1. An integrated circuit comprising:
a clock generator adapted to provide a bias signal and a clock signal;
control logic adapted to receive the bias signal and a control signal and provide a delay control signal based on the bias signal and the control signal;
a coarse delay circuit adapted to receive the clock signal and provide the clock signal with a first delay;
a first multiplexer adapted to select the clock signal from the clock generator or from the coarse delay circuit to provide as the clock signal;
a delay circuit adapted to provide a delay to the clock signal based on the delay control signal;
a signal conditioner circuit adapted to receive the clock signal from the first multiplexer and provide the clock signal to the delay circuit; and
a second multiplexer adapted to select the clock signal from the signal conditioner circuit or from the delay circuit to provide as the clock signal from the second multiplexer.
2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the clock generator comprises a phase-locked loop circuit or a delay-locked loop circuit.
3. The integrated circuit of claim 2, wherein the clock generator comprises a plurality of delay elements responsive to the bias signal.
4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the control logic comprises a digital-to-analog converter.
5. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the clock generator comprises a phase-locked loop circuit comprising:
a bias control circuit adapted to provide the bias signal;
a plurality of delay elements responsive to the bias signal; and
wherein the delay circuit is adapted to provide smaller selectable delay steps than the delay elements.
6. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the control logic and the delay circuit are provided for a number of clock channels to provide fine delay and skew control for the clock channels.
7. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit includes programmable memory, and wherein the control signal is provided by the programmable memory.
8. An integrated circuit comprising:
means for providing a bias control signal and a clock signal based at least partly on the bias control signal;
means for receiving the bias control signal and a first control signal and providing a delay control signal based on the bias control signal and the first control signal;
means for providing a fine delay to the clock signal based on the delay control signal;
means for providing a coarse delay to the clock signal prior to the fine delay providing means;
means for bypassing the coarse delay providing means; and
means for bypassing the fine delay providing means.
9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, further comprising means for conditioning the clock signal prior to the fine delay providing means.
10. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a programmable logic device, and wherein the programmable logic device further comprises programmable memory adapted to be programmed to provide the delay control signal.
11. The integrated circuit of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of the fine delay providing means for providing skew control for corresponding clock channels.
12. The integrated circuit of claim 8, further comprising means for driving the clock signal from the fine delay providing means to an output terminal of the intergrated circuit.
13. A method of providing fine delay for one or more clock signals, the method comprising:
providing a bias control signal and a clock signal based at least partly on the bias control signal;
receiving the bias control signal and a first control signal and providing a delay control signal based on the bias control signal and the first control signal;
providing a coarse delay to the clock signal;
bypassing selectively the providing of the coarse delay;
conditioning the clock signal;
providing a fine delay to the conditioned clock signal based on the delay control signal; and
bypassing selectively the providing of the fine delay.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising programming memory to provide the first control signal.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing of the delay control signal and the providing of the fine delay is provided for corresponding clock channels for skew control.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising driving the conditioned clock signal for the corresponding clock channels.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Equipment for storage of heat energy preferably for storage of heat energy by converting electric energy produced by plants utilizing wind energy into heat energy and using the stored heat energy for providing various heat supply services, and, in order to eliminate the disadvantages due to the intermittent operation of plants utilizing wind energy, using the stored heat energy for generating electric energy during windless period; furthermore, storing the energy by means of cheap electric energy produced by the power stations during night and using it during peak load periods characterized by that the heat storage equipment (1) has a heat storage tank (2) filled with a crystalline material (3) implementing the phase conversion heat storage, being said heat storage tank (2) connected with one or more heat generating equipment (7b) where in the heat generating equipment (7) heated by means of electric current arriving through electric line (7a) from an electric energy generating plant, preferably a plant utilizing wind energy (7b) the cooled down heat carrying medium that arrives from the secondary pipeline (9) with the interconnection of valve (6) and (pump) is heated up and is fed through the primary pipeline (8) to the pipeline transporting the heat carrying medium (4) of the heat storage tank (2) for the purpose of storing the heat energy and recover the stored heat energy during discharge; heating (4)-cooling (4) pipelines embedded into the crystalline material (3) andor its melt (3a) in the heat storage tank (2) to transport the heat carrier medium (20), being the outlet section or sections (5) of said pipelines with the insertion of valves (6) and circulating pump (21), the primary pipelines (8) of the hot heat carrying material (20) from the heat storage tank (2) connected to one or more heat exchangers (11) andor to a heat utilizing equipment (12) with or without heat exchanger and, in the heat utilizing equipment (12), the secondary pipeline (9) containing the heat carrying medium cooled down (20) is connected to the heat generating equipment (7b) andor to the pipeline (4) of the heat storage tank (2); the said heat generating equipment (7b) and heat storage tank (2) and the heat exchanger (11) and as the primary and secondary pipelines (8), (9) transporting the heat carrier medium as well as the connecting pipelines (10) are provided with heat insulating cover (13); the heat generating equipment (7b) and the heat storage tank (2), the pipelines transporting the heat carrier medium (8) and the heat exchanger (11) are mounted with temperature monitoring subassembly (14) suitable to measure and indicate the temperature of the heat storage medium and heat carrying medium and the said media, respectively, state detecting devices (15) serving for indicating the parameters of media, as well as actuating devices (16) serving for altering the individual parameters; the heat storage tank (2) of the heat storage equipment (1) and the primary pipeline (8) of the pipeline system transporting the heat carrying medium is connected with the interconnection or a connecting pipe (17) to an expansion tank (18) filled with inert gas; and basic units consisting of the heat storage tank (2) and the associated subassemblies are established that can be interconnected according to the needs for heat storage and heat utilization.
2. Equipment group for energy storage, characterized by that a heat generating equipment (7b) heated by means of electric energy produced preferably by a plant utilizing wind energy (7) serves for melting the crystalline heat storage material (3) and for the heat storage implemented with it, performing said heat generating equipment (7b) the warming up of the cooled down heat carrier medium that arrives from the secondary pipelines (9) of the heat utilizing equipment (12) or the heat storage tank (2) through valve (6) and circulating pump (21) and the heat generating equipment (7b) is connected through the primary pipeline (8) to the pipeline (4) of the heat storage tank (2) transporting the heat carrier medium.
3. Equipment group for energy storage, characterized by that the heat storage equipment (1) as a basic unit is designed in the form of a transportable mobile system as e.g. one or more heat storage tanks (2) arranged in a container transported by vehicles, being said heat storage tank (2) filled with crystalline heat storage material (3), provided with heating and cooling pipelines (4), heat generating equipment (7b) operated with electric current, outlet connecting stubs (5), connecting devices (19), heat insulating cover (13), temperature monitoring (14)-, state detecting (15) and actuating devices (16); furthermore, a self propelled heat storage tank car and railway wagon implemented with the same devices.
4. Procedure for storage of heat energy preferably for storage of heat energy arising from conversion of electric energy produced by plants utilizing wind energy or by thermal power stations, characterized by that the heat energy transported from the heat source by means of a heat carrier medium (20) is stored by using a phase conversion method in a manner that the crystalline material of favourable heat storage capacity (3), preferably some crystallized eutectic (3) contained in the heat storage tank (2) of the heat storage equipment (1) is heated by means of the hot heat carrying medium arriving from the heat source (7a) until the crystalline material (3) while melting is filled with and stores the heat during its phase conversion and, then, in the discharge mode, by circulating the heat carrying medium (20) from heat exchanger (11) or heat utilizing equipment, the melt (3a) is cooled down up to the completion of phase conversion i.e. re-crystallization andor its optimum cooling down, thus, the stored heat energy is recovered; in said process, crystalline materials andor eutectics are used during the procedure that preserve their reversibility during repeated phase conversion processes unchanged, enter into reaction with the used structural materials only to a small extent or not at all, have insignificant corrosive properties and their thermal parameters make a high level of phase conversion heat storage possible.
5. Heat storage equipment as in claim 1, characterized by that the heating-cooling pipelines (4) of the heat storage tank (2) as well as the heating pipelines (22) of the heat exchanger (11) are of ribbed surfaces (23) in order to improve the heat transfer.
6. Heat storage equipment as in claim 4, characterized by that the heating-cooling pipelines (4) of the heat storage tank (2) as well as the heating pipelines (22) of the heat exchanger (11) are of ribbed surfaces (23) in order to improve the heat transfer.
7. Equipment group as in claim 1, characterized by that the temperature monitor (14), the state detecting devices (15) and the actuating devices (16) are connected through a control unit (24) to an electronic data processing device (25) e.g. computer.
8. Equipment group as in claim 4, characterized by that the temperature monitor (14), the state detecting devices (15) and the actuating devices (16) are connected through a control unit (24) to an electronic data processing device (25) e.g. computer.
9. Mobile and transportable heat storage equipment as in claim 3, characterized by that the outlet- and inlet stubs (5) on the heating-cooling pipelines (4) of the heat storage tank (1) are provided with connecting devices (27) by means of which the filling of the mobile heat storage equipment (26) with heat energy can be performed using electric energy produced preferably by plants utilizing wind energy or power stations.
10. Equipment group as in claim 1, characterized by that a warm water production equipment, preferably a warm water production and storage boiler can be connected to the heat storage equipment (1).
11. Equipment group as in claim 1, characterized by that a warm water production equipment, preferably a warm water production and storage boiler can be connected to the heat storage equipment (1).
12. Equipment group as in claim 1, characterized by that the heat utilizing equipment to be connected to the heat storage equipment (1) can serve for fulfilling any heat demand, e.g. heating through heat transfer or heat transmission units, heating-cooling when connected to air conditioning systems of absorption system, cooling when connected to absorption cooling equipment, heat supply to drying equipment and, in addition, any industrial processing activity requiring heat energy, fulfilling the head demand of thermal energy providers and customers.
13. Equipment group as in claim 1, characterized by that the heat utilizing equipment to be connected to the heat storage equipment (1) can serve for fulfilling any heat demand, e.g. heating through heat transfer or heat transmission units, heating-cooling when connected to air conditioning systems of absorption system, cooling when connected to absorption cooling equipment, heat supply to drying equipment and, in addition, any industrial processing activity requiring heat energy, fulfilling the head demand of thermal energy providers and customers.