Heat engine using a liquid-vapor-phase-changing material

A system for converting heat into work, comprising:

• an evaporator for receiving a liquified vapor phase-changing material (LVPhC), selected from a list consisting of:
• pentane, isobutane, propane, R134a, R245fa, fluorocarbons and toluene or any vapors used in organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, and vaporizing it or bringing to a vapor phase or a supercritical phase at a pressure of about P1 and a temperature of about T1;
• a heating volume for heating heat transfer liquid (HTL) to a temperature of about T1;
• a HTL pump for increasing pressure of said HTL to a pressure of about said P1;
• a nozzle in fluid communication with the HTL pump and the evaporator and having an inlet portion for receiving said HTL and a mixing portion for (i) allowing mixing said HTL at about said temperature T1 and at about said pressure P1 with said LVPhC at a vapor phase and (ii) allowing said mixture to undergo isothermal expansion to a pressure of about P0 lower than said pressure P1, thereby causing acceleration of said mixture at said nozzle towards an outlet of the nozzle;
• a reaction turbine configured for rotation in result to the acceleration of said mixture, thereby converting the kinetic energy of the mixture to work, wherein the nozzle is coupled to or part of the reaction turbine;
• and
• a separation unit for separating the ejected HTL and the vaporized LVPhC, said separation unit comprises a collection unit to collect the ejected HTL and to allow to direct it to either the heating volume, the HTL pump, the nozzle, the evaporator or any combination thereof;
• wherein the collection unit defines a drain for accumulating the separated HTL, and the HTL is suctioned from the drain into the nozzle in result to the operation of the reaction turbine, thereby constituting said HTL pump, wherein the suctioning causes the HTL to enter the nozzle at a pressure of about P1;
• wherein the system further comprises a condenser for receiving said separated vaporized LVPhC and condense it to a liquid state;
• a LVPhC pump downstream said condenser for increasing the pressure of the condensed LVPhC;
• wherein the condenser comprises or a part thereof constitutes the LVPhC pump;
• wherein the system further comprises a LVPhC heat source downstream said condenser to heat the LVPhC to a temperature below or about equal to a vaporization temperature of the LVPhC at pressure of about P1;
• wherein the evaporator is in fluid communication with said collection unit for receiving at least a portion of the collected ejected HTL to exchange heat with the liquified LVPhC received in the evaporator to thereby vaporize the liquified LVPhC;
• wherein the evaporator is in fluid communication with the heating volume for streaming the HTL following heat exchanging with the liquified LVPhC in the evaporator;
• wherein the HTL pump is downstream the nozzle and upstream the evaporator;
• wherein a portion of the HTL is streamed from the HTL pump to the evaporator and a portion of the HTL is streamed from the HTL to the nozzle;
• wherein at least a part of the mixing portion constitutes said evaporator.

A method for converting heat into work, comprising:

• vaporizing or bringing a liquid vapor phase-changing material (LVPhC), selected from a list consisting of:
• pentane, isobutane, propane, R134a, R245fa, fluorocarbons and toluene or any vapors used in organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, from a liquid phase to a vapor phase or a supercritical phase at a temperature of about T1 and a pressure of about P1 and mixing it in a nozzle with a heat transfer liquid (HTL) having a temperature of about T1 and a pressure of about P1, wherein the LVPhC is at a liquid phase below a temperature of about T0 in pressure of about P1, wherein T0 is lower than T1, thereby resulting in a quasi-isothermal expansion, while reducing the pressure to P0, causing an acceleration of the HTL/LVPhC mixture;
• and
• ejecting the accelerated HTL/LVPhC mixture through the nozzle for converting its kinetic energy into work and collecting the LVPhC and the HTL at a pressure of P0;
• wherein said nozzle is connected to or part of a reaction turbine;
• wherein the method further comprises following said collecting:
• heating at least a portion of the HTL to a temperature of about T1 and increasing its pressure to a pressure P1 to allow an additional cycle of said mixing;
• wherein said vaporizing comprises directing a portion of the collected HTL to exchange heat with the liquified LVPhC,
• wherein said directing is carried out prior to said heating,
• wherein said increasing the HTL pressure is carried out prior to said directing, and said heating is carried out following said directing.

A method for converting heat into work, comprising:

• vaporizing or bringing a liquid vapor phase-changing material (LVPhC), selected from a list consisting of:
• pentane, isobutane, propane, R134a, R245fa, fluorocarbons and toluene or any vapors used in organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, from a liquid phase to a vapor phase or a supercritical phase at a temperature of about T1 and a pressure of about P1 and mixing it in a nozzle with a heat transfer liquid (HTL) having a temperature of about T1 and a pressure of about P1, wherein the LVPhC is at a liquid phase below a temperature of about T0 in pressure of about P1, wherein T0 is lower than T1, thereby resulting in a quasi-isothermal expansion, while reducing the pressure to P0, causing an acceleration of the HTL/LVPhC mixture;
• and
• ejecting the accelerated HTL/LVPhC mixture through the nozzle for converting its kinetic energy into work and collecting the LVPhC and the HTL at a pressure of P0;
• wherein said nozzle is connected to or part of a reaction turbine;
• wherein the method further comprises following said collecting:
• heating at least a portion of the HTL to a temperature of about T1 and increasing its pressure to a pressure P1 to allow an additional cycle of said mixing;
• wherein said vaporizing or bringing comprises bringing said LVPhC to a supercritical phase.

A system for converting heat into work, comprising:

• an evaporator for receiving a liquified vapor phase-changing material (LVPhC), selected from a list consisting of:
• pentane, isobutane, propane, R134a, R245fa, fluorocarbons and toluene or any vapors used in organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology, and vaporizing it or bringing to a vapor phase or a supercritical phase at a pressure of about P1 and a temperature of about T1;
• a heating volume for heating heat transfer liquid (HTL) to a temperature of about T1;
• a HTL pump for increasing pressure of said HTL to a pressure of about said P1;
• a nozzle in fluid communication with the HTL pump and the evaporator and having an inlet portion for receiving said HTL and a mixing portion for (i) allowing mixing said HTL at about said temperature T1 and at about said pressure P1 with said LVPhC at a vapor phase and (ii) allowing said mixture to undergo isothermal expansion to a pressure of about P0 lower than said pressure P1, thereby causing acceleration of said mixture at said nozzle towards an outlet of the nozzle;
• a reaction turbine configured for rotation in result to the acceleration of said mixture, thereby converting the kinetic energy of the mixture to work, wherein the nozzle is coupled to or part of the reaction turbine;
• and
• a separation unit for separating the ejected HTL and the vaporized LVPhC, said separation unit comprises a collection unit to collect the ejected HTL and to allow to direct it to either the heating volume, the HTL pump, the nozzle, the evaporator or any combination thereof;
• wherein the collection unit defines a drain for accumulating the separated HTL, and the HTL is suctioned from the drain into the nozzle in result to the operation of the reaction turbine, thereby constituting said HTL pump, wherein the suctioning causes the HTL to enter the nozzle at a pressure of about P1;
• wherein the system further comprises a condenser for receiving said separated vaporized LVPhC and condense it to a liquid state;
• a LVPhC pump downstream said condenser for increasing the pressure of the condensed LVPhC;
• wherein the condenser and the LVPhC pump are constituted by a nozzle that comprises
• a nozzle inlet for receiving nozzle heat transfer liquid (HTL) stream into the nozzle, an outlet, a suction compressible fluid inlet and an arrangement of fluid manipulation sections arranged in fluid communication in a cascaded fashion and defining a flow path of said fluid;
• wherein the arrangement comprises:
• a first fluid manipulation section downstream to the nozzle inlet and upstream the second fluid manipulation section, or that a proximal end thereof constitutes the nozzle inlet and having a narrowing configuration in a direction of said flow path for reducing pressure of the nozzle HTL streamed thereinto below pressure of suction fluid in the suction fluid source, and for accelerating flow of said nozzle HTL stream, wherein the suction fluid is said LVPhC at a gas or vapor phase and at about pressure P0;
• a second fluid manipulation section having an expanding configuration in the direction of said flow path for receiving the nozzle HTL at a pressure below pressure of the suction fluid, wherein said suction fluid inlet is configured for allowing suction fluid communication between the ambient or the suction fluid source, and said second fluid manipulation section to allow introduction of suction fluid thereinto to be mixed with the nozzle HTL to thereby obtain fluid mixture, said expanding configuration of said second fluid manipulation section is designed for bringing the two-phase mixture to supersonic velocity at least at a distal end thereof;
• a third fluid manipulation section having a narrowing configuration in the direction of said flow path for decelerating flow of fluid mixture received from said second fluid manipulation section to sonic or subsonic velocity, and for increasing pressure of said two-phase mixture flowing along said third fluid manipulation section;
• a fourth fluid manipulation section having an expanding configuration in the direction of said flow path and configured for increasing pressure of fluid mixture subsonic flow received from the third fluid manipulation section to a pressure above ambient pressure;
• wherein said outlet is downstream the fourth fluid manipulation section or is constituted by a distal end thereof and is for discharging the fluid mixture received from the fourth fluid manipulation section, wherein the fluid mixture discharged from the outlet comprises pressurized suction fluid.