HIGH EFFICIENCY POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT THERMODYNAMIC SYSTEM

• US 20110100011A1
• Filed: 11/01/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbert Staffend
• Original Assignee: Gilbert Staffend
• Inventors: Staffend, Gilbert
• Granted Patent: US 8,596,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 60/682
• CPC Class Codes: F01C 13/04 for driving pumps or compressors
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 23/06 combustion heat from one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F01K 25/00 Plants or engines characterised by use of special working fluids, not otherwise provided for; Plants operating in closed cycles and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/3441 the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/005 of dissimilar working principle
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/04 Heating; Cooling of machines or engines in general F01P; Heat insulation heat insulation in general F16L59/00
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 30/00 Heat pumps F25B1/00-F25B25/00, F25B29/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/004 the refrigerant being air

Abstract

An air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) for selectively heating and cooling a space (22) having an flow path (24) including a compressor (76), a heat exchanger (32), an expander (78), and a generator (68). A combustion chamber (62) is in the flow path (24) for combusting a fuel in the air during a high heating mode. The heat exchanger (32) dissipates the heat from the air, and the expander (78) depressurizes the air while powering the generator (68). Also included is a positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) having a stator housing (38) extending between longitudinal ends (40). A compression chamber inlet (52) and an expansion chamber outlet (58) are located on opposite longitudinal ends (40) of the stator housing (38) to be in simultaneous communication with the same chamber (48, 50)). A fluid enters the device through the compression chamber inlet (52) and pushes fluid out of the expansion chamber outlet (58).

Claims

1. An open-loop air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) for selectively heating and cooling a target space (22) comprising:

a flow path (24) for a working fluid extending from an inlet (26) to an outlet (28), said inlet (26) disposed to receive ambient air as a working fluid and said outlet (28) disposed for expelling the air out of the flow path (24),

a heat exchanger (32) in said flow path (24) between said inlet (26) and said outlet (28), said heat exchanger (32) disposed in thermodynamic communication with the target space (22) for transferring heat between the target space (22) and the air in said heat exchanger (32),

a compressor (76) in said flow path (24) between said inlet (26) and said heat exchanger (32) for compressing and delivering the air from said inlet (26) to said heat exchanger (32),

an expander (78) in said flow path (24) between said heat exchanger (32) and said outlet (28) for expanding and delivering the air from said heat exchanger (32) to said outlet (28),

an energy receiving device mechanically connected to said expander (78) for harnessing energy from the air, and

a combustion chamber (62) in direct communication with said flow path (24) between said compressor (76) and said heat exchanger (32) for combusting a fuel in the air in said flow path (24), said combustion chamber (62) being selectively operable between a standard heating/cooling mode wherein said combustion chamber (62) remains dormant and a high heating mode wherein said combustion chamber (62) actively combusts a fuel with the air to further increase the pressure and temperature of the air upstream of said heat exchanger (32).

2. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said energy receiving device is an electric generator (68) for generating electricity.

3. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said compressor (76) and said expander (78) each comprise a positive displacement vane pump.

4. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 1 wherein said compressor (76) and said expander (78) are contained within a vane-type positive displacement device (36) for simultaneously compressing and expanding the air in the flow path (24).

5. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 4 wherein said vane-type device (36) defines a plurality of chambers (48, 50) intermittently switching between compression chambers (48) and expansion chambers (50).

6. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 5 further including a secondary expander (66) in fluidly parallel relationship with said expansion chambers (50) of said vane-type device (36) for expanding the air from said heat exchanger (32).

7. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 6 further including a generator (68) mechanically connected to said secondary expander (68) for generating electricity.

8. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 1 further including a controller (82) in communication with said compressor (76) and said expander (78), said controller (82) having a standard cooling mode with said compressor (76) operating at a slow speed to direct the air through said flow path (24) and said expander (78) operating at a high speed to pull the air through said compressor (76) to reduce the pressure and the temperature of the air between the compressor (76) and the heat exchanger (32) and wherein said heat exchanger (32) transfers heat from the target space (22) to the air in the flow path (24) to cool the target space (22).

9. The air aspirated hybrid heat pump and heat engine system (20) as set forth in claim 1, wherein said compressor (76) and said expander (78) are contained within a common stator housing (38) having a central axis (A) and longitudinally spaced, opposite ends (40);

a rotor (42) disposed within said stator housing (38) and establishing an interstitial space therebetween;

a plurality of vanes (46) operatively disposed between said rotor (42) and said stator housing (38) for dividing said interstitial space into intermittent compression and expansion chambers (48, 50);

said stator housing (38) defining a plurality of ports for conducting the working fluid to and from said stator housing (38), said ports including a compression chamber inlet (52) and a compression chamber outlet (54) and an expansion chamber inlet (56) and an expansion chamber outlet (58) each communicating with said interstitial space;

said rotor (42) being rotatably disposed within said stator housing (38) for rotating in a first direction with said vanes (46) simultaneously compressing the working fluid in said chambers (48, 50) from said compression chamber inlet (52) to said compression chamber outlet (54) and expanding the fluid in said chambers (48, 50) from said expansion chamber inlet (56) to said expansion chamber outlet (58); and

at least two of said ports being located opposite one another on respective said longitudinal ends (40) of said stator housing (38), said ports being generally longitudinally aligned for continuously simultaneously communicating with the same one of said chambers (48, 50) wherein the working fluid entering the associated chamber (48, 50) through one of said ports urges the working fluid currently occupying the associated chamber (48, 50) axially outwardly out of said stator housing (38) through the other of said ports.

10. A method for selectively heating and cooling a target space (22) comprising the steps of:

providing an flow path (24) having an inlet (26) for receiving a flow of air and an outlet (28) for expelling a flow of air,

providing a compressor (76) in the flow path (24),

providing an expander (78) in the flow path (24) between the compressor (76) and the outlet (28),

providing a heat exchanger (32) in the flow path (24) between the compressor (76) and the expander (78),

compressing the air with the compressor (76), rejecting heat from the pressurized air in the heat exchanger (32), then expanding the air with the expander (78), and then discharging the cooled and depressurized air from the flow path (24) through the outlet (28), and

providing a combustion chamber (62) in the flow path (24) between the compressor (76) and the heat exchanger (32), mixing a fuel with the air in the combustion chamber (62), and combusting the fuel and the air in the combustion chamber (62) to further increase the pressure and temperature of the air upstream of the heat exchanger (32).

11. The method for selectively heating and cooling a space (22) as set forth in claim 10 further including the step of reclaiming energy from the air downstream of the heat exchanger (32).

12. The method for selectively heating and cooling a space (22) as set forth in claim 11 wherein said step of reclaiming energy includes generating electricity.

13. The method for selectively heating and cooling a space (22) as set forth in claim 11 wherein said step of reclaiming energy includes applying a torque to the compressor (76).

14. A positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) of the type operated in a thermodynamic cycle for simultaneously compressing and expanding a working fluid, said device comprising:

a stator housing (38) having a central axis (A) and longitudinally spaced, opposite ends (40);

a rotor (42) disposed within said stator housing (38) and establishing an interstitial space therebetween;

a plurality of vanes (46) operatively disposed between said rotor (42) and said stator housing (38) for dividing said interstitial space into intermittent compression and expansion chambers (48, 50);

said stator housing (38) defining a plurality of ports for conducting the working fluid to and from said stator housing (38), said ports including a compression chamber inlet (52) and a compression chamber outlet (54) and an expansion chamber inlet (56) and an expansion chamber outlet (58) each communicating with said interstitial space;

said rotor (42) being rotatably disposed within said stator housing (38) for rotating in a first direction with said vanes (46) simultaneously compressing the working fluid in said chambers (48, 50) from said compression chamber inlet (52) to said compression chamber outlet (54) and expanding the fluid in said chambers (48, 50) from said expansion chamber inlet (56) to said expansion chamber outlet (58); and

at least two of said ports being located opposite one another on respective said longitudinal ends (40) of said stator housing (38), said ports being generally longitudinally aligned for continuously simultaneously communicating with the same one of said chambers (48, 50) wherein the working fluid entering the associated chamber (48, 50) through one of said ports urges the working fluid currently occupying the associated chamber (48, 50) axially outwardly out of said stator housing (38) through the other of said ports.

15. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 further including a high-pressure side heat exchanger (72) fluidly adjoining said compression chamber outlet (54) and said expansion chamber inlet (56).

16. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 further including a low-pressure side heat exchanger (74) fluidly adjoining said expansion chamber outlet (58) and said compression chamber inlet (52).

17. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 wherein said generally longitudinally aligned ports are said compression chamber inlet (52) and said expansion chamber outlet (58).

18. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 wherein said generally longitudinally aligned ports are said compression chamber outlet (54) and said expansion chamber inlet (56).

19. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 wherein said expansion chamber inlet (56) is disposed in a target space (22) for receiving air from the target space (22) and said compression chamber outlet (54) is disposed in the target space (22) for discharging the air back into the target space (22).

20. The positive displacement rotating vane-type device (36) as set forth in claim 14 wherein said stator housing (38) has a generally cylindrical shape.