Electrochemical heat pump
AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated
InventorsMichael Benedict, Elif Karatay, Eugene S. Beh, Jessica Louis Baker Rivest
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solution flows through a salinate chamber and a desalinate chamber of an electrochemical cell. Solutes are moved from the desalinate chamber to the salinate chamber to create respective solvent and concentrate streams from the desalinate and salinate chambers. The concentrate stream flows to a recombination cell where it is combined with a solvent. The combination causes at least one of an absorption of heat within the recombination cell and emission of heat from the recombination cell.
Claims20
A heat pump comprising:
- an electrochemical cell that receives a dilute stream, the electrochemical cell comprising:
- a salinate chamber from which a concentrate stream flows;
- and a desalinate chamber separated from the salinate chamber, a solvent stream flowing from the desalinate chamber, the electrochemical cell moving solutes from the desalinate chamber to the salinate chamber;
- and
- a recombination cell receiving the concentrate stream as an input, the recombination cell combining the concentrate stream with a solvent, the combination causing at least one of an absorption of heat into the recombination cell and emission of heat from the recombination cell.
A method comprising:
- flowing a solution through a salinate chamber and a desalinate chamber of an electrochemical cell;
- moving solutes from the desalinate chamber to the salinate chamber to create respective solvent and concentrate streams from the desalinate and salinate chambers;
- flowing the concentrate stream to a recombination cell;
- and
- combining the concentrate stream with a solvent in the recombination cell, the combination causing at least one of absorption of heat within the recombination cell and emission of heat from the recombination cell.
A heat pump comprising:
- an electrochemical cell that converts a dilute stream to a concentrate stream and a solvent stream, the electrochemical cell comprising:
- a salinate chamber from which the concentrate stream flows;
- a desalinate chamber separated from the salinate chamber by a central, ion-selective membrane, the solvent stream flowing out of the desalinate chamber;
- and
- an anolyte chamber and a catholyte chamber on opposite outer sides of the salinate and desalinate chambers and separated therefrom by first and second ionic exchange membranes, ion transport between the anolyte and catholyte chambers being driven by faradaic reactions induced by a voltage applied across the anolyte and catholyte chambers;
- and
- a recombination cell comprising:
- a first portion that receives a solvent;
- a second portion that receives the concentrate stream and outputs the dilute stream;
- and
- a vapor chamber that couples the first and second portions, the concentrate stream reducing a vapor pressure within the vapor chamber causing evaporation of at least some of the solvent, the evaporation resulting in the absorption of heat in the first portion of the recombination cell.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.