Apparatus and method for converting thermal energy
AssigneeEnerscale GmbH
InventorsHermann Oberwalder, Gerhard P. Fleischer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy by a cycle, having a heat exchanger, a reservoir for an operating medium, a feed line, a turbine, and a return line having at least one recovery device is described. In order to also be able to utilize waste heat for the generation of electrical energy, the turbine is embodied as a disc rotor turbine. A method for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy in a cycle is also described, in which thermal energy is supplied to an operating medium in a reservoir, the operating medium evaporates and/or a pressure in the operating medium is increased, whereupon the operating medium releases energy in a turbine, after which the operating medium is returned to the reservoir.
Claims13
A method for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy in a cycle, using an apparatus including a heat exchanger, a reservoir for an operating medium, a feed line, a turbine embodied as a disc rotor turbine, and a return line having at least one recovery device, the method comprising:
- supplying thermal energy to the operating medium in the reservoir,
- wherein at least one of the operating medium evaporates or a pressure in the operating medium is increased, whereupon the operating medium releases energy in the disc rotor turbine, after which the operating medium is returned to the reservoir, and wherein a full condensation of the operating medium occurs in the disc rotor turbine, whereby a separate condenser can be eliminated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.