Cooling systems, air conditioning systems, motor assemblies, and related methods

Abstract

The present invention uses an inlet gas (G) to form a cryogenic liquid (L). e The present invention relates to a refrigeration system (1) comprising at least a Stirling heat pump (2) designed to cool a liquid (L) to cryogenic temperatures, a primary electric motor (3) intended to operate the Stirling heat pump (2), a primary pump (4) intended to circulate a cryogenic liquid (L) under pressure, and cooling means (5) intended to cool the primary electric motor (3) with the help of the cryogenic liquid (L) output by the primary pump (4). The invention is particularly suited to the production and use of cryogenic liquids.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Technical field This invention relates to a general field in which gaseous components are first liquefied, or more precisely, cooled to very low temperatures, especially cryogenic temperatures.

[0002] Therefore, the present invention relates to a cooling system.

[0003] The present invention further relates to an air conditioning system, a motor assembly, and related adaptation methods, cooling methods, and oxygen combustion methods. [Background technology]

[0004] prior art Traditionally, the regulated use, transport, and storage of gaseous components require their concentration, for example, by a compressor. This concentration process can also be carried out by the initial liquefaction of the gaseous component.

[0005] Therefore, it is known that cooling and compression systems are implemented to liquefy the gaseous components.

[0006] While these systems, specifically designed for liquefying gases, are generally satisfactory in their use, they still have some drawbacks.

[0007] Therefore, known cooling systems specifically for gas liquefaction suffer from high energy costs, poor efficiency at best, complex implementation, and large dimensions, given the relatively small amount of liquefied gas produced per unit time.

[0008] Known compression systems, especially those dedicated to gas liquefaction, are troubled by high energy costs due to gas compression and the friction inherent in the movement of compression members such as pistons in the case of reciprocating compressors, which particularly exposes them to significant heat losses. Such configurations actually limit the compression ratio of each stage, especially when it is necessary to reach high pressures. Therefore, the compressor needs to be cooled at each stage, which consumes even more energy. Finally, known compression systems pose significant safety risks regarding the storage of compressed gas and generally cannot be adapted alone to the liquefaction of specific gases, especially the gas components of air.

[0009] Therefore, even if gas liquefaction systems are known and feasible on their own, the above-mentioned drawbacks indicate that they do not conform to a simple, efficient, and completely safe implementation of gas concentration, and even less so to gas liquefaction.

[0010] Ultimately, known gas liquefaction systems, especially those of the cooling or compression liquefaction type, are particularly expensive, energy-consuming, bulky, and pose high risks regarding the safety of goods and people. They are not very modular and are difficult to use outside of relatively inefficient industrial equipment. Summary of the Invention <00000�8>

[0011] Disclosure of the Invention Therefore, the object assigned to the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that improves the various drawbacks described above, is particularly efficient, is particularly easy to implement, is inexpensive, and is compact.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system whose operation is particularly easy to adapt to different uses.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system with a robust design that is easy to implement and has excellent energy efficiency.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that is highly reliable and economically competitive.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system with reduced maintenance costs.

[0016] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that is particularly wear-resistant and has substantially constant efficiency even when used for a long time and / or continuously.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system having an optimized throughput and thus enabling the most accurate sizing according to the application.

[0018] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that is particularly efficient, compact, and easily adaptable for use on various scales.

[0019] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that is particularly useful in the field of automobiles, especially with regard to fuel efficiency and pollution reduction.

[0020] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that operates under optimal safety conditions

[0021] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new cooling system that has little or no impact on the environment and excellent carbon dioxide emissions.

[0022] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new air conditioning system that has particularly excellent energy efficiency and excellent air conditioning capacity.

[0023] Another object of the present invention is to propose a new motor assembly that is particularly environmentally friendly, easy to install, and highly energy-efficient.

[0024] Another object of the present invention is to propose a novel, easily implementable method for adapting to internal combustion engines that enables improvements in the overall performance of the engine, particularly with respect to energy efficiency and exhaust control.

[0025] Another objective of the present invention is to propose a novel cooling method that is particularly energy-efficient, easy to implement, and suitable for a wide range of applications.

[0026] Another object of the present invention is to propose a novel oxygen combustion method that is particularly efficient, controlled, produces very little pollution, and has excellent overall energy efficiency.

[0027] The object assigned to the present invention is achieved by a cooling system having at least a Stirling heat pump designed to cool an inlet gas to a cryogenic temperature in order to form a cryogenic liquid, a primary electric motor for the purpose of operating the Stirling heat pump, a primary pump for the purpose of circulating the cryogenic liquid under pressure, and a cooling means for the purpose of cooling the primary electric motor with the cryogenic liquid coming from the primary pump.

[0028] The objective assigned to the present invention can also be achieved by a high-output air conditioning system, which comprises the above and the following cooling systems, characterized in that the cooling energy of the high-output air conditioning system is provided via an evaporator.

[0029] Objects assigned to the present invention are also achieved by a motor assembly comprising, at least, a cooling system described above and below, designed to produce liquefied dioxygen, and an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber downstream of the cooling system, wherein the cooling system is connected to the internal combustion engine so that the liquefied dioxygen can be injected into the combustion chamber.

[0030] The object assigned to the present invention is also achieved by a method for adapting an internal combustion engine having at least an intake manifold and a combustion chamber, the adaptation method comprising at least the steps of closing or removing the intake manifold of the engine, and installing the closed or removed intake manifold, and thus upstream from the combustion chamber, the cooling systems described above and below, to the internal combustion engine, so that the liquefied dioxygen produced by the cooling system can be injected into the latter.

[0031] The object assigned to the present invention is achieved by a cooling method comprising at least the steps of: cooling an inlet gas with at least one Stirling heat pump powered by a primary electric motor to form a cryogenic liquid; pumping the cryogenic liquid to circulate it under pressure; and cooling the cooling step, during which the primary electric motor is cooled by the cryogenic liquid coming from the pumping step.

[0032] The object assigned to the present invention can also be achieved by an oxygen combustion method including the above-described cooling method, the oxygen combustion method further comprising the step of injecting liquefied dioxygen during the cooling method into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] Brief explanation of the drawing Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in detail by referring to the accompanying drawings and reading the following description, which is given purely illustrative and non-limiting examples. [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of the general principle of the cooling system of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a specific embodiment of the cooling system of the present invention, which includes helium cooling. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another specific embodiment of the cooling system of the present invention, which includes a separation device, and the whole is integrated into an example of the motor assembly of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another specific embodiment of the cooling system of the present invention, which involves the electrolysis and methane production of water, and the whole is integrated into another example of the motor assembly of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the separation apparatus shown in Figure 3. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing a magnified view of the details in Figure 5. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a part of the separation apparatus shown in Figure 3. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the separation apparatus in Figure 7 along plane B. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a detailed schematic diagram of an example of the operating principle of the magnetic separation device according to the present invention. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the engine shown in Figure 3. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] Method for carrying out the present invention As shown in the figure, according to the first aspect shown in the figure, the present invention uses an inlet gas G to form a cryogenic liquid L. e The present invention relates to a cooling system 1 comprising at least a Stirling heat pump 2 designed to cool to extremely low temperatures, and a primary electric motor 3 intended to operate the Stirling heat pump 2.

[0035] Therefore, the cooling system 1 of the present invention reaches an extremely low temperature (also called cryogenic) until the latter liquefies, or more precisely, to form a cryogenic liquid L, by using an inlet gas G e It is advantageously designed to cool the inlet gas G. eIt is preferable that the cryogenic liquid L is formed from at least one component that can reach cryogenic temperatures, i.e., very low temperatures, in liquid form. References to cryogenic liquid L and general cryogenic temperatures preferably relate to temperatures lower than -50°C, more preferably -100°C, and even more preferably -150°C or -153.15°C (i.e., 120K). In other words, cryogenic temperatures are advantageously lower than -50°C, more preferably -100°C, even more preferably -150°C, and even more preferably -153.15°C (i.e., 120K). For example, the cryogenic temperatures that the cryogenic liquid L is advantageously brought to thanks to the Stirling heat pump 2 are between -150°C and -270°C, more preferably between -170°C and -250°C, and even more preferably between -196°C and -210°C.

[0036] The Stirling heat pump 2 is primarily a chiller, and since the Stirling cycle is reversible, it is advantageously designed to generate low temperatures (sometimes called Stirling low temperatures) in the opposite direction to the operation of a Stirling engine, although according to the Stirling cycle. Therefore, the Stirling heat pump 2 preferentially requires mechanical drive provided by a primary electric motor 3 to generate cold air. Thus, the Stirling heat pump 2 is advantageously designed to generate cold air by injecting gas G, either alone or in combination with other possible cooling devices. e It is designed to cool the mixture at least to liquefaction, preferably before solidification, and more precisely to cryogenic temperatures.

[0037] The present invention also relates to a second embodiment shown in the figure, in which, in order to form a cryogenic liquid L, gas G is injected by at least one Stirling heat pump 2 powered by a primary electric motor. e The present invention relates to a cooling method comprising at least one step of cooling a [vehicle]. The cooling method is, of course, preferentially carried out by the cooling system 1 described above and in detail below. Therefore, the following and above descriptions of the cooling system 1 also preferentially apply to the cooling method of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0038] According to the present invention, the cooling system 1 comprises at least a primary pump 4 for circulating cryogenic liquid L under pressure, and a cooling means 5 for cooling a primary electric motor with the cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary pump 4.

[0039] According to the present invention, the cooling method further comprises a pumping step of circulating a cryogenic liquid L under pressure, and a cooling step, during which the primary electric motor 3 is cooled by the cryogenic liquid L coming from the pumping step.

[0040] Naturally, the pumping step is preferably carried out by the primary pump 4. Of course, the cooling step is selectively carried out by the cooling means 5, which may include, for example, a heat exchanger (not shown) surrounding the primary electric motor 3. The cooling means 5 more preferably includes recirculation means, such as pipes, designed to collect the cryogenic liquid L at the outlet of the Stirling heat pump 2 and inject it into the heat exchanger. The primary pump 4 is preferably a high-pressure pump and can pressurize the cryogenic liquid L to a pressure higher than 40 bar, preferably higher than 70 bar, more preferably higher than 100 bar, for example, between 100 and 3000 bar. Thus, the pumping step is preferably a high-pressure pumping step to bring the cryogenic liquid L to one of the above pressure ranges. Optionally, the cooling means 5 is designed to cool the Stirling heat pump 2 itself with the cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary pump 4, thereby accelerating the condensation of the cryogenic liquid L within the Stirling heat pump 2, the latter minimizing losses (e.g., by heating).

[0041] One of the advantages of the cooling configuration established by the present invention is that cryogenic liquids often have very low viscosity, and the viscosity of liquefied air (e.g., forming cryogenic liquid L) is, for example, about 20 times lower than the viscosity of water in its liquid state. Therefore, thanks to the cooling system 1 and the cooling method of the present invention, the cryogenic liquid L can be easily pressurized by the primary pump 4, not only because of the low viscosity of the cryogenic liquid being implemented but also because of the operating temperature of the primary pump 4, which is very low, and the cooling of the primary pump 4 itself by the cryogenic liquid L enables the implementation of the primary pump 4 under conditions at the superconductivity limit.

[0042] Another advantage of the cooling configuration established by the present invention is that pressurization of the cryogenic liquid L (preferably at high pressure) can be performed by the primary pump 4 with virtually no loss (particularly of electrical energy), maximizing the utilization efficiency of the cryogenic liquid L in a wide variety of applications. One advantage of this pressurization of the cryogenic liquid L is that the latter allows the primary electric motor 3 to be cooled sufficiently rapidly.

[0043] The primary pump 4 comprises pumping means, which may be, for example, centrifugal, volumetric, or vacuum. Particularly advantageously, the primary pump 4 comprises a secondary electric motor (not shown), and the cooling system 1 is designed to cool the secondary electric motor with cryogenic liquid L coming from the Stirling heat pump 2. Therefore, preferentially, the cryogenic liquid L coming from the Stirling heat pump 2 cools the secondary electric motor during the cooling step.

[0044] This configuration allows the cryogenic liquid L within the cooling system 1 to operate the primary electric motor 3 at cryogenic temperatures, and selectively the secondary electric motor as well. Therefore, the electric motors operate favorably under near-superconducting conditions due to their low operating temperature, and this configuration significantly reduces losses in the magnetic circuit (referred to as iron loss) and losses due to the Joule effect of the electric motor 3 (referred to as copper loss due to electrical resistance). Thus, from an energy standpoint, the cooling system 1 operates with virtually no losses other than friction loss; otherwise, friction loss is very low in the primary pump 4, and even very low in the Stirling heat pump 2 if the cryogenic liquid L has low viscosity. Therefore, the cooling system 1 and the cooling method can be implemented with minimal electrical energy and without substantial loss of the latter.

[0045] The primary electric motor 3 and the secondary electric motor are selectively different from each other to allow for better control of the cooling system and cooling method, but alternatively, they can be formed by the same single electric motor, which performs two functions: operating the Stirling heat pump 2 and operating the primary pump 4 or more precisely its pumping means.

[0046] According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the cooling system 1 also comprises a device (not shown) for generating electrical energy from a renewable energy source, and the primary electric motor 3 and / or the primary pump 4 are designed to be powered (and thus with electrical energy) by said energy generating device. Said energy generating device is, for example, of the intermittent production type and can in particular include one or more wind turbines or one or more solar panels (in particular photovoltaic). Thus, according to this particular embodiment, the cooling method comprises generating electrical energy from a renewable energy source, such as an intermittent energy source like wind or solar energy, to power (and thus with electrical energy) the primary electric motor 3 and / or to enable the pumping step. Of course, said energy generation step is preferably carried out by said energy generating device. Such a configuration is particularly advantageous as it represents an optimized carbon footprint, low overall heating and thus an optimized environmental impact, i.e. a reduced or almost zero or zero impact.

[0047] In a particularly advantageous way, the cooling system 1 forms an outlet gas G s and further comprises an evaporator 6 intended to evaporate at least a portion of the pressurized cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary electric motor 3 in order to collect cooling energy. The evaporator 6 can be formed by one unit or a plurality of units, each unit preferably forming a specific heat exchanger. The evaporator 6 can be considered as an overall heat exchanger, one of its main functions being to heat the cryogenic liquid L and evaporate it as the outlet gas G s The evaporator 6 is also designed to transfer cooling energy (for example remaining relatively cold in the evaporator 6 at about 10 to 120 °C) from the outlet gas G s to another component, or in other words to transfer heat from this other component to the outlet gas G s

[0048] According to some specific embodiments, examples of which are shown in Figures 1-4, the evaporator 6 is connected to the inlet gas G e The evaporator 6 comprises at least one primary heat exchanger 7, which is intended to collect and cool the cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary electric motor 3 before it enters the Stirling heat pump, and on the other hand to heat at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary electric motor 3. Advantageously, the evaporator 6 is provided with the outlet gas G coming from the primary heat exchanger 7 by the heat source Q. s Alternatively, the system further comprises at least one secondary heat exchanger 8 intended for heating at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid L.

[0049] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the cooling system 1 includes a module 9 for supplying the heat source Q. Particularly advantageously, the supply module 9 is formed by a solar energy generator 10, a system 51 for recovering combustion heat from, for example, an internal combustion engine 50, or a system for recovering waste heat from the cooling system 1 or another system.

[0050] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the cooling system 1 includes a helium liquefaction device 30 which comprises at least a heat exchanger 31 intended to collect gaseous helium on the one hand to cool gaseous helium He to an extremely low temperature of, for example, 120K or less (or other already mentioned extremely low temperatures), and on the other hand to collect pressurized cryogenic liquid coming from a primary electric motor 3 to heat the pressurized cryogenic liquid coming from a primary electric motor 3, and an isenthalpic expansion module 32 intended to perform isenthalpic expansion of the cooled gaseous helium He coming from the heat exchanger 31 in order to liquefy the gaseous helium He.

[0051] Therefore, in a particularly advantageous manner, the heat exchanger 31 may be part of the evaporator 6 and be formed, for example, by the primary heat exchanger 7 or the secondary heat exchanger 8, or it may be a separate unit. In other words, the evaporator 6 comprises the heat exchanger 31.

[0052] Preferably, the helium liquefaction device 30 includes a circuit 33 for cooling a magnetic element 34, such as a medical imaging magnet, using liquefied helium He coming from the isenthalpy expansion module so that the liquefied helium He vaporizes into gaseous helium He; a secondary compressor 36 for compressing the gaseous helium He coming from the cooling circuit 33 and sending it to the heat exchanger 31; and at least one secondary turbine 35 located upstream of the isenthalpy expansion module 32 and for the purpose of recovering mechanical energy from the cooled gaseous helium He coming from the heat exchanger 31, supplying power (at least partially) to the secondary compressor 36 (directly by mechanical energy or indirectly by electrical energy, for example, via a power generation unit).

[0053] According to the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 4, the cooling system 1 provides the outlet gas G s The cooling method is preferably configured to recover the mechanical energy generated by the movement of the outlet gas G downstream of the cooling step. s The step includes recovering the mechanical energy generated by the substitution of the outlet gas G. s The substitution is performed when at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid L is replaced by outlet gas G s By transitioning to a gaseous state, and / or the second outlet gas component G s This is caused by heating and / or expansion of the outlet gas G. s The substitution is advantageous as a source of mechanical work utilized by the mechanical energy recovery device 12.

[0054] This configuration makes it possible to obtain a particularly favorable energy balance, namely an energy balance with minimal waste or loss and maximum energy efficiency. For example, the primary pump 4 is at least partially operated by the mechanical energy recovery device 12. Therefore, according to the latter example, the pumping step is at least partially performed by the energy recovered during the mechanical energy recovery step.

[0055] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the mechanical energy recovery device 12 comprises at least one generator 13. The mechanical energy recovery device 12 further comprises, for example, a primary turbine 14 connected to the generator 13, and the primary turbine 14 generates the outlet gas G s It is rotated by the generator. Alternatively, the mechanical energy recovered by the mechanical energy recovery device 12 is reused in mechanical form. Thus, the mechanical energy recovery device 12, more precisely the generator 13, generates electrical energy E from the recovered mechanical energy. ep It is designed to favorably generate [something].

[0056] Advantageously, the cooling system 1, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, has the inlet gas G upstream of the Stirling heat pump 2. e The compressor 35 comprises a primary compressor 15 designed to compress the inlet gas G to produce the cryogenic liquid L. e , for example, it is possible to favorably facilitate the inflow of air into the cooling system 1. Optionally, the primary compressor 15 is used by the mechanical energy recovery device 12 to recover, for example, mechanical and / or electrical energy E m / e It is at least partially operated by the transmission of the gas. Therefore, advantageously, the cooling method has the inlet gas G upstream of the cooling step e The cooling system includes a compression step in which the material is compressed, and the compression step is more selectively performed at least in part by the energy recovered during the mechanical energy recovery step. Thus, the energy balance and overall efficiency of the cooling system 1 are further improved.

[0057] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the cooling system further comprises a module 16 for electrolyzing water H2O into dihydrogen H2 and dioxygen O2, which is powered at least by the generator 13. Thus, the generator 13 generates electrical energy E epBy supplying the electrolytic module 16 with power in a favorable and continuous manner, it becomes unnecessary to supply power to the electrolytic module 16 completely independently, thus saving considerable energy. This configuration is particularly advantageous because the electrolysis of water is very expensive in terms of electrical energy.

[0058] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the cooling system 1 cools the dioxygen O2 coming from the electrolytic module 16 until it is at least liquefied in order to form liquefied dioxygen O2, and the outlet gas G from the mechanical energy recovery device 12 s It is advantageously equipped with a heat exchange module 17 designed to heat.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the cooling system 1 also includes a methane reforming unit 18 designed to react carbon dioxide CO2 with dihydrogen H2 coming from the water electrolysis module 16 to form methane CH4 and water H2O. The liquefied dihydrogen O2 can be injected into the internal combustion engine 50 as an oxidizer, while the methane CH4 thus formed can be advantageously injected into the internal combustion engine 50 as fuel.

[0060] The present invention also relates to a motor assembly 60 having at least a cooling system 1, which is designed to produce liquefied dioxygen O2, and an internal combustion engine 50, which is located downstream of the cooling system 1 and has a combustion chamber 25, according to a third aspect shown by the example in Figures 3 and 4.

[0061] The motor assembly 60 is, of course, selectively implemented by the cooling system 1 described above, which will be described in detail below. Therefore, selectively, the above (and below) description of the cooling system 1 and cooling method also applies to the motor assembly 60 of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0062] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the cooling system 1 is connected to the internal combustion engine 50 so that the liquefied dioxygen O2 can be injected into the combustion chamber 25.

[0063] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, liquefied dioxygen (O2) is supplied from the water electrolysis module 16.

[0064] Advantageously, the cooling system 1 is also designed to be able to inject the methane CH4 into the combustion chamber 25.

[0065] For example, the internal combustion engine 50 is a four-stroke engine, a two-stroke engine, a rotary piston engine (illustrated), a gas turbine, or a Stirling engine. Therefore, the internal combustion engine 50 is advantageously intended to be supplied with an oxidizer and fuel, both of which can be supplied from the cooling system 1.

[0066] According to a particular embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, which is particularly compatible with the third and / or only the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the cryogenic liquid L coming from the primary electric motor 3 is formed of at least a first component C1 and a second component C2, distinct from each other, and in a liquid state.

[0067] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the cooling system 1 further comprises a separation device 19 designed to separate the liquid first component C1 and the second component C2 by magnetism, wherein one of the liquid first component C1 and the second component C2 has much greater paramagnetic properties than the other of the first component C1 and the second component C2. Thus, according to this latter embodiment, the cooling method further includes the step of separating the liquid first component C1 and the second component C2 by magnetic force. Of course, the separation step is preferentially carried out by the separation device 19.

[0068] In the first example, as shown in Figure 3, the second component C2 is mainly formed by dinitrogen N2, while the inlet gas G eThe first component C1 is formed by air, and the first component C1 is mainly formed by dioxygen O2. Preferably, the second component C2 further contains argon Ar and / or carbon dioxide CO2, both of which are found in air at much lower proportions than dinitrogen N2. According to a second example, the second component C2 is formed particularly in a liquid state from natural gas or biomethane effluent, the effluent in this case mainly from influent gas G removed from a valuable product, i.e., in this case methane CH4. e While the inlet gas G is selectively formed from the natural gas or biomethane fraction released as a result of its processing (cooling to liquid), e It is formed primarily from natural gas or biomethane (i.e., from essentially biological methane production processes), and the first component C1 is mainly formed from methane CH4. In fact, natural gas and biomethane are usually formed from mixtures of several chemical species, in which methane CH4 is usually dominant.

[0069] The separation device 19 preferably further comprises, for example, a single-phase or three-phase induction pump 20 designed to release the most paramagnetic component of the first component C1 and second component C2 from the separation device 19 while pressurizing the most paramagnetic component of the first component C1 and second component C2. Advantageously, the separation device 19 comprises a magnetic trap 21 substantially within the trap section 22 of the separation device 19, designed to release a magnetic field 100 to retain the most paramagnetic component of the first component C1 and second component C2. Thus, the separation step advantageously includes a magnetic field trap step, which releases a magnetic field to retain the most paramagnetic component of the first component C1 and second component C2 substantially within a trap region 23, which is preferably formed or surrounded by the trap section 22. Naturally, the magnetic trap step is advantageously carried out by the magnetic trap 21. Preferably, the separation apparatus 19 includes means 24 for settling the cryogenic liquid L, and at least a portion of the settling means 24 forms the trap portion 22. Thus, the cooling method advantageously includes a step of settling the cryogenic liquid L, which is preferentially carried out by the settling means 24, for example, including a container for settling. Advantageously, the settling step and the trap step are carried out at least partially simultaneously. Advantageously, the magnetic trap 21 and the induction pump 20 are used in combination, the induction pump 20 being downstream of the magnetic trap 21, enabling the completion of the step of separating the first component C1 and the second component C2. According to an example of operation given only as an exemplary and non-limiting example, to complete this separation, the first component C1 in liquid form (inlet gas G e If the first component C1 is air, then liquid dioxygen (O2) is attracted to the magnetic trap 21 by the induction pump 20, and its magnetic field, thanks to the phase shift, generates magnetic waves that travel along the drain pipe forming the outlet for the liquid first component C1, attracting the liquid first component C1 (formed, for example, liquid dioxygen (O2)) to the outside of the settling means 24 while pressurizing it. The speed at which the liquid first component C1 moves is preferably proportional to the frequency of the current supplied to the induction pump 20 and the Lorentz force.

[0070] As shown in Figure 9, the magnetic trap 21, more precisely the trap portion 22, favorably includes a magnetic network of small magnets 26 that form small three-dimensional cells, enabling the emission of the magnetic field 100. The set of magnets 17 can form a cube, cylinder, or cone, with the cells becoming smaller towards the bottom. Such a configuration resembles a magnetic filter with an increasingly fine mesh. In Figure 9, the horizontal arrows from the labels O2 and N2 represent the fluid velocities of liquid dioxygen O2 and liquid dinitrogen N2, respectively, and the waveforms on the left represent the velocity distribution of the first and second components C1 and C2 mixed in a liquid state immediately before magnetic separation, while the subscripts P+ and P- favorably represent the gradients of partial pressure due to the concentrations of liquid dioxygen O2 (or more generally the first component C1) and liquid dinitrogen N2 (or more generally the second component C2), respectively, within the magnetic trap 21. Advantageously, the dinitrogen N2 (or more generally the second component C2) is on the opposite side of the first wall 27 and approaches the second wall 28 of the magnetic trap 21 which does not have a magnet, and the magnetic field 100 exerts a magnetic force F only on the paramagnetic molecules of dioxygen O2 (or more generally the first component C1 and the second component C2, preferably the paramagnetism of the first component C1). m While the magnetic field 100 affects the dinitrogen molecules but not the dinitrogen molecules, under the influence of the magnetic field 100, the liquid dioxygen (O2) (or more generally the first component C1) approaches the first wall 27 of the magnetic trap 21, behind which the magnet 26 is located. Thus, according to this alternative method using the magnetic separator 19, the separation step of the present invention and / or the separator 19 utilize the paramagnetism of the liquid dioxygen (O2) (and more generally the first component C1 in liquid form), which is therefore held between the magnetic poles and / or attracted by the magnetic field 11 to separate it from the dinitrogen (N2) and argon (Ar) (more generally from the second component C2 in liquid form). In fact, liquid argon (Ar) and liquid dinitrogen (N2) are mostly nonmagnetic and are not favorably held by the magnetic field 100.

[0071] The induction pump 20, according to an advantageous example shown in Figure 7, comprises a three-phase wire winding 70 for collecting the first component C1 into the settling means 6 as shown in Figure 6, and one or more three-phase coils 71 downstream of the winding 70. Such a configuration optionally improves the final separation of the first component C1 and the second component C2, and allows pressurization of the first liquid component C1, which is to be finally separated from the second liquid component C2, i.e., pressurized to a considerable rate.

[0072] Because the operating temperatures of the magnetic separator 19, particularly the magnetic trap 21 and the induction pump 20, are very low (cryogenic), this particular configuration having a magnetically operated separator 19 is especially advantageous. Therefore, the conductive parts of the separator 19 are limited by the intrinsic superconductivity of copper or aluminum, especially in the case of magnets, more specifically electromagnets, and thus high magnetism can be generated using a current of any magnitude with little heat generation, and thus little electrical and thermal loss.

[0073] According to the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the motor assembly 60 is designed so that the cooling system 1 can inject a liquid first component C1 coming from the separator 19 into the combustion chamber 25, the liquid first component C1 advantageously forming the liquefied dioxygen O2. Advantageously, the first injected component C1 is intended to function as an oxidizer within the internal combustion engine 50.

[0074] Therefore, in a particularly advantageous manner, the separation device 19 is designed to inject the liquid second component C2 into the evaporator 6, but not the liquid first component C1 into the evaporator 6. For example, the motor assembly 60 is designed such that the first component C1 is formed by the liquid dioxygen O2 and injected directly into the internal combustion engine 50 to perform oxygen combustion as shown in Figure 3, while the second component C2 is formed (mainly) by liquid dinitrogen N2 and introduced into the evaporator 6.

[0075] Accordingly, a particular alternative of a third aspect of the present invention relates to a motor assembly 60 comprising a cooling system 1 and an internal combustion engine 50 located downstream of the cooling system 1 and having a combustion chamber 25, wherein the cooling system 1 is connected to the engine 26 so that a first component C1 can be injected into the combustion chamber 25. The latter is, of course, preferentially formed of dioxygen O2.

[0076] Advantageously, the engine 50 includes an outlet 42 designed to discharge at least one exhaust component Ce in a gaseous state from the combustion chamber 25. Further advantageously, downstream of the outlet 42, the evaporator 6 is designed to cool the exhaust component Ce coming from the outlet 42 and heat the second component C2 coming from the separator 19. The outlet 42 advantageously forms part of the combustion heat recovery unit 51.

[0077] The fuel for the internal combustion engine 50 may be a hydrocarbon, such as methane (CH4) or dihydrogen (H2). When the fuel is a hydrocarbon, particularly methane (CH4), the exhaust gaseous component C, which includes the combustion products of the engine 26, is also present. e It is formed mainly from water and carbon dioxide (CO2). When the fuel is dihydrogen (H2), the gaseous exhaust component Ce is formed mainly or almost entirely from water. The absence of dinitrogen (N2) in the combustion chamber thanks to the direct injection of pure liquid (or potentially gaseous) dioxygen (O2) is particularly noteworthy. x One of the advantages of the motor assembly 60 of the present invention is the reduction of pollution related to nitrogen oxides, also known as NO (two specific variations thereof are shown in Figures 3 and 4). In fact, the internal combustion engine 50 of the motor assembly 60 produces NO when nitrogen is not present in the combustion chamber 25. x It produces little to no output.

[0078] Advantageously, the motor assembly 60 absorbs exhaust component C coming from the combustion chamber 25. e To recover the heat of combustion, a combustion heat recovery device 51, preferably the above-described combustion heat recovery device 51, is provided.

[0079] Preferably, the motor assembly 60 is configured such that the evaporator 6 is connected to the exhaust component C, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. e It is designed to cool at least the latter primary portion until liquefaction. Optionally, the motor assembly 60 is designed to cool the exhaust component C e The system is designed to use the liquefied primary portion to liquefy the secondary portion, and the primary and secondary portions are distinct from each other. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the secondary portion is formed mainly from water, while the primary portion is advantageously formed mainly from carbon dioxide CO2. More advantageously, the one combustion heat recovery device 51 recovers exhaust component C from the combustion chamber 25. e To discharge exhaust component C, the system includes a reinjection device (not shown) designed to clear the combustion chamber 25 with the primary and / or secondary portions (in a liquid state or alternatively, in a gaseous state). Such a configuration removes exhaust component C from the latter. e By efficiently removing exhaust components, the operation of the internal combustion engine 50 can be improved. For example, if the fuel is a hydrocarbon, the reinjection device optimizes the sweep of the latter, i.e., the exhaust component C in gaseous state. e It is designed to form a liquid and to inject the primary portion of the liquid formed from carbon dioxide into the combustion chamber 25 to expel all the burned gases.

[0080] The present invention also relates, according to a fourth aspect, to a method for adapting an internal combustion engine 50 having at least an intake manifold and a combustion chamber 25, the adapting method comprising the steps of closing or removing the intake manifold of at least an engine 26, and installing the cooling system 1 connected to the internal combustion engine 50 at the closed or removed intake manifold, and thus upstream of the combustion chamber 25, so that liquefied dioxygen O2 produced by the cooling system 1 can be injected into the latter.

[0081] Advantageously, the internal combustion engine and cooling system 1 form the motor assembly 60 as described above at the end of the installation step.

[0082] For example, the liquefied dioxygen O2 may be formed by the first component C1 coming from the separation device 19, or by dioxygen O2 formed by the water hydrolysis module 16 and liquefied by the heat exchange module 17, or by a combination of both. Of course, the following and preceding descriptions of the cooling system 1, motor assembly 60, and cooling method also apply to the adapted method of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0083] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the present invention relates to an oxygen combustion method including the cooling method described above, wherein the oxygen combustion method further includes the step of injecting liquefied dioxygen O2 in the cooling method into the combustion chamber 25 of an internal combustion engine 50. Of course, the following and above descriptions of the cooling system 1, motor assembly 60, cooling method, and lawful method also apply to the oxygen combustion method of the present invention, and vice versa. For example, the inlet gas G e The first component C1 is formed by air, and the first component C1 is mainly formed by dioxygen O2, and during the injection step, the first component C1 is injected into the combustion chamber 25.

[0084] For example, as shown in Figure 10, the internal combustion engine 50 has a rotating piston 44 (having the shape of a Reuleaux triangle). The internal combustion engine 50 with the alternative rotating piston 44 shown in Figure 10 has two opposing spark plugs 39, two opposing common fuel, oxidizer injection 40, 41, and exhaust component C in gaseous state as described above. e It features two opposing exhaust ports 42 designed to release an oxidant. The oxidant is preferentially formed by liquid dioxygen O2, for example, formed by the first component C1. Oxygen combustion here makes it possible to overcome the recurring problem of low compression in conventional rotary piston engines, particularly by adapting the rotational speed of the rotary piston 44.

[0085] The cooling system 1 is also adapted to produce small quantities of the liquefied first component C1, or, after the latter has returned to a gaseous state, to produce small quantities of the liquefied first component C1 in a gaseous but compressed (i.e., at a relatively high pressure) state.

[0086] The present invention also relates to a high-power air conditioning system comprising the above-described cooling system, wherein the cooling energy of the high-power air conditioning system is provided via the evaporator 6, according to a fifth aspect not shown herein.

[0087] By convention, in a purely descriptive and non-limiting manner, the symbols (g) and (liq) are used in figures to indicate the gaseous and liquid states of various components, respectively. In figures, arrows on either side of a solid line preferably indicate the direction of flow, for example, the flow of He(g), i.e., the flow of gaseous helium (He).

[0088] The terms first, second, third, fourth, fifth, primary, secondary, tertiary, etc., used herein are preferably used solely for distinguishing purposes and do not indicate rank or ordinal number. The second element may be introduced, for example, without necessarily having a first element of the same nature, or without its implicit presence.

[0089] Industrial applicability In summary, the present invention relates to the problems of liquefied gas production, pollution control, and the energy efficiency of combustion engines, and more generally to the problem of energy saving, and is an application that enables the production of cryogenic liquids with optimized energy consumption.

Claims

1. A Stirling heat pump (2) is designed to cool the inlet gas (Ge) to a cryogenic temperature in order to form a cryogenic liquid. A primary electric motor (3) intended to operate the Stirling heat pump (2), cooling means, The cooling means includes at least a primary pump (4) for the purpose of circulating the cryogenic liquid (L) under pressurized conditions, The cooling means is a cooling system (1) intended to cool the primary electric motor (3) with cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary pump (4).

2. The primary pump (4) is equipped with a secondary electric motor. The cooling system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling system (1) is designed to cool the secondary electric motor with the cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the Stirling heat pump (2).

3. On the one hand, a heat exchanger (31) is intended to collect gaseous helium and cool it to an extremely low temperature, and on the other hand, to collect and heat the pressurized cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary electric motor (3), The cooling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a helium liquefaction device (30) comprising at least an isenthalpic expansion module (32) for the purpose of performing isenthalpic expansion of cooled gaseous helium (He) coming from the heat exchanger (31) in order to liquefy the gaseous helium (He) to obtain liquefied helium.

4. The helium liquefaction device (30) is A cooling circuit (33) for a magnetic element (34) uses the liquefied helium (He) coming from the isenthalpy expansion module, to heat it sufficiently until the liquefied helium (He) vaporizes into gaseous helium (He). A secondary compressor (36) whose purpose is to compress the gaseous helium (He) coming from the cooling circuit (30) and send it to the heat exchanger (31), and A secondary turbine (35) is located upstream of the isenthalpy expansion module and is intended to recover mechanical energy from cooled gaseous helium (He) coming from the heat exchanger (31), and to supply power to the secondary compressor (36). The cooling system (1) according to claim 3, further comprising the features described above.

5. The cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an evaporator (6) intended to evaporate at least a portion of the pressurized cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary electric motor (3) in order to form an outlet gas (Gs) and collect cooling energy.

6. The cooling system (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the evaporator (6) comprises at least one primary heat exchanger (7) which is intended to collect and cool the inlet gas (Ge) before it enters the Stirling heat pump (2) on the one hand, and to collect and heat at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary electric motor (3) on the other hand.

7. The cooling system (1) according to claim 6, wherein the evaporator (6) further comprises at least one secondary heat exchanger (8) intended to heat at least a portion of the cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary heat exchanger (7) or the outlet gas (Gs) by a heat source (Q).

8. The cooling system (1) according to claim 7, comprising a module (9) for supplying the heat source (Q), wherein the module (9) is formed by a solar energy generator (10), a combustion heat recovery system (51), or a device for recovering waste heat from the cooling system (1) or another system.

9. The cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising a mechanical energy recovery device (12) for recovering the mechanical energy generated by the replacement of the outlet gas (Gs).

10. The cooling system (1) according to claim 9, further comprising a primary compressor (15) upstream of the Stirling heat pump (2), which is designed to compress the inlet gas (Ge) and is at least partially operated by the mechanical energy recovery device (12).

11. The mechanical energy recovery device (34) comprises at least one generator (13), The cooling system (1) is powered at least by the generator (13) and cools water with dihydrogen (H ２ ) and dioxygen (O ２ The cooling system (1) according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising an electrolytic module (16) for electrolysis of ).

12. Liquefied dioxygen (O) ２ ) in order to form the dioxygen (O) coming from the electrolytic module (16) ２ Cool the mixture until it is at least liquefied. The cooling system (1) according to claim 11, further comprising a heat exchange module (17) designed to heat the outlet gas (Gs) coming from the mechanical energy recovery device (12).

13. Methane (CH ４ ) and water (H ２ To generate O), dihydrogen (H) from the electrolytic module (16) ２ ) and carbon dioxide (CO2) ２ The cooling system (1) according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising a methane reforming unit (18) designed to react with ).

14. The cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary electric motor (3) is at least formed from a first component (C １ ) and a second component (C ２ ), is in a liquid state, The cooling system (1) is in a liquid state. １ ) and the second component (C ２ The separation device (19) is designed to separate the two by magnetic force, The first component (C) in liquid state １ ) and the second component (C ２ One of the components is the first component (C １ ) and the second component (C ２ A cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it has much greater paramagnetic properties than the other of the two.

15. The separation device (19) separates the second component (C) in liquid form. ２ The liquid first component (C) is injected into the evaporator (6). １ The cooling system (1) according to claim 5 or 14, characterized in that it is designed not to inject the evaporator (6).

16. The separation device (19) pressurizes the first component (C) from the separation device (19). １ ) and the second component (C ２ The cooling system (1) according to claim 14 or 15, further comprising an induction pump (20) designed to release the paramagnetic component of the )

17. The separation device (19) contains the first component (C １ ) and the second component (C ２ The cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising a magnetic trap (21) between the two and substantially within the trap portion (22) of the separation device (19), which is designed to emit a magnetic field (100) to retain the most paramagnetic components.

18. The cooling system (1) according to 17, wherein the separation device (19) comprises a settling means (24) for settling the cryogenic liquid (L), and at least a portion of the settling means (24) forms the trap portion (22).

19. The second component (C ２ ) is mainly dinitrogen (N ２ ) is formed by the inlet gas (Ge), while the first component (C) is formed by air. １ ) is mainly dioxygen (O ２ A cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized by being formed by ).

20. It is connected to an internal combustion engine (50) which has a combustion chamber (25), The cooling system (1) provides the combustion chamber (25) with the first component (C) coming from the separation device (19). １ A cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 14 to 19, characterized in that it is designed to inject )

21. The first component (C) is injected by the cooling system (1). １ The cooling system (1) according to 20, characterized in that the ) is intended to function as an oxidizer in the internal combustion engine (50).

22. The cooling system is provided according to claim 5, A high-output air conditioning system characterized in that the cooling energy of the high-output air conditioning system is supplied via the evaporator (6).

23. The method described in any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein liquefied dioxygen (O ２ A cooling system (1) designed to generate ) Located downstream of the cooling system (1), it comprises a combustion chamber (25), and liquefied dioxygen (O) is supplied to the combustion chamber (25). ２ An internal combustion engine (50) to which the cooling system (1) is connected in order to allow the injection of ) A motor assembly (60) characterized by comprising at least the following.

24. The cooling system (1) is the cooling system (1) according to claim 14, wherein the first component (C) is in liquid state coming from the separation device (19). １ Designed to inject the first component (C) in a liquid state into the combustion chamber (25), １ ) is also advantageous as the liquefied dioxygen (O ２ The motor assembly (60) according to claim 23, characterized in that it forms a ).

25. The cooling system (1) is the cooling system (1) according to claim 11, wherein the liquefied dioxygen (O ２ The motor assembly (60) according to 24, characterized in that it comes from the electrolytic module (16).

26. A method for adapting an internal combustion engine (50) having at least an intake manifold and a combustion chamber (25), The steps of closing or removing the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine (50), The liquefied dioxygen (O) generated by the cooling system (1) ２ Installation step: In order to allow the latter to be injected, the cooling system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 21 is connected to the internal combustion engine (50) in the closed or removed intake manifold, and thus upstream of the combustion chamber (25), A method characterized by comprising at least the following.

27. The fitting method according to claim 26, characterized in that the internal combustion engine (50) and the cooling system (1) form the motor assembly (60) according to claim 24 or 25 at the end of the mounting step.

28. The steps include: cooling an inlet gas (Ge) by at least one Stirling heat pump (2) driven by a primary electric motor (3) in order to form a cryogenic liquid (L); The cooling means includes at least a pumping step for circulating the cryogenic liquid (L) under pressurized conditions, The cooling means is a cooling method in which the primary electric motor (3) is cooled by the cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the pumping step.

29. The cryogenic liquid (L) coming from the primary electric motor (3) is different from the first component (C) in liquid state. １ ) and the second component (C ２ ) formed from at least, The cooling method involves the first component (C) in liquid state. １ ) and the second component (C ２ The further step involves separating the two by magnetic force, The first component (C) in liquid state １ ) and the second component (C ２ One of the first components (C １ ) and the second component (C ２ The cooling method according to claim 28, characterized in that it has much greater paramagnetic properties than the other of the two.

30. The cooling method is provided according to claim 28 or 29, wherein during the cooling method, liquefied dioxygen (O) is introduced into the combustion chamber (25) of the internal combustion engine (50). ２ An oxygen combustion method characterized by further comprising the step of injecting ).

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