to increase their efficiency to a desired level…”).
Re claim 29:
Almogy discloses a method (Figs. 1 and 11) of operating a large scale solar energy plant (1400) that includes:
(a) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into thermal energy (Q1, heat - Para 129 ( “…photovoltaic-thermal solar energy collector 1405 collects heat Q1…”))(see Fig. 1 at 601, 605 and Para 96; Fig. 11 and Para 129) and heating a first volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…heating the hot reservoir…water in the hot reservoir…”)) to charge a hot store (see Fig. 1 at 609 and Para 96 - “…Hot Reservoir…” (1415 in Fig. 11)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 605, and 609 and Para 96 (see also Paras 128-131)) of the method (Figs. 1 and 11);
(b) converting solar energy (see Fig. 1 at 601 - “Collect Solar Energy Using PVT”) into electrical energy (e1, electrical energy - Para 96 (We in Fig. 11))(see Fig. 1 at 601, 603, and Para 96) and using the electrical energy (e1/We) to operate a heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476 (elements 1471, 1472, 1475, and 1476 are collectively a type of heat engine as shown in Fig. 11 and as described in Paras 128-131)) or other device to cool a second volume of water (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 (also see Para 58 - “…cooling the cold reservoir…water in the cold reservoir…”)) and charge a cold store (see Fig. 1 at 607 and Para 96 - “…Cold Reservoir…” (1420 in Fig. 11)) during an energy storage stage (see Fig. 1 at 601, 603 607, and 613 and Para 96 (see also Paras 128-131)) of the method (Figs. 1 and 11); and
(c) using the hot store (Para 96 - “…hot reservoir…” (1415 in Fig. 11)) and the cold store (Para 96 - “…cold reservoir…” (1420 in Fig. 11)) to operate a heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1486) to power an electrical generator (see Fig. 11 at Wout and Para 131 - “…heated vaporized fluid M5 from ORC evaporator 1471 is expanded in ORC turbine 1475 to drive the turbine and generate useful work Wout which may be electrical work…”) or for use in another application during an energy discharge stage (see Fig. 1 at 611, Para 96; Fig. 11 at 1475 and Para 131) of the method (Figs. 1 and 11),
wherein the method (Figs. 1 and 11) further includes using the same heat engine in steps (b) and (c)(see Figs. 1, 11, and Paras 128-131) with the heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476) being a reversible heat engine capable of operating in a forward thermodynamic cycle (Para 128 - “…work generating cycle…”) and a reverse thermodynamic cycle (compression/refrigeration)(Para 128 - “…chilling cycle…”) depending on the stage of operation of the method (Figs. 1 and 11 (Paras 128-131)) in order to enhance system efficiency (see Para 139) such that the large scale solar plant (1400) is capable of generating at least
Almogy fails to disclose generating at least 600 kW of power.
Yaoi teaches a method (Fig. 11) of operating a large scale solar plant (1, photovoltaic system - Para 162) such that the large scale solar plant (1) is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power (Para 164).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modeled the method of Almogy after that of Yaoi, thereby operating the large scale solar plant of Almogy such that the large scale solar plant of Almogy is capable of generating at least 600 kW of power in the way taught by Yaoi, for the advantage of output of 1,000 kW (Yaoi; Para 164).
Re claim 30:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses wherein, in order to operate at a required efficiency in both cycles (Para 128 - “…work generating cycle…”; Para 128 - “…chilling cycle…”), the reversible heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476) includes a control system (Para 128 - “…one or more valves may be operated to switch operation…” (requires a type of control system to perform described function)) that selectively controls a valving sequence (Para 128 - “…one or more valves…”) for flow of the working fluid to and from the heat engine (1471, 1472, 1475, 1476) when operating in compression and expansion modes (see Fig. 11 and Para 128).
Re claim 38:
Almogy/Yaoi teaches the method (Almogy; Figs. 1 and 11) defined in claim 29 (as described above).
Almogy further discloses the method comprising using a heat pump (1472, 1473, 1474, 1475 (elements 1472, 1473, 1474, and 1475 are collectively a type of heat pump as shown in Fig. 11 and as described in Paras 128-131)) to generate more heat (see Fig. 11 at Q5) to increase the capacity of system (see Fig. 11 and Para 130) and the heat pump (1472, 1473, 1474, 1475) is run in a complimentary manner to a chiller (Para 128 - “…a chilling cycle, in which the heat pump or chiller…”) such that they share the same liquid to air heat exchanger (see Fig. 11 and Para 130 - “…chiller condenser 1473 operates by heat exchange and rejects heat in any suitable manner, for example, rejecting heat to air…”).
Conclusion
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/LOREN C EDWARDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746 1/30/26