Heat-Activated Heat-Pump Systems Including Integrated Expander/Compressor and Regenerator
First Claim
1. A heat-activated heat-pump system, comprising a power cycle coupled to a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle both utilizing the same working fluid;
- the power cycle comprising a boiler that vaporizes and superheats the working fluid, an expander coupled to receive superheated vapor from the boiler and configured to produce work from the superheated vapor, a condenser coupled to receive working fluid from the expander and configured to condense the working fluid, a pump coupled to receive condensed working fluid from the condenser and to return the working fluid to the boiler, and a regenerator coupled to conduct a first stream of the working fluid from the pump to the boiler and to conduct a second stream of the working fluid from the expander to the condenser while transferring heat from the second stream to the first stream;
the refrigeration cycle comprising the condenser, a pressure-reducing throttling valve, an evaporator coupled to receive reduced-pressure working fluid via the throttling valve from the condenser and configured to expand the working fluid sufficiently to cool the working fluid, and a compressor configured to compress the working fluid from the evaporator and to deliver the compressed working fluid to the condenser; and
the expander and compressor being coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized for running the compressor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Heat-activated heat-pump systems and related methods are disclosed that include a power cycle coupled to a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle both utilizing the same working fluid. The power cycle comprises a boiler, an expander receiving superheated vapor and producing work from the superheated vapor, a condenser, and a pump. A regenerator conducts a first stream of working fluid from the pump to the boiler and a second stream of the working fluid from the expander to the condenser while transferring heat from the second stream to the first stream. The refrigeration cycle comprises a compressor that compresses the working fluid from the evaporator and delivers the compressed working fluid to a condenser. The expander and compressor are coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized for running the compressor.
117 Citations
61 Claims
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1. A heat-activated heat-pump system, comprising a power cycle coupled to a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle both utilizing the same working fluid;
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the power cycle comprising a boiler that vaporizes and superheats the working fluid, an expander coupled to receive superheated vapor from the boiler and configured to produce work from the superheated vapor, a condenser coupled to receive working fluid from the expander and configured to condense the working fluid, a pump coupled to receive condensed working fluid from the condenser and to return the working fluid to the boiler, and a regenerator coupled to conduct a first stream of the working fluid from the pump to the boiler and to conduct a second stream of the working fluid from the expander to the condenser while transferring heat from the second stream to the first stream;
the refrigeration cycle comprising the condenser, a pressure-reducing throttling valve, an evaporator coupled to receive reduced-pressure working fluid via the throttling valve from the condenser and configured to expand the working fluid sufficiently to cool the working fluid, and a compressor configured to compress the working fluid from the evaporator and to deliver the compressed working fluid to the condenser; and
the expander and compressor being coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized for running the compressor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. In a heat-activated heat-pump system including a power cycle coupled to a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle both utilizing the same working fluid, an integrated expander/compressor, comprising:
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an expander situated in the power cycle and that produces work from superheated vapor of the working fluid introduced to the expander, the expander comprising a first pair of movable pistons disposed in respective stationary cylinders, the pistons being coupled to a shaft and configured to move reciprocatingly, while rotating the shaft, 180°
out of phase with each other, each of the cylinders comprising respective inlet and outlet valves that are actuated by movement of the respective piston; and
a compressor situated in the refrigeration cycle and that compresses the working fluid from the evaporator, the compressor comprising a second pair of movable pistons disposed in respective stationary cylinders, the pistons being coupled to the shaft such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized for running the compressor, the pistons of the compressor and configured to move reciprocatingly, with rotation of the shaft, 180°
out of phase with each other;
each of the cylinders comprising respective inlet and outlet valves that are actuated by movement of the respective piston. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A cooling system, comprising:
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a refrigeration cycle coupled to a power cycle that drives the refrigeration cycle and uses a same working fluid as the refrigeration cycle;
the power cycle comprising a boiler that receives waste heat by which the boiler vaporizes and superheats the working fluid, an expander that receives superheated vapor from the boiler and produces work from the superheated vapor, a condenser that receives working fluid from the expander and condenses the working fluid, a pump that receives condensed working fluid from the condenser and returns the working fluid to the boiler, and a regenerator that conducts a first stream of the working fluid from the pump to the boiler and a second stream of the working fluid from the expander to the condenser while transferring heat from the second stream to the first stream;
the refrigeration cycle comprising the condenser, an evaporator that receives working fluid from the condenser and internally evaporates the working fluid in a manner that cools the working fluid in the evaporator, a compressor that compresses the working fluid from the evaporator and delivers the compressed working fluid to the condenser, and a throttling valve that delivers working fluid from the condenser to the evaporator while reducing the pressure of the working fluid; and
the expander and compressor being coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized directly for running the compressor. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A heat-activated heat-pump system, comprising power-cycle means coupled to refrigeration-cycle means both utilizing the same working fluid;
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said power-cycle means comprising superheating means for vaporizing and superheating the working fluid, work-producing means for producing work from superheated vapor received from said superheating means, condensing means for condensing the working fluid received from said work-producing means, pump means for delivering condensed working fluid from said condensing means to said superheating means, and regenerator means for transferring heat, from a first stream of working fluid flowing from said work-producing means to said condensing means, to a second stream of working fluid flowing from said pump means to said superheating means;
said refrigeration-cycle means comprising said condensing means, pressure-reducing means for reducing pressure of the working fluid from said condensing means, evaporator means for expanding working fluid, received via said pressure-reducing means from said condensing means, sufficiently to cool the working fluid, and compressing means for compressing working fluid received from said evaporator means for delivery to said condensing means; and
said work-producing means and said compressing means being coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by said work-producing means is utilized for running said compressing means. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method for removing heat from a body, comprising:
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thermally contacting the body with a coolant such that the coolant picks up and removes heat from the body;
circulating the coolant through an evaporator, of a refrigeration cycle utilizing a working fluid, so as to contact the coolant thermally with working fluid cooled in the evaporator;
circulating a first portion of the working fluid through the refrigeration cycle so as to remove heat from the working fluid, the refrigeration cycle including a compressor situated downstream of the evaporator; and
circulating a second portion of the working fluid through a power cycle including a boiler, an expander situated downstream of the boiler, a first compartment of a regenerator situated upstream of the boiler, and a second compartment of the regenerator situated downstream of the expander, such that heat exchange occurs in the regenerator between the first and second compartments. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55)
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56. A method for removing heat from a body, comprising:
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thermally contacting the body with a coolant such that the coolant picks up heat from the body;
circulating the coolant through an evaporator, of a refrigeration cycle utilizing a working fluid, so as to contact the coolant thermally with working fluid cooled in the evaporator;
circulating a first portion of the working fluid through the evaporator to cool the working fluid and thus the coolant, through a compressor to compress the working fluid, through a condenser to condense and heat the working fluid, and back to the evaporator;
circulating a second portion of the working fluid from the condenser through a first compartment of a regenerator to a boiler, through the boiler to superheat the working fluid, through an expander to expand the superheated working fluid and to extract and utilize work from the superheated working fluid, and through a second compartment of the regenerator back to the condenser;
combining the second portion of the working fluid from the second compartment of the regenerator with the first portion to produce a combined stream of working fluid entering the condenser; and
in the regenerator, transferring heat from the working fluid in the second compartment to the working fluid in the first compartment. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60)
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61. In a heat-pump cycle utilizing a working fluid that is circulated from a boiler to an expander, from the expander to a condenser, and from the condenser back to the boiler, a method for increasing thermal efficiency of the cycle, comprising:
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situating a regenerator, having a first compartment and a second compartment thermally coupled to the first compartment, upstream of the boiler and downstream of the expander;
passing the working fluid from the condenser through the first compartment to the boiler; and
passing the working fluid from the expander through the second compartment to the condenser, thereby transferring heat from the working fluid in the second compartment to the working fluid in the first compartment before the working fluid in the first compartment circulates to the boiler.
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Specification