559 results about "Thermodynamic cycle" patented technology

A method and apparatus for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy which can use a wide range of fuels and perform with a high efficiency. Operating on a little utilized thermodynamic cycle of isentropic compression, isothermal expansion, isentropic expansion and finally constant pressure cooling and contraction. The external heat engine utilizes a heat exchanger carrying heat from the external energy source to the working parts of the engine. Pistons and cylinders are activated by appropriate means to adiabatically compress the working fluid, for example ambient air, to transfer the entire mass of the air through the heat exchanger to accomplish isothermal expansion followed by adiabatic expansion and, finally, exhaust the air to ambient to allow for constant pressure cooling and contraction. Valve pistons in conjunction with the cylinders form valves that allow for the exchange of working fluid with ambient. Energy is added to the engine during isothermal expansion, whereby the energy of compression is added by a flywheel or other appropriate energy storage means, said flywheel stores energy recovered during adiabatic expansion. The thermodynamic cycle described and the engine embodiments disclosed, when run in reverse, perform as a heat pump or refrigeration device.

The part load method controls delivery of diluent fluid, fuel fluid, and oxidant fluid in thermodynamic cycles using diluent, to increase the Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) and thermal efficiency in part load operation above that obtained by relevant art part load operation of Brayton cycles, fogged Brayton cycles, or cycles operating with some steam delivery, or with maximum steam delivery. The part load method may control the TIT at the design level by controlling one or both of liquid and/or gaseous fluid water over a range from full load to less than 45% load. This extends operation to lower operating loads while providing higher efficiencies and lower operating costs using water, steam and/or CO2 as diluents, than in simple cycle operation.

Power plant systems and processes are described that enable recovery of at least a portion of the fuel storage energy associated with a storage system for supplying fuel to the power plant systems. A first embodiment of an energy-recovery power plant system includes at least one fuel storage container and at least one expander that can receive fuel from the fuel storage container at a first pressure and provide the fuel to the power plant at a second pressure that is lower than the first pressure. A second embodiment of an energy-recovery power plant system includes a first conduit fluidly coupling the fuel storage container and the power plant for delivering fuel from the fuel storage container to the power plant and at least one regenerative thermodynamic cycle engine thermally coupled to the first conduit such that heat may be exchanged between the fuel and a working fluid for the regenerative thermodynamic cycle engine.

Waste heat energy conversion cycles, systems and devices use multiple waste heat exchangers arranged in series in a waste heat stream, and multiple thermodynamic cycles run in parallel with the waste heat exchangers in order to maximize thermal energy extraction from the waste heat stream by a working fluid. The parallel cycles operate in different temperature ranges with a lower temperature work output used to drive a working fluid pump. A working fluid mass management system is integrated into or connected to the cycles.

The present invention generally relates to hybrid power systems for vehicles. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to hybrid power systems for various types of transportation vehicles where the hybrid power systems is partially, or even totally, based on the use of at least one hydraulic system to provide supplemental, or even the primary, motion power for a hybrid vehicle. In another embodiment, the hybrid power systems of the present invention are capable of providing both motion power as well as cabin comfort heating and/or cooling. In still another embodiment, a hybrid vehicle according to the present invention comprises a power generating system and passenger cabin comfort system, wherein the power generating system comprises a thermodynamic working fluid (FA) in a first thermodynamic cycle (C1), a pump (P1), a motor (M1), a high pressure accumulator, a low pressure reservoir, and at least one heat exchanger, wherein the thermodynamic working fluid (FA) is concurrently operable to create either vehicle motion through the motor (M1) or electricity through a generator and is operable to create passenger cabin cooling or heating through the expansion or contraction of the thermodynamic working fluid (FA).

A waste heat recovery system, method and device executes a thermodynamic cycle using a working fluid in a working fluid circuit which has a high pressure side and a low pressure side. Components of the system in the working fluid circuit include a waste heat exchanger in thermal communication with a waste heat source also connected to the working fluid circuit, whereby thermal energy is transferred from the waste heat source to the working fluid in the working fluid circuit, an expander located between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit, the expander operative to convert a pressure/enthalpy drop in the working fluid to mechanical energy, a recuperator in the working fluid circuit operative to transfer thermal energy between the high pressure side and the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit, a cooler in thermal communication with the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit operative to control temperature of the working fluid in the low side of the working fluid circuit, a pump in the working fluid circuit and connected to the low pressure side and to the high pressure side of the working fluid circuit and operative to move the working fluid through the working fluid circuit, and a mass management system connected to the working fluid circuit, the mass management system, method and device having a working fluid vessel connected to the low pressure side of the working fluid circuit and configured to passively control an amount of working fluid mass in the working fluid circuit.

The invention provides a method of converting heat energy to a more usable form using a multi-component working fluid mixture that contains ammonia and water. The working fluid is operated in a thermodynamic cycle that includes liquid compression (30), vaporization (33), expansion through a turbine (34) and condensing (36). The multi-component fluid varies in temperature during phase change allowing for the use of counter-flow heat exchangers for the heater (33), cooler (36), recuperator and pre-heater (32). Significant recuperation is possible due to the temperature change during phase change. A pre-heater (32) can be applied to ensure only single-phase vapour exists within the heater. The invention can be used in conjunction with a biomass combustor or with waste flue gas from an existing industrial process. The coolant exits at a temperature sufficient to allow use in external heating applications or to minimize the size of external heat rejection equipment

The invention relates to a generating system, in particular to the heat generating system consisting of a solar heat collector and a coal-fired unit. The heat generating system adopts solar energy to take the place of the partial coal-fired heat energy of a coal-fired unit boiler. A condenser, an extraction pump, a low pressure heater, a deaerator, a water-feeding pump, a high pressure heater and the heat collector, a coal burning boiler and a steam turbine that are connected in parallel are connected in series. The steam turbine drives the generator and discharges gas into the condenser. Condensed water flows into a heater from the condenser to be heated up and pressurized, is deoxidized by the deaerator, then goes through the solar heat collector to be heated to be saturated vapor and goes into the coal burning boiler or directly goes into the coal burning boiler to become the steam with high temperature and high pressure. And then the steam goes into the steam turbine for applying work to drive the generator to generate electricity. The extracted steam of the steam turbine goes into each heater to finish thermodynamic cycle. The thermal efficiency of solar thermal power generation is improved, investment in the trough solar electrical energy generation of single paraboloid is reduced and the coal consumption of the coal-fired unit is decreased.

The present invention provides an apparatus for utilizing waste heat to power a reconfigurable thermodynamic cycle that can be used to selectively cool or heat an environmentally controlled space, such as a room, building, or vehicle. The present invention also integrates an electric machine, which may operate as a motor or generator, or both, and an additional prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine. Different combinations of these components are preferable for different applications. The system provides a design which reasonably balances the need to maximize efficiency, while also keeping the design cost-effective.

Disclosed is a variable capacity scroll compressor in which a high-pressure fluid within a thermodynamic cycle is introduced into the inside of the compressor to increase the compression volume and also the fluid inhaled/exhausted from the compressor allows the fluid being compressed to be bypassed in multi-stages, thereby varying the capacity of the compression fluid.

A high efficiency R744 air conditioning and refrigeration system and cycle comprises a vapor compressor and two independent ejectors operatively connected to high and low-pressure sides of the compressor, respectively. The two ejectors reduce the overall pressure ratio of the mechanical vapor compressor resulting in dramatically increased thermodynamic cycle efficiency. As one example of its potential applications for residential, commercial or industrial uses, a 150 ton capacity of a water-cooled chiller designed in accordance with the present invention is predicted to provide the power consumption as low as 0.47 kW/ton, when operated in accordance with the cooling methods of the present invention, which corresponds to 7.47 of Coefficient of Performance (COP).

System (2) for carrying out a gas based thermodynamic cycle in which a gas is compressed in at least one compressor (8) in one part of the cycle and is expanded in at least one expander (10) operating simultaneously in an upstream or downstream part of the cycle, wherein the change in absolute internal power with gas mass flow rate differs as between the compressor and the expander and wherein the system comprises a control system configured to make selective adjustments so as individually to control, either directly or indirectly, the respective gas mass flow rates through each of the compressor and expander. The system may be an energy storage system including a pumped heat energy storage system configured to provide independent graduated control of system pressure and output power by selective adjustment of the respective gas mass flow rates through each half-engine.

The invention relates to an electric generation, air conditioning and heating device which can use natural working substance, solar energy or waste heat. It comprises a solar energy collector or a waste heat collector, a pump, a turbine, a generator, a refrigerator, a heat exchanger and the pipeline. Wherein, the inlet and outlet of solar energy collector or waste heat collector are individually connected to the outlet of pump and the inlet of turbine to form the natural working substance circuit; the liquid natural working substance with low boiling point via the pressurizing of pump can reach hypercritical pressure condition and via the heating of solar energy collector or waste heat collector to form hypercritical liquid with high temperature and high pressure, then via the thermal insulation expanding, to form low pressure gas, and via the heat recycle to be cooled into liquid, at last via the pump to be feedback to the solar energy collector or the waste heat collector to realize the thermodynamics cycle. The hypercritical liquid with high temperature and high pressure can drive the turbine generator to generate electricity; and the heat recycle process uses the adsorption refrigerator to supply the cool and warm air conditioner as well as supply the hot water.

The invention relates to a converging type solar thermal power device capable of condensing sunlight, storing heat using high temperature phase change energy storage material and driving double loops, belonging to the technical field of solar energy collection and solar energy heat utilization. The device comprises a funnel-shaped converging type solar energy condenser, a transparent light transmitting window, an energy accumulator, a high temperature heat-conducting oil heat supply circulating system, a superheated steam generator, and a Rankine cycle-based heat-power converting system. The sunlight is condensed by the funnel-shaped converging type solar energy condenser, and entered into the energy accumulator through the transparent light transmitting window to realize high temperature storage therein, the high temperature heat-conducting oil heat supply circulating system transmits the high temperature in the energy accumulator to the superheated steam generator to heat working fluid to generate high pressure high temperature superheated steam therein, and converts heat energy to power through thermodynamic cycle. The invention is a device for supplying power or electric energy for user by condensing sunlight, storing heat using high temperature phase change energy storage material, and driving heat-power converting system using high temperature heat energy.

A solar concentration plant which uses water/steam as a heat-carrying fluid, in any thermodynamic cycle or system for the exploitation of process heat, which is comprised of an evaporation subsystem, where saturated steam is produced under the conditions of pressure of the system, and a superheater subsystem through which the steam reaches the required conditions of pressure and temperature at the turbine inlet, and in which an attemperation system (10) may be incorporated, these being physically separated and interconnected by means of a drum (5) in which the separation of water and steam takes place, and in which a strategic control of the pointing of the field of heliostats (1) towards either of the subsystems (evaporator or superheater) may be carried out, with individual or group pointing of the heliostats, in such a way that they jointly control both the pressure within the drum (5) and the outlet temperature of the superheated steam (11).

A thermodynamic closed loop desiccant rotor system and process utilizes at least one closed recirculation loop that provides interchangeable energy directly to the desiccant material and various rotor isolated zoning configurations in combination with various arrangements of energy exchange devices and refrigeration components to maximize the interchangeable and recovered energy capability and capacity through both closed thermodynamic cycles and open cycle processes for significantly improved efficiency and energy conservation. The present desiccant rotor system may be utilized in an air conditioning system for dehumidification, humidification, moisture removal, and capture of moisture, and in other applications to remove unwanted gases.