Method and apparatus for thermal storage using heat pipes
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a container;
material inside the container having a freezing point no higher than 5.0°
C. at atmospheric pressure;
a plurality of heat pipes having respective condenser sections disposed inside the container and respective evaporator sections disposed outside the container;
a first airstream conduit in which the evaporator sections are disposed;
an enclosed airspace;
an inlet and an outlet of the conduit each in communication with the airspace;
a second airstream conduit which communicates with the enclosed airspace;
a fuel-powered engine;
an exhaust duct connected to the engine;
a first heat exchanger disposed inside the exhaust duct;
a second heat exchanger disposed in the second airstream conduit; and
a coolant-receiving conduit extending from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A thermal storage and transfer system includes a cooling system and method using ice or other frozen material with heat pipes to produce a cool airstream. Preferably, the ice is disposed in a container with the condensers and evaporators of the heat pipes respectively inside and outside the container. A fan blows air across the evaporator sections through a duct to circulate within an enclosed airspace to be cooled. A separate refrigeration system which may be used to independently cool the airspace also freezes water or another liquid to produce the ice or other frozen material in the container. The cooling system is broadly applicable, including use on motor vehicles to provide cooling for several hours when the vehicle engine is off. A heating system includes an adsorbent heat exchanger for extracting heat from exhaust gases of an engine and heating an enclosed airspace.
39 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a container; material inside the container having a freezing point no higher than 5.0°
C. at atmospheric pressure;a plurality of heat pipes having respective condenser sections disposed inside the container and respective evaporator sections disposed outside the container; a first airstream conduit in which the evaporator sections are disposed; an enclosed airspace; an inlet and an outlet of the conduit each in communication with the airspace; a second airstream conduit which communicates with the enclosed airspace; a fuel-powered engine; an exhaust duct connected to the engine; a first heat exchanger disposed inside the exhaust duct; a second heat exchanger disposed in the second airstream conduit; and a coolant-receiving conduit extending from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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a container; material inside the container; a refrigeration system which extends adjacent the container and is capable of freezing the material; a plurality of heat pipes having respective condenser sections disposed inside the container and respective evaporator sections disposed outside the container; a first airstream conduit in which the evaporator sections are disposed; an enclosed airspace; an inlet and an outlet of the conduit each in communication with the airspace; a second airstream conduit which communicates with the enclosed airspace; a fuel-powered engine; an exhaust duct connected to the engine; a heat exchanger assembly extending from the exhaust duct to the second airstream duct whereby the heat exchanger assembly is configured to transfer heat energy from the exhaust duct to the second airstream duct to heat air within the second airstream duct. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus comprising:
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a container; a plurality of heat pipes having respective condenser sections disposed inside the container and respective evaporator sections disposed outside the container; a first airstream conduit in which the evaporator sections are disposed; material which is inside the container and is meltable in response to air moving within the first airstream conduit across the evaporator sections; an enclosed airspace; an inlet and an outlet of the conduit each in communication with the airspace; a second airstream conduit which communicates with the enclosed airspace; a fuel-powered engine; an exhaust duct connected to the engine; a heat exchanger assembly extending from the exhaust duct to the second airstream duct whereby the heat exchanger assembly is configured to transfer heat energy from the exhaust duct to the second airstream duct to heat air within the second airstream duct. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification