Smart power modul

Abstract

The paper presents an invention regarding a SPM smart power module, intended for the creation of distributed, safe and efficient energy networks. An elementary module is composed of an innovative Carnot Battery, with high power density, consisting of a heat engine / heat pump whose working agent (gas or vapor) goes through a Carnot / Ericsson / Stirling cycle and which transfers thermal energy between two accumulators with different temperatures. In supply mode, the cycle is run in the direct direction and supplies mechanical / electrical energy, and in charging mode, the heat pump receives energy from the outside (from the network or from renewable sources), and the cycle is run in the opposite direction, transferring thermal energy from the cold reservoir to the hot reservoir. The maximum efficiency of the battery is ensured by at least two isothermalizers, similar to the one described in PCT / R02023 / 050009. Through a system of tanks, heat exchangers, circulation pumps, solenoid valves and pipes, the elementary module can receive a series of extensions, both on the thermal energy capture and distribution side. An intelligent processor collects signals from the SPM system, from a dispatcher, from the Internet, etc, processes them, then sends commands to the motors that actuate the solid pistons of the isothermalizers, the flow regulators of the liquid pistons and of the cooling systems, the solenoid valves, the circulation pumps, in such a way as to ensure the maximum exergetic and economic efficiency of the module, the flattening of load peaks, the maximum safety, the maximum utilization coefficient of all components. Any energy production unit and any consumer can be included in a smart module that ensures the storage, then the supply of the entire energy offers, ensuring consumers a safe, uninterrupted supply.

Description

[0001] SMART POWER MODUL

[0002] Technical field. The invention relates to a series of applications of isothermalizers (as defined and described in the previous patent application PCT / R02022 / 000005 “New process for isothermal compression and expansion of gases and some devices for its application”), for the production of heat engines, heat pumps, as well as energy capture, storage and distribution systems made with their help, usable in the field of energy systems, for increasing their efficiency and safety and for a more efficient use of energy from renewable and residual sources.

[0003] Technical problem. The isothermalizer is a thermodynamic device with high exergy efficiency, which performs the functions of isothermal compression and expansion of large gas / vapor flows under conditions of higher energy efficiency than devices with similar powers in the state of the art. Due to this characteristic, it can replace, in the state of the art, quasi-isothermal compressors and expanders in installations without phase change, both in heat engines and in refrigerators and heat pumps in whose operating cycles isothermal transformations are desired. Also, in systems with low efficiency made with condensers and evaporators in which phase change processes take place, they can replace them, the result being a significant increase in the energy efficiency of the entire system, especially when working with high pressures. The advantages brought by these modifications are the increase in energy efficiency and operational safety of these energy systems. In terms of CAES and TES energy storage installations, isothermalizers ensure higher round-trip efficiencies and higher power density. In many systems, they can successfully replace electric batteries.

[0004] State of the art. The second law of thermodynamics states that energy has both quantity and quality and that all real processes proceed in the direction of decreasing energy quality, in the sense that thermal energy at a higher temperature is degraded when transferred to a body at a lower temperature. The principle of minimum entropy generation (MEG) or the rate of entropy production was considered by Bejan of the greatest interest and considered an extremely useful engineering tool. According to the Gouy-Stodola theorem, in a system, the exergy destroyed is proportional to the total rate of entropy generation. The concept of exergy plays a crucial role in understanding and quantifying the quality of energy in a system and its potential to perform mechanical work. In thermodynamics, the exergy of a system is the maximum useful mechanical work that can be produced, as the system is brought into equilibrium with its environment, by an ideal process, without irreversible processes. So, the exergy of the system can be consumed, when useful mechanical work is produced, or it can be destroyed, in the irreversible processes of real systems. It should be emphasized that, in these irreversible processes, the total energy does not change (the first law of Thermodynamics), it only degrades, losing the ability to produce useful mechanical work. In order to obtain as much useful mechanical work as possible, the way in which irreversible processes appear and develop must be carefully analyzed, in order to mitigate their destructive character.

[0005] In the state of the art, the most widely used P2P (power-to-power) systems for temporary storage of electrical energy are based on electrochemical methods, the best performances in terms of round-trip efficiency, specific power density and cost price being obtained with Li-Ion batteries. An alternative increasingly tested (through pilot installations) in recent times is that of Carnot Batteries, in a variant proposed by R. B. Laughlin (using a reversible Brayton cycle between a hot and a cold reservoir). The performances obtained are inferior to those provided by Li-Ion batteries, primarily due to the high exergy losses.

[0006] Brief description of the drawings. The invention will be described in connection with the following figures:

[0007] - Fig.1 : schematic diagram of a linear motor driven solid piston isothermalizer

[0008] - Fig.1 A: evaporator / condenser with internal fins

[0009] - Fig.2: A: T-s diagram of the modified Rankine cycle, B: heat pump with modified Rankine cycle,

[0010] C: section through the heat exchanger, D: heat exchanger with intermediate liquid

[0011] - Fig.3: schematic diagram of a battery with PCM

[0012] - Fig.4: SPM-Ac (Carnot Battery) with Carnot cycle

[0013] - Fig.5: SPM-HP with additional circuit, for the utilization of stored waste heat

[0014] - Fig.6: SPM-HCP4 module for the storage and supply of electricity, cold and heat

[0015] - Fig.7: SPM-HCP2 module for the supply of electricity, cold and heat

[0016] - Fig.8: Hybrid solar panel, with sub-ambient cooling, with extended capture and active insulation

[0017] - Fig.9A: SPM-I with an HVAC system using radiant walls and active insulation

[0018] - Fig. 9B: Fan coil system, equipped with air decontamination system

[0019] - Fig. 10: internal combustion engine with hydrogen combustion and inert working gas - Fig. 11 : heat engine powered by two storage tanks

[0020] - Fig. 12: installation for the valorization of wave energy, with a horizontal oscillating column, and with a piston with movement on rollers

[0021] - Fig. 12B: installation for the valorization of wave energy with a linear motor

[0022] - Fig. 13: complex installation, with multiple pistons, for the successive or simultaneous valorization of wave energy by oscillating water columns

[0023] - Fig. 14: combined installation for the exploitation of wave energy, by swinging water columns and air columns, supplemented by floating devices

[0024] - Fig. 15: wind turbine with sliding, folding blades

[0025] - Fig.16: overall view of the SPM-M

[0026] - Fig.16A: section through the SPM-M

[0027] Description of the embodiments

[0028] The intelligent power module SPM, proposed in this invention is a P2P system that is composed of reversible heat engines / heat pumps made with two or more isothermalizers (Fig.1), whose moving components are handled by execution devices controlled by a single central processor, in such a way as to obtain preset operating modes. This structure provides the system with the ability to capture, store and distribute not only mechanical (electrical) energy but also thermal energy (heat and cold).

[0029] The isothermalizer being an extremely versatile device, allows obtaining a particularly wide range of operating modes. The choice of these modes is made depending on the proposed objective, the desired performances, the cost price. From the point of view of the targeted performances, the best results are obtained with heat engines / heat pumps that operate according to a Carnot cycle, the cycle with the highest theoretical efficiency (Carnot formula), which is required to have such a speed of operation that the engine / heat pump achieves the most favorable compromise between thermal efficiency and delivered / absorbed power, the processor in the equipment acting on the system variables, in order to obtain maximum power (Chambadal-Novikov-Curzon-Ahlborn formula). The choice of this operating mode requires, for temperature jumps, the choice of compressors and expanders with a polytropic index as close as possible to the adiabatic one. The mode is recommended only for small temperature differences between the hot and cold sources. At larger temperature differences between the two sources, this operating mode implies large differences between the extreme pressures (and volumes) in the system. Therefore, when the gas temperature in any of the isothermalizers changes gradually (with the number of cycles, due to the accumulation of heat generated by compression), in order to maintain an isothermal operating mode, it is necessary that the inlet and outlet pressures, and implicitly the piston stroke length, can be modified by commands given by the processor, simultaneously with the modification of the piston speed, through commands given to the drive motor (LM, Fig.1 ) of the solid piston, or to the liquid piston flow control valve. For these situations, the Stirling and Ericsson cycles are preferred, which theoretically have efficiencies equal to the Carnot cycles, but the existence of heat exchangers in the system causes the destruction of additional amounts of exergy, which causes a reduction in the round-trip efficiency. In addition, at higher process speeds, the dimensions of the heat exchangers must be large enough to obtain small temperature differences between the gas temperatures at the two inlets at each end of the exchanger.

[0030] The introduction of high power density isothermalizers into Rankine cycles creates the possibility of moving to high performance Stirling / Ericsson cycles (Fig. 2) with phase change refrigerants. For this type of circuits, superior performance can be achieved by using condensers, evaporators and heat exchangers of appropriate construction, as described in the invention.

[0031] Components. The superior results of SPM are obtained by using state-of-the-art components, with high performance, or by using some specially designed for this type of application. Firstly, to carry out the isothermal transformations, is used the isothermalizer, a particularly high- performance device, defined and described in the patent application PCT / R02022 / 000005 “New process for isothermal compression and expansion of gases and some devices for its application”. Any state-of-the-art compressor (alternatively with solid / liquid piston, or rotary) can become an isothermalizer, if equipped with a thermal sponge (12.6, Fig.1 ) which can absorb / release large quantities of thermal energy, with a system for exhausting / supplying this energy and with devices for regulating the speed of the moving parts and the flow rates of the complementary fluids, the variation of the values of the working gas state quantities being controlled in real time by a processor (CD, Fig. 1 ), programmed to maintain a constant preset temperature difference T between the gas and its ambient environment in each cycle, as well as to modify the reference values Tizand Tamb. The device will be placed in an environment with a temperature Tambbut, for installations with thermal energy accumulation, it must be placed in an insulated tank, filled with a liquid agent, with a temperature Tres, different from the temperature of the external environment, a temperature that will increase monotonically, as the thermal energy accumulation, and the processor that coordinates the operation of the system, will determine a similar variation in the temperaturez, so that the exergy efficiency, for the respective power, to be maximum.

[0032] Another essential component of the isothermalizer is the gas introduction system into the enclosure. If the isothermalizer serves a heat engine or a heat pump operating according to a Carnot cycle, the gas inlet temperature Tizin the first enclosure of the device is established by choosing the moment when the discharge valve of the downstream compressor / expander opens. If the working gas is at a temperature different fromz(if it is absorbed from the external environment or from a heat exchanger), the corresponding temperature change can be made by the isothermalizer piston itself, by commands given by the processor to change its speed, forcing it to describe a trajectory as close as possible to the isentropic one, a trajectory that ensures minimal exergy destruction. The preferable solution is a previous appropriate processing of the gas and a temporary storage, at the temperature Tiz, in a buffer tank.

[0033] Isothermal transformation can be obtained when the mechanical energy introduced into the system by the moving parts and taken up instantly by the working gas in the form of thermal energy is equal to the thermal energy that the gas gives up to its environment, to be evacuated outside the enclosure (or to be temporarily stored). This energy is proportional both to the time interval affected by the gas-environment heat transfer (equal to the duration of a cycle), and to the average CGTmfor the respective cycle, of the global instantaneous heat transfer coefficient CGT(t), between the gas and its environment. Therefore, for low values of the heat transfer coefficient, the speed of movement of the moving parts (therefore, the power density of the device) must be lower, and for higher values (which implies a higher consumption of material) higher power densities are obtained.

[0034] Partial elimination of the thermal energy contained in the working gas can only be done in the presence of a temperature difference T. This type of irreversibility cannot be avoided. The choice of the working temperaturezof the gas (and, implicitly, the temperature difference 21Twith respect to its ambient temperature Tres) at which we want the isothermal transformation to take place is a compromise between the amount of energy consumed in addition to the ideal compression (at AT=0 and energy efficiency r]= I y / Wreai=Tres / Tres=1) and the duration of a cycle (duration that dictates the power consumed). Also, the value of AT'\s, at any time, proportional to the amount of heat exchanged by the gas with its ambient environment, the proportionality factor being a variable one: CGT(t) = hi(t)Ai(t), where A,(t) and h,(t) are, at each time t of the transformation, the values of the contact surfaces and of the heat transfer coefficients of the elements i of the device that are in contact with the working gas. The transformation undergone by the gas is isothermal (Tiz=cf), if the instantaneous power Wi(t) of the piston is always equal to the instantaneous heat Q,(t) transferred to the environment by the working gas (if AT and CGTmare constant, these two powers also become constant), and the energy efficiency becomes, for compression, =Wid / Wreai=Tamb / TiZ=Tambn~amb+AT. In the description of the mentioned patent application, I used the names isocompressor / densifier for the isothermalizer in the case of compression and isoexpander / rarefier in the case of expansion.

[0035] The task of finding the isothermal velocity viz(t) (the equation that describes the evolution of the piston velocity during an isothermal transformation) falls to an automatic control device, which, based on information collected in real time by a series of transducers determines, regardless of environmental variations and other disturbances that may occur, the direction and value by which the magnitude of the force acting on those moving parts that influence the average temperature of the working gas (piston 12.2, Fig. 1) must be changed at the respective moment. The procedure can be generalized to apply it not only to reciprocating devices, where the main regulated quantity is the piston displacement speed, but to all positive displacement devices, by introducing automatic systems for regulating the angular velocity of the rotor and / or the inlet and outlet flow rates of the cooling fluids (transferring the piston function to these fluids). These regulation systems become the main component of all isothermalizers. The shorter the response time and the smaller the deviation of the signals supplied, the closer the transformations controlled by them are to an isotherm.

[0036] Acceleration of heat transfer between the gas and its ambient environment is the task of the thermal sponge. The type of sponge that the analyzed invention most often uses, due to its simplicity and effectiveness, is a deformable thermal sponge, mounted between the inner face of the piston (solid or liquid) and the cylinder cover. The sponge deforms under the action of the movable element, its component elements having a surface area, in contact with the gas, as large as possible, but constant throughout the transformation. An increase in the efficiency of the thermal sponge (12.6 in Fig.1 , 1.1 in Fig.1 A) can be obtained by using wet thermal sponges, obtained by using processes to keep, at least towards the end of the cycle (when the piston speed decreases), on the surface of some component elements of the thermal sponge, a consistent amount of heat transfer liquid, stationary, or with a continuous movement (providing elements to direct the flow, or covering the heat transfer surfaces with thin layers of fabrics, or with thin plates of spongy elastic materials, or similar). As a result, the power density can increase by one to two orders of magnitude. Also, in thermal sponges made with parallel flat plates, these plates can be provided with internal cavities, with connections both between them and with the outside, cavities fed with a substance that, at the isothermal temperature, undergoes a phase change. This process can also be applied to condensers / evaporators, and some types of heat exchangers, from the state of the art.

[0037] In isothermalizers with a high compression / expansion coefficient, the deformable thermal sponge can be supplemented with a non-deformable thermal sponge, with a very large absorption surface, mounted in a small area outside the range of action of the solid piston, for example in the area located at the highest elevation of the device, an area where, due to convection, there is a tendency for gases with a temperature above the average to accumulate, and the discharge of the compressed gas can be done by replacing it with liquid from the discharge pipe.

[0038] To eliminate excess heat, isothermalizers are equipped with a cooling / heating system (HE, Fig.1 ), which introduces into their enclosure, during compression, a flow of heat transfer fluid, which is discharged through another pipe and transported, with the help of a pump, to a heat exchanger. If the flow of discharged fluid is equal to that introduced, the liquid agent is only heat transfer fluid, but in case of inequality, the liquid agent is also a piston. Due to the existence of the thermal sponge, which makes the distance between any gas particle and the nearest heat absorbing surface very small, it is no longer necessary to spray the introduced heat transfer fluid, which greatly simplifies the construction of the device and greatly reduces energy consumption. It is sufficient that the introduced liquid (collected through a flexible connection at the base of the enclosure and transported through an external pipe, in its upper part) is efficiently distributed to all heat-absorbing surfaces, and drips onto these surfaces under the action of gravitational forces.

[0039] This type of device is also very suitable for aqueous foam cooling. The foam regeneration can be done by introducing gas (gas piston) at a pressure slightly higher than the instantaneous gas pressure, in strategically placed trays, which are part of the thermal sponge and contain a mixture of liquid and surfactants. The thermal sponge can also be cooled intermittently, by intercalating, after a number N of working gas cycles, a number n of cycles in which, instead of gas, only cooling liquid is introduced into the chamber. The inlet and outlet flow rates of the liquid agent are determined by the main controller, by commands sent to the servomotors for operating the valves / hydraulic motors on the inlet and outlet pipes and by commands that are correlated with the commands sent by the controller of the piston actuator.

[0040] The great advantage of the isothermalizer lies in its ability, offered by the control processor, to modify the piston speed according to the extremely variable characteristics of the source and the energy consumer, respectively. Depending on these characteristics, the processor establishes, in a correlated manner, for both isothermalizers in an engine cycle, the optimal temperature differences between the working gas and the thermal sponges, as well as the speeds of the two pistons, leading the process towards the optimal speed of development, so as to achieve the best compromise between its exergy efficiency and the available power (Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency). As the temperatures of the cooling fluids and the thermal sponges change, the processor modifies the piston speeds to modify the temperature differences in such a way that the new optimal power value is achieved. In addition to changing the piston speeds, the processor also has the ability to change the speed of movement of the heat transfer fluid, change the gas pressure in the isothermalizers (for this, it is necessary to install intermediate gas tanks) and the moment when the intake and discharge valves open and close.

[0041] The E / C evaporator / condenser (Fig.lA), used in the heat pumps of the SPM modules, plays the same role as the isothermalizer. It may be similar in construction to those in the prior art, but an increase in power density is obtained through some constructive modifications. The invention proposes a construction similar to that of the isothermalizer. The constructive difference from the isothermalizer is the absence of the solid piston and the fact that the thermal sponge is rigid, non- deformable, being formed by inner fins 1.1 , perforated (to control the circulation of vapors), very close together, fixed to the inner walls of the enclosure. Unlike prior art heat pumps, the housing 1.5 of the evaporator E is immersed in a bath (1.w in Fig.l A, 15 in Fig.2) of heat transfer fluid (having a temperature Tc higher than Tc1 , average temperature of the mixture inside). The refrigerant mixture is introduced into the evaporator, in one or more trays 1.2, by a hydraulic motor (in which it maintains its temperature Tc1 ), or by an expansion valve (in which the liquid refrigerant, with a temperature higher than Tc, becomes a liquid-vapor mixture, with a temperature Tc). The amount of liquid can be increased by an additional amount extracted from the base of the evaporator, with the help of a pump 1.p and a pipe 1.3. Cold drops of liquid drip onto the fins of the thermal sponge towards the base of the evaporator, which take up its heat. The temperature of the walls and the thermal sponge is higher by AT than the temperature of this mixture and causes a boiling phenomenon in the entire mass of liquid inside. The difference AT and the pressure in the evaporator are the important parameters, controlled by the main processor in such a way as to achieve the optimal power. The vapor concentration and its temperature increase towards the end of the evaporator but, before entering the heat exchanger, the vapor temperature is lowered to the value Tc1 (with an adiabatic compressor, an expansion valve, or a heat exchanger), in order to create a favorable temperature difference between the primary and secondary of the heat exchanger. In the condenser, the direction of movement of the refrigerant is in the opposite direction, and the temperature of the introduced vapor is higher than the temperature of the condensate, of the walls, of the thermal sponge and the basin in which the device is immersed, and due to the fact that the pressure inside is maintained at the condensation value, condensation drops appear on the inner fins.

[0042] If phase-change SPM systems are preferred, the invention proposes a series of improvements, compared to the state of the art, both functional and constructive. First, the proposed system works both as an engine and as a heat pump, following an Ericsson cycle, the two adiabatic devices from the Carnot cycle, being replaced by an HE heat exchanger. Fig.2 shows both the operating diagram in T-s coordinates (Fig.2A) and a principle diagram (Fig.2B) in which the heat exchanger HE (in two different positions, one for the primary, the other for the secondary of the exchanger), the evaporator E, the isothermalizer D and the condenser C are highlighted. The condenser C and the evaporator E have a construction similar to those described in Fig.1 A: they are elongated horizontal tanks 14 (in the configuration in the figure, a rectangular section was chosen), well thermally insulated, or each placed in another tank 15, filled with the thermal energy storage liquid, having the temperature Tc, respectively Th, of the storage liquid in the corresponding accumulator, to which they are connected by connecting pipes. E and C contain a non-deformable thermal sponge 16, with a heat transfer surface as large as possible. To enhance the heat transfer, part of the liquid refrigerant 17 from the bottom of the device is sucked by a pump P and spread on a plate in its upper part, from where it flows by gravity onto the thermal sponge plates. For a rigorous control of the differences ATc / ft, a He heat exchanger can be inserted along the route of these pipes, mounted in the thermal energy storage tank, if the evaporator / condenser is isolated, or in the same tank with the E / C otherwise). Taking into account the fact that the primary (through which the refrigerant circulates in liquid state) and the secondary (through which the same refrigerant circulates, but in gaseous state) of the HE heat exchanger contain approximately the same mass of refrigerant, the ratio between their volumes must be equal to that of the density of the two states. Therefore, in the figure (section in Fig.2C) we have chosen a configuration in which the gas circulates through a network of tubes 12 with a rectangular section, with as thin walls as possible and with the distance from the walls 11 and the distance between them as small as possible. Other variants of HE are the horizontally mounted plate heat exchanger, or of serpentine tubes (with a preferably rectangular section), mounted vertically in the same tank (Fig2.D), filled with heat transfer fluid, a liquid that undergoes a thermal stratification process. By vertically offset mounting of the tubes, an extension of the liquid volumes (near the two bases) with extreme temperatures is achieved, which improves the quality of heat transfer at the entrance and exit of the HE.

[0043] The liquid refrigerant at the outlet of HE (from the base of the exchanger primary), has a temperature Tc1 , approximately equal to the average temperature of the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator E, but lower than Tc, the temperature of the storage medium in which the evaporator is immersed. The refrigerant enters the base of the evaporator through an expansion valve, or (as in the figure) through a hydraulic motor P / M, which produces significant work at large pressure differences. As it takes up heat through the walls, from the outside, the refrigerant heats up and evaporates. Simultaneously, part of the liquid refrigerant is taken up by the pump P and sent to the heat exchanger He, where it takes up heat from the storage agent and returns to the evaporator, through its upper part, being distributed on the fins of the thermal sponge, where a two-way heat transfer takes place: heat is given off to the thermal sponge due to the thermal difference and heat is absorbed in the evaporation process.

[0044] A thermal sponge with a large heat transfer surface considerably increases the evaporation rate. The opening of the expansion valve (or the flow rate of the hydraulic motor) is adjusted according to the evaporation rate of the refrigerant (isothermal line 1 -3 of the T-s diagram, Fig2.A) depending on the amount of heat that can be absorbed by the refrigerant when passing through the heat exchanger He). The volume of evaporated refrigerant also determines the speed at which the refrigerant, in a gaseous state, passes through the secondary of the HE exchanger (isobaric curve 3-4 of the T-s diagram, Fig2.A). The next factor that determines the circulation speed of the agent is the speed at which the hot refrigerant, with a temperature close to Th, is sucked from the secondary of the HE heat exchanger by the densifier D, a speed that depends on the speed of the densifier piston and the volume of its enclosure. After absorbing the gas from HE, the densifier piston will compress the refrigerant to the pressure corresponding to the condensation temperature Th1. The piston movement is controlled by the densifier processor, in such a way that the first part of the compression occurs at a higher speed, which produces a compression as close as possible to the isentropic one and raises the gas temperature to the value Th1 , higher by ATh than Th, after which, this temperature difference is kept constant (curve 4-5 in the T-s diagram, Fig2.A). Also, the speed at which the gas pressure is brought to the condensation pressure must be perfectly correlated with the previous speeds. This speed is adjusted by adjusting the temperature difference ATh. In the condenser, the processes are similar to those in the evaporator, but they occur with a change in the direction of heat transfer. After condensation, the refrigerant passes into the HE exchanger and cools at constant pressure to a temperature close to Tc1 (curve 5-2 in the T-s diagram, Fig2. A). When Th is higher than the critical point temperature, the densifier D discharges directly into the HE exchanger, and the refrigerant passes from the vapor state to the superfluid state, and upon passing through the critical temperature, directly into the liquid state (curve 8-9 in the T-s diagram, Fig2.A).

[0045] Another basic component of the SPM is thermal accumulator (Fig. 3). High-performance SPM installations are equipped with two accumulators, one hot, the other cold, similar in construction, but with differences in terms of the storage material and the heat transfer agent. Simplified SPMs can be realized, equipped with only one of the two accumulators, the role of the other being taken over by an infinite thermal source (the atmosphere, flowing water, etc.) in which an isothermalizer is placed. The presence of two accumulators with a large temperature difference between them, the temperatures being located above, respectively below the ambient temperature, offers from the start, multiple possibilities for performing the function of regulating the consumption of the electrical network (similar to the role played by pumped hydro storage): operation as a heat pump during periods when the energy price is lower and switching to operation in thermal engine mode (coupled with an electric generator) during periods of high demand (Fig. 4).

[0046] Also, the presence of the cold accumulator offers the possibility of obtaining exergy gains by capitalizing on the variations in the ambient temperature with the help of a heat pump / heat engine, realized with two additional isothermalizers (Iz3 and Iz4, Fig.5). If the external temperatures are high, the power consumption for charging the hot accumulator with thermal energy, extracted from the environment, is lower than the total power obtained by using this energy by a heat engine, which has as a cold source an external environment with a lower temperature.

[0047] In addition, the presence of the two accumulators offers the possibility of always choosing the most advantageous way among several variants of achieving the same objective

[0048] - when the heat accumulated in the hot reservoir is obtained from a hotter source than that of an enclosure that we want to heat (for example, the living environment), a heat engine between the accumulator and the environment that needs to be heated will work, through cogeneration, with an efficiency close to 100%

[0049] - if the cooling of the cold accumulator was done with a heat pump that transferred thermal energy from this accumulator to an infinite source (for example, the external environment) with a lower temperature (at that moment) than the enclosure that we want to cool, a heat engine operating between the enclosure and the cold accumulator leads to the cooling of the enclosure and to the achievement of an energy advantage

[0050] - by storing in the hot accumulator the thermal energy coming from cooling processes (of some living enclosures, of some refrigerators / cold storages), together with the energy consumed to drive the pump, followed by the use of this energy to drive a heat engine having as a cold source an environment with a sufficiently low temperature (of example, the cold accumulator), can provide more mechanical energy than that consumed for the cold storage process(es). In this way, the appreciable expenses for the cooling processes (accompanied by the thermal pollution of the environment) can be fully recovered (and even, with a possible profit)

[0051] - the greatest gain of using the cold accumulator, with an important immediate gain, is given by the use of the heat pump to exhaust residual energies from sources with temperatures only slightly higher than the external environment temperature. Usually, in the state of the art, residual sources with temperatures lower than 60°C are not exploited. We can charge a cold accumulator, appropriately sized, with exergy coming from the mechanical work consumed by a heat pump that ejects into the external environment, heat extracted from it. If during this operation the storage material undergoes an isothermal process (through a thermochemical process, or through a phase change, for example, the freezing of water), the space occupied by the accumulator is considerably reduced. A heat engine, mounted between the residual source and the cold accumulator, provides, until the accumulator temperature approaches the external environment temperature, a mechanical energy superior to that consumed for storing the cold. This possibility of applying the invention can find immediate use by creating installations for advanced cooling of boilers of thermal power plants, and any heating installations, as well as nuclear power plants.

[0052] In the operating scheme of an SPM, solid substances play the main role in accumulating thermal energy, liquids take on the role of carrier, and gases and vapors mainly perform the transformation of thermal energy into mechanical energy and vice versa.

[0053] For a number of industrial applications, in which hot (respectively, very cold) gases are used, the amount of gas in the accumulator and its pressure can be increased, so that it can power a Brayton cycle, which will also include an adiabatic compressor / expander (to bring the gas to the working temperature), the working chamber, where the gas transfers, at constant pressure, the heat necessary for the respective process and an adiabatic expander / compressor (to return to the gas pressure in the accumulator). If the accumulator and the working chamber have active insulation, this is included in this circuit). If two more isothermalizers are introduced into this circuit, this heat pump will operate in the Carnot cycle, keeping the gas temperature constant both as it passes through the working chamber and as it passes through the accumulator.

[0054] The solid medium is the most efficient storage medium, having a high volumetric energy density, close to that of water. For ordinary working temperatures, cheap solid materials can be found, with very good storage properties. Also, for a significant increase in power, materials that allow thermochemical storage can be used. Auxiliary solid materials can also be used, whose melting point is in the range of working temperatures. This type of material is hermetically sealed in metal capsules (3.4, Fig. 3) that are inserted into the battery structure. For batteries with very high power density, the temperature of the storage medium can increase to an acceptable limit of its mechanical strength (for common steels, 850°C). In these situations, the auxiliary medium can reach the evaporation temperature. In this second phase change, the temperature of the liquid auxiliary medium increases at almost constant volume, until the critical temperature is exceeded, the transition to the gaseous state being preceded, in some conditions, by a superfluid state. These transformations occur with a sharp increase in pressure in the storage capsules, but result in a considerable increase in the storage capacity of the accumulator.

[0055] This type of capsule can be used to make fixed or launched reusable fire extinguishers. They can be made in the form of discs, with an internal storage chamber, with walls resistant to high pressures. A non-flammable liquid, for example CO2, is introduced into the internal chamber at ambient temperature. The storage chamber is connected to the outside with a main pipe, on which an expansion valve, or a pressure turbine and a safety valve are mounted, followed by a distribution pipe that directs the gas expanded in the turbine to a series of spray nozzles. Fixed extinguishers are placed in the vicinity of installations with a high degree of fire risk: fuel tanks, electrical stations and transformers, photovoltaic panels, car and aircraft engines, etc. and are activated by the heat released by the start of the fire, while mobile ones are launched into ongoing fires. If these capsules are heated by the flame of an incipient / running fire, the liquid in the capsule heats up at a constant volume, its pressure increases, passes into the supercritical state (for CO2, at 310 C), and when it reaches the limit at which the safety valve is adjusted, it passes into the pipe where it expands and is sprayed in the direction in which the outlet nozzles are oriented. Installing additional valves can establish the value of the pressure (and speed) of spraying. In the case of CO2, the expansion ratio is greater than 750.

[0056] Thermally insulation. Both types of accumulators, as well as the basins in which the isothermalizers are mounted, must be thermally insulated as best as possible. The insulating materials, the thickness of the insulating layer and the mounting method are chosen depending on the environment in which they are installed and the differences in indoor-outdoor temperature. For large differences, the vacuum layer insulation system (Dewar) is recommended. Also, in the already mentioned patent application, a new insulation system (active insulation) is described, suggested by the principle of minimum entropy generation (EGM) and several methods of its application. In the accumulator in Fig.3, this type of insulation 3.2 is mounted between the housing 3.6 and the outer shell 3.0, separated from each of them by air layers 3.3, respectively 3.1 , with which it communicates through the holes 3.5. The active insulation is composed of thin plates (preferably metallic), very close together, forming a more or less winding path between the two layers of air. An innovative process for creating the insulating system is the use of thin, flat, parallel plates, in the thickness of which numerous holes with very small diameters have been made. Perfect thermal insulation is achieved when between the insulated body and the active insulation there is a layer of fluid 3.3 in which the isothermalizer of a heat pump is mounted and the temperature of this fluid is maintained at a temperature equal to that of the insulated body. This heat pump will consume some energy to compensate for the heat that passes from this fluid to the fluid of the active insulation, but a significant part of this heat can be extracted by one of the processes described.

[0057] In Fig.3B is represented the T-s diagram of an example of an engine cycle traveled by the gas used for heat recovery and for the valorization of the recovered thermal energy. For SPM systems, the process of storing the recovered energy in a storage fluid (by transferring energy in a heat exchanger), or in an accumulator (by transferring energy using a heat pump), can also be used.

[0058] As pointed out in the description of the isothermalizer, the heat transfer agent 3.7 in these devices is a suitable liquid medium, which carries out the transport of thermal energy between the thermal sponge of the component isothermalizers and one or more external heat exchangers (placed in the solid / liquid / gas medium with which the heat transfer is carried out), as well as between the sponges and the storage material in the accumulators. These liquids are used for applications that take place at temperatures between the melting and evaporation temperatures of the liquid. Water, the cheapest of these liquids, also has the highest specific heat, the normal range of use being between 0 and 100° C, but it can be lowered by mixing with an antifreeze, or it can be raised, in installations with pressures higher than atmospheric. For applications operating over wider temperature ranges, these can be divided into sub-ranges, each served by its own transfer fluid (chosen based on the average values of its specific heat and fluidity in that sub-range), and with the necessary transfer tanks and heat exchangers. The working gas can also be replaced, or / and its average pressure can be modified, depending on the temperature ranges and fluids used, in order to achieve higher performance.

[0059] In addition, the thermal storage capacity of accumulators can be considerably increased if a spatial system, relatively uniformly distributed throughout the space, of metallic mini-reservoirs (3.4, Fig-3) is mounted in their tanks (many metals have an isobaric volumetric thermal capacity close to that of water) containing another thermal storage agent (e.g. water, molten salts, aluminum, etc.), an agent which, in the temperature range used, undergoes at least one phase change, or undergoes a thermochemical storage process. For temperatures above 1100° C, the use of zinc (which undergoes two successive phase changes) leads to the achievement of competitive densities of stored energy.

[0060] In distributed energy systems, SPM can perform, with remarkable results, a multitude of functions. The size and distribution of the system components are established depending on the role played by the module in the energy distribution network. If they are installed near any large consumer of electricity, they ensure increased security in its supply, flattening consumption curves, reducing energy costs. If they are installed near a large electricity producing unit, regardless of the primary energy source, they contribute to increasing its efficiency and operational safety. Used judiciously, SPM contributes to the creation of distributed networks, extremely safe, flexible and easy to program. In installations where the manufacturing process requires the use of high temperatures, SPM can ensure the implementation of high-efficiency, totally decarbonized technologies, technologies that reduce technological energy consumption, recover the heat discharged during these processes, the residual heat and part of that lost through thermal insulation.

[0061] A simple P2P type SPM-Ac (accumulator) system (Fig. 4) with isothermalizers was described in the aforementioned patent application. It is similar in functionality to a gravimetric storage facility. It consists of two very well thermally insulated tanks, one hot 4.1 and one cold 4.2, each tank containing an isothermalizer Iz, which together with two reversible compressors (respectively, a heat exchanger, for Stirling / Ericsson cycles) mounted between the isothermalizers, form a direct or inverted Carnot circuit, depending on the direction in which the working gas circulates. Being thermally insulated from the environment, the mechanical energy taken from the outside through the engine M, less the destroyed exergy, is taken by the heat pump, is transformed into thermal energy and is stored simultaneously in the two tanks, to constitute the energy source to power the heat engine (obtained by reversing the direction of gas flow) which returns this energy to the outside, through the generator G, when required (after switching the locking keys D). As we have already shown, an important part of the destroyed exergy becomes thermal energy and is stored in the hot tank, being able to constitute a thermal source in cogeneration. The power density of the system depends on the power density of each isothermalizer, therefore on the heat transfer surface of the two thermal sponges. The fluid used for heat transfer in each isothermalizer can even be the liquid stored in the respective thermal tank.

[0062] The SPM-Ac system is suitable for installation on mobile installations (automobile, railway, aeronautical and naval), being made of two accumulators (appropriately sized), possibly removable, with a high level of thermal insulation. If active insulation is used, energy losses through insulation are recovered and used by secondary installations, or are stored in an electric battery. The mobile vehicle is equipped with the heat engine containing the two isothermalizers mounted in the tanks with coolant, the pump for its circulation and the connecting pipes with the two accumulators. Introducing a small electric battery into the system can make the system more flexible and safer. The removable accumulators are charged, with the help of a coolant, in stations arranged for this purpose, and can use any type of energy source. Replacing them is a simple operation. The storage capacity is greater, the higher the temperature of the hot accumulator is, and the lower the temperature of the cold one. It can be considerably increased if both accumulators are also provided with storage facilities for latent / thermochemical heat, the respective temperatures being located towards the two extreme temperatures.

[0063] This type of P2P systems are the main component of any SPM-HP (heat and power), ensuring the function of capturing, storing and efficiently distributing the captured thermal, electrical and mechanical energy, or the thermal energy resulting from irreversible thermodynamic processes. It is installed in the immediate vicinity of a mechanical / electrical energy producing unit (any type of power plant, photovoltaic field, wind farm) and is intended to store part of the energy produced by it (when energy demand decreases), in order to distribute it when demand exceeds the production capacity at that moment. In this way, the generating unit can operate most of the time in an optimal operating mode, while also ensuring a flattening of the energy curve and an increase in system safety. Unlike a gravimetric and an electric battery, this type of battery also ensures thermal energy storage, being equipped with an additional heat pump / heat engine. Also, this type of module can be installed near any electrical energy consumer, SPM-HP-A (emergency), to provide it with safe operating resources in case of an emergency, as well as to manage this resource depending on the interplay between energy prices at different stages of demand. The program installed in the CD processor is provided with programs for protecting the distribution network, for its efficiency, for searching for the optimal regime. In supply regime, since the energy accumulated in the generation regime is conserved, after the temperature of the storage medium in the cold tank returns to the initial value, a quantity of heat remains in the storage medium in the hot tank (from the destroyed exergy) which can be delivered to a consumer, through a heat exchanger, if there is demand.

[0064] A more economical variant of the SPM-HP thermal energy distribution system, in cogeneration mode, uses the same heat pump Iz1 +Iz2, (if its isothermalizers are each mounted in smaller, thermally insulated tanks, after replacing the heat transfer fluid in this mini-tank with liquid from the destination tank), but the system is more flexible if an additional one is mounted (Iz3+lz4, Fig. 5). Being used only in the supply phase, the additional heat pump is smaller both in size and in power. For more complex installations, with many users, the installation can be equipped with any number of isothermalizers.

[0065] Another variant of this module, SPM-C (collector) similar to the state-of-the-art residential and commercial phase-change HVAC A2W (air to water) and \N2.\N (water to water) installations, can be realized by replacing the cold tank with a small Re tank, placed in a tank located in an environment with temperature Tm, connected in series with a HEC collector heat exchanger. As a rule, this type of exchanger is intended to capture / evacuate heat from / to the environment in which it is located. Therefore, its construction is very simple (similar to the evaporator in Fig.2): a flat box (or a set of identical, parallel boxes, coupled to each other with connecting pipes), of small thickness, airtight, with walls, preferably metallic, through which the heat transfer fluid circulates. Fins to increase the heat exchange surface can be mounted, both externally and internally. In the case of complex SPMs, where several heat transfer agents are used, including phase change refrigerants), their separation is done using a coil, mounted inside the box, between the inlet and outlet valves. In the case of placing the collector in a gaseous environment, heat transfer can be improved by directing a fluid flow over the exchanger walls. Depending on the nature of the captured source, the HEC is placed in a cold or hot basin or tank (through which an internal fluid flow circulates naturally or forcedly), buried in the ground, mounted on the walls of an enclosure, on the exterior walls of a building, or of an enclosure, on the roof of a building, on the back of a photovoltaic panel, etc. In charging mode, the HEC captures thermal energy from a residual source (residential or industrial), or from a renewable one (geothermal source, solar thermal panel, soil, groundwater / surface water, or even atmospheric air) and transports it, using the P pump, to the Re tank, and the heat pump transfers it to the hot tank. In supply mode, the two isothermalizers form an engine and provide, in cogeneration, mechanical energy to an electric generator and thermal energy, at a temperature lower than the temperature at that moment in the hot tank, to a user consumer, or to the ambient environment, at its temperature.

[0066] A simple variant of an SPM is the SPM-HP1 module, which uses a single isothermalizer, used successively, both as a densifier and as a rarefier. This requires a HP (high pressure) gas tank and a liquid tank, connected in an "open" system, as well as an insulated tank Rt for accumulating thermal energy. In this type of SPM, in the charging phase, the working gas (atmospheric air) goes through only the phases of adiabatic compression, up to the current temperature of the accumulator Rt, then that of isothermal compression at this temperature, followed by an adiabatic expansion to the ambient temperature (AIA cycle), being stored in the HP gas tank, initially filled with liquid at ambient temperature. The passage of the replaced liquid volume from the gas tank to the liquid tank is done by a hydraulic motor, with the recovery of the energy necessary for the transfer. The thermal energy extracted from the isothermalizer is stored in the thermal accumulator Rt, progressively, with a gradual increase in temperature, and the mechanical energy, in the constant pressure gas tank HP. In the distribution phase, the gas goes through all these stages in reverse, providing a quantity of mechanical energy slightly less than that consumed. The thermal energy can also be extracted before the discharge phase, preferably in cogeneration mode, with an additional heat pump.

[0067] Unlike the SPM-HP shown in Fig.5 (also suitable for phase change installations) in which the two heat pumps are completely separate circuits, Fig. 6 shows a complex SPM-HCP4 installation (trigeneration) suitable for residential and commercial HVAC systems, which captures, stores and supplies, with maximum efficiency, electrical energy and thermal energy (hot and cold). The heat is produced, mainly through cogeneration, and the cold is obtained by circulating a heat transfer agent from the tank in which the rarefier of a heat pump is located. The electrical energy for operation comes from the network, when its own reserve is exhausted, or when the price is convenient, but the system is also equipped with its own generation systems. The system is modular, the heat transfer fluid in the tanks of the secondary isothermalizers can be directed to circulate through any number of HEC heat exchangers, of any nature and located at any distance, in any environment. In this system, thanks to the set of valves controlled by the CD processor (commands represented in the figure by solid lines), any combination of two of the four isothermalizers (with approximately equal or different powers), each mounted in a different tank, can be achieved, simultaneously ensuring the necessary connections for coupling the external tank Rext with the external HEC elements, respectively the ambient tank Ramb with the ambient HEC. This allows the performance of two different functions at any time, chosen by the processor in such a way as to obtain maximum efficiency. In the drawing, both the sources / destination of mechanical energy (distribution network CT, photovoltaic panels PV, wind turbines W, electric batteries BE) and the location environment of the heat exchangers HEC were represented: the sources / wells of thermal energy (atmospheric air AH, a geothermal source GT, thermal / hybrid panels PVT, or concentrated solar power plants CST, domestic or industrial waste sources WH, district / urban distribution pipes, etc.) located outdoors, as well as the sources / sinks of thermal energy, located in enclosed spaces (inhabited spaces AH, domestic hot water tank DW, other heat consumer C, refrigerator / freezer / cold room R).

[0068] Fig. 7 shows the schematic diagram of a similar installation (only the coolant circuits), with similar functionalities, SPM-HCP2, but for which only two isothermalizers Iz1 and Iz2 are used, driven by linear motors driven by the CD processor (controls represented in the figure by broken lines), the Rh and Rc accumulation tanks, the tanks intended for the RHEC heat exchangers, and R1 , R2, R3,... for storing the coolant liquid. The CD processor, based on the information collected by the transducers in the system (temperatures, pressures, volumes, etc.) and that received from the outside (external and ambient temperatures, prescribed or teletransmitted commands, meteorological information received via the Internet, information from the energy market, etc.), establishes the most efficient function to be performed, establishes the next configuration of the system and the parameters at which it must operate (speed and length of the piston stroke, working pressure and temperature, flow rates and paths of the heat transfer agents, etc.), opens the appropriate solenoid valves and starts the pumps for the transfer of the appropriate heat transfer fluid from the RHEC circuit that will be stationed, in one of the storage tanks and the transfer of the new type of heat transfer fluid from the storage tank to the RHEC circuit corresponding to the new function to be performed, coordinates the operation of the component elements of the chosen configuration to obtain optimal efficiency, and after performing this stage of the program, stops the system and moves on to the next configuration.

[0069] This type of modules (Fig.6 and Fig.7) are ideal to create more complex SPM-HP2HP modules that capture, store and distribute both mechanical and thermal energy. In particular, they provide heat and cold, as well as hot water needs in isolated residences, as well as in industrial, commercial and multi-level residential buildings SPM-I (individual), as well as for groups of buildings, for housing districts, for small localities, or territorial units, SPM-D (district). The design of the SPM-I modules and the processor that coordinates them must be done in such a way that the isothermalizers with which they are provided benefit from a high utilization coefficient. Also, to make the system more efficient, these modules should be provided with several own electrical / mechanical energy generation installations, of different types and with a large and diversified number of heat collectors, in order to increase the utilization coefficient of all equipment. The capture elements must make maximum use of the specific conditions of the location. For example, photovoltaic panels can be installed on any available facility: on the roof of the main and auxiliary buildings, but also on the walls with a favorable orientation. All elements of a building that, during the day, are sufficiently exposed to the sun can be used. It is advisable to use other methods of generating mechanical power, such as vertical axis wind turbines, or those with folding blades. SPMs can also be mounted off-shore, on anchored or floating platforms, also equipped with facilities for capturing wave energy and ocean currents.

[0070] Likewise, the capture of thermal energy must be done by any efficient means. From this point of view, high yields are obtained by using CSP concentrating solar systems and solar thermal panels. It is also recommended to use hybrid PV panels, which can supply heat pumps with thermal energy captured from the ambient environment, even during periods of low insolation. A significant increase in the power supplied by each panel is obtained by cooling each module with a heat transfer fluid coming from the flow pipe (8.17, Fig8B) and collected through the return pipe 8.18, a process used in the state of the art. Moreover, by appropriately designing the liquid cavity, the cooling of the solar panels (8.16, Fig8B) can be done on all sides of the panel. The cooling of the upper face is done by directing a cold gas stream between this surface (8.13, Fig8B) and the transparent protection plate 8.14, after this gas has been cooled in a tube that crosses the cold coolant fluid 8.15, from the previous solar panel. Such a tube is mounted in each solar panel, is crossed by the gas coming from the previous panel and is cooled again in the next panel. In this way, two closed circuits are formed, the air in each circuit being set in motion by means of a blower.

[0071] The coolant is maintained at ambient temperature by the system heat pump. In this way, the costly thermal insulation of the PT panels is avoided. An additional increase in the electrical power supplied by each panel is obtained by additional cooling of the coolant circuit, below ambient temperature, using the same heat pump, whose densifier transfers the heat captured from the cooling system, to the hot accumulator, or a heat engine driven by this heat, using the cold accumulator as a heat sink. In this case, a passive insulation of the panels is recommended (Fig8C), a process by which part of the exergy destroyed by the finite difference heat transfer between the environment and the coolant is recovered and used usefully.

[0072] In addition to the effect of increasing the efficiency of the photovoltaic panel, this system can extract from the incident energy, all the fraction not transformed into electrical energy, plus an additional quantity extracted directly from the environment, a quantity that becomes predominant during periods without insolation when the solar panel becomes an air-water HEC. This type of multifunctional panels is recommended to be installed in all solar systems, and the captured energy, both electrical and thermal, to be thermally stored, especially in solar panel fields (placed on the ground or floating), advantageously replacing electric batteries and the disadvantages brought by them. Air / water and water / water HEC (in the case of floating panels) will provide additional energy during periods without insolation and can contribute to the advantageous use of temperature variations in the environment. In addition, the heat transfer fluid can be used to extinguish fires from the incipient phase, a fairly frequent event in the case of DC variants. Particularly efficient SPM- HP2HP systems are obtained by adding wind turbines, which receive energy mainly during periods of low sunlight and which will use the same storage batteries, and the panel cooling system, as a cold source.

[0073] Fig8A shows a way to increase the efficiency of PV systems by introducing mirrors 8.22, mounted in such a way as to capture the solar rays 8.20, incident on the surfaces adjacent to a PV module and reflect them 8.21 towards it. In this way, with the same PV module, the incident rays can be captured on much larger surfaces. Closing the cavity formed with a transparent plate and cooling the cavity further increase the efficiency of the system.

[0074] The system being modular, a sufficiently large number of air / liquid collectors will be mounted and connected to the SPM. These will be airtight boxes, preferably metal, with the largest possible lateral surface and smallest thickness, mounted on any suitable support. HEC mounted on walls and roofs, through the amount of water stored, can contribute substantially to eliminating fires in the early stages. Where the internal electrical installations of the building are executed with electrical conductors laid in tubes (apparently or buried), if connecting tubes and separation solenoid valves are mounted between these tubes and the HEC panels, a series of thermal or smoke detectors, installed in well-chosen locations, can trigger the opening of these solenoid valves, allowing access of the heat transfer fluid to overheated electrical components, or other hot areas, still in the phase of a fire starting.

[0075] Where geothermal sources exist, appropriate capture installations will be implemented. Soil / water or water / water capture installations (mounted in the groundwater, in the water of a river or lake, or connected to a water pipe provided for this purpose) should not be missing, since a large part of the time, between the atmospheric air and the soil at a certain depth, there is a favorable temperature difference. For soil / water capture installations, the invention proposes the coupling to the RHEC tank, using connecting pipes, of a chain of boxes (preferably metallic, but materials with lower thermal conductivity but at a convenient price can also be used: plastics, polyethylene, ceramics, clay, resins, nanomaterials, etc. if the soil structure allows this) with a large surface area and small thickness, mounted vertically, at depths greater than the freezing depth, in a bed of charcoal, bentonite, or other hygroscopic substance. The connecting pipes are connected to the capture plates in their upper part, both at suction and discharge. In this way, the circulation pump will recirculate only the warmer liquid located at the upper part of the plate. It is recommended that holes be made in the buried connecting pipe through which the soil humidity in the immediate vicinity of the collectors can be controlled (for example, by overpressure pulses). The control processor will select the most suitable time intervals for their operation and will select the most suitable HEC for these intervals, the time intervals for the thermal energy capture regime, as well as for its supply.

[0076] As in the case of solar panels, all accessible surfaces (8.4 in Fig. 9A) of a building (except glazed surfaces) can be covered with capture panels (8.7 in Fig. 9A), between the faces of which there is a layer of heat transfer fluid. On the roof and on the walls facing the sun, these panels can be thermal solar panels, or hybrid. These panels are grouped and connected to each other by connecting pipes 8.8, the entire group being coupled to the tank of an isothermalizer Iz1 (according to Fig. 7), which can be mounted inside the building, or outside it (in the figure, all the components of the Carnot Battery are mounted in the cabinet 8.1 inside). As with panels mounted in the ground, the connection of the plates is made by connecting pipes coupled to the upper part of the plates. The role of the panels is to capture / evacuate thermal energy from / into the atmospheric air. Due to the large surface area of the panels, which are in contact with the air, heat transfer to / from the internal heat transfer fluid can be done by natural convection, or forced, with the help of low-power fans. In turn, the isothermalizer Iz1 is coupled, through adiabatic compression and expansion devices, or through heat exchangers, with another isothermalizer Iz2 whose tank is coupled to one of the two accumulators of the SPM (8.1 , Fig.9A). When this system operates in reversed cycle, it becomes an air / water heat pump, which charges the hot accumulator with thermal energy, and in direct cycle it is a heat engine whose cold source can be the atmosphere. Also, the second isothermalizer can be placed in a room, which it cools or heats, depending on the direction of the working agent, by convection, through the walls of the tank in which it is located and through a circuit of fan-coil units 8.11 ).

[0077] The invention proposes, for existing buildings, an innovative air conditioning system, by installing a radiant panel inside the air-conditioned room, mounted at a short distance from the inner surface of the outer wall, on the entire surface of the wall, except for the glazed surfaces. In the space behind the panel, the plates of the HEC capture elements are mounted, coupled to each other and to the SPM, through the 8.8 pipes. In the heating mode, the temperature of the plates (and implicitly of the separation panel, will be a few degrees higher than the prescribed temperature, so that the panel will heat the room, both by convection and by radiation, covering the heat losses through the glazed surfaces, through leaks, as well as those due to the introduction of fresh air. The thermal energy necessary for heating is provided by the SPM, in heat pump mode, or in heat engine mode (cogeneration). In the warm season, the temperature of the radiant plate will be lower than that in the room, consequently the direction of the heat flows will be reversed.

[0078] In new buildings (or, after substantial structural and aesthetic modifications, in old ones), these panels can be integrated into a net-zero air conditioning system of the building. For this, active thermal insulation panels 8.5 are installed between the external walls 8.4 and the capture panels 8.7. When the temperature difference between the inside of the building and the outside environment is positive (when the room has an internal heating system), between the external protection plate 8.6 that masks the panels and the pipes, air captured from the atmosphere is introduced, with the help of a fan (or a compressor that creates an overpressure) with variable flow. This air enters through the micro perforations of the insulation casing inside it and is directed towards the opposite face of the casing, on a winding path, imposed by a multitude of plates parallel to the external wall, or directly, through micro perforations made in these plates. The active thermal insulation boards are mounted on supports fixed in / on the outer wall, or on support pillars mounted in a buried foundation, at some distance from the outer wall. In this way, the entire building receives a “shell” containing capture panels, mounted on an active thermal insulation. In the cold season, the cold air introduced into the outer layer arrives warm in the layer between the insulation and the outer wall. From here, the hot air is directed to a heat recovery circuit, from which it emerges cooled, at the temperature of the external environment and is reintroduced into the first layer. In front of the glazed surfaces, part of the heattransferring air flow can be diverted between the glass sheets. The flow rate and speed at which the gas circulates through this circuit is regulated by the control processor in such a way that the recovered energy is maximum and the temperature difference between the two sides of the wall is minimum. In the hot season, the direction of gas circulation through the active insulation is reversed, being introduced, with overpressure, between the wall and the active insulation, at a temperature close to the temperature inside the building (at the temperature of the conditioned air, lower than the temperature of the outside air). Crossing the active insulation, the air heats up to the temperature of the outside environment and is introduced into the energy recovery system: isobaric heating-adiabatic cooling-isothermal compression. In both cases, the air in the last layer has a temperature close to that inside and can be introduced into the room directly, and the heat recovery path will be covered by the stale air extracted from the room. The fresh air introduced is sterilized in a pathogen calciner (by compression to the temperature of destruction of harmful microorganisms and return to atmospheric pressure. If calcination is done at a temperature close to that of the liquid in an SPM tank, after leaving the adiabatic compressor the air is cooled / heated in this accumulator, and its temperature, after expansion to room pressure, will be lower / higher than that in the room, and can be introduced into the room with the help of a blower, contributing to the air treatment process. Fig.9B shows a schematic diagram of how the thermal agent in the fan coil systemHC takes heat from the SPM-I, and the air in the room is taken over by the calcination sterilization system (adiabatic compressor C and expander E) and directed to the surface of the heating / cooling bodies.

[0079] We note that all the systems described are, more or less, modular. They can be expanded and modified according to needs. New energy capture elements can be added, or existing ones can be increased, functional parameters can be modified to achieve new functionalities and new consumers can be added. For example, one or both thermal accumulators can be compartmentalized, by insulated walls, so as to create zones with different temperatures, which allows optimizing the exergy consumption according to the parameters of a new consumer. In this way, substances with different thermochemical properties, with different isothermal storage temperatures, can be placed in each of the compartments. The storage and use capacity can be diversified by adding an additional cold accumulator, with a configuration similar to the initial one, with the difference that the mini tanks for storing the auxiliary agent are evacuated. At the beginning of the charging operation of the captured mechanical energy, one of the isothermalizers in the system is started, or one specially provided for the new function, which introduces a gaseous agent into these mini tanks, for example atmospheric air, or the oxygen and hydrogen resulting from an electrolysis operation, raising the gas pressure to an optimal value. The charging of the installation continues by starting the main heat pump (Carnot battery). The heat transfer fluid used to uniform the temperature is also directed to the additional accumulator, lowering the temperature of the encapsulated tanks and their contents. The gas in these capsules is cooled to a constant volume, and if its temperature drops below the critical point, the gas will pass from the superfluid state directly into the liquid phase, after which its temperature drops further. In the battery discharge phase, the gases in these chambers are returned, on the same T-s curve traveled in reverse, to ambient temperature (or to the temperature required to achieve a new functionality), after which the air is expanded isothermally, and the oxygen and hydrogen are directed to fuel cells, or to a combustion chamber, to produce high temperatures, without carbon oxides and NOx emissions.

[0080] All the capture elements and the tanks (both those of the isothermalizers and the storage tanks) are provided with filling valves V1 and emptying valves V2, and with pipes that ensure the functional interconnections. Each tank located in the outdoor environment can exchange, through its walls, a certain amount of heat with the environment in which it is located. This amount is supplemented if it is coupled with a water-air heat exchanger (to increase the capacity to extract / dissipate heat from / to the outdoor environment), with a water-soil heat exchanger (to extract / remove additional heat from the soil, groundwater or geothermal water), or with a solar thermal panel to use the heat captured by it). For additional sources, coils can be mounted inside the tank through which a heat transfer agent circulates, resulting in a heat exchanger, so that the additional source is added to the existing one. Indoor (ambient) tanks also exchange heat with their ambient environment, through the walls, but at the same time, they can distribute the thermal agent to fan coils, to thermal panels, to wall or floor heating systems, to a domestic hot water boiler, to minisplits (made with isothermalizers) that transfer heat (positive or negative) to air flows. Thermal accumulator tanks can also receive hot or cold agent from the outside, but if the temperature difference between the two liquids exceeds a certain limit, it is preferable for the heat transfer to be done through one of the heat pumps / heat engines, making maximum use of the available exergy.

[0081] For the supply of energy, especially thermal, to groups of buildings, for residential neighborhoods, for small localities, or territorial units, appropriately sized SPM-D (district) can be installed. These will have heat pumps and larger accumulators, aboveground or buried. Seasonal storage in tanks similar to those used in the state of the art can also be considered. Where they exist, disused thermal stations and the associated pipes will be adapted. Solar panels, wind turbines, soil / water, air / water and water / water HEC will be installed near them.

[0082] A safe, balanced and efficient national distribution network is easily achieved by installing and interconnecting SPM-Ac and SPM-HP modules near each unit that produces large amounts of electricity by classical methods (power plants), or by capturing renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal farms, etc.) and residual energy, regardless of its installed power and storage capacity. These units supply electricity to large industrial and district consumers through energy capture and production modules, as well as with SPM-HP and SPM-HP2HP energy utilization facilities.

[0083] An SPM-H system is additionally equipped with an electrolyzer, which uses the available electrical energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, to liquefy these gases and store them for a long time. When a surplus of energy is needed, the gas stock is used to drive internal combustion engines, which drive synchronous generators and produce current, which is fed into the electrical grid.

[0084] The hydrogen combustion engine in Fig.10 is a closed-circuit heat engine, using hydrogen as fuel, pure oxygen as oxidizer and a neutral gas (an inert gas, for example argon, oxygen, or water vapor) as working gas. The only residue released by such an engine are a few drops of water, which are easily collected. Compared to the hydrogen heat engines of the state of the art, this one replaces the nitrogen contained in the air used for combustion, with a neutral gas that generates neither carbon oxides nor nitrogen oxides, being totally non-polluting. In addition, this engine works in a closed circuit, which replaces the open circuit of the state of the art engine, an engine that ejects hot gases into the atmosphere, at a temperature and pressure higher than that of the environment, destroying a large part of the available exergy.

[0085] In this type of engine, hydrogen and oxygen can be stored at ambient temperature in high- pressure containers, their introduction into the engine circuit at this pressure, resulting in the recovery of a significant part of the compression energy. An even greater amount of energy can be stored in the fuel and oxidizer tanks, if they are stored in liquefied form, or gases at a pressure close to the critical point. The minimum amount of energy required to introduce them into the tank in this state results from their isothermal compression at a temperature Tiz as low as possible and their cooling at constant pressure, or at constant volume, with the help of high-performance heat pumps. In the engine, by running the cycle in reverse, extracting the necessary thermal energy from atmospheric air, or from the thermal agent used during operation to cool the various components, most of this energy is recovered. In addition, the vehicle's autonomy increases and fuel consumption decreases.

[0086] The ideal engine is the Carnot engine, in which the hydrogen combustion process takes place at a constant temperature, as high as possible, in a closed enclosure, with a controlled reduction in the pressure of the working gas. Since the technical characteristics of the materials used in the state of the art to make the necessary components (housing, piston, sealing devices, etc.) do not allow this operating cycle to be achieved, we will use a configuration with a combustion chamber with constant pressure. In prior art engines, a very high percentage (about 60%) of the thermal energy supplied in the form of fuel is lost, mostly through thermal dissipation. Therefore, we will pay special attention to the thermal insulation of the system components, both the liquefied fuel tanks and the hot engine components.

[0087] The main part of the engine in Fig.10 is the combustion chamber CC (the combustor). This can be any variant of prior art combustors, which are suitable for using hydrogen as fuel and for the presence of a working gas, with flow, pressure and temperature that can be modified according to needs. With respect to this choice, the invention proposes a series of modifications, with the aim of improving the exergy efficiency of the engine. To reduce heat losses between the combustor and the ambient environment, the combustor housing is thermally insulated, by a passive method, from the state of the art (for example, Dewar flask), or by the active method, described previously, a method by which the heat flow to the outside is not only slowed down, but also partially recovered and transformed into useful mechanical energy. This involves making the housing from refractory materials and maintaining it at a relatively constant temperature during operation (it also becomes a thermal energy storage medium). Another process for reducing exergy losses is to create a thermal sponge inside the combustor and a controlled distribution of the thermal energy stored in the housing walls and in the internal thermal sponge. This controlled distribution is possible through a multiple, spatially distributed fuel injection system and by regulating the flow rate of the introduced working gas.

[0088] In this way, the working gas, which exits the turbine T (Fig.10) at a temperature close to that of the environment, passes through a separator S, made as a condenser with vertical plates cooled by washing with condensate, where part of the vapors resulting from combustion are separated. After drying in the separator, the working gas is isothermally compressed in the densifier D, located in the liquid in the separator. In conditions where the temperature in the combustor cannot be increased above a certain limit, this precompression is necessary to increase the power density. After exiting the densifier, part of the working gas is taken up by the compressor C2 and introduced into the gas layer from the outside of the active insulation, and after reaching the inner layer of the insulation (after taking up part of the heat of the porous layer) it is introduced into the combustor (after recompression), or into a recovery plant and back into the main pipeline. The remaining gas is mixed with gaseous oxygen from the liquid oxygen tank, after it is subjected to evaporation by the heat input brought by the helium heat engine (composed of the isothermalizers Do and Ro, to which are added the compressor C and the adiabatic expander E, or the heat exchanger (HE), if the circuit is of the Ericsson or Stirling type) and heated to ambient temperature, using a heat exchanger located in the water tank R (which communicates with the separator S). After mixing with oxygen, the gas is taken up by the compressor C1 and introduced into the combustor at a temperature higher than the hydrogen autoignition temperature, in order to avoid the use of controlled ignition systems.

[0089] The liquid hydrogen is evaporated using the heat engine formed by the isothermalizers Dh and Rh, heated with water from the tank R, compressed to a pressure higher than that in the combustor and injected into the CC at several points. The purpose of multiple injection is to achieve a distribution of the thermal energy absorbed by the sponge and an increasing distribution of the temperature of the sponge elements, so as to reduce, as much as possible, the temperature differences between the gas and the sponge elements with which it comes into direct contact. Another method of achieving this temperature distribution, which requires longer combustor lengths, is to distribute over the cross-sectional area of a system of combustion pipes in which part of the oxidizer mixture and hydrogen are introduced, which takes over this role of combustion entirely, the rest of the mixture taking heat from the external surfaces of these pipes.

[0090] In Fig.11 is presented the principle diagram of a heat engine that operates according to an Ericsson cycle, with phase change, the working gas being water vapor. The hot source of the engine consists of two energy storage tanks, in which there is a thermal sponge made of stacked metal capsules, inside which there are phase change storage materials. The transfer of thermal energy is done with the help of two heat transfer fluids, stored in tanks R1 and R2, each of which can be used in a different temperature range, so that, together, they ensure a range between the maximum admissible temperature in the storage tank and the temperature of the critical point of water. The circuit traveled by the heat transfer fluid includes the fluid tank, the storage tank and a working tank in which the rarefaction R is mounted together with a recirculation pump, which circulates the liquid from this tank through the rarefaction chamber. There is a tipping temperature, at which both fluids are perfectly usable, temperature at which the low-temperature heat transfer fluid is collected from the installation and accumulated in the tank R1 , and the high -temperature fluid is collected in the tank R2, to be exchanged. In this way, the engine operates until the temperature in the storage tank reaches the critical point temperature of the water. To operate at temperatures lower than this, the engine must also be equipped with an evaporator, mounted in the circuit, between the heat exchanger and the rarefaction. The engine's operating mode is that of figure 2..

[0091] SPM is an extremely versatile installation, it can be adapted to be used in the most diverse situations. SPM-M is designed to capture the energy of the seas and oceans.

[0092] Fig.12A shows an installation intended to transform the mechanical energy of the movement of sea waves into the energy of the oscillation of a volume of water and then into electrical energy. In the state of the art, the principle of oscillating columns is used in some locations with a particular intensity of the waves, using bulky constructions and Wells turbines (with air). The device proposed here, achievable with much lower costs, harnesses the energy of waves of any intensity, and if they are mounted in coastal regions, contributes to protecting the coastline. The device is a cylindrical (or parallelepiped) tank 16.9, submerged below sea level (so that it is permanently covered by water), provided with a piston 16.12. The tank 16.9 has a construction similar to that of a compressor, open at both ends and provided with a piston equipped with sealing gaskets, which slide tightly along the tank. In the variant in the figure, we have chosen a solution without seals, the sealing being ensured by two elastic bellows. The active length of the tank (delimited by the stops mounted at the two ends, stops that allow the almost complete compression of the two bellows) is equal to half the length of a wave (the distance between the peak and the depth of the wave). If the waves in the area where the device is mounted do not have the same length all the time, the cylinder is executed with the maximum length corresponding to the evolution for a period of time, and when the wave length decreases, the angle made by the cylinder with the direction of the wave is modified in such a way that the distance between the extreme positions of the piston satisfies the imposed condition (of maximum efficiency for this distance between the waves). The section of the device in the figure is rectangular, the same as that of the piston, the lateral sides of the piston being smaller than those of the housing, its movement being determined by a system of rollers 16.26 that run simultaneously on the walls of the cylinder. In this way, the introduction of a lubrication system, polluting and difficult to maintain in the respective environmental conditions, is avoided. In this way, two open chambers at opposite ends, with variable length, are formed, the sealing between them being achieved by two bellows-type sleeves 16.13, made of rubber or other elastic material, one end of which is fixed on one face of the piston, on its periphery, and the other at one of the ends of the cylinder, on an internal metal collar. In this way, a single sealed space is formed between the walls and the bellows, the volume of which remains almost constant during the movement of the piston. When this volume exhibits large variations, it is connected, through a pipe, to the atmospheric space.

[0093] The energetic coupling between the piston and the outside can be done by means of the piston rod, one end of which is fixed to the piston, the other being coupled to a mechanical device (for example, by means of a connecting rod, to a crankshaft, which transmits the movement of a flywheel). At the end through which the rod leaves the tank enclosure, a support 16.27 is mounted that supports a ring 16.28 through which the rod slides. The energetic coupling can also be done electrically, from one of the running wheels. In the variant whose configuration is shown in the figure, the piston is made of two flat plates, parallel to each other, positioned at a certain distance. In the space between the plates, pockets are created in which the rollers are mounted. The axle of the wheels, rigid with these, rotates in two bearings mounted in the two plates. The shaft of the motor wheel 16.30 passes through the wall into the inner space 16.29 of the piston and transmits the movement to an electric generator, and then, through flexible elastic conductors, to the outside. As we will show, special attention must be paid to the permanent adjustment of the motor speed.

[0094] The system works by exploiting the difference between the pressures (equal to the sea water pressure at the respective depth) in the two extreme positions of the piston. When this difference is zero (the peak or bottom of the wave is positioned above the median of the cylinder), the piston is positioned at one end of the tank. With the movement of the wave, a pressure difference appears between the faces of the piston, which leads to its movement towards the opposite end. The force acting on the piston increases as the wave moves and is maximum when the peak of the wave is located above one of the ends, and the bottom of the wave at the opposite end, the pushing force and the speed of the piston (when operating in empty) being maximum. It is recommended that this moment occurs when the piston is in the median position. Then the force and speed gradually decrease, reaching zero when the two pressures become equal, a moment that can be made (by adjusting the load) to occur when the piston reaches the opposite end, after which the direction of the force is reversed and the piston is pushed in the opposite direction. Maximum efficiency is obtained when the magnitude of the load is adjusted so that the piston stroke reaches its maximum value. The device described is mounted in seawater, at a depth large enough to be completely covered by the bottom of the wave, but small enough to receive the amplitude of pressure variations, on a support high enough on the bottom of the water, or is attached to a floating system. High efficiencies are obtained if the support is provided with the possibility of adjusting the mounting depth and the position in the horizontal plane.

[0095] The disadvantage of this configuration is given by the fact that its tank contains water during the entire operation. This disadvantage can be overcome by making the configuration in Fig.12B, which is made with two pistons, spaced by a length L / 4 between them (where L is the wave length). The space between the pistons, equal to a multiple of L / 2) is filled with air, which increases the buoyancy of the system. Also, the figure shows another variant of transmitting the captured energy: the movement of the pistons (and of the coupling rod between them) is transformed into the movement of the permanent magnet system (or coiled windings) 16.31 through the interior of the winding 16.32, which constitutes the inductor of a linear electric generator.

[0096] Another possibility of transmitting the captured energy is shown in Fig.12D. The system shown is composed of a tank containing a vacuum space between the piston and a sealed wall located at the opposite end, with the possibility of adding an additional vacuum tank, however large, located below the working tank, coupled to the main tank by a connecting pipe. The piston rod passes through the end wall through a sealed hole with gaskets and enters a tank with hydraulic fluid under pressure. The oil pressure is chosen in such a way as to balance the pressure exerted by the piston when it is at the outer edge of the tank, and on its outer face the pressure of the water at sea level without waves is exerted. The movement of the waves determines the movement of the piston and the exercise of pressure on the oil column in the pipe, causing the rotation of the hydraulic motor 16.41 at the end of the oil pipe. The discharged oil is taken up by an identical installation, in mirror image, but with the piston placed at the end facing the hydraulic motor, on the outer face of which a lower pressure is exerted. The movement of the two pistons continues until, after passing through the maximum and minimum pressure points, they reach again pressures equal to the average pressure, and the pistons reach each other at the opposite end of the tank. The 16.44 funnel is intended to capture a larger part of the pressure exerted by the top of the wave.

[0097] In the configuration of Fig.15, blades with a larger surface area are used (E13, E14, E15, in Fig.15), the vertical axis of the blade being fixed at both ends in bearings E16, which allow its rotation by 90°, under the action of a device E18, positioned accordingly. In turn, the two bearings are fixed on two chains with links E17 (or on flexible traction cables), similar to bicycle chains, which slide in horizontal planes and each drive a gear wheel, the wheels having the same vertical axis. Each blade corresponds to a pair, similar in terms of construction and dimensions, located at a certain distance, whose gear wheels constitute each other, the turning point of the chain in the respective horizontal plane. For complex systems, intermediate blades can be mounted along the chain.

[0098] To ensure adequate power, the system is composed of several such assemblies, mounted so that all the chains slide in the same horizontal direction. The vertical axes of the gear wheels are mounted on two parallel horizontal plates, appropriately spaced and fixed to rigid supports. The lower plate is provided with the possibility of rotating in a horizontal plane, so that the entire system can be oriented according to the wind direction. More than that, parallel overlapping systems can be made, so that the surfaces from which wind energy is extracted (especially if the turbines are preceded by collection funnels) are as large as possible. The E18 tilting systems of the blades are positioned opposite each gear wheel, so that when the blade (positioned perpendicular to the wind direction) passes through the respective position, the blade tilts by 90°, so that in the direction of return, the blade moves parallel to the wind direction, without opposing resistance.

[0099] Such systems can be effectively combined with flat wave energy harvesting systems, similar to the one described in Fig. 13. Fig. 16 shows an example

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 02 February 2026 (02.02.2026)Claims1. System for the capture, storage and distribution of thermal energy (hot and cold), electrical and mechanical, hereinafter referred to as SPM (smart power module, Fig.4) composed of:- two main tanks (Rc, respectively Rh, Fig.3 and Fig.4), thermally insulated, each containing a non- deformable thermal sponge (a combination of thermal energy storage media), the average temperatures of each sponge (Tc, respectively Th) being maintained uniform throughout the tank and equal to the temperature of the tank walls, with the help of a liquid agent circulated by means of a hydraulic pump- a variable number of secondary tanks (R1 , R2, R3 in Fig.7), similar to the main ones, of different sizes, with different storage temperatures and with different heat transfer fluids, for the temporary storage of heat transfer fluids- a variable number of capture tanks (Rext in Fig.5 and Fig.6, Ramb in Fig.6, RHEC in Fig.7), similar in construction to the secondary tanks, but non-insulated, located in environments with different temperatures- a reversible HE / HP heat engine, operating with gases / vapours (Fig.4 / Fig2), in a closed circuit, of the Carnot type, or equivalent (Stirling / Ericsson), the isothermal portion of the circuit being carried out in the main tanks, by a rarefier and a gas densifier, respectively by an evaporator+ vapour rarefier (at temperatures above the critical temperature, the evaporator is no longer necessary) and a condenser, both the isothermal temperatures Tiz and the temperature differences AT between the working gas / vapour and the thermal sponge being rigorously controlled by a control processor- a variable number of reversible heat engines (Iz3+lz4, Fig.6), for the simultaneous realization of several operating modes- heat exchangers for the transfer of thermal energy between various components of the system- a system of pipes and valves (V1 , V2 in Fig.7) that allow selective connections between the system tanks for the transfer of the heat transfer fluid between the tanks, which allows the realization of different operating modes with the same HE / HP- electrical equipment for supplying the heat pumps in the system with electricity from the network and / or from other sources (Fig.6)- an electric generator (G in Fig.5) for coupling to an electrical network, for the local supply of electricity consumers, or for charging a battery system- an intelligent DC system (Fig.7), for the on-line and off-line collection of data from within the system and from outside it, for the calculation and imposition of isothermal temperatures and temperature differences between the working agent and the enclosure through commands transmitted to the mobile elements and switching elements, for selecting and configuring the following operating modes:- loading of mechanical energy supplied by the electrical distribution network and / or other sources of mechanical energy (in the form of thermal energy) into Rc and Rh, using the main heat pump- loading of thermal energy TE, when SPM takes directly, or through a heat exchanger, thermal energy from an external source and transfers it, together with the energy consumed by the heat pump, to Rh, or to a secondary tank- supply of electrical energy, when the main engine takes thermal energy from the main tanks and transfers it, through the electric generator, to the electrical distribution network or to other consumers, which leads to the reduction of the temperature difference between Rc and Rh- supply of heat to a consumer using a heat pump installed between a storage tank and a RHEC, located in the consumer's environment- supply of heat, in cogeneration mode, to a consumer using a thermal engine installed between a storage tank and a RHEC, located in the consumer's environment- supply of cold to a consumer using a heat pump installed between a RHEC tank located in the consumer's environment and a storage tank, which takes both the energy extracted from the environment and the energy consumed by the HP- cold supply to a consumer using a heat engine located between a RHEC tank located in the consumer's environment and a storage tank with a lower temperature characterized by the fact that the intelligent DC system, through the commands transmitted to the switching devices and to the execution bodies dictates the speed of the isothermal transformations in the system, in such a way that the temperatures at which the processes take place and the temperature differences between the working agent and its environment, permanently ensure, for each cycle, the optimal power (Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency).

2. SPM system according to claim 1 , characterized in that one of the main tanks is located in the ambient environment, having the temperature Tamb, the same as the average temperature of the thermal sponge and its (uninsulated) walls3. SPM system according to claim 1 , intended for powering mobile means of transport, characterized in that the main batteries are made of separate modules, which after discharge, can be replaced, or recharged, in charging stations4. SPM system according to claim 1 , located in the vicinity of large electricity producers, characterized in that one of its heat engines produces energy from residual heat, using a RHEC cooler than the external environment, and in that its DC processor, based on information received from the central dispatcher, can perform the transition from charging mode to supply mode, so as to contribute to increasing safety and flattening load curves5. SPM system according to claim 1 , used in trigeneration mode, for servicing the utilities of individual, social, commercial buildings, characterized in that it is served by local resources offered by hybrid systems for capturing solar and wind energy, as well as by elements for capturing thermal energy from the air, soil, groundwater, running water, etc., its control processor optimizing these resources according to variations in climatic conditions and variations in the price of electricity6. SPM system according to claim 1 , for increasing the energy efficiency of photovoltaic panel systems of any size, characterized in that the decision to supply the energy produced to the grid, or to store it in the Rh tank, belongs to the DC processor, and part of the stored energy is used by a heat pump to cool the solar cells and to capture thermal energy from the atmospheric air and / or the soil, to store it in the Rh tank[0001][0002]Statement under Article 19(1 )[0003]For the most part, the observations made by the examiner in the Written Opinion are well-founded and have been taken into account in drafting the amended claims under Art.

19. The divergence of opinions appears on a single subject, the most important: the novelty and inventive step of the application, the examiner considering that, compared to the cited document D1 : application PCT / R02023 / 050009, no new elements have been brought and cites some fragments of the application, referring to the component elements of the system, identical to the proposed main claim. Here too, the examiner is not mistaken, the elements referred to are indeed part of both systems, but in the formulation of the main claim, these elements are not claimed as new. What is claimed to be new is the fact that the isothermalizers provided are “controlled by the PC in such a way that the isothermal temperature at which the processes are carried out is optimal in each cycle”. Perhaps the wording is not explicit enough, therefore, in this set of claims, it has been reformulated, specifying that optimal is equivalent to: ensures “permanently, for each cycle, the optimal power (Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency)”.[0004]This formulation also appears throughout the description (lines 80-87, 215-227), different from the formulations in D1 (lines 3945-3950, 4035-4040) and suggests the need for a more accentuated involvement of artificial intelligence, with substantial benefits. Because this trend seems extremely current to me, I want to make a few more clarifications:[0005]- all thermotechnicians know that isothermal transformations of gases are the most advantageous transformations, but in the state of the art there are too few devices that come close enough to the realization of these systems. Theoretically, it has been demonstrated that the full realization of this desire requires the contribution of a processor, a desire that is quite easy to achieve, but there are quite few engineers who accept this idea and try to achieve it. One solution is the one proposed in document D1 , which refers strictly to the isothermalizer.[0006]- heat engines and heat pumps with higher performance (Carnot cycle) involve the use of two isothermalizers, each with its own processor (or, a single one to manage both processes). To solve the two problems in a correlated manner (obtaining, at an acceptable value of a desired efficiency, the maximum power of these types of devices) a more efficient processor is required, which can be made even more efficient, by assigning it to solve other problems: time programming (switching operating modes) depending on the weather forecast, the evolution of the energy market, the relationship with neighboring energy circuits, etc.

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