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US 10,829,370 B2Granted
Compressor having waste heat recovery with gas recycler
AssigneeIngersoll-Rand Industrial U.S., Inc.
InventorJames C. Collins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A compressor and waste heat recovery system is disclosed in which mechanical work from a prime mover along with work generated from the waste heat recovery system are used to operate the compressor. A gas producing system is heated by waste heat from operation of the compressor to produce a stream of gas used to drive a turbine. The turbine is in work communication with the compressor. In one embodiment the gas producing system is a metal hydride. An overrunning clutch can be used with the turbine. In one form multiple gas producing systems are used, one of which to emit gas while the other is used to receive and capture the emitted gas.
Claims12
An apparatus comprising:
- a compressor system having a motor structured to provide mechanical work to a rotary compressor element that is structured to compress a fluid and thereby increase the pressure of the fluid at the same time that the rotary compressor element produces heat, the compressor system including a heat rejecting component in thermal communication with the rotary compressor element;
- and
- a waste heat recovery system having a flowpath for conveyance of a gas and a mechanical expander that includes a movable mechanical member to produce mechanical shaft power as a result of a movement of the movable mechanical member during operation of the compressor system, the mechanical expander disposed in the flowpath and structured such that the movement of the movable mechanical member is used to extract a work from the conveyance of the gas and communicate the work to the rotary compressor element, the movable mechanical member not in gaseous communication with the rotary compressor element, the waste heat recovery system also having a chemical based gas storage device in thermal communication with the heat rejecting component of the compressor system, the chemical based gas storage device structured to desorb the gas at an activation energy level and capture the gas below the activation energy level through a sorption process, the gas being a different substance than a material of the chemical based gas storage device, wherein the fluid compressed by the rotary compressor element is separate from the gas that flows in the waste heat recovery system such that no part of the fluid compressed by the rotary compressor element flows through the movable mechanical member of the mechanical expander;
- and
- which further includes another chemical based gas storage device disposed in flow path communication with the chemical based gas storage device such that the another chemical based gas storage device is structured to capture the gas, wherein the gas is desorbed from the another chemical based gas storage device, and wherein the waste heat recovery system communicates mechanical work to the rotary compressor element.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a compression system having a compressor driven by a prime mover and structured to increase a pressure and temperature of a working fluid, the compression system in thermal communication with a heat exchanger and structured to convey heat generated as a result of operation of the prime mover;
- and
- a supplemental work producing system structured to deliver work to the compressor which is supplemental to work provided by the prime mover, the supplemental work producing system having a mechanical expander and a hydride gas recycler having a material composition that chemically initiates gas on-boarding below an activation energy level and gas emission above the activation energy level;
- wherein heat produced as a result of operation of the prime mover increases temperature of the working fluid is transferred through the heat exchanger to raise a temperature of the hydride gas recycler and thereby emit gas, the emitted gas routed through the mechanical expander to produce the work delivered by the supplemental work producing system, the mechanical expander including a movable mechanical member structured to generate mechanical shaft power when the emitted gas is routed through the mechanical expander during operation of the compression system, the movable mechanical member fluidically isolated from the compressor such that no portion of the emitted gas flows through the compressor, and no portion of the working fluid flows through the mechanical expander;
- and
- wherein the hydride gas recycler includes a first and second gas recycler in gaseous communication with one another via a flow path such that when the first gas recycler contributes the gas via gas emission, the second gas recycler reclaims the gas contributed by the first gas recycler via on-boarding of gas, and where the mechanical expander is located in the flow path between the first gas recycler and the second gas recycler.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.