CPC Definition - Subclass F01K
This place covers:
All aspects of power plants using steam, vapour or special working fluids in a thermodynamic cycle. It covers also steam or vapour accumulators and power plants which are characterised by steam or heat accumulators, by the use of specific types of engines and by condensers and by the use of steam or condensate extracted from the power plant. Furthermore general lay-out, control and methods of operation of complete power plants and methods of converting heat or fluid energy into mechanical energy are covered.
This place does not cover:
Attention is drawn to the definition of "steam" and "vapour". In cases where a specific entry for vapour is missing documents related to special vapours are classified in groups where only "steam" is explicitly mentioned.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
CHP | Combined Heat and Power, Cogeneration |
Trigeneration | Combined production of heat, power and cold |
HRSG | Heat Recovery Steam Generator |
CCS | Carbon capture and storagecarbon capture and sequestration |
Combined cycle | The exhaust of one heat engine is used as the heat source for another |
FBC | Fluidized Bed Combustion |
PFBC | Pressurised Fluidized Bed Combustion |
APFBC | Advanced Pressurised Fluidized Bed Combustion |
GFBCC | Gasification Fluidized Bed Combustion Combined cycle systems |
CHIPPS | Combustion-based High Performance Power System |
This place covers:
Steam or vapour accumulators acting as an energy storage device including:
- accumulators for storing steam in a liquid, like varying pressure accumulators (e.g. Ruth's type);
- accumulators for storing steam otherwise than in a liquid (e.g. pressure tanks);
- charging and discharging devices of accumulators with steam;
- safety and regulation means for accumulators;
- other parts, details and accessories of accumulators.
Group F01K 3/00 covers the use of accumulators in steam engine plants and not the accumulator per se.
This place does not cover:
Use of accumulators in steam engine plants |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Charging or discharging of accumulators with steam | |
Multiple accumulators; Charging, discharging or controlling peculiar thereto | |
Steam circulation in multiple accumulators | |
Methods of steam generation using heat evolved in a solution absorbing steam; Soda steam boilers |
All vapour accumulators which use special vapour instead of water vapour also have to be classified in this group.
In patent documents, the following words/expressions are often used as synonyms:
- "storage tank", "pressure tank", "vessel", "energy storage device" and "volume"
This place covers:
This group covers the use of steam/vapour accumulators, in general heat accumulators and intermediate steam/vapour heaters in power plant arrangements and in arrangements adapted for a specific use like for vehicle drive. Control of said devices is also covered.
Vapour or heat accumulators are often used in relationship with steam or vapour regeneration which is treated in F01K 19/00
Constructional features of accumulators and the accumulators per se are classified in F01K 1/00
Methods of steam generation in general characterized by the form of heating method are classified in F22B 1/00
This place does not cover:
Regenerating exhaust steam | |
Heat-transfer, heat-exchange or heat-storage materials |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Heating, cooling or ventilating devices characterised by comprising regenerative heating or cooling means, e.g. heat accumulators | |
Methods of steam generation characterized by the form of heating method | |
Solar heat collectors having heat storage mass | |
Solar heat collectors with hot water storage | |
Heat storage plants or apparatus in general |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Ruth's type steam accumulator | accumulator for storing steam in a liquid (variable pressure system) |
This place covers:
Storing steam based on thermo chemical energy storage and conversion. Absorbing and desorbing vapour into an alkali solution for discharging heat or producing cold taking into account pressure changes. Furthermore regenerative installations using absorption and desorption are also covered.
Accumulators where steam is stored in a liquid are classified in F01K 1/04 in general.
This place does not cover:
Thermodynamic cycles with an absorption fluid remaining at least partly in the liquid state, like Kalina cycles |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Accumulators using materials absorbing or liberating heat during crystallisation |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Accumulator of Honigmann type | Steam or vapour accumulator based on a process based on the vapour pressure depression of a concentrated solution or adsorbed vapour in comparison to the pure working fluid |