A refrigeration system capable of exporting electrical power
The refrigeration system built using a low-temperature Rankine cycle unit solves the problem of high energy consumption in existing refrigeration systems, achieving a highly efficient combination of refrigeration and power output, and is suitable for a variety of application scenarios.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- 程新楚
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing refrigeration systems consume a large amount of electricity and generate heat, resulting in high energy consumption and increased ambient temperature, making it impossible to effectively utilize environmental energy for refrigeration and power generation.
A refrigeration system is constructed using a low-temperature Rankine cycle unit. Through the first and second stage low-temperature Rankine cycle units, the low-temperature circulating working fluid absorbs ambient heat and converts it into electrical energy output, thereby achieving the refrigeration function.
It achieves efficient cooling while outputting electrical energy, saving energy, conforming to the laws of thermodynamics, and is suitable for a variety of applications, including carbon dioxide capture from combustion exhaust, air separation, artificial snow worlds, and urban cooling.
Smart Images
Figure CN122149103A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the fields of cold energy generation and renewable energy power generation, and in particular to a novel refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy. Background Technology
[0002] For a long time, people have used the reverse Carnot cycle principle to manufacture refrigeration equipment, while using the modified positive Carnot cycle—the Kent cycle—to drive turbines and generate electricity. This has given people the misconception that refrigeration and power generation are two completely incompatible technologies, and that refrigeration can only follow the reverse Carnot cycle path, with no possibility of a positive Carnot cycle path. Therefore, existing refrigeration systems have consistently used electrical energy to generate cooling capacity. This method is expensive, and while improving living conditions, it also consumes a large amount of energy and outputs heat to the environment, overwhelming urban power grids in summer and causing urban ambient temperatures to rise while lowering indoor temperatures. This is a misunderstanding of the second law of thermodynamics: the belief that it is impossible to construct a system that can extract effective energy from the internal energy of the Earth's environment and convert it into useful work output.
[0003] The inventor of this application filed patent application number 202410156290.2 in 2024, entitled "A Refrigeration System that Can Simultaneously Output Cooling and Electrical Energy Without External Power Input," which was published on May 3, 2024. This invention utilizes the principle of a low-temperature Rankine cycle system to propose a refrigeration system capable of simultaneously outputting cooling and electrical energy. However, this system has efficiency defects in the heat exchange cycle and cannot fully achieve the invention's objective. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a refrigeration system that can output electrical energy to the outside, to replace the existing refrigeration system that uses electrical energy to do work inside.
[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy, including a first-stage low-temperature Rankine cycle unit and a second-stage low-temperature Rankine cycle unit;
[0006] The first-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit includes a first heat exchanger, a first gas storage tank, a first expansion generator set, a second heat exchanger, a first liquid storage tank, and a first cryogenic pump; the tube-side outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first gas storage tank, the outlet of the first gas storage tank is connected to the power working fluid inlet of the first expansion generator set, the exhaust gas output end of the first expansion generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the second heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first liquid storage tank, and the outlet of the first liquid storage tank and the tube-side inlet of the first heat exchanger are connected through the first cryogenic pump;
[0007] The second-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit includes a second gas storage tank, a second expander generator set, a third heat exchanger, a first compressor, a fourth heat exchanger, a fifth heat exchanger, a throttle valve, a gas-liquid separator, a second liquid storage tank, and a second cryogenic pump. The shell-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the second gas storage tank, the outlet of the second gas storage tank is connected to the power working fluid inlet of the second expander generator set, the exhaust gas output of the second expander generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the third heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the third heat exchanger is connected to the input end of the compressor, the output end of the compressor is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fourth heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator through the throttle valve, the gas outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the compressor, the liquid outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the second liquid storage tank, and the outlet of the second liquid storage tank is connected to the tube-side inlets of the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers respectively through the second cryogenic pump.
[0008] In a further improvement, a fifth heat exchanger is connected between the fourth heat exchanger and the throttling valve, the tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger, and the tube-side outlet of the fifth heat exchanger is connected to the throttling valve.
[0009] Furthermore, the cold fluid in the first heat exchanger and the hot fluid in the second heat exchanger are both first circulating working fluids, the cold fluid in the second heat exchanger is a second circulating working fluid, and the cold and hot fluids in the third, fourth, and fifth heat exchangers are all second circulating working fluids with a temperature difference.
[0010] Preferably, the first circulating working fluid is a substance such as methane, nitrogen, argon or air with a critical temperature below 250K.
[0011] The preferred second circulating working fluid is hydrogen or helium.
[0012] Most preferably, the heat-releasing body of the first heat exchanger is water, air, soil in the natural environment, or a circulating heat-releasing working medium that is the same as the first circulating working medium. The first circulating working medium absorbs heat from water, air, soil in the natural environment, or a circulating heat-releasing working medium that is the same as the first circulating working medium to achieve the cooling output of the refrigeration system.
[0013] This invention addresses the current state of refrigeration technology by creatively applying the first and second laws of thermodynamics to construct a refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy. This invention boasts high refrigeration efficiency, significantly saves energy, and is worthy of widespread application. Attached Figure Description
[0014] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system structure of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0016] For a long time, people have always used the reverse Carnot cycle principle to manufacture refrigeration equipment, while using the modified positive Carnot cycle—the Rankine cycle—to manufacture turbine engines that drive generators to produce electricity. The first type of Rankine cycle unit, also the earliest practically used Rankine cycle unit, can be called the traditional Rankine cycle unit. Its main function is to convert the energy carried by mineral energy materials into power. Its technical characteristic is the use of water, which has a relatively high circulating operating temperature, as the circulating working fluid. The second type of Rankine cycle unit is the organic Rankine cycle unit, mainly used in the field of low-temperature heat source power generation such as industrial waste heat, geothermal energy, and solar energy. Its technical characteristic is the use of organic substances with a circulating operating temperature lower than water as the circulating working fluid, thus it can extract energy from lower-temperature heat sources to generate electricity. This has created a fixed mindset that refrigeration technology and power generation technology are two completely incompatible technologies, and that the path of refrigeration technology can only be the reverse Carnot cycle, and not the positive Carnot cycle.
[0017] This invention relates to a third type of Kent cycle unit, also known as a low-temperature Kent cycle unit. Its characteristic is the use of a low-temperature working fluid with a critical temperature below 250K, such as nitrogen, air, argon, neon, or hydrogen. Furthermore, the function of the low-temperature Rankine cycle unit in the system differs from the previous two types of Kent cycles; its role is not power generation, but cooling—cooling the working fluid in the system by outputting work. Power generation is merely a secondary function, incidentally improving the economic efficiency of the refrigeration system of this invention. The refrigeration system of this invention utilizes the low-temperature Rankine cycle unit to convert the heat absorbed by the working fluid from environmental substances into electrical energy for the refrigeration cycle, thereby enabling the refrigeration system to continuously absorb energy from environmental substances through the working fluid, achieving the purpose of continuous cooling. Therefore, the basic principle of this invention is: considering environmental substances such as air and water on Earth as high-temperature heat sources, and artificially creating a low-temperature heat source, thus constructing a heat engine between these two heat sources to produce electrical energy. The heat energy absorbed by such a heat engine is the cooling energy it outputs, which is the change the heat engine brings to the outside world, as described by the second law of thermodynamics. This type of heat engine fully conforms to the second law of thermodynamics (not a perpetual motion machine of the second kind), and also conforms to the principle of energy conservation described by the first law of thermodynamics.
[0018] Specifically, regarding the technical solution of this invention, combined with... Figure 1As shown, this system includes a first heat exchanger 1, a first gas storage tank 2, a first expansion generator set 3, a second heat exchanger 4, a first liquid storage tank 5, a first cryogenic pump 6, a second gas storage tank 7, a second expansion generator set 8, a third heat exchanger 9, a first compressor 10, a fourth heat exchanger 11, a fifth heat exchanger 12, a throttle valve 13, a gas-liquid separator 14, a second liquid storage tank 15, and a second cryogenic pump 16. The first heat exchanger 1, the first gas storage tank 2, the first expansion generator set 3, the second heat exchanger 4, the first liquid storage tank 5, and the first cryogenic pump 6 constitute the so-called first-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit; the second gas storage tank 7, the second expansion generator set 8, the third heat exchanger 9, the first compressor 10, the fourth heat exchanger 11, the fifth heat exchanger 12, the throttle valve 13, the gas-liquid separator 14, the second liquid storage tank 15, and the second cryogenic pump 16 constitute the so-called second-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit.
[0019] The tube-side outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first gas storage tank. The outlet of the first gas storage tank is connected to the power working fluid inlet of the first expansion generator set. The exhaust gas output end of the first expansion generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the second heat exchanger. The tube-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first liquid storage tank. The outlet of the first liquid storage tank and the tube-side inlet of the first heat exchanger are connected through the first cryogenic pump.
[0020] The shell-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the second gas storage tank. The outlet of the second gas storage tank is connected to the working fluid inlet of the second expander generator set. The exhaust gas output of the second expander generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the third heat exchanger. The tube-side outlet of the third heat exchanger is connected to the input of the compressor. The output of the compressor is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fourth heat exchanger. The tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator via a throttle valve. A fifth heat exchanger is connected between the fourth heat exchanger and the throttle valve. The tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger, and the tube-side outlet of the fifth heat exchanger is connected to the throttle valve. The gas outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the compressor. The liquid outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the second liquid storage tank. The outlet of the second liquid storage tank is connected to the shell-side inlets of the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers, respectively.
[0021] The cold fluid in the first heat exchanger and the hot fluid in the second heat exchanger are both the first circulating working fluid. The cold fluid in the second heat exchanger is the second circulating working fluid. The cold and hot fluids in the third, fourth, and fifth heat exchangers are both second circulating working fluids with a temperature difference. The first circulating working fluid is a substance such as methane, nitrogen, argon, or air with a critical temperature below 250K. The second circulating working fluid is hydrogen or neon.
[0022] The heat-releasing medium of the first heat exchanger is water, air, soil, or a circulating heat-releasing medium similar to the first circulating working medium from the natural environment. The first circulating working medium absorbs heat from water, air, soil, or a circulating heat-releasing medium similar to the first circulating working medium to achieve the cooling output of the refrigeration system. The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth heat exchangers are all shell-and-tube heat exchangers, and the heat exchange tubes can withstand high pressures.
[0023] To further explain the technical solution of this application, the operation process of the present invention is further described below:
[0024] At the first heat exchanger, the low-temperature liquid first circulating working fluid absorbs heat from the external environment relative to the heat medium and is then converted into a high-pressure gaseous first circulating working fluid.
[0025] The high-pressure gaseous first-cycle working fluid is output to the first gas storage tank for buffering.
[0026] The first gas storage tank outputs a high-pressure gaseous first circulating working medium as the power working medium for the first expansion generator set.
[0027] The first expansion generator unit converts the effective energy carried by the high-pressure gaseous first circulating working fluid into electrical energy output, and discharges the relatively high-temperature gaseous first circulating working fluid into the second heat exchanger.
[0028] Inside the second heat exchanger, the low-temperature liquid second circulating working fluid absorbs heat from the high-temperature gaseous first circulating working fluid and is converted into a high-pressure gaseous second circulating working fluid. The high-pressure gaseous second circulating working fluid is output to the second gas storage tank for buffering, and the high-temperature gaseous first circulating working fluid is condensed into liquid and output to the first liquid storage tank.
[0029] The first cryogenic pump delivers the liquid first circulating working fluid from the first storage tank to the first heat exchanger;
[0030] The second gas storage tank outputs high-pressure gaseous second circulating working medium to the second expansion generator set, and the high-pressure gaseous second circulating working medium serves as the power working medium of the second expansion generator set.
[0031] The second expansion generator unit converts the effective energy carried by the high-pressure gaseous second circulating working fluid into electrical energy output, and discharges the high-temperature gaseous second circulating working fluid into the third heat exchanger.
[0032] The third heat exchanger cools down the high-temperature gaseous second circulating working fluid and outputs it to the compressor. The compressor then outputs the cooled second circulating working fluid to the fourth heat exchanger.
[0033] The fourth heat exchanger is used to cool the second circulating working fluid that is compressed and heated by the compressor, and can realize the isothermal compression function of the compressor. The shell-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is sent to the tube-side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger. After being further cooled by the fifth heat exchanger, it is sent to the gas-liquid separator through the throttle valve.
[0034] The gas output end of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the shell-side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger as the cold source for the fifth heat exchanger. After being heated by the heat exchanger, the gas is sent to the input end of the compressor. The liquid output end of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the second liquid storage tank. The output end of the second liquid storage tank is connected to the second cryogenic pump. The output end of the second cryogenic pump is provided with three branch pipes, which are respectively connected to the tube side of the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers. The tube-side outlet ends of the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers are respectively connected to the second gas storage tank.
[0035] In brief, the first-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle is as follows: the first circulating working fluid absorbs heat at equal pressure in the first heat exchanger to generate high-pressure gas, which is the isobaric heat absorption process of the Rankine cycle; the first expansion generator unit expands isentropically to convert thermal energy into mechanical (electrical) energy, which is the isentropic expansion process of the Rankine cycle; the working fluid releases heat at equal pressure in the second heat exchanger and condenses into a liquid state, which is the isobaric heat release process of the Rankine cycle; then, the first cryogenic pump completes the isentropic pressurization process of the liquid working fluid to enter the next cycle.
[0036] The second-stage low-temperature Rankine cycle is as follows: In the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers, the second-stage circulating working fluid absorbs heat at isobaric pressure and becomes a high-pressure gas, realizing the isobaric heat absorption process of the second-stage Rankine cycle. It then completes isentropic expansion in the second turbine generator set, converting thermal energy into mechanical energy (electrical energy) for output. The third, fourth, and fifth heat exchangers, compressor, throttle valve, and gas-liquid separator constitute the condenser isobaric heat release unit of the second-stage Rankine cycle, realizing the condensation and liquefaction of the exhaust gas of the second turbine generator set, i.e., the second-stage circulating working fluid, for the isobaric heat release of the second-stage Rankine cycle. Finally, the second transfer pump completes the isentropic pressurization process of the liquid second-stage circulating working fluid, and then it enters the next cycle.
[0037] Compared with existing refrigeration systems or devices, the most significant feature of the refrigeration system of this invention is that it can output electrical energy while producing cooling capacity. Since cooling capacity is generally considered as an energy source, this invention can also be regarded as a technological system that can efficiently produce green energy. For example, this system can be applied to fields such as carbon dioxide capture from combustion exhaust, air separation, artificial snow and ice worlds, centralized urban cooling, and ice making. Its structural form varies depending on the application scenario and can be designed according to the actual application: the environmental energy absorber used in artificial snow and ice worlds is generally arranged in a multi-unit planar combination, while the artificial ice making application scenario can adopt a multi-unit three-dimensional combination; when absorbing external gas heat energy, the energy absorber (not shown in the figures) and the power gas generator (first heat exchanger) can be integrated into a single design.
[0038] This invention also holds great promise in the field of shaping the Earth's climate and environment. The refrigeration system constructed in this invention, due to its extremely low energy consumption, can operate at very low cost. Therefore, using the technology of this invention, it is possible to restore vanished mountain ice sheets through large-scale artificial snow and ice world projects. This restoration of mountain ice sheets can alter the Earth's thermal field, influencing the climate of small regions on Earth, and providing a feasible technological foundation for research in Earth's climate engineering.
[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.
Claims
1. A refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy, characterized in that, Includes a first-stage low-temperature Rankine cycle unit and a second-stage low-temperature Rankine cycle unit; The first-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit includes a first heat exchanger, a first gas storage tank, a first expansion generator set, a second heat exchanger, a first liquid storage tank, and a first cryogenic pump; the tube-side outlet of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first gas storage tank, the outlet of the first gas storage tank is connected to the power working fluid inlet of the first expansion generator set, the exhaust gas output end of the first expansion generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the second heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first liquid storage tank, and the outlet of the first liquid storage tank and the tube-side inlet of the first heat exchanger are connected through the first cryogenic pump; The second-stage cryogenic Rankine cycle unit includes a second gas storage tank, a second expander generator set, a third heat exchanger, a first compressor, a fourth heat exchanger, a fifth heat exchanger, a throttle valve, a gas-liquid separator, a second liquid storage tank, and a second cryogenic pump. The shell-side outlet of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the second gas storage tank, the outlet of the second gas storage tank is connected to the power working fluid inlet of the second expander generator set, the exhaust gas output of the second expander generator set is connected to the tube-side inlet of the third heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the third heat exchanger is connected to the input of the compressor, the output of the compressor is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fourth heat exchanger, the tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator through the throttle valve, the gas outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the compressor, the liquid outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the inlet of the second liquid storage tank, and the outlet of the second liquid storage tank is connected to the shell-side inlets of the second, third, and fourth heat exchangers respectively through the second cryogenic pump.
2. The refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fourth heat exchanger is connected to the fifth heat exchanger via the throttle valve. The tube-side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the tube-side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger, and the tube-side outlet of the fifth heat exchanger is connected to the throttle valve.
3. The refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cold fluid in the first heat exchanger and the hot fluid in the second heat exchanger are both first circulating working fluids, while the cold fluid in the second heat exchanger and the cold and hot fluids in the third, fourth and fifth heat exchangers are all second circulating working fluids with a temperature difference.
4. The refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first circulating working fluid is methane, nitrogen, argon, or air with a critical temperature below 250K.
5. The refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second circulating working fluid is hydrogen or helium.
6. The refrigeration system capable of outputting electrical energy according to claim 5, characterized in that, The heat-releasing element of the first heat exchanger is water, air, combustion exhaust gas, soil, or a circulating heat-releasing working medium that is the same as the first circulating working medium in the natural environment. The first circulating working medium absorbs heat from water, air, soil, or a circulating heat-releasing working medium that is the same as the first circulating working medium in the natural environment to achieve the cooling output of the refrigeration system.