US 11,454,426 B1 · Heat engines and heat pumps with separators and displacers

Abstract

An apparatus, which may be operated as a heat engine and/or a heat pump, includes moveable separators at a cold side and/or moveable separators at a hot side. Each separator divides a volume into two smaller volumes. Working fluid may be sequentially filled and emptied from volumes between the separators. The separators may move to maintain uniform pressure in the volumes. Hot-side separators may allow for near adiabatic compression/expansion of working fluid. Cold-side separators may allow for near adiabatic expansion/compression of working fluid. Two displacers are positioned between the cold-side separators and the hot-side separators. The displacers are independently actuatable to force working fluid into and out of the volumes between separators and into and out of a variable intermediate volume between the displacers. Heat exchangers, including a warming heat exchanger, are provided to heat, cool, and warm working fluid as it flows between separated volumes and the intermediate volume.

Claims30

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a vessel to contain a working fluid, the vessel including a hot side and a cold side in fluid communication with the hot side via a flow path;
a displacer positioned within the vessel, the displacer moveable to the hot side of the vessel to displace working fluid from the hot side into the cold side via the flow path, and the displacer moveable to the cold side of the vessel to displace working fluid from the cold side into the hot side via the flow path;
and
a separator positioned within the cold side of the vessel to divide the cold side into separate volumes including a first volume on a side of the separator closer to the displacer and a second volume on an opposite side of the separator further from the displacer, wherein the separator is moveable to selectively communicate the first volume to the flow path and the second volume to the flow path to allow the first and second volumes to have different temperatures of working fluid at the cold side of the vessel.

1 more element

A method of using heat to provide cooling, the method comprising:

applying heat at a hot volume, wherein the hot volume and a series of cold-side volumes form a closed system containing working fluid;
sequentially filling the series of cold-side volumes with working fluid received from the hot volume, wherein each cold-side volume expands as the cold-side volume is filled with working fluid, wherein the cold-side volumes are equalized in pressure during filling,
reversely sequentially emptying the series of cold-side volumes of working fluid to the hot volume, wherein each cold-side volume contracts as the cold-side volume is emptied of working fluid, wherein the cold-side volumes are equalized in pressure during emptying.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Heat engines and heat pumps with separators and displacers

Life of this patent

Heat engines and heat pumps with separators and displacers

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30