One-way heat pump system

Abstract

A thermal device implemented as a compression-expansion heat pump or heat engine system is described. An example heat pump system includes a rotary compressor having a compression chamber, a rotary expander having an expansion chamber, and a drive shaft extending between the rotary compressor and the rotary expander. The drive shaft includes a compressor shaft section having a first roller angularly positioned about an axis of rotation of the drive shaft. The first roller is mechanically coupled with the vane rotary compressor for fluid compression within the compression chamber. The drive shaft also includes an expander shaft section having a second roller angularly positioned about an axis of rotation of the drive shaft. A second roller is mechanically coupled with the vane rotating expander for fluid expansion within the expansion chamber.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 380,654, entitled "UNIDIRECTIONAL HEAT PUMP SYSTEM", filed on October 24, 2022, the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Background Art

[0003] The term "thermal energy" refers to multiple physical concepts. In thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred to or from a thermodynamic system by mechanisms other than thermodynamic work or mass transfer. This transfer of thermal energy occurs during many different known thermodynamic cycles. For example, a thermodynamic cycle during which such transfer of thermal energy occurs is the reversible Stirling cycle.

[0004] Most existing heat engines and / or heat pumps constructed based on the Stirling cycle are periodically executed. In other words, the working gas moves back and forth between multiple processes. Most existing Stirling heat engines and / or heat pumps include a piston and a displacer, two heat exchangers, and a regenerator. The piston and the displacer form two chambers that change the volume of the working gas in a specific manner. In the two heat exchangers, one exchanges heat with a high - temperature reservoir and the other exchanges heat with a low - temperature reservoir. The regenerator stores thermal energy when the working gas moves back and forth between the two chambers. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present disclosure is directed to a novel thermal device. The thermal device is implemented as a compression - expansion heat pump or heat engine system that operates in a unidirectional (e.g., steady - flow) manner, at least in part, based on the reversible Stirling cycle. These embodiments incorporate a variety of innovations. One innovation is to divide the compression chamber and the expansion chamber into discrete, separate segments. This allows sufficient heat transfer to occur during compression and expansion. Another innovation is to arrange the components such that the reversible Stirling cycle can be executed in a steady - flow manner. Yet another innovation is to at least reduce or eliminate the dead - volume segments associated with the compression - expansion cycle.

[0006] Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be learned from the description or through the practice of embodiments of the present disclosure. Other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the appended claims and the drawings, all of which are incorporated in this specification and form a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, are used to explain the related concepts of the present disclosure.

[0007] According to an exemplary embodiment, a heat pump system includes a rotary compressor having a compression chamber, a rotary expander having an expansion chamber, and a drive shaft extending between the rotary compressor and the rotary expander. The drive shaft includes a compressor shaft section having a first roller angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft. The first roller is mechanically coupled to a vane rotary compressor for compressing a fluid within the compression chamber. The drive shaft further includes an expander shaft section having a second roller angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft. The second roller is mechanically coupled to a vane rotary expander for expanding a fluid within the expansion chamber. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Many aspects of the present invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, but rather the emphasis is placed upon clearly showing the concepts of the present disclosure. Additionally, the repeated use of reference numerals or numbers in the drawings is intended to represent the same or similar features, elements, or operations across different drawings. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of these repeated reference numerals or numbers are omitted.

[0009] Figure 1 An ideal temperature-entropy diagram according to the present invention is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 An exemplary temperature-entropy diagram showing an actual implementation according to a new reversible Stirling cycle is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 An exemplary schematic diagram of a heat pump or a heat engine according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 4 A front view of an exemplary heat pump or a heat engine according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 5 A rear view of the exemplary heat pump or a heat engine shown in Figure 4 is shown.

[0014] Figure 6 A rear view of the exemplary heat pump or a heat engine shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 is shown, where certain housings are removed.

[0015] Figure 7 A magnified view of the compressor assembly of the exemplary heat pump or a heat engine shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0016] Figure 8 A rear view of the exemplary heat pump or a heat engine shown inFigure 4 and Figure 5 An enlarged view of the expander assembly of the exemplary heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0017] Figure 9 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 4 and Figure 5 An enlarged view of one of the vane compressors in the heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0018] Figure 10 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 4 and Figure 5 An exemplary drive shaft of the drive system of the heat pump or heat engine shown in , as well as compressor vane pistons and expander vane pistons.

[0019] Figure 11 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 10 The drive shaft shown in

[0020] Figure 12 Shows the phase angle and corresponding shaft rotation between a pair of vane compressors and vane expanders in a heat pump or heat engine in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 13 A front perspective view of an exemplary thermal device in the form of a compression-expansion heat pump or heat engine in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 14 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 13 A rear perspective view of the exemplary heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0023] Figure 15 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 13 A side view of the exemplary heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0024] Figure 16 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 13 An enlarged perspective view of an exemplary vane rotary compressor and expander of the exemplary heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0025] Figure 17 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 13 A perspective view of an exemplary vane rotary compressor or expander of the exemplary heat pump or heat engine shown in

[0026] Figure 18 Shows, in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, in Figure 17Another perspective view of the exemplary vane rotary compressor shown in FIG. [X], where some components are removed or made transparent.

[0027] Figure 19 Shows another perspective view of an exemplary vane rotary compressor according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure in Figure 17 where some components are removed or made transparent.

[0028] Figure 20 Shows a perspective view of an exemplary drive shaft and exemplary fins of an exemplary heat pump or heat engine according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure in Figure 13 FIG. [X].

[0029] Figure 21 Shows a top view of an exemplary drive shaft and exemplary insulation pad according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure in Figure 20 FIG. [X], where some components are removed or made transparent.

[0030] Figure 22 Shows another front perspective view of an exemplary heat pump or heat engine according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure in Figure 13 FIG. [X], with an exemplary one-way fluid flow indication.

[0031] Figure 23 Shows an exemplary temperature-entropy diagram of an exemplary implementation of a heat pump or heat engine according to the Stirling cycle according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 24 Shows a perspective view of an exemplary vane rotation mechanism according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 25 Shows a perspective view of an exemplary vane rotary compressor or expander of an exemplary vane rotation mechanism according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure in Figure 24 FIG. [X].

[0034] Figure 26 Shows an exemplary phase angle and corresponding shaft rotation between a vane rotary compressor and a vane rotary expander according to various embodiments of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 27 Shows a perspective view of another exemplary thermodynamic device in the form of another compression-expansion heat pump or heat engine 70 according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 28 Shows a top perspective view of an exemplary heat regenerator according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 29shows another top perspective view of an exemplary heat regenerator as shown in Figure 28 below.

[0038] Figure 30 shows another top perspective view of an exemplary heat regenerator as shown in Figure 28 and Figure 29 below.

[0039] Figure 31 shows a bottom perspective view of an exemplary heat regenerator as shown in Figure 28 and Figure 29 below.

[0040] Figure 32 shows a side view of an exemplary heat regenerator as shown in Figure 28 and Figure 29 below.

[0041] Figure 33 shows a partial enlarged view of an exemplary heat regenerator as shown in Figure 28 and Figure 29 below. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Some thermodynamic systems currently use vapor-compression thermodynamic cycles, where a refrigerant (or working fluid, if applicable) changes state (e.g., from gas to liquid and back). The embodiments described herein use a supercritical gas state for the thermodynamic cycle. The refrigerant in the embodiments can absorb heat as a heat engine or undergo a pressure change to produce heating and cooling effects for many applications. These embodiments can also act as a power cycle and a refrigerant cycle, where the working fluid either transfers energy for heating and cooling (refrigeration cycle) or generates electricity (power cycle). The embodiments incorporate a new and special thermodynamic cycle that implements a reversible Stirling cycle. The new cycle has special properties where the working fluid flows unidirectionally and uses a special regenerator design with near-isothermal compression and expansion. Thus, these embodiments achieve a more efficient thermodynamic cycle.

[0043] Embodiments of such a system can include a vane compressor, a thermally-connected regenerator, and a vane expander. The vane compressor and expander allow the working gas to undergo compression and expansion processes that are near isothermal. The thermally-connected regenerator enables the working gas to store thermal energy as it travels between the compressor and the expander. The system can be used for power generation (electricity) as well as refrigeration applications at different temperatures.

[0044] The reversible Stirling cycle is a well-known variant of the Carnot cycle. The ideal cycle efficiency is considered to be the highest among all heat cycles under the same operating conditions. Any cycle or machine that requires higher efficiency is considered a perpetual motion machine of the second kind (PMMII).

[0045] However, as described above, almost all traditional heat engines and / or heat pumps (also referred to herein as heat pump systems) constructed based on the Stirling cycle are executed cyclically. In other words, the working gas moves back and forth between processes in a traditional Stirling heat engine. A general Stirling heat engine and / or heat pump includes a piston and a displacer, two heat exchangers, and a regenerator. The piston and the displacer form two chambers that change the volume of the working gas in a specific manner. In the two heat exchangers, one exchanges heat with a high-temperature reservoir and the other exchanges heat with a low-temperature reservoir. When the working gas moves back and forth between the two chambers, the regenerator stores thermal energy.

[0046] This cyclic implementation of the Stirling cycle has many limitations. These limitations significantly alter the operation of the actual machine, causing it to deviate from the ideal cycle, thereby significantly reducing its actual efficiency. One of the limitations is the existence of "dead volume". Dead volume is used to describe the volume within a cyclic Stirling machine that prevents a specific portion of the working gas from participating in the heat cycle. That is, some of the working gas in the cyclic Stirling machine cannot fully travel from one chamber to another. The empty spaces within the two heat exchangers and the regenerator are all dead volumes. Dead volume provides an opportunity for gases with different temperatures to mix, which results in significant energy losses.

[0047] Another limitation of a general Stirling heat engine and / or heat pump is vibration and noise. Since the displacer has a specific amount of mass, the center of mass of the machine will oscillate as the displacer cycles back and forth. This oscillation generates severe noise and vibration, which limits the applicability of the machine in some cases. Heat migration is another limitation of traditional cyclic Stirling machines. Due to the hot chamber and the cooling chamber being in close proximity to each other, gas and heat can bypass the regenerator and move from the hot chamber to the cooling chamber. This heat migration causes severe energy losses to the machine.

[0048] The embodiments described herein allow the reversible Stirling cycle to be executed in a unidirectional steady-flow manner. The embodiments reduce or eliminate some of the greatest limitations of traditional cyclic Stirling machines and enable operation to be closer to the ideal Stirling cycle.

[0049] Among them, the benefits of the embodiments include reducing or eliminating dead volume. Due to their stable flow characteristics, the heat pumps or heat engines described herein guide all working gases completely through four processes. This prevents the mixing of working gases at different temperatures, which reduces the associated energy losses. These benefits also include minimizing heat transfer. The heat pumps or heat engines described herein allow the hot chamber and the cooling chamber to be physically separated. Therefore, no working gas can bypass the regenerator and move between the chambers. Moreover, since the two chambers are physically separated, the heat conduction between the hot chamber and the cooling chamber is minimized. These features reduce the energy losses inside the heat pumps or heat engines of the present disclosure and improve their efficiency.

[0050] The benefits also include minimizing vibration and noise. The heat pumps or heat engines described herein divide the compression and expansion processes into multiple sections. For example, vane compressors and expanders divide the compression and expansion processes into many sections. These sections are arranged in a specific manner such that the center of mass of the heat pump or heat engine system remains fixed, and the pressure load on the shaft mechanism remains balanced even when these individual compressor or expander vanes move. Based on the conservation of momentum, vibration is significantly reduced or eliminated because the center of mass of the heat pump or heat engine system does not oscillate.

[0051] The heat pumps or heat engines described herein are also capable of achieving better regeneration. In traditional Stirling devices, the size of the regenerator is severely limited due to the involvement of dead volume. The regenerator or regenerative heat exchanger is essentially a heat exchanger. Therefore, it follows the same characteristics as other heat exchangers. Primarily, a larger heat transfer area improves the effectiveness of heat transfer. However, a larger heat transfer area and size are essentially in conflict with the requirement of minimizing dead volume. These embodiments solve this problem by eliminating the existence of dead volume. Now, the regenerator of the heat pumps or heat engines described herein can have a sufficient size without being restricted by any other factors. In this way, the actual cycle can be closer to the ideal Stirling cycle with better regeneration performance.

[0052] The heat pumps or heat engines described herein are also capable of achieving near-isothermal compression and expansion. One challenge faced by traditional cycle Stirling machines is to achieve isothermal compression and expansion. Specifically, when the working gas is compressed, as much heat as possible is removed. Similarly, when the working gas expands, as much heat as possible is transferred. In this way, the working gas temperature remains relatively constant even under compression or expansion. Traditional Stirling machines have difficulty achieving isothermal compression and expansion because the working chamber volume is large while the heat transfer area is small. The compressor and expander components according to the embodiments described herein help to solve this problem. The design of the compressor and expander components divides these chambers into many sections. For the same chamber volume, the heat transfer area has been significantly increased. Therefore, the compression and expansion processes can remain near-isothermal because the secondary fluid transfers heat when it comes into contact with the chambers.

[0053] The heat pumps or heat engines described herein also provide improved scalability. Due to concerns about vibrations from large moving masses, most cyclic machines or heat pumps cannot be scaled to large capacities. Thus, to achieve greater capacities, many cyclic machines are often operated in parallel. This parallelization significantly increases the cost of the overall system. According to embodiments that allow Stirling machines to operate in a steady-flow manner, each of the heat pumps or heat engines described herein achieves large-scale scaling through a single device. This helps to broaden the applications of the heat pumps or heat engines and reduce the cost of the heat pumps or heat engines.

[0054] The reversible Stirling cycle can be described by Figure 1 the temperature-entropy diagram or T-s diagram shown in. The cycle consists of four processes. Depending on its functionality, it can act as a power cycle (generating mechanical torque) or a refrigeration cycle (generating thermal heating and / or cooling output). For a power cycle, the cycle runs clockwise, such as B–A–D–C. For a refrigeration cycle, it runs counterclockwise, such as A–B–C–D.

[0055] The refrigeration cycle includes four processes. From A to B, in the isothermal compression and heat rejection section of the cycle, the working gas is compressed by a compressor while discharging heat to a high-temperature reservoir at T high . From B to C, in the isochoric regeneration (heat deposition) section of the cycle, the working gas deposits heat into the regenerator at constant volume. From C to D, in the isothermal expansion and heat addition section of the cycle, the working gas expands in an expander while absorbing heat from a low-temperature reservoir at T low . From D to A, in the isochoric regeneration (heat recovery) section of the cycle, the working gas recovers heat from the regenerator at constant volume.

[0056] The power cycle includes four processes. From B to A, in the isothermal expansion and heat addition section of the cycle, the working gas expands in an expander while absorbing heat from a high-temperature reservoir at T high . From A to D, in the isochoric regeneration (heat deposition) section of the cycle, the working gas deposits heat into the regenerator at constant volume. From D to C, in the isothermal compression and heat rejection section of the cycle, the working gas is compressed in a compressor while discharging heat to a low-temperature reservoir at T low . From C to B, in the isochoric regeneration (heat recovery) section of the cycle, the working gas recovers heat from the regenerator at constant volume.

[0057] The four processes of the cycle can also be described by the ideal gas law. The refrigeration cycle consists of four processes. A to B: Isothermal compression and heat rejection. The working gas is compressed by a compressor, which results in a decrease in volume and an increase in pressure. At the same time, the coolant at temperature T1 removes heat from the working gas at temperature T2. The heat transfer is driven by the positive temperature difference ΔT between T2 and T1 (ΔT = T2 - T1 > 0). This simultaneous compression and heat transfer enables the working gas to remain near isothermal at temperature T2.

[0058]

[0059] B to C: Isochoric regeneration (heat deposition). The working gas deposits heat into the regenerator at a constant volume. During this process, heat is transferred from the working gas to the regenerator. This is accompanied by a temperature drop, and thus a pressure decrease as the working gas travels through the thermally connected regenerator in one direction on one side.

[0060]

[0061] C to D: Isothermal expansion and heat addition. The working gas expands in an expander while absorbing heat from a low-temperature reservoir. The working gas expands in the expander, which results in an increase in volume and a decrease in pressure. At the same time, the working gas at temperature T3 absorbs heat from the coolant at temperature T4. The heat transfer is driven by the positive temperature difference ΔT = T4 - T3 > 0. This simultaneous expansion and heat transfer allows the working gas to remain near isothermal at temperature T3.

[0062]

[0063] D to A: Isochoric regeneration (heat recovery). The working gas recovers heat from the regenerator at a constant volume. During this process, heat is transferred from the regenerator to the working gas. This is accompanied by a temperature increase, and thus a pressure increase as the working gas travels back through the thermally connected regenerator in the other direction on the other side.

[0064]

[0065] In practice, the actual implementation of the reversible Stirling cycle deviates from the ideal reversible Stirling cycle, partly due to the inherent losses that occur in such machines. Figure 2 An exemplary temperature-entropy diagram is shown according to an actual implementation of the Stirling cycle. As Figure 2As shown, the actual machine will cycle as A–B'–C–D', rather than the ideal cycle A–B–C–D. The inherent losses in the actual design include mechanical friction, pressure drop across the regenerator, and other factors. The most significant losses in the actual machine typically occur during the isothermal compression and expansion processes. As an example, since the actual machine cannot operate at a very low speed, the compression or expansion process will always increase or decrease the temperature of the working gas due to insufficient heat transfer. Compared with the ideal cycle, this results in a lower efficiency or coefficient of performance (COP) of the machine.

[0066] Although the increase in the temperature of the working gas during compression and the decrease in temperature during expansion are not ideal, they do create a temperature difference for regeneration to occur. In the ideal cycle, as the working gas passes through the B-to-C and D-to-A regeneration processes, the regeneration requires heat to be transferred from T1 to T2. Due to the infinitesimal temperature difference (ΔT = T1 – T2 ≈ 0) between T1 and T2, this heat transfer will occur at a very low rate. In an actual machine with near-isothermal compression and expansion, the temperature difference driving the regeneration will be ΔT = T1 – T2' > 0. This will allow the actual regeneration process to occur.

[0067] In the context outlined above, Figure 3 An example schematic diagram of a heat pump or heat engine according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The heat pump or heat engine includes a vane compressor, a vane expander, and a thermally connected regenerator. The vane compressor allows the working gas to discharge heat to a heat reservoir while being compressed, which is a near-isothermal compression process. The vane expander allows the working gas to absorb heat from the heat reservoir while expanding, which is a near-isothermal expansion process. The thermally connected regenerator allows the working gas to deposit heat as it moves from the vane compressor to the vane expander in one section, and then recover the heat as it moves back at constant volume in another section. This enables an isochronous regeneration process for the cycle.

[0068] Turning to a more specific example, Figure 4 A front view of an example thermal device in the form of a unidirectional heat pump system 10 (also referred to as "heat pump system 10") according to different embodiments is shown, and Figure 5The rear view of the heat pump system 10 is shown. The illustration of the heat pump system 10 is representative and not drawn to any specific scale. The components of the heat pump system 10 are not shown in detail, and the heat pump system 10 may include other components not shown. Also, in some cases, one or more of the components shown may be omitted. The heat pump system 10 can be used as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) device for residential, industrial, commercial, and related applications. The heat pump system 10 can operate as a hot water and refrigeration system in a single device. It can also be reversed into a power cycle and used as a generator or a combined heat and power unit.

[0069] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the heat pump system 10 includes a compressor assembly 100, an expander assembly 200, a drive system 300, a working fluid transfer system 400, and a heat regenerator 500, along with possible other components. The compressor assembly 100 includes a compressor housing 110, one or more compressor inlets 112 and 113 leading to the compressor housing 110, one or more compressor outlets 114 and 115 from the compressor housing 110, and other components described below.

[0070] The expander assembly 200 includes an expander housing 210, one or more expander inlets 212 and 213 leading to the expander housing 210, one or more expander outlets 214 and 215 from the expander housing 210, and other components described below. The drive system 300 includes a motor, engine, generator, or other mechanical drive system for the heat pump system 10 contained within a housing 310. The drive system 300 also includes a drive shaft 320 (see Figures 6 to 8 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 ) and other components described below. Figure 6 The Figure 4 and Figure 5 show the rear view of the heat pump or heat engine 10 shown in

[0071] Figure 7 The enlarged view of the compressor assembly 100 is shown, and Figure 8 the enlarged view of the expander assembly 200 is shown. As Figure 7As shown, the compressor assembly 100 includes a plurality of vane compressors 120A - 120F arranged in a stacked manner on one side of the drive shaft 320. The drive shaft 320 can be coupled at one end to a motor, an engine, a generator, or other mechanical drive systems (not shown) for the heat pump system 10. As shown, the compressor assembly 100 also includes vane compressors 122A - 122F arranged in a stacked manner on the other side of the drive shaft 320. The compressor assembly 100 further includes compressor heat exchange vanes 130 disposed between the vane compressors 120A - 120F, and similar compressor heat exchange vanes disposed between the vane compressors 122A - 122F.

[0072] The vane piston 140 extends between the vane compressors 120A and 122A. The vane piston 140 is mechanically coupled to the crankpin of the drive shaft 320. As Figure 7 shown, the vane piston 140 laterally hinges back and forth in the "L" direction based on the rotational movement of the drive shaft 320. The lateral movement of the vane piston 140 compresses the working fluid in the vane compressors 120A and 122A, and the working fluid circulates through the working fluid transfer system 400.

[0073] As Figure 8 shown, the expander assembly 200 includes a plurality of vane expanders 220A - 220F arranged in a stacked manner on one side of the drive shaft 320. The expander assembly 200 also includes vane expanders 222A - 222F arranged in a stacked manner on the other side of the drive shaft 320, as shown. The expander assembly 200 further includes expander heat exchange vanes 230 disposed between the vane expanders 220A - 220F, and similar expander heat exchange vanes disposed between the vane expanders 222A - 222F. The number of vane compressors and vane expanders in the heat pump system 10 can vary compared to that shown, as the design of the heat pump system 10 is scalable.

[0074] The vane piston 240 extends between the vane expanders 220A and 222A. The vane piston 240 is mechanically coupled to the crankpin of the drive shaft 320. As Figure 8 shown, the vane piston 240 laterally hinges back and forth in the "L" direction based on the rotational movement of the drive shaft 320. The lateral movement of the vane piston 240 expands the working fluid in the vane expanders 220A and 222A, and the working fluid circulates through the working fluid transfer system 400.

[0075] Each set of vane compressors 120, vane compressor 122, and vane piston 140 has a shared or common lateral axis that is positioned in a lateral plane extending in the lateral "L" direction. For example, vane compressor 120A, vane compressor 122A, and vane piston 140A each have a lateral axis that is positioned in a first lateral plane extending in the lateral "L" direction. Each set of vane expanders 220, vane expander 222, and vane piston 240 has a shared or common lateral axis that is positioned in a lateral plane extending in the lateral "L" direction. For example, vane expander 220A, vane expander 222A, and vane piston 240A each have a lateral axis that is positioned in a second lateral plane extending in the lateral "L" direction. The second lateral plane of vane expander 220A, vane expander 222A, and vane piston 240A is different from the first lateral plane of vane compressor 120A, vane compressor 122A, and vane piston 140A. In the example shown, the second lateral plane of vane expander 220A, vane expander 222A, and vane piston 240A is vertically positioned below the first lateral plane of vane compressor 120A, vane compressor 122A, and vane piston 140A, although other arrangements may be relied upon in some embodiments.

[0076] Figure 9 An enlarged view of vane compressor 120A, vane compressor 122A, and vane piston 140 in the heat pump system 10 is shown. Vane compressor 120A includes a housing 160, a gas output valve 161A, and a gas input valve 161B. Vane compressor 122A includes a housing 161, a gas output valve 162A, and a gas input valve 162B. Figure 9 The compressor vane piston 140 is also shown therein. Vane piston 140 includes piston heads 141 and 142 (see Figure 10 ) and a central slot 144. The slot 144 in vane piston 140 allows piston 140 to compress, expand, or move the working gas through regeneration. The crankpin 331 of the drive shaft 320 extends through the central slot 144. The contact between the inner circumferential surface of the slot 144 and the outer surface of the cylindrical crankpin 331 caused by the rotation of the drive shaft 320 laterally drives vane piston 140 in the direction "L", as Figure 7 shown. This motion drives the working gas through four thermodynamic processes by changing the specific volume of the working gas in different ways.

[0077] Figure 10 The drive shaft 320 of the drive system 300 and the compressor vane piston and expander vane piston are shown. In addition, the compressor vane piston 140 and the expander vane piston 240 are identified. Figure 11 Shown in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosureFigure 10 The drive shaft 320 shown. The drive shaft 320 extends between the compressor assembly 100 and the expander assembly 200. The drive shaft 320 includes a compressor shaft section 322 and an expander shaft section 324. The drive shaft 320 also includes a plurality of compressor crank pins arranged along the compressor shaft section 322, such as crank pins 331 - 333, etc. These crank pins are distributed in angular positions about the axis of rotation "R" of at least one of the drive shaft 320 or the compressor shaft section 322. The drive shaft 320 also includes a plurality of expander crank pins arranged along the expander shaft section 324, such as crank pins 334 - 336, etc. These crank pins are distributed in angular positions about the axis of rotation "R" of at least one of the drive shaft 320 or the expander shaft section 324.

[0078] See Figures 4 to 11 , the operation of the compressor assembly 100 is determined in part by how and when the gas valves of each vane compressor open and close. The vane compressor and the vane expander can have two configurations, countercurrent or crossflow, depending on the direction of the coolant flow and the positions of the inlets 112 and 113, outlets 114 and 115, inlets 212 and 213, and outlets 214 and 215.

[0079] Taking Figure 9 the countercurrent example shown as an example, the coolant can flow in the inlets 112 and 113 (see Figure 4 ) and between the heat exchange vanes 130 of the compressor assembly 100, while the working gas is compressed within the vane compressor 120A, etc. The housing 160 of the vane compressor 120A also serves as a heat exchanger at the same time. The working gas in the compressor assembly 100 can undergo an approximately isothermal compression process in this way. Moreover, the outlet coolant at the outlets 114 and 115 (which now carries the heat from the compression process) can be used for productive heating applications, such as space heating or water heating. The expander assembly 200 is identical or similar in structure, but is functionally opposite compared to the compressor assembly 100. When the working gas expands during an approximately isothermal expansion process, the working gas takes heat away from the coolant. The coolant cooled during this process can be used for cooling, refrigeration, or cryogenic applications.

[0080] Since the compression and expansion processes should ideally be isothermal, the heat of compression or expansion is exchanged with a heat reservoir via a coolant flow. Taking isothermal compression as an example, when the piston 140 moves to compress the working gas at temperature T1, the coolant at a lower temperature T2 flows over the top and bottom surfaces of the housing 160 and between the heat exchange vanes 230. The temperature difference between T1 and T2 allows heat to be transferred from the working gas to the coolant as compression occurs. The fins or special geometric features of the heat exchange vanes 230 on the surface of the housing 160 increase the heat transfer area and disrupt the boundary layer of the coolant flow. This promotes heat transfer between the working gas and the coolant. This heat transfer allows the working gas to be compressed under near-constant temperature conditions. Moreover, the heated coolant at the outlet can be used for heating applications. Isothermal expansion is similar, except that heat is transferred in the retained direction from the higher-temperature coolant flow to the lower-temperature working gas. Also, the coolant will be cooled as it flows through the vane expander housing.

[0081] Figure 9 The gas valves shown distinguish between the compression and expansion processes. Depending on when the gas valves open or close, the vane housing will act as a compressor or an expander. In different embodiments, these gas valves can be mechanical valves or electronic valves.

[0082] Another unique feature of the heat pump system 10 is the offset motion. That is, the compressor and expander vanes each move at a separate speed. Each vane piston of the compressor vane and the expander vane also moves at a separate speed. For example, some vane pistons move from left to right, while other vane pistons move from right to left or stop at the ends. The main benefit of doing this is to keep the center of mass of the heat pump system 10 stable rather than oscillating back and forth. In this way, the heat pump system 10 experiences little or no vibration. It also helps to evenly distribute the torque on the drive shaft 320 because the individual compressors or expanders and the corresponding vane pistons are undergoing different phases of their motion.

[0083] Refer again to Figure 10 and Figure 11, the drive shaft 320 includes a compressor shaft section 322, an expander shaft section 324, and a connector 340 therebetween. Depending on the application, the top or bottom end of the drive shaft 320 can be connected to a motor, a generator, or another system described in the present invention. Among other things, the drive shaft 320 includes crank pins 331 - 333 and 334 - 336 evenly distributed around 360 degrees (°). These crank pins are mechanically connected to the vane compressor and expander. The even distribution ensures that the center of mass of the heat pump system 10 remains stable, minimizing vibrations. The connector 340 between the two shafts is made of a material with low thermal conductivity because the compressor shaft section 322 operates in a high-temperature environment while the expander shaft section 324 operates in a low-temperature environment. The connector 340 helps thermally isolate the compressor shaft section 322 from the expander shaft section 324 to minimize heat transfer while allowing torque to be transmitted.

[0084] The phase angle between a pair of compressor vanes and expander vanes is designed such that the working gas can undergo the four processes of a reversible Stirling cycle. The phase angle is determined by the thermodynamic properties of the working gas and the operating pressure of the heat pump system 10. Figure 12 The phase angle between the vane compressor and the vane expander and the corresponding shaft rotation are shown. Starting from 0 degrees, as the shaft rotates from B to C, the compressor piston moves from bottom dead center (BDC) to the regeneration position (REG) to compress the working gas from specific volume (density) V1 to V2 with both the inlet gas valve and the outlet gas valve closed. At the same time, the expander piston remains at BDC. This is an isothermal compression process. As the shaft rotates from C to D, the compressor outlet and expander inlet gas valves open. The compressor piston moves from REG to top dead center (TDC) and pushes the working gas into the regenerator. At the same time, the expander piston moves from TDC to REG and thus sucks the working gas out of the regenerator. This is an isochoric regeneration process, in which the working gas passes through the regenerator from the compressor to the expander at a constant specific volume V2. As the shaft rotates from D to A, the compressor piston remains at TDC. The expander piston moves from REG to BDC and allows the working gas to expand from specific volume V2 to V1 with both the inlet gas valve and the outlet gas valve closed.

[0085] Finally, as the shaft rotates back from A to B, the compressor piston changes from TDC to BDC with the intake valve open. The expander piston moves from BDC to TDC with the outlet gas valve open. During this process, the working gas travels from the expander through the regenerator to the compressor at a constant specific volume V2. This is another isochoric regeneration process. When the shaft rotates 360 degrees, it drives the working gas through the four reversible Stirling cycle processes by moving the compressor piston and the expander piston in a specific manner.

[0086] In some embodiments, isothermal or near-isothermal compression and expansion can be implemented in a rotary-type mechanism rather than a vane reciprocating piston-type mechanism, such as a vane compressor or expander in the heat pump system 10. Reference is made herein to Figures 13 to 27 Example embodiments are described that include different rotary-type mechanisms that can achieve isothermal or near-isothermal compression and expansion of the working fluid in a unidirectional (e.g., steady-state) manner.

[0087] Figures 13 to 15 Front perspective, rear perspective, and side views are respectively shown of an example thermal device in the form of a unidirectional heat pump system 60 (also referred to as "heat pump system 60") according to various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure. The illustration of the heat pump system 60 is representative and not drawn to any particular scale. The components of the heat pump system 60 are not illustrated in detail, and the heat pump system 60 may include other components not shown. Moreover, in some cases, one or more of the components shown in Figures 13 to 15 may be omitted. In Figures 13 to 15 For clarity, the illustration, notes, and / or other identification of some components of the heat pump system 60 are omitted, although the details of these components are described in different embodiments herein.

[0088] The heat pump system 60 can be used as HVAC equipment for residential, industrial, commercial, and related applications. The heat pump system 60 can operate as a hot water and refrigeration system in a single device. It can also be reversely converted into a power cycle and used as a generator or a combined heat and power unit. In Figures 13 to 5 Among them, the heat pump system 60 includes a compressor assembly 600, an expander assembly 700, a drive system 800, a working fluid transfer system 900, an upper insulation insert 950, a central insulation insert 960, and a heat regenerator 500, as well as possibly other components.

[0089] The upper insulation insert 950 is located between the drive system 800 and the compressor assembly 600 to provide physical and thermal insulation between the drive system 800 and the compressor assembly 600, and between the corresponding components, internal environment, and / or their fluids, as described in the examples herein. The central insulation insert 960 is positioned between the compressor assembly 600 and the expander assembly 700 to provide physical and thermal insulation between the compressor assembly 600 and the expander assembly 700, and between the corresponding components, internal environment / or their fluids, as described in the examples herein. The upper insulation insert 950 and the central insulation insert 960 can be formed of a series of different materials that provide mechanical insulation, thermal insulation, or both mechanical and thermal insulation. As an example, the upper insulation insert 950 and the central insulation insert 960 can be formed of one or more plastics, polystyrene, fiberglass, ceramics, cork, foam, glass, other insulation materials, and combinations thereof.

[0090] Reference Figure 15 The compressor assembly 600 includes a compressor housing 610, a compressor inlet 612 leading to the compressor housing 610, a compressor outlet 614 from the compressor housing 610, and other components described below. The compressor assembly 600 includes a plurality of rotary compressors 620A - 620F arranged in a stacked manner within the compressor housing 610. Although six rotary compressors 620A - 620 are shown arranged in a vertical stack in the illustrated example, other numbers and arrangements of rotary compressors may be relied upon in some embodiments. For example, in some cases, the compressor assembly 600 may include only a single rotary compressor 620A, 620B, 620C, 620D, 620E, or 620F.

[0091] The compressor assembly 600 further includes suction manifolds or discharge manifolds 622A, 622B coupled to any or all of the rotary compressors 620A - 620F. The suction manifolds or discharge manifolds 622A, 622B are further coupled to the working fluid transfer system 900 in a closed fluid communication. The suction manifolds or discharge manifolds 622A, 622B and the working fluid transfer system 900 together allow fluid and heat communication between any or all of the rotary compressors 620A - 620F and the heat regenerator 500. For example, the suction manifolds or discharge manifolds 622A, 622B and the working fluid transfer system 900 together allow fluid and heat communication associated with the working fluid between any or all of the rotary compressors 620A - 620F and the heat regenerator 500.

[0092] The expander assembly 700 includes an expander housing 710, an expander inlet 712 leading to the expander housing 710, an expander outlet 714 from the expander housing 710, and other components described below. The expander assembly 700 includes a plurality of rotary expanders 720A - 720F arranged in a stacked manner within the expander housing 710. Although six rotary expanders 720A - 720F are shown arranged in a vertical stack in the illustrated example, other numbers and arrangements of rotary expanders may be relied upon in some embodiments. For example, in certain cases, the expander assembly 700 may include only a single rotary expander 720A, 720B, 720C, 720D, 720E, 720F.

[0093] The expander assembly 700 further includes suction or discharge manifolds 722A, 722B that are coupled to any or all of the rotary expanders 720A - 720F. The suction or discharge manifolds 722A, 722B are further coupled in fluid - tight communication with the working fluid transfer system 900. The suction or discharge manifolds 722A, 722B and the working fluid transfer system 900 together permit fluid and thermal communication between any or all of the rotary expanders 720A - 720F and the thermal regenerator 500. For example, the suction or discharge manifolds 722A, 722B and the working fluid transfer system 900 together permit fluid and thermal communication associated with the working fluid between any or all of the rotary expanders 720A - 720F and the thermal regenerator 500.

[0094] The working fluid transfer system 900 can be implemented as components such as tubes, pipes, couplings, and other parts that together form a closed - loop working fluid communication system extending between the rotary compressors 620A - 620, the thermal regenerator 500, and the rotary expanders 720A - 720F. According to aspects of the embodiments, the flow of the working fluid through the working fluid transfer system 900 is unidirectional and does not change direction. Example working fluids in the heat pump system 60 include helium and hydrogen, but other working fluids may be relied upon.

[0095] The drive system 800 includes a motor, engine, generator, or other mechanical drive system for the heat pump system 60 and is contained within a housing 810. The drive system 800 also includes a drive shaft 820 (see Figures 20 to 21 ) and other components described below. The drive shaft 820 extends from the drive system 800 to the expander assembly 700. The drive shaft 820 passes through each of the rotary compressors 620A - 620F and each of the rotary expanders 720A - 720F and is mechanically coupled thereto. The drive shaft 820 can be coupled at one end to a motor, engine, generator, or other mechanical drive system (not shown) of the drive system 800 for the heat pump system 60.

[0096] The working fluid transfer system 900 includes a service port 910. As will be understood in the art, one or more working fluids can be added to or removed from the working fluid transfer system 900 through the service port 910.

[0097] Figure 16 An enlarged perspective view of example rotary compressors and rotary expanders of the heat pump system 60 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this specific example, Figure 16A perspective view of rotary compressors 620A, 620F and rotary expanders 720A, 720F of a heat pump system 60 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, where a central insulating insert 960 is positioned between a vane rotary compressor 620F and a vane rotary expander 720A.

[0098] In some embodiments, any or all of these rotary compressors 620A - 620F and any or all of these vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F may include the same or similar components and / or functionality, or in other embodiments may include different components and / or functionality. In the different embodiments shown and described herein, these rotary compressors 620A - 620F and these vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F are interchangeable with each other, they each include the same or similar components and / or functionality, and they differ only in operation as a compressor or an expander, respectively. For purposes of brevity and clarity, any particular vane rotary compressor 620A - 620F and any particular vane rotary expander 720A - 720F shown and described in the different examples herein are representative examples of any other vane rotary compressor 620A - 620F and any other vane rotary expander 720A - 720F in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figure 16 , the vane rotary compressors 620B - 620E and the vane rotary expanders 720B - 720E are not shown for clarity, although details of such compressors and expanders are described in the different embodiments herein. Additionally, for clarity, the annotations and / or other identifications of one or more components of the vane rotary compressor 620A or 620F, or the vane rotary expander 720A or 720F are also omitted, although details of these components are described in the different embodiments herein.

[0099] The rotary compressors 620A - 620F (or "vane rotary compressors 620") each include a vane housing 630A - 630F (or "vane housing 630"). Each vane housing 630 includes vane layers 632A - 632F, 634A - 634F, 636A - 636F (or "vane layers 632, 634, 636") that are mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication with each other. The vane layers 632, 634, 636 are mechanically coupled to each other by means of a plurality of coupling ports 638A - 638F (or "coupling ports 638"), the plurality of coupling ports 638A - 638F being formed at various positions distributed around the respective vane housing 630 through each of the vane layers 632, 634, 636. The vane layer 634 is positioned between the vane layers 632 and 636 in each vane housing 630. In the illustrated example, the vane layers 632, 634, 636 are implemented as discrete and modular vane layers that can be mechanically coupled by the coupling ports 638 to form the respective vane housing 630. In other examples, each vane housing 630 can be implemented as a single, continuous, or integrated component having any or all of the vane layers 632, 634, 636 integrated therein.

[0100] The vane layer 632 of each vane housing 630 includes heat exchange regions 640A - 640F (or "heat exchange regions 640") located on an outer portion or surface of the vane layer 632, which are exposed to an interior region or interior environment of the compressor housing 610 of the compressor assembly 600 and are in thermal communication with the interior region or interior environment. The vane layer 636 of each vane housing 630 includes heat exchange regions 642A - 642F (or "heat exchange regions 642") located on an outer portion or surface of the vane layer 636, which are also exposed to an interior region or interior environment of the compressor housing 610 of the compressor assembly 600 and are in thermal communication with the interior region or interior environment. During operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60, the heat exchange regions 640, 642 are in thermal communication with a fluid (such as a coolant fluid flowing through the compressor housing 610 of the compressor assembly 600).

[0101] The heat exchange regions 640, 642 each include one or more heat exchange features 644A - 644F, 646A - 646F (or "heat exchange features 644, 646"). Any or all of the heat exchange features 644, 646 can be formed in various geometries and sizes, such as various polyhedral shapes or heat exchanger fins of various shapes. In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 644, 646 can all be formed in the same geometry and size. In other embodiments, one or more of the heat exchange features 644, 646 can be formed in a geometry or size that is different from the geometry or size of at least one other heat exchange feature 644, 646.

[0102] In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 644, 646 may be individually and separately distributed at defined locations across the heat exchange regions 640, 642. In other embodiments, the heat exchange features 644, 646 may be arranged around the heat exchange regions 640, 642 respectively according to various patterns. In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 644, 646 may be arranged around the heat exchange regions 640, 642 respectively according to the same pattern. In other embodiments, the heat exchange features 644, 646 may be arranged around the heat exchange regions 640, 642 respectively according to different patterns. In the illustrated example, the heat exchange regions 640, 642 each include cube-shaped heat exchange features 644, 646 that project respectively from the aforementioned outer portions or surfaces of the vane layers 632, 636. In this example, the cube-shaped heat exchange features 644, 646 are arranged across their corresponding heat exchange regions 640, 642 according to the illustrated lattice, cross, transverse, or grid-like patterns, but may rely on other patterns in some cases. The heat exchange features 644, 646 may be arranged according to an angular orientation defined about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820 and / or relative to the fluid path passing through the compressor housing 610 between the compressor inlet 612 and the compressor outlet 614.

[0103] The vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F (or "vane rotary expander 720") each include a vane housing 730A - 730F (or "vane housing 730"). The vane housings 730 each include vane layers 732A - 732F, 734A - 734F, 736A - 736F (or "vane layers 732, 734, 736") that are mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication with each other. These vane layers 732, 734, 736 are mechanically coupled to each other through a plurality of coupling ports 738A - 738F (or "coupling ports 738") that are formed at different locations around the corresponding vane housing 730 and pass through each of the vane layers 732, 734, 736. In each vane housing 730, the vane layer 734 is located between the vane layers 732 and 736. In the illustrated example, the vane layers 732, 734, 736 are implemented as discrete and modular vane layers that can be mechanically coupled through the coupling ports 738 to form the corresponding vane housing 730. In other examples, the vane housings 730 may each be implemented as a single, continuous, or integrated component having any or all of the vane layers 732, 734, 736 integrated therein.

[0104] Each vane layer 732 of each vane housing 730 includes heat exchange regions 740A - 740F (or "heat exchange regions 740") located on an outer portion or surface of the vane layer 732, which are exposed to an inner region or inner environment of the expander housing 710 of the expander assembly 700 and are in thermal communication with the inner region or inner environment. Each vane layer 736 of each vane housing 730 includes heat exchange regions 742A - 742F (or "heat exchange regions 742") located on an outer portion or surface of the vane layer 736, which are also exposed to an inner region or inner environment of the expander housing 710 of the expander assembly 700 and are in thermal communication with the inner region or inner environment. During operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60, the heat exchange regions 740, 742 are in thermal communication with a fluid (such as a coolant fluid flowing through the expander housing 710 of the expander assembly 700).

[0105] The heat exchange regions 740, 742 respectively include one or more heat exchange features 744A - 744F, 746A - 746F (or "heat exchange features 744, 746"). Any or all of the heat exchange features 744, 746 can be formed in various geometric shapes and sizes, such as various polyhedral shapes or heat exchanger fins of various shapes. In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 744, 746 can all be formed in the same geometric shape and size relative to each other and / or relative to any or all of the heat exchange features 644F, 646F. In other embodiments, one or more of the heat exchange features 744, 746 can be formed in a geometric shape or size different from that of at least one other heat exchange feature 644, 646, 744 or 746.

[0106] In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 744, 746 can be separately distributed at defined positions across the heat exchange regions 740, 742, respectively. In other embodiments, the heat exchange features 744, 746 can be arranged around the heat exchange regions 740, 742 respectively according to various patterns. In some embodiments, the heat exchange features 744, 746 of one or more of the vane housings 730 can be arranged around the corresponding heat exchange regions 740, 742 respectively according to the same pattern. In other embodiments, the heat exchange features 744 or 746 of at least one vane housing 730 can be arranged around the corresponding heat exchange regions 740 or 742 respectively according to a pattern different from that of the heat exchange features 744 or 746 arranged around the corresponding heat exchange regions 740 or 742 of at least one other vane housing 730. In one embodiment, the heat exchange features 744 or 746 can be arranged around the heat exchange regions 740 or 742 of any vane housing 730 respectively according to a pattern the same as or different from that of the heat exchange features 644 or 646 arranged around the heat exchange regions 640 or 642 of any vane housing 630.

[0107] In the illustrated example, each of the heat exchange regions 740, 742 includes cubic-shaped heat exchange features 744, 746 respectively protruding from the aforementioned outer portions or surfaces of the vane layers 732, 736. In this example, the cubic-shaped heat exchange features 744, 746 are arranged across their corresponding heat exchange regions 740, 742 according to the illustrated lattice, cross, transverse, or grid pattern, but in some cases may depend on other patterns. The heat exchange features 744, 746 may be arranged according to an angular orientation defined about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820 and / or relative to the fluid path passing through the expander housing 710 between the expander inlet 712 and the expander outlet 714.

[0108] Figure 17 A perspective view of an exemplary vane rotary compressor or expander of a heat pump or heat engine 60 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this specific example, Figure 17 A perspective view of a vane rotary compressor 620F of a heat pump or heat engine 60 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, with certain components removed or transparent. Figure 18 and Figure 19 Each shows another perspective view of the vane rotary compressor 620F in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, with certain components removed or transparent.

[0109] For purposes of brevity and clarity, the vane rotary compressor 620F is shown and described herein as a representative example of any of the rotary compressors 620A - 620F or vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure. In Figures 17 to 19 , for clarity, illustrations, notations, and / or other identifications of one or more components of the vane rotary compressor 620F are omitted, but details of such components are described in different embodiments herein. Any or all of the other vane rotary compressors 620A - 620E and any or all of the vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F may include components and / or functionality that are the same as or similar to those of the vane rotary compressor 620F described herein and shown in Figures 17 to 19 .

[0110] Referring to Figures 16 to 19 , the heat exchange features 644, 646 are arranged across the heat exchange regions 640, 642 respectively such that they define or partially define at least one linear or non-linear fluid flow path 648 (see Figure 17 ), which extends at least partially across one or more portions of the heat exchange regions 640, 642. For clarity, in Figure 17represents only a single linear or non-linear fluid flow path 648. The linear or non-linear fluid flow path 648 provides improved and optimized heat transfer during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60, for example, between the working fluid in the vane rotary compressor 620F and the coolant that traverses and interfaces with the exposed surface of at least one of the heat exchange regions 640F, 642F or heat exchange features 644F, 646F. For example, the linear or non-linear fluid flow path 648 can provide such improved and optimized heat transfer by disrupting the boundary layer of the coolant flow as the coolant flow passes through and interfaces with these regions or features during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60.

[0111] The heat exchange features 744, 746 are respectively disposed across the heat exchange regions 740, 742 such that they define or partially define at least one linear or non-linear fluid flow path 748 (not shown), which extends at least partially across one or more portions of the heat exchange regions 740, 742 respectively. The linear or non-linear fluid flow path 748 provides improved and optimized heat transfer during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60, for example, between the working fluid in the vane rotary expander 720F and the coolant that transfers above and interfaces with the exposed surface of at least one of the heat exchange regions 740F, 742F or heat exchange features 744F, 746F. For example, the linear or non-linear fluid flow path 748 can provide such improved and optimized heat transfer by disconnecting the boundary layer of the coolant flow as the coolant flows through and engages with these regions or features during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60.

[0112] The vane housings 630 respectively include vanes 650A - 650F, 652A - 652F (or "vanes 650, 652"), which are slidably positioned within respective channels 654A - 654F, 656A - 656F (or "channels 654, 656") of the vane housings 630. The vanes 650, 652 are slidably positioned within the respective channels 654, 656 partially by springs (not shown) that are also positioned within each of the channels 654, 656. The springs are positioned within each of the channels 654, 656, between the ends of the respective vanes 650, 652 and the respective walls of the channels 654, 656.

[0113] Vane housing 730 includes vanes 750A-750F, 752A-752F (or “vanes 750, 752”) respectively, which are slidably positioned within respective channels 754A-754F, 756A-756F (or “channels 754, 756”) of vane housing 730. Vanes 750, 752 are slidably positioned within respective channels 754, 756 partially by springs (not shown) also positioned within each channel 754, 756, the springs being positioned between the ends of respective vanes 750, 752 and respective walls of channels 754, 756.

[0114] Vane housing 630 also includes inlet ports or outlet ports 658A-658F, 660A-660F (or “inlet ports or outlet ports 658, 660”) and chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664A-664F, 668A-668F (or “chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668”) formed in each layer of vane layer 632 respectively. Inlet ports or outlet ports 658, 660 and chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668 are in fluid communication with each other and together allow fluid communication through corresponding vane rotary compressor 620. For example, inlet ports or outlet ports 658, 660 and chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668 together allow working fluid to flow into and out of working chambers 662A-662F (or “working chambers 662”) of corresponding vane rotary compressor 620 for fluid compression during operation of heat pump or heat engine 60. Inlet ports or outlet ports 658, 660 and chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668 are formed in an inner portion of vane layer 632 and pass through the inner portion of vane layer 632. Inlet ports or outlet ports 658, 660 are formed in different sides of vane layer 632 respectively and extend into vane layer 632 respectively to reach chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668. Chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664, 668 are formed in respective portions of vane layer 632 where they each at least partially overlap and are in fluid communication with working chambers 662. As Figure 17 and Figure 18 shown, inlet ports or outlet ports 658F, 660F are formed in different sides of vane layer 632F respectively and extend into vane layer 632F respectively to reach chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664F, 668F. Chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 664F, 668F are formed in respective portions of vane layer 632F where they each at least partially overlap and are in fluid communication with working chambers 662.

[0115] The vane housing 730 further includes inlet ports or outlet ports 758A - 758F, 760A - 760F (or "inlet ports or outlet ports 758, 760") formed in each layer of the vane layer 732, and chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764A - 764F, 768A - 768F (or "chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764, 768"). The inlet ports or outlet ports 758, 760 and the chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764, 768 are in fluid communication with each other and together allow fluid communication through the corresponding vane rotary expander 720. For example, the inlet ports or outlet ports 758, 760 and the chamber inlet ports or outlet ports 764, 768 together allow the working fluid to flow into and out of the working chambers 762A - 762F (or "working chambers 762") of the corresponding vane rotary expander 720 for fluid expansion during the operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60. The inlet ports or outlet ports 758, 760 and the chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764, 768 are formed in the inner portion of the vane layer 732 and pass through the inner portion of the vane layer 732. The inlet ports or outlet ports 758, 760 are respectively formed on different sides of the vane layer 732 and extend into the vane layer 732 respectively to reach the chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764, 768. The chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764, 768 are respectively formed in portions of the vane layer 732 where they at least partially overlap and are in fluid communication with the working chamber 762. In one embodiment, the inlet ports or outlet ports 758F, 760F are respectively formed on different sides of the vane layer 732F and extend into the vane layer 732F respectively to reach the chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764F, 768F. The chamber inlet ports or chamber outlet ports 764F, 768F are respectively formed in portions of the vane layer 732F where they at least partially overlap and are in fluid communication with the working chamber 762.

[0116] The working chamber 662F described and at least partially shown in Figures 17 to 19 is a representative example of the compression chamber in any or all of these rotary compressors 620A - 620F and is also a representative example of the expansion chamber in any or all of these vane rotary expanders 720A - 720F. Figures 17 to 19 The illustration of the working chamber 662F depicted in

[0117] Each of the vane layers 632, 634, 636 of each vane housing 630 includes at least one region that partially defines a corresponding working chamber 662 and is in thermal communication with the corresponding working chamber. For example, a hole formed through the central axis of the vane layer 634 in the vane housing 630 defines the cylindrical wall of the working chamber 662, and the inner surfaces of each of the vane layers 632, 636 define the top and bottom walls of the working chamber 662, respectively. As Figure 18 and 19 shown, the surface 670F of the hole formed through the central axis of the vane layer 634F defines the cylindrical wall of the working chamber 662F. In this example, the inner surface (not shown) of the vane layer 632F and the inner surface 672F of the vane layer 636F define the top wall (e.g., ceiling) and bottom wall (e.g., floor) of the working chamber 662F in the vane housing 630F, respectively.

[0118] Each of the vane layers 732, 734, 736 of each vane housing 730 includes at least one region that partially defines a corresponding working chamber 762 and is in thermal communication with the corresponding working chamber. For example, a hole formed through the central axis of the vane layer 734 in the vane housing 730 defines the cylindrical wall of the working chamber 762, and the inner surfaces of each of the vane layers 732, 736 define the top and bottom walls of the working chamber 762, respectively. In one embodiment, the surface 770F of the hole formed through the central axis of the vane layer 734F defines the cylindrical wall of the working chamber 762F. The inner surface (not shown) of the vane layer 732F and the inner surface 772F of the vane layer 736F define the top wall (e.g., ceiling) and bottom wall (e.g., floor) of the working chamber 762F in the vane housing 730F, respectively. Figures 17 to 19 The illustration of the working chamber 662F depicted in

[0119] Figure 20 also represents any working chamber 762, including the working chamber 762F. Figure 20 A perspective view of an example drive shaft and example vanes of a heat pump or heat engine 60 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this specific example, Figure 20 A perspective view of a drive shaft 820, vanes 650, 652 of a heat pump or heat engine 60, and vanes 750, 752 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, where an insulating pad 960 is positioned between a compressor shaft section 830 and an expander shaft section 840 of the drive shaft 820. Figure 21 A top side view of the drive shaft 820 and the insulating pad 960 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, where certain components are removed or transparent. In Figure 20 and Figure 21For clarity, illustrations, notations, and / or other identifications of one or more components of drive shaft 820, vanes 650, 652, and vanes 750, 752 are omitted, although details of these components are described in different embodiments herein.

[0120] See Figures 16 to 21 , drive shaft 820 is implemented as a modular drive shaft that includes a compressor shaft section 830, an expander shaft section 840, and other components described and shown in different embodiments herein. Compressor shaft section 830 includes a plurality of vane rotating shafts 832A - 832F (or "vane rotating shafts 832") that are mechanically coupled to each other. Expander shaft section 840 includes a plurality of vane rotating shafts 842A - 842F (or "vane rotating shafts 842") that are mechanically coupled to each other. Collectively, the vane rotating shafts 832 of compressor shaft section 830 are mechanically coupled to the vane rotating shafts 842 of expander shaft section 840 along the length of drive shaft 820. Any or all of vane rotating shafts 832 or vane rotating shafts 842 can be implemented as, for example, jaw and spoke couplings that have corresponding bushings 838A - 838F (e.g., spoke bushings) positioned between each pair of vane rotating shafts 832 (e.g., between vane rotating shafts 832E, 832F) and corresponding bushings 848A - 848F between each pair of vane rotating shafts 842 (e.g., between vane rotating shafts 842E, 842F). Vane rotating shafts 832, vane rotating shafts 842, bushings 838, and bushings 848 together provide for at least one of system modulation in a heat pump or heat engine 60, avoiding global tolerance stack-up or reduced dimensional accuracy requirements for drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60 or different components coupled to drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60, reducing or eliminating the effects of misalignment of drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60 or any component coupled to drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60, or isolating or eliminating potential vibrations of drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60 or any component coupled to drive shaft 820 or the heat pump or heat engine 60.

[0121] The vane rotation shafts 832 are each mechanically coupled to rollers 834A - 834F (or "rollers 834") of the compressor shaft section 830. Each of these rollers 834 has a roller surface 870A to 870F (or "roller surface 870") that contacts the respective ends of the vanes 650, 652 and the surface 670 of the corresponding working chamber 662. Each vane rotation shaft 832 includes a shaft portion that extends through the vane layers 632, 634, 636 of the corresponding vane rotary compressor 620. Each vane rotation shaft 832 further includes a disk portion that is mechanically or integrally coupled to the shaft portion of the vane rotation shaft 832 and is also coupled to the corresponding roller 834. The vane rotation shafts 832 and the rollers 834 are mechanically coupled to the vanes 650, 652, the surface 670 and the inner surfaces of the vane layers 632, 636 to at least partially define the working chamber 662 and for fluid compression within the working chamber 662 during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60.

[0122] The shaft portion of each rotation shaft 832 extends through the central axis of each layer of the vane layers 632, 634, 636. The shaft portion of each rotation shaft 832 is mechanically coupled at a first end to a seal 836A - 836G, such as an oil - embedded bushing, that is positioned between the first end of the shaft portion and the inner wall of a hole formed along the central axis of the central portion of the vane layer 632 through the vane layer 632. The shaft portion of each rotation shaft 832 is also mechanically coupled at a second end to another seal of the seals 836A - 836G, such as another oil - embedded bushing, that is positioned between the second end of the shaft portion and the inner wall of a hole formed along the central axis of the central portion of the vane layer 636 through the vane layer 636. The vane rotation shafts 832, the rollers 834, and the seals 836 are positioned within the vane housing 630 such that they individually or jointly form multiple sealing surfaces SS1, SS2, and SS3 with respective portions or surfaces of any or all of the vane layers 632, 634, 636 as shown in Figure 18 and with possible other sealing surfaces.

[0123] The vane rotation shafts 842 are each mechanically coupled to rollers 844A - 844F (or “rollers 844”) of the expander shaft section 840. Each of these rollers 844 has a roller surface 880A to 870F (or “roller surface 880”) that contacts the respective ends of the vanes 750, 752 and the surface 770 of the corresponding working chamber 762. Each vane rotation shaft 842 includes a shaft portion that extends through the vane layers 632, 634, 636 of the corresponding vane rotation expander 720. Each vane rotation shaft 842 further includes a disk portion that is mechanically or integrally coupled to the shaft portion of the vane rotation shaft 842 and is also coupled to the corresponding roller 844. The vane rotation shafts 842 and the rollers 844 are mechanically coupled to the vanes 750, 752, the surface 770 and the inner surfaces of the vane layers 732, 736 to at least partially define the working chamber 762 and for fluid compression within the working chamber 762 during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60.

[0124] The shaft portion of each rotation shaft 842 extends through the central axis of each layer of the vane layers 732, 734, 736. The shaft portion of each rotation shaft 842 is mechanically coupled at a first end to a seal 846A - 846G, such as an oil - immersed bushing, that is positioned between the first end of the shaft section and the inner wall of a hole formed along the central axis of the vane layer 732 through the central portion of the vane layer 732. The shaft portion in each rotation shaft 842 is also mechanically coupled at a second end to another seal of the seals 846A - 846G, such as another oil - immersed bushing, that is positioned between the second end of the shaft portion and the inner wall of a hole formed along the central axis of the vane layer 736 through the central portion of the vane layer 736. The vane rotation shafts 842, the rollers 844 and the seals 846 are positioned within the vane housing 730 such that they individually or jointly form seal surfaces SS1, SS2, and SS3 with different portions or surfaces of any or all of the vane layers 732, 734, 736 and possibly other seal surfaces.

[0125] These rollers 834 are angularly positioned about the axis of rotation “R” of at least one of the drive shaft 820, the compressor shaft section 830 or the expander shaft section 840. The rollers 834 are angularly positioned relative to each other about the axis of rotation and are positioned according to a defined phase angle that extends between each roller (e.g., between a first roller 834 and a second roller 834, between a second roller 834 and a third roller 834, etc.). For example, roller 834A and roller 834B are positioned about the axis of rotation according to a defined phase angle that extends between a first angular position of roller 834A about the axis of rotation and a second angular position of roller 834B about the axis of rotation.

[0126] These rollers 844 are angularly positioned about the axis of rotation “R” of at least one of the drive shaft 820, the compressor shaft section 830, or the expander shaft section 840. The rollers 844 are angularly positioned relative to each other about the axis of rotation and are positioned according to a defined phase angle extending between each pair of rollers (e.g., between a first roller 844 and a second roller 844, between a second roller 844 and a third roller 844, etc.). For example, roller 844A and roller 844B are positioned about the axis of rotation according to a defined phase angle that extends between a first angular position of roller 844A about the axis of rotation and a second angular position of roller 844B about the axis of rotation.

[0127] Individual roller pairs 834 and 844 (e.g., a pair of single rollers 834 and single roller 844) are angularly positioned relative to each other about the axis of rotation “R” according to a defined phase angle extending between each pair of rollers 834 and 844 (e.g., between a first roller 834 and a first roller 844, between a second roller 834 and a second roller 844, etc.), and so on. For example, roller 834A and roller 844A are positioned about the axis of rotation according to a defined phase angle that extends between a first angular position of roller 834A about the axis of rotation and a second angular position of roller 844A about the axis of rotation.

[0128] One or more of the above-defined phase angles partially cause at least one of unidirectional fluid flow, dead volume elimination, or isochoric regeneration during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 60. Further details regarding the above-defined phase angles are described and illustrated in Figure 26 and shown in

[0129] Figure 22 Another front perspective view of a heat pump or heat engine 60 with an exemplary unidirectional fluid flow representation in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 22 An example unidirectional flow of a working fluid through a working fluid transfer system 900 through a vane rotary compressor 620, a vane rotary expander 720, and a thermal regenerator 500 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. In this particular example, Figure 22 it is shown how the unidirectional flow of the working fluid through the vane rotary compressor 620, the vane rotary expander 720, and the thermal regenerator 500 corresponds to a Stirling cycle. Figure 23 An example temperature-entropy diagram 1000 in accordance with an example embodiment of a Stirling cycle through the heat pump or heat engine 60 is shown. The temperature-entropy diagram 1000 corresponds to the unidirectional working fluid flow through the heat pump or heat engine 60 depicted in Figure 22 and shown in

[0130] Figure 24A perspective view of an exemplary vane rotating mechanism 1100 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 25 A perspective view of an exemplary vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 of the vane rotating mechanism 1100 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In Figure 24 and Figure 25 For clarity, illustrations, notations, and / or other identifications of one or more components of the vane rotating mechanism 1100 are omitted.

[0131] Referring to Figure 24 and Figure 25 , the vane rotating mechanism 1100 includes a plurality of vertically stacked vane rotating compressors or expanders 1120, wherein a drive shaft 820 extends through the vane housing 1130 of each vane rotating compressor or expander 1120. Each vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 is an exemplary alternative embodiment of the vane rotating compressor 620 or the vane rotating expander 720 of the heat pump or heat engine 60. Each vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 includes components, structures, and / or functionality that are the same as or similar to those of the vane rotating compressor 620 or the vane rotating expander 720. The difference between the vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 and the vane rotating compressor 620 or the vane rotating expander 720 is that the vane housing 1130 of the vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 includes only two vane layers, rather than the three vane layers 632, 634, 636 of the vane housing 630. Another difference between the vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 and the vane rotating compressor 620 or the vane rotating expander 720 is that these portions of the vane housing 1130 having vanes 650, 652 have different geometries compared to those portions of the vane housing 630.

[0132] The vane rotating compressor or expander 1120 can be used to respectively implement isothermal or near-isothermal compression or expansion, as described in the embodiments herein. The vane rotating mechanism 1100 can be implemented in any of the thermal devices described herein, such as the heat pump or heat engine 10, the heat pump or heat engine 60, or those described herein and respectively in Figures 4 to 11 , Figures 13 to 23 and Figure 26 and Figure 27The heat pump or heat engine 70 shown in [description]. In some embodiments, the compressor assembly 600 may include a vane rotary mechanism 1100 instead of the vane rotary compressor 620. In some embodiments, the expander assembly 700 may include a vane rotary mechanism 1100 instead of the vane rotary expander 720. In some embodiments, the heat pump or heat engine 70 may include one or more of these vane rotary compressors or expanders 1120 instead of one or more of these vane rotary compressors 620A, 620F or instead of one or more of these vane rotary expanders 720A, 720F.

[0133] Figure 26 Illustrates an example phase angle and corresponding shaft rotation between a vane rotary compressor and a vane rotary expander according to different embodiments of the present invention. In this specific example, Figure 26 Illustrates an example phase angle and corresponding shaft rotation between a vane rotary compressor 620 and a vane rotary expander 720 according to different embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 26 Illustrates an example phase angle and corresponding shaft rotation of the shaft 820 between the roller 834 of the vane rotary compressor 620 and the roller 844 of the vane rotary expander 720 according to different embodiments of the present invention.

[0134] Reference Figures 13 to 26 , the shaft 820 is used to transmit torque across the rollers 834, 844. The rollers, vane housings and vanes of the vane rotary compressor or expander respectively form compression or expansion chambers, which allow the working fluid to be manipulated to follow a reversible Stirling cycle. The vane housing also serves as a heat exchanger to achieve near-isothermal compression and expansion. Multiple vane rotary compressors or expanders are stacked to respectively form a vane rotary compressor or expander assembly, which can deliver a higher system capacity by moving a larger amount of working fluid while maintaining an isothermal compression or expansion process. In addition, an offset motion feature is implemented to keep the center mass of the heat pump or heat engine stable, which minimizes noise and vibration. It also evenly distributes the torque maintained by the shaft.

[0135] Figure 17 , Figure 18 and Figure 25Shows a near-isothermal compression or expansion process performed in a vane rotary compressor or expander. Taking isothermal compression as an example. When the shaft 820 drives the roller 834A to travel around the rotation center, the working gas is compressed due to the reduction in the chamber volume between at least one of the roller 834A, vanes 650, 552 and the vane housing 630A. At the same time, the coolant flows through the other side of the vane housing 630A. The working gas at the higher temperature T1 transfers heat to the coolant at the lower temperature T2. This heat transfer from the working gas to the coolant enables the working gas to undergo a near-isothermal compression process through a reversible Stirling cycle. On the other hand, the outlet coolant carrying the heat from the compression can be used for productive heating purposes.

[0136] The phase angle between a pair of vane rotary compressors and vane rotary expanders can be specifically designed and implemented such that the working fluid can travel through an isochronous regeneration process between compression and expansion in different volumes. That is, when the working gas flows from the vane rotary compressor 620A to the vane rotary expander 720A, it is in a smaller volume V1. However, when the working gas returns from the expander to the compressor, it is in a larger volume V2. Under the reciprocating mechanism, the shaft rotates 360° to complete a full Stirling cycle, and the shaft 820 rotates 720° to complete a cycle using at least one of the vane rotary compressors 620 and at least one of the vane rotary expanders 720.

[0137] Figure 26 Shows a phase diagram of at least one of the heat pumps or heat engines described herein (e.g., heat pump or heat engine 60). In this specific example, Figure 26Shows a phase diagram of at least one of the vane rotary compressor 620 and at least one of the vane rotary expander 720. Starting from 0° to 180°, the compressor roller 834A compresses the working fluid, where the inlet gas valve and the outlet gas valve are closed from BDC to REG. At the same time, the shaft 820 drives the expansion roller 844A to rotate in the dead zone. This means that the working fluid in the vane rotary expander 720A is bypassed between the inlet and the outlet without any volume change. When the shaft 820 rotates from 180° to 270°, the compressor outlet valve and the expander inlet valve open, and the working gas is pushed from the vane rotary compressor 620A to the vane rotary expander 720A through the regenerator 500 at a constant volume V1. From 270° to 450°, the compressor roller 834A moves through the dead zone, the roller rotates but there is no change in the gas volume. At the same time, the working fluid expands in the vane rotary expander 720A, which pushes the expansion roller 844A from the REG position to the BDC. Finally, the shaft 820 rotates from 450° to 720°. With the expander outlet valve and the compressor inlet valve open, the working fluid is pushed from the vane rotary expander 720A to the vane rotary compressor 620A. This completes a thermodynamic cycle, where both the compressor roller 834A and the expander roller 844A return to their original positions.

[0138] In some embodiments, one or more of the vane rotary mechanisms 1100 shown in Figure 24 and Figure 25 or one or more of the vane rotary compressors or expanders 1120 can be used to implement the above phase angles and dead zones. It can also be implemented with electrically controlled valves between the inlets and outlets on the compressor housing and the expander housing.

[0139] The unidirectional reversible Stirling cycle can be implemented using any or all of the reciprocating piston mechanism implementations (e.g., heat pump or heat engine 10) described in various examples herein or any or all of the vane rotary mechanism implementations (e.g., heat pump or heat engine 60, heat pump or heat engine 70). It can also be achieved with scroll mechanisms, rotary vane mechanisms, screw mechanisms, and centrifugal mechanisms. The overall system structure remains the same for these mechanisms. The only difference is the way of implementing compression and expansion. In addition, regardless of the specific compression and expansion methods, the compression and expansion chambers 662, 762 can be divided into multiple sections. The division increases the ratio of the total surface area to the total volume, which allows for more nearly isothermal compression and expansion. Moreover, the offset motion characteristics described herein can be applied to any or all of the compression and expansion mechanisms of the embodiments herein to minimize vibration and evenly distribute torque on the shaft.

[0140] Figure 27A perspective view of another exemplary thermal device in the form of another compression-expansion heat pump or heat engine 70 in accordance with various aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The illustration of the heat pump or heat engine 70 is representative and not drawn to any particular scale. The components of the heat pump or heat engine 70 are not shown in detail, and the heat pump or heat engine 70 may include other components not shown. Moreover, in some cases, one or more of the shown components may be omitted. The heat pump or heat engine 70 can be used as an efficient HVAC device for residential, industrial, commercial, and related applications. Thus, the heat pump or heat engine 70 can provide a hot water and refrigeration system in a single device. It can also be reversed into a power cycle and used as an efficient generator or combined heat and power unit. In Figure 27 For clarity purposes, the illustration, annotation, and / or other identification of some components of the heat pump or heat engine 70 are omitted, although details of these components are described in different embodiments herein.

[0141] The heat pump or heat engine 70 is a demonstrative alternative embodiment of the heat pump or heat engine 60. The difference between the heat pump or heat engine 70 and the heat pump or heat engine 60 is that the heat pump or heat engine 70 includes two heat regenerators 500A, 500B respectively coupled to two working fluid transfer systems 900A, 900B. The heat regenerators 500A, 500B are each exemplary embodiments of the heat regenerator 500, and the working fluid transfer systems 900A, 900B are each exemplary embodiments of the working fluid transfer system 900. The heat regenerators 500A, 500B each include the same components, structure, properties, and functionality as the heat regenerator 500. The working fluid transfer systems 900A, 900B each include the same components, structure, properties, and functionality as the working fluid transfer system 900.

[0142] The thermal regenerator 500A includes a vane rotary compressor 620A, a vane rotary compressor 620F, a vane rotary expander 720A, and a vane rotary expander 720F. The vane rotary compressor 620A, the vane rotary compressor 620F, the vane rotary expander 720A, and the vane rotary expander 720F are each in fluid communication and thermal communication with the thermal regenerators 500A, 500B via working fluid transfer systems 900A, 900B. Although not shown, a drive shaft 820 extends through the vane rotary compressor 620A, the vane rotary compressor 620F, the vane rotary expander 720A, and the vane rotary expander 720F. Rollers 834A, 844A of the drive shaft 820 are mechanically coupled to the vane rotary compressor 620A and the vane rotary expander 720A, respectively, for a first thermodynamic fluid compression and expansion (e.g., a first compression-expansion cycle) associated with the thermal regenerators 500A, 500B. Rollers 834F, 844F of the drive shaft 820 are mechanically coupled to the vane rotary compressor 620F and the vane rotary expander 720F, respectively, for a second thermodynamic fluid compression and expansion (e.g., a second compression-expansion cycle) associated with the thermal regenerators 500A, 500B.

[0143] Rollers 834A and 844A are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820 according to a first defined phase angle relative to each other. For example, rollers 834A and 844A are positioned 90° apart from each other about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820. Rollers 834F and 844F are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft according to a second defined phase angle relative to each other. The second defined phase angle between rollers 834F and 844F may be the same as or different from the first defined phase angle between rollers 834A and 844A. For example, rollers 834F and 844F are positioned 90° apart from each other about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820. Rollers 834A and 834F are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820 according to a third defined phase angle relative to each other. The third defined phase angle between rollers 834A and 834F may be the same as or different from the first or second defined phase angle described above. For example, rollers 834A and 834F are positioned 90° apart from each other about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 820.

[0144] At least one of the first defined phase angle, the second defined phase angle, or the third defined phase angle partially causes at least one of unidirectional fluid flow, dead volume elimination, or isochronous regeneration during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 70. For example, the first defined phase angle, the second defined phase angle, and / or the third defined phase angle partially cause unidirectional flow (e.g., steady flow) of the working fluid through the vane rotary compressor 620A, the vane rotary compressor 620F, the vane rotary expander 720A, the vane rotary expander 720F, the thermal regenerator 500A, and the thermal regenerator 500B during operation of the heat pump or heat engine. Additionally, the first defined phase angle, the second defined phase angle, and / or the third defined phase angle also partially cause elimination of one or more dead volume sections in at least one of the vane rotary compressor 620A, the vane rotary compressor 620F, the vane rotary expander 720A, the vane rotary expander 720F, the thermal regenerator 500A, or the thermal regenerator 500B during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 70. Further, the first defined phase angle, the second defined phase angle, and / or the third defined phase angle also partially cause unidirectional or isotropic regeneration in at least one of the thermal regenerator 500A or the thermal regenerator 500B during operation of the heat pump or heat engine 70.

[0145] During operation of the heat engine or heat pump 70, the dead sections of the pair of the vane rotary compressor 620A and the vane rotary expander 720A are used to form another cycle (e.g., a second compression-expansion cycle) with the thermal regenerator 500A. The dead sections of the pair of the vane rotary compressor 620F and the vane rotary expander 720F are used to form another cycle (e.g., a second compression-expansion cycle) with the thermal regenerator 500B. The first cycle and the second cycle can operate independently. As described above, the first cycle and the second cycle can form a specific angle with each other (e.g., 90° between the rollers) to allow the first cycle and the second cycle to operate independently.

[0146] The thermal regenerators 500, 500A, 500B can each be implemented as a suitable regenerator for the type of working fluid used. In one example, any or all of the thermal regenerators 500, 500A, 500B can be implemented and realized as the regenerator 1150 referenced herein Figures 28 to 33 described.

[0147] Now referring to Figures 28 to 33 , an embodiment of the regenerator 1150 according to different embodiments is shown. Specifically, the regenerator 1150 can include a regenerator for use with rotational motion provided by a scroll compressor, a rotary compressor, and / or an expander, etc., which are more volumetrically efficient. Figure 28 and Figure 29 are top perspective views of the regenerator 1150 according to different embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein, in Figure 29For purposes of illustration, the housing cover and the section cover are not shown. Figure 30 is another top perspective view of the regenerator 1150, Figure 31 is a bottom perspective view of the regenerator 1150, Figure 32 is a front view of the regenerator 1150, Figure 33 is an enlarged partial view of the regenerator 1150 according to different embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0148] In different embodiments, Figures 28 to 33 the regenerator 1150 may include a housing in the shape of a rectangle, a square, or other shapes in some embodiments. Figures 28 to 33 the regenerator 1150 may allow a constant flow regeneration cycle, which allows the working gas to gradually deposit heat at one location (e.g., the first side 1247a of the regenerator 1150), and then gradually recover heat at another location (e.g., the second side 1247b of the regenerator 1150). The regenerator 1150 can thus dominate the temperature gradient between the high-temperature side and the low-temperature side, as will be discussed.

[0149] Generally, the regenerator 1150 may include a plurality of thermal sections 1250a…1250j (collectively referred to as "thermal sections 1250"). The thermal sections 1250 may include a first thermal section 1250a, a second thermal section 1250b, a third thermal section 1250c, a fourth thermal section 1250d, a fifth thermal section 1250e, a sixth thermal section 1250f, a seventh thermal section 1250g, an eighth thermal section 1250h, a ninth thermal section 1250i, and a tenth thermal section 1250j. Although Figures 28 to 32 the illustrated regenerator includes ten thermal sections, it should be understood that other numbers of thermal sections 1250 may be employed as needed.

[0150] In some embodiments, each thermal section 1250 includes rectangular or square regions that laterally span from the corresponding side of the distributor 1272 (also referred to as the vertical distributor 1272) of the regenerator 1150 to the outer housing 1275 of the regenerator 1150, and these regions laterally span to the corresponding side of the distributor 1272 (also referred to as the vertical distributor 1272) of the regenerator and reach the outer housing 1275 of the regenerator 1150. In different embodiments, the housing 1275 (also referred to as the outer shell) may provide a seal at a predetermined pressure (such as approximately 20 bar (290 psi)). Each thermal section 1250 may be formed of a thermally conductive material, such as steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, graphene, any combination thereof, etc. Each thermal section 1250 may be formed of a conductive mesh material, as Figure 29 shown by the third thermal section 1250c in Figure 30 illustrates the regenerator 1150 without the conductive mesh material so that the thermal member 1253 can be seen.

[0151] The first heat section 1250a, the third heat section 1250c, the fifth heat section 1250e, the seventh heat section 1250g, and the ninth heat section 1250i may be positioned on the first side 1247a of the regenerator 1150. The second heat section 1250b, the fourth heat section 1250d, the sixth heat section 1250f, and the tenth heat section 1250j may be positioned on the second side 1247b of the regenerator 1150 opposite the first side.

[0152] The regenerator 1150 may further include a plurality of heat members 1253a... 1253e (collectively referred to as "heat members 1253") thermally coupled to individual heat members in the heat sections 1250. For example, a first set of heat members 1253a may be thermally coupled to the first heat section 1250a and the second heat section 1250b, a second set of heat members 1253b may be thermally coupled to the third heat section 1250c and the fourth heat section 1250d, a third set of heat members 1253c may be thermally coupled to the fifth heat section 1250e and the sixth heat section 1250f, a fourth set of heat members 1253d may be thermally coupled to the seventh heat section 1250g and the eighth heat section 1250h, and a fifth set of heat members 1253e may be thermally coupled to the ninth heat section 1250i and the tenth heat section 1250j. Similar to the heat members 1253 described above, the heat members 1253 may include elongated members formed of a conductive material sufficient to transfer heat collected on the first side 1247a of the regenerator 1150 to the second side 1247b of the regenerator 1150 for future use, as will be described. In various embodiments, the heat members 1253 may include heat pipes, copper bars, etc. The heat members 1253 may be positioned within a mesh or other conductive material.

[0153] Although each group of heat members 1253 is shown in a 6×5 matrix arrangement defining thirty heat members 1253, it should be understood that other arrangements of the heat members 1253 and other numbers of heat members 1253 may be employed depending on the desired operating characteristics of the regenerator 1150.

[0154] The regenerator 1150 may further include a divider 1272 that may be disposed between adjacent heat sections 1250. For example, the divider 1272 may extend vertically to define the first side 1247a and the second side 1247b. The divider 1272 may include holes or cuts having dimensions similar to the diameter of the heat members 1253 that allow the heat members 1253 (e.g., heat pipes) to pass through while preventing working gas from moving between the horizontally arranged sections.

[0155] The dispenser 1272 can be insulated to prevent heat from leaving the hot section 1250 other than through the heat member 1253, thereby storing most of the heat in the opposite side of the regenerator 1150. The thermally conductive hot section 1235 can be formed of a metallic mesh material or the like, while the thermally insulating separator 1272 and other components can be formed of ceramics, plastics, fiberglass, or the like.

[0156] A heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70 using, for example, a rotary compressor or a scroll compressor can generate torque that causes the gas to move in an annular direction (such as counterclockwise). Alternatively, the torque can cause the gas to move in the clockwise direction, as can be understood. Additionally, by adding heat to the regenerator 1150 or the surrounding system, this will cause the working gas to expand isothermally, which generates a torque that pushes the fins or similar devices in the left, counterclockwise direction.

[0157] For illustrative purposes, in the case where the torque causes the gas to move in the counterclockwise direction, the working gas can be routed from the hot chamber of the heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70 or a similar device to the regenerator 1150 via the inlet 1259, where the inlet 1259 can be referred to as the hot chamber inlet 1259. Then, the working gas from the hot chamber deposits heat in the first hot section 1250a and moves vertically downward between the top and bottom surfaces of the regenerator 1150, thereby depositing additional heat in the adjacent sections (i.e., the third hot section 1250c, the fifth hot section 1250e, the seventh hot section 1250g, the ninth hot section 1250i, etc.). It should be understood that the separator 1272 prevents the working gas from moving from one hot section 1250 to another while adequately maintaining the temperature gradient in the respective hot sections 1250. However, the working gas can flow through the holes 1278 of the horizontal separator 1281, which can be arranged between the vertically stacked hot sections 1250. Similar to the vertical dispenser 1272, the horizontal dispenser 1281 can be formed of a conductive material. The material of the horizontal separator 1281 and the size and positioning of the holes 1278 can prevent heat transfer across the hot sections 1250 while still allowing the working gas to pass through them.

[0158] The gas is discharged from the regenerator 1150 via the outlet 1262 to, for example, a cooling chamber. Thus, the outlet 1262 can be referred to as the cooling chamber outlet 1262. When the working gas (such as helium, hydrogen, etc.) is guided through the first side 1247a of the regenerator 1150, the gas is cooled from the inlet temperature (such as 600 °C) in the inlet 1259 to the outlet temperature (such as 80 °C) dissipated from the outlet 1262, where the outlet temperature is lower than the inlet temperature. Again, the regenerator 1150 does not output heat to other components of the heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70. Instead, the regenerator 1150 stores heat by transferring heat from the first side 1247a to the second side 1247b, as will be further described.

[0159] Thereafter, it should be understood that the working gas can be routed from the cooling chamber of the heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70 or a similar device to the regenerator 1150 via another inlet 1265, where the inlet 1265 can be referred to as the cooling chamber inlet 1265. As the working gas is cold, the working gas from the cooling chamber collects the heat stored in the tenth heat section 1250j and moves vertically between the bottom surface and the top surface of the regenerator 1150, thereby collecting additional heat and raising the temperature of the working gas in adjacent sections (i.e., the eighth heat section 1250h, the sixth heat section 1250f, the fourth heat section 1250d, the second heat section 1250b, etc.) via the orifices 1278. In addition, it should be understood that the separator 1272 prevents the working gas from moving from one heat section 1250 to another while adequately maintaining the temperature gradient in the corresponding heat sections 1250.

[0160] Then, the working gas is discharged from the regenerator 1150 via the outlet 1268 into, for example, the heat chamber of the heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70. Thus, the outlet 1268 can be referred to as the heat chamber outlet 1268. Consequently, when the working gas (such as helium, hydrogen, etc.) is guided through the second side 1247b of the regenerator 1150, the gas is heated from the inlet temperature (such as 80 °C) in the inlet 1265 to the outlet temperature (such as 600 °C) dissipated from the outlet 1268, where the outlet temperature is higher than the inlet temperature. Again, the regenerator 1150 does not output heat to other components of the heat pump or heat engine 60 or 70.

[0161] The hot chamber inlet 1259, the cooling chamber outlet 1262, the cooling chamber inlet 1265, the hot chamber outlet 1268, and other inlets and outlets can be one-way outlets, meaning that gas is transferred along a single direction through the corresponding inlet or outlet. Therefore, reverse flow of the working gas is not allowed. To this end, the inlet and / or outlet can utilize a one-way valve or the like. The inlet 1259 can be described as being positioned in the first hot section 1250a and thermally coupled to the first hot section 1250a, the outlet 1262 can be described as being positioned in the ninth hot section 1250i and thermally coupled to the ninth hot section 1250i, the inlet 1265 can be described as being positioned in the tenth hot section 1250k and thermally coupled to the tenth hot section 1250k, and the outlet 1268 can be described as being positioned in the second hot section 1250b and thermally coupled to the second hot section 1250b.

[0162] In some embodiments, each hot section 1250 is formed of a porous medium that effectively captures heat from the working gas. Some non-limiting examples of the porous medium include a conductive wire mesh (e.g., stainless steel or copper mesh material) and a conductive open-cell porous medium. Since there may be a large temperature gradient, the regenerator 1150 can have a layered structure composed of hot sections 1250 with thin insulator sections 1256 therebetween, where each hot section 1250 is configured to store heat in a specific temperature range.

[0163] Relative to the first side 1247a, while cooling from the inlet temperature to the outlet temperature, the working gas may move downward due to the pressure difference. Relative to the second side 1247b, while heating from the inlet temperature to the outlet temperature, the working gas may move upward due to the pressure difference. The regenerator 1150 allows almost all of the working gas to undergo an isothermal expansion, regenerative cooling, isothermal contraction, and regenerative heating cycle. If leakage is negligible, the volumetric efficiency can be 100%. The high volumetric efficiency is a significant advantage over reciprocating mechanisms. In addition, the mixture of hot and cold working gases inside the regenerator 1150 in a reciprocating mechanism can result in significant energy losses and reduce the power density (e.g., the capacity per unit machine size). The regenerator 1150 also includes a top surface 1284 and a bottom surface 1287, where the hot sections 1250 are stacked between the top surface 1284 and the bottom surface 1287. The separator 1272 extends vertically between the top surface 1284 and the bottom surface 1287. In some embodiments, the regenerator 1150 can include diffusion chambers 1290a, 1290b, and the diffusion chambers 1290a, 1290b can include empty spaces around the inlets and outlets to allow the working gas to be evenly distributed before moving through the regenerator 1150.

[0164] The outer casing or housing of the described different embodiments of the regenerator 1150, as well as its top, side, and bottom receptions, can all be made of a thermal insulation material to limit heat loss in the radial, axial, etc. directions. The features, structures, or characteristics described above can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, and if possible, the features discussed in different embodiments are interchangeable. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to fully understand the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions of the present disclosure can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, materials, etc. can be adopted. In other examples, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0165] Unless otherwise specified, combinatorial language (such as "at least one of X, Y, and Z" or "at least one of X, Y, or Z") is generally used to identify one, a combination of any two, or all three (or more if identifying a larger group), such as X and only X, Y and only Y, and Z and only Z, combinations of X and Y, X and Z, and Y and Z, and all of X, Y, and Z. Such combinatorial language is generally not intended and unless specified does not identify or require including at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z. Unless otherwise defined herein as being associated with a specific range, percentage, or related deviation measure, the terms "about" and "substantially" account for at least some manufacturing tolerances between the theoretical design and the manufactured product or component, as described in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME ) Y14.5 and the related International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) standards for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, such manufacturing tolerances are still considered even though the terms "about", "substantially", or related terms are not explicitly recited, even in combination with theoretical terms such as geometric "vertical", "orthogonal", "vertex", "collinear", "coplanar", and other terms.

[0166] Although relative terms such as "on", "under", "upper", and "lower" are used in the specification to describe the relative relationship of one component to another, these terms are used in this specification only for convenience (e.g.) as the directions in the examples shown in the drawings. It should be understood that if the device is inverted, the above-mentioned "upper" component will become the "lower" component. When a structure is "on" another structure, the structure can be integrally formed on the other structure, or the structure is "directly" disposed on the other structure, or the structure is "indirectly" disposed on the other structure through other structures.

[0167] In this specification, terms such as "a", "an", "the", and "said" are used to indicate the presence of one or more elements and components. The terms "comprise", "includes", "has", "contain", and their variants are used in an open-ended sense and mean including additional elements, components, etc. in addition to the listed elements, components, etc., unless otherwise stated in the appended claims.

[0168] The terms "first", "second", etc. are used only as labels and not as a limitation on multiple objects. It should be understood that if multiple components are shown, to the extent applicable, these components may be referred to as "first" components, "second" components, etc. Further, if a part is described as being "at least one" of the parts, it should be understood that this can mean "one or more" of the parts. Conversely, if a part is described as being "one or more" of the parts, it should be understood that this can mean "at least one" of the parts.

[0169] As mentioned herein in the context of quantities, the term "a" or "an" is intended to mean "at least one" and is not intended to imply "one and only one". As mentioned herein, the terms "include", "includes", and "including" are each intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising". As mentioned herein, the terms "or" and "and / or" are generally intended to be inclusive, i.e., (i.e.), "A or B" or "A and / or B" each is intended to mean "A or B or both". As mentioned herein, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component or entity from another component or entity and are not intended to indicate the position, function, or importance of a single component or entity. As mentioned herein, the terms "coupled", "couples", "coupling", and / or "coupled to" refer to chemical coupling (e.g., chemical bonding), communication coupling, electrical and / or electromagnetic coupling (e.g., capacitive coupling, inductive coupling, direct and / or connection coupling), mechanical coupling, operative coupling, optical coupling, fluid coupling, thermal coupling, and / or physical coupling.

[0170] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are merely possible examples of embodiments set forth for the purpose of clearly understanding the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and are protected by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A heat pump system, comprising: A compressor assembly, the compressor assembly including a first vane compressor and a second vane compressor; An expander assembly, the expander assembly including a first vane expander and a second vane expander; A drive shaft, the drive shaft extending between the compressor assembly and the expander assembly, the drive shaft including: A compressor shaft section having a compressor crank pin angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft; and An expander shaft section having an expander crank pin angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft; A compressor vane piston mechanically coupled to the compressor crank pin, and the compressor vane piston including a first piston head for fluid compression within the first vane compressor and a second piston head for fluid compression within the second vane compressor; and An expander vane piston mechanically connected to the expander crank pin, and the expander vane piston including a first piston head for fluid expansion within the first vane expander and a second piston head for fluid expansion within the second vane expander.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the compressor assembly and the expander assembly is physically isolated or thermally isolated from each other; and The drive shaft further includes a shaft connector mechanically coupled to the compressor shaft section and the expander shaft section, the shaft connector including a thermal insulation material that thermally isolates the compressor shaft section and the expander shaft section from each other.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The first vane compressor, the second vane compressor, and the compressor vane piston each have a transverse axis positioned in a first transverse plane; and The first vane expander, the second vane expander, and the expander vane piston each have a transverse axis positioned in a second transverse plane different from the first transverse plane.

4. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The compressor shaft section further includes a second compressor crank pin angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft; and The compressor assembly further includes a third vane compressor, a fourth vane compressor, and a second compressor vane piston, the second compressor vane piston mechanically coupled to the second compressor crank pin, and the second compressor vane piston including a third piston head for fluid compression within the third vane compressor and a fourth piston head for fluid compression within the fourth vane compressor.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: The expander shaft section further includes a second expander crank pin angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the expander shaft; and The expander assembly further includes a third vane expander, a fourth vane expander, and a second expander vane piston. The second expander vane piston is mechanically coupled to the second expander crankpin, and the second expander vane piston includes a third piston head for fluid expansion within the third vane expander and a fourth piston head for fluid expansion within the fourth vane expander.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 1, wherein: at least one of the first vane compressor or the second vane compressor includes compressor heat exchange vanes extending from an external vane compressor surface; and at least one of the first vane expander or the second vane expander includes expander heat exchange vanes extending from an external vane expander surface.

7. A heat pump system comprising: a rotary compressor including a compression chamber; a rotary expander including an expansion chamber; and a drive shaft extending between the rotary compressor and the rotary expander, the drive shaft including: a compressor shaft section having a first roller angularly positioned about a rotational axis of the drive shaft, the first roller being mechanically coupled to the rotary compressor for fluid compression within the compression chamber; and an expander shaft section having a second roller angularly positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft, the second roller being mechanically coupled to the rotary expander for fluid expansion within the expansion chamber.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 7, further comprising: a compressor assembly including the rotary compressor; an expander assembly including the rotary expander; and an insulation insert positioned between the compressor assembly and the expander assembly.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: the rotary compressor further includes a vane housing having vanes slidably positioned within respective channels of the vane housing; and the first roller is mechanically engaged between the vanes of the rotary compressor to define the compression chamber for fluid compression within the compression chamber.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: the rotary expander further includes a vane housing having vanes slidably positioned within respective channels of the vane housing; and the second roller is mechanically engaged between the vanes of the rotary expander to define the expansion chamber for fluid expansion within the expansion chamber.

11. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: the first roller of the compressor shaft section and the second roller of the expander shaft section are positioned about the rotational axis of the drive shaft according to a defined phase angle that extends between a first angular position of the first roller about the rotational axis and a second angular position of the second roller about the rotational axis, and The defined phase angle reduces the dead volume of the heat pump system during operation.

12. The heat pump system according to claim 7, further comprising a heat regenerator in fluid communication with the vane rotary compressor and the vane rotary expander.

13. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: the drive shaft includes a modular drive shaft having a plurality of vane rotary shafts mechanically coupled to each other along the length of the drive shaft; a first vane rotary shaft of the plurality of vane rotary shafts is mechanically coupled to the first roller of the compressor shaft section; and a second vane rotary shaft of the plurality of vane rotary shafts is mechanically coupled to the second roller of the expander shaft section.

14. The heat pump system according to claim 7, wherein: the rotary compressor includes a plurality of rotary compressors arranged in a vertical stack, the plurality of rotary compressors being mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication; the rotary expander includes a plurality of rotary expanders arranged in a vertical stack, the plurality of rotary expanders being mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication; each of the plurality of rotary compressors includes at least one region that at least partially defines the compression chamber and is in fluid communication with the compression chamber; and each of the plurality of rotary expanders includes at least one region that at least partially defines the expansion chamber and is in fluid communication with the expansion chamber.

15. The heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein: at least one of the plurality of rotary compressors includes a heat exchange region in fluid communication with the environment surrounding the rotary compressor; and the heat exchange region includes heat exchange features, the heat exchange features at least partially define a linear or non-linear fluid flow path that at least partially extends across at least a portion of the heat exchange region.

16. The heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein: at least one of the plurality of rotary expanders includes a heat exchange region in fluid communication with the environment surrounding the rotary expander; and the heat exchange region includes heat exchange features, the heat exchange features at least partially define a linear or non-linear fluid flow path that at least partially extends across at least a portion of the heat exchange region.

17. The heat pump system according to claim 14, wherein: the drive shaft includes a modular drive shaft having a plurality of vane rotary shafts mechanically coupled to each other along the length of the drive shaft; a first vane rotary shaft of the plurality of vane rotary shafts extends through the central axis of the vane housing of the rotary compressor and is mechanically coupled to the first roller of the compressor shaft section of the drive shaft; and a second vane rotary shaft of the plurality of vane rotary shafts extends through the central axis of the vane housing of the rotary expander and is mechanically coupled to the second roller of the expander shaft section of the drive shaft.

18. A heat pump system, comprising: A first rotary compressor, a vane rotary compressor, a first rotary expander, and a second rotary expander, each of the first rotary compressor, the vane rotary compressor, the first rotary expander, and the second rotary expander being in fluid communication with a first heat regenerator and a second heat regenerator; and a drive shaft extending through the first rotary compressor, the second rotary compressor, the first rotary expander, and the second rotary expander, the drive shaft including a plurality of rollers angularly positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft, wherein: a first roller and a second roller of the plurality of rollers are mechanically coupled to the first rotary compressor and the first rotary expander, respectively, for a first thermodynamic fluid compression and expansion in connection with the first heat regenerator and the second heat regenerator, and a third roller and a fourth roller of the plurality of rollers are mechanically coupled to the second rotary compressor and the second rotary expander, respectively, for a second thermodynamic fluid compression and expansion in connection with the first heat regenerator and the second heat regenerator.

19. The heat pump system according to claim 18, wherein, At least one of the following: the first roller and the second roller are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft according to a first defined phase angle relative to each other; the third roller and the fourth roller are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft according to a second defined phase angle relative to each other; or the first roller and the third roller are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft according to a third defined phase angle relative to each other.

20. The heat pump or heat engine according to claim 19, wherein, At least one of the first defined phase angle, the second defined phase angle, or the third defined phase angle at least partially causes at least one of unidirectional fluid flow, dead volume elimination, or isochronous regeneration during operation of the heat pump or heat engine.

21. A heat pump system, comprising: a compressor assembly including a compression chamber; an expander assembly including an expansion chamber, the expander assembly being positioned above the compressor assembly; a drive shaft extending through the compressor assembly and the expander assembly; a drive system mechanically coupled to the drive shaft; a heat regenerator; and a working fluid transfer system extending in fluid communication for unidirectional working fluid flow between the compressor assembly, the expander assembly, and the heat regenerator.

22. The heat pump system according to claim 21, wherein, The drive shaft includes: a compressor shaft section having a first roller angularly positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft, the first roller being mechanically coupled to a rotary compressor in the compressor assembly for fluid compression in the compression chamber; and an expander shaft section having a second roller angularly positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft, the second roller being mechanically coupled to a rotary expander on the expander assembly for fluid expansion in the expansion chamber.

23. The heat pump system according to claim 22, wherein: The rotary compressor further includes a vane housing having vanes slidably positioned within respective channels of the vane housing; and the first roller is mechanically engaged between the vanes of the rotary compressor to define the compression chamber for fluid compression within the compression chamber.

24. The heat pump system according to claim 22, wherein: the rotary expander further includes a vane housing having vanes slidably positioned within respective channels of the vane housing; and the second roller is mechanically engaged between the vanes of the rotary expander to define the expansion chamber for fluid expansion within the expansion chamber.

25. The heat pump system according to claim 22, wherein: the first roller of the compressor shaft section and the second roller of the expander shaft section are positioned about the axis of rotation of the drive shaft according to a defined phase angle that extends between a first angular position of the first roller about the axis of rotation and a second angular position of the second roller about the axis of rotation, and the defined phase angle reduces the dead volume of the heat pump system during operation.

26. The heat pump system according to claim 22, wherein: the drive shaft includes a modular drive shaft having a plurality of vane rotating shafts mechanically coupled to each other along the length of the drive shaft; a first vane rotating shaft of the plurality of vane rotating shafts is mechanically coupled to the first roller of the compressor shaft section; and a second vane rotating shaft of the plurality of vane rotating shafts is mechanically coupled to the second roller of the expander shaft section.

27. The heat pump system according to claim 21, wherein: the compressor assembly includes a plurality of rotary compressors arranged in a vertical stack, the plurality of rotary compressors being mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication; the expander assembly includes a plurality of rotary expanders arranged in a vertical stack, the plurality of rotary expanders being mechanically coupled to each other and in thermal communication; each of the plurality of rotary compressors includes at least one region that at least partially defines the compression chamber and is in fluid communication with the compression chamber; and each of the plurality of rotary expanders includes at least one region that at least partially defines the expansion chamber and is in fluid communication with the expansion chamber.

28. The heat pump system according to claim 26, wherein: the plurality of rotary compressors includes a heat exchange region in fluid communication with the environment surrounding the compressor assembly; and the heat exchange region includes heat exchange features, the heat exchange features at least partially define a linear or non-linear fluid flow path that extends at least partially across at least a portion of the heat exchange region.

29. The heat pump system according to claim 26, wherein: the plurality of rotary expanders includes a heat exchange region in fluid communication with the environment surrounding the expander assembly; and the heat exchange region includes heat exchange features, The heat exchange feature at least partially defines a linear or non-linear fluid flow path extending at least partially across at least a portion of the heat exchange region.

30. The heat pump system according to claim 21, wherein: The drive shaft includes a modular drive shaft having a plurality of vane rotating shafts mechanically coupled to each other along the length of the drive shaft; A first vane rotating shaft of the plurality of vane rotating shafts extends through a central axis of a vane housing of a rotary compressor of the compressor assembly and is mechanically coupled to a first roller of the rotary compressor; and A second vane rotating shaft of the plurality of vane rotating shafts extends through a central axis of a vane housing of a rotary expander of the expander assembly and is mechanically coupled to a second roller of the rotary expander.

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