Thermodynamic cycle for cooling a working fluid

• US 8,353,168 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2010
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Impulse Devices Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pax Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: Harman, Jayden, Gielda, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Comings, Daniel C
• Application Number:
  US12/960,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20110088419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 62/5, 62/61, 621/16, 624/98, 624/99, 625/00
• US Class Current: 62/5
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence

Abstract

A supersonic cooling system operates by pumping liquid. Because the supersonic cooling system pumps liquid, the compression system does not require the use of a condenser. The compression system utilizes a compression wave. An evaporator of the compression system operates in the critical flow regime where the pressure in an evaporator tube will remain almost constant and then ‘jump’ or ‘shock up’ to the ambient pressure.

Claims

1. A thermodynamic cycle for cooling a working fluid, the cycle comprising:

a first isenthalpic step;

a second isenthalpic step following the first isenthalpic step;

a heating step following the second isenthalpic step;

a third isenthalpic step following the heating step; and

a cooling step following the third isenthalpic step, wherein the second isenthalpic step of the thermodynamic cycle is facilitated by the working fluid being fed into an evaporator located in a circulatory flow path of the working fluid without having passed through a heater, the working fluid circulated by a pump.

2. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the heating step includes heat transfer from a heat exchanger to the working fluid.

3. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the cooling step includes heat transfer from the working fluid to a heat exchanger.

4. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the working fluid undergoes a phase change in the evaporator during the second isenthalpic step.

5. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is a liquid during the first isenthalpic step.

6. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is a compressible fluid.

7. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the heating step occurs at substantially constant pressure.

8. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the cooling step occurs at substantially constant pressure.

9. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 1, wherein the second isenthalpic step includes a decrease in pressure of a working fluid.

10. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 9, wherein the decrease in pressure of the working fluid is to a pressure of about 0.1 bar or lower.

11. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 9, wherein the third isenthalpic step includes an increase in pressure of the working fluid.

12. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 11, wherein the increase in pressure of the working fluid is to a pressure of about 1 bar or higher.

13. The thermodynamic cycle of claim 11, wherein the increase in pressure of the working fluid of the third isenthalpic step includes a pressure shock up to an elevated pressure.

14. A method for cooling and heating a working fluid circulated through a fluid flow path, the method comprising:

increasing the pressure of the working fluid with the aid of a pump that maintains a circulatory fluid flow in a circulatory flow path;

decreasing the pressure of the working fluid at substantially constant enthalpy after increasing the pressure of the working fluid, the decrease in pressure accompanying a decrease in temperature of the working fluid;

increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid at a supersonic velocity, the increase in enthalpy occurring at substantially constant pressure, the increase in enthalpy following the decrease in pressure of the working fluid and occurring in an evaporator, the working fluid fed into the evaporator by the pump without passing through an intermediate heater;

increasing the pressure of the working fluid at substantially constant enthalpy, the increase in pressure accompanying an increase in temperature of the working fluid, the increase in pressure following the increase in enthalpy of the working fluid; and

decreasing the enthalpy of the working fluid at substantially constant pressure, the decrease in enthalpy following the increase in pressure of the working fluid.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the working fluid undergoes a decrease in pressure at a critical flow rate.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the increase in enthalpy occurs at constant pressure.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the decrease in enthalpy occurs at constant pressure.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the increase in pressure includes a pressure shock-up to an elevated pressure.

19. A method for cooling and heating a working fluid circulated through a fluid flow path, the method comprising:

increasing the pressure of a working fluid from a first pressure to a second pressure through use of a pump, the pump circulating the working fluid through the fluid flow path;

decreasing the pressure of the working fluid from the second pressure to a third pressure, wherein the decrease in pressure is at substantially constant enthalpy;

increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid at the third pressure, the increase in enthalpy occurring in an evaporator, the working fluid fed into the evaporator by the pump without passing through an intermediate heater;

increasing the pressure of the working fluid from the third pressure to a fourth pressure, wherein the increase in pressure is at substantially constant enthalpy; and

decreasing the enthalpy of the working fluid at the fourth pressure.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein increasing the pressure of a working fluid from a first pressure to the second pressure includes increasing the pressure of the working fluid at substantially constant enthalpy.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein increasing the pressure of the working fluid from the third pressure to the fourth pressure includes a pressure shock-up to the fourth pressure.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the fourth pressure is equal to the first pressure.

23. A method for cooling and heating a working fluid circulated through a fluid flow path, the method comprising:

increasing the pressure of the working fluid through use of a pump, the pump circulating the working fluid through the fluid flow path;

decreasing the pressure of the working fluid at substantially constant enthalpy after increasing the pressure of the working fluid, the decrease in pressure accompanying a decrease in temperature of the working fluid;

increasing the enthalpy of the working fluid, the increase in enthalpy occurring at substantially constant pressure, the increase in enthalpy following the decrease in pressure of the working fluid, wherein the increase in enthalpy occurs in an evaporator, the working fluid fed directly into the evaporator by the pump without passing through an intermediate heater;

increasing the pressure of the working fluid at substantially constant enthalpy, the increase in pressure accompanying an increase in temperature of the working fluid, the increase in pressure following the increase in enthalpy of the working fluid; and

decreasing the enthalpy of the working fluid at substantially constant pressure, the decrease in enthalpy following the increase in pressure of the working fluid.