Systems and Methods for Compressing Gas Using Heat as Energy Source

Abstract

A system and method for gas compression. The system comprises a compressor chamber, a gas heating device, and a gradational heat transfer conduit. The method comprises heating gas in the gas heating device, ejecting gas from the gas heating device to the gradational heat transfer conduit, cooling the gas as it passes through the gradational heat transfer conduit, and transferring the gas from the gradational heat transfer conduit to the compressor chamber. The system additionally may comprise means for promoting unidirectional gas flow, a pressure transfer device for maintaining gas pressure during transfer to the compressor chamber, and various additional components for heating gas with the gas heating device.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the technique of refrigerant compressors, and more particularly, to refrigerant compressors using thermal energy as power source for the compression.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Heat pumps are commonly used in a variety of situations requiring the transfer of thermal energy between two paces. There are a variety of types of heat pumps including geothermal / water, geothermal / air, air / air etc. Each of these types uses different sources and sinks for the transfer of thermal energy.[0003]Refrigerants used in heat pumps condense at various temperatures. Following condensation in a heat pump, the refrigerant often has only a slightly lower temperature than before condensation but has changed its physical state. For example, for a refrigerant having an evaporation temperature of 0° and a condensation temperature of 50°, this means the most optimal compression would result in a gas having exactly 50° and the saturation pressure...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a system and method for using thermal energy to compress gas. The system includes a compressor chamber, a gas heating device, and a gradational heat transfer conduit. The method involves heating the gas with the gas heating device to a high pressure, high temperature, and low density, then ejecting it into the gradational heat transfer conduit. The gas is cooled as it passes through the conduit and transferred to the compressor chamber with a low temperature, high pressure, and high density. The movement of the gas through the conduit is a unidirectional flow. The invention provides an apparatus for heating and cooling the gas, which allows for recycling of thermal energy and continuous injection of hot gas into the compressor system. This results in a gas compressor system that can achieve a large compression from a small energy input.

Problems solved by technology

Temperatures above this correspond to unnecessary work.

However, a pressure reduction of the refrigerant seems inevitable in this process.

Furthermore, the gas is not superheated prior to the cooling, the cooling does not seem to be controlled as to recycle the energy whereby the compression isn't very energy efficient.

However, in neither of these patents it seems like the gas is consciously superheated solely for the purpose of applying pressure on cold gas and thereby compress it.

One problem with the previously described solution in section is that it is difficult to inject low pressure gas into a high-pressure volume.

Another problem with the previously described solution is that if you manage to achieve a volume of high pressure, it is difficult transfer that pressure to a different destination volume.

This can be difficult, partly because hot gas has a higher pressure than cold gas and therefore cold gas will not flow towards hot gas, furthermore you might have to warm up the heat exchanger to heat the gas and this probably has greater mass than the gas.

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