Systems and methods for a heat engine system

A heat engine system, the heat engine system comprising:

• a heat engine compressor that circulates a working fluid through the heat engine system;
• a heat exchanger fluidically downstream from and in fluid communication with the heat engine compressor;
• a heat engine expander fluidically downstream from and in fluid communication with the heat exchanger, the heat engine expander including a heat engine expander inlet port;
• and
• a partial state condenser fluidically downstream from and in fluid communication with the heat engine expander, the partial state condenser including:
• a sense reservoir that holds the working fluid;
• a reservoir sensor that senses an electrical property of the working fluid;
• a reservoir valve that is a three-way valve in fluid communication with the sense reservoir, the heat engine compressor, and a heat engine condenser;
• and
• a processor configured to execute instructions to:
• determine a vapor quality of the working fluid based on the electrical property of the working fluid;
• determine a specific energy in the sense reservoir based on the vapor quality of the working fluid;
• and
• control the reservoir valve to cause the working fluid to be selectively passed to the heat engine condenser based on the specific energy to maintain a controlled saturation state that is different than an ambient pressure in the partial state condenser.

A method for a heat engine system, the method comprising:

• providing a chamber that receives at least one set of condenser coils and at least one set of evaporator coils such that the at least one set of evaporator coils is disposed in a first airflow zone of the chamber and the at least one set of condenser coils is disposed in a second airflow zone of the chamber, the first airflow zone and the second airflow zone being in fluid communication with one another;
• operating a fan to produce an airflow through the chamber;
• passing the airflow from the fan through the first airflow zone, wherein the at least one set of evaporator coils defines a first fluid loop for a first working fluid;
• passing the airflow from the first airflow zone to the second airflow zone, wherein the at least one set of condenser coils defines a second fluid loop for a second working fluid, the second fluid loop being fluidically isolated from the first fluid loop,
• wherein the at least one set of condenser coils is fluidically downstream of and in fluid communication with a reservoir valve, the reservoir valve being in fluid communication with a sense reservoir;
• wherein the method further comprises:
• determining a specific enemy of a working fluid in the sense reservoir in the second fluid loop based on an electrical property of the working fluid;
• and
• controlling the reservoir valve to move the working fluid to the at least one set of condenser coils based on the determined specific energy of the working fluid.