Heat Pump, Small Power Station and Method of Pumping Heat
AssigneeEfficient Energy GmbH
InventorsHolger Sedlak, Oliver Kniffler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump includes a first portion for evaporating a working fluid at a first pressure, for compressing the evaporated working fluid to a second, higher pressure, and for liquefying the compressed working fluid within a liquefier, and a second portion for compressing liquid working fluid to a third pressure, which is higher than the second pressure, for evaporating the working fluid compressed to the third pressure, for relaxing the evaporated working fluid to a pressure, which is lower than the third pressure, so as to generate electrical current, and for liquefying relaxed evaporated working fluid within the liquefier.
Claims14
A heat pump comprising:
- a first portion for evaporating a working fluid at a first pressure, for compressing the evaporated working fluid to a second, higher pressure, and for liquefying the compressed working fluid within a liquefier;
- and
- a second portion for compressing liquid working fluid to a third pressure, which is higher than the second pressure, for evaporating the working fluid compressed to the third pressure, for relaxing the evaporated working fluid so as to generate electrical current, and for liquefying relaxed evaporated working fluid within the liquefier.
A method of pumping heat, comprising:
- operating a first portion, operating the first portion comprising evaporating a working fluid at a first pressure, compressing the evaporated working fluid to a second, higher pressure, and liquefying a compressed working fluid within a liquefier;
- or
- operating a second portion, the operation of the second portion comprising compressing liquid working fluid to a third pressure, which is higher than the second pressure, evaporating the working fluid which has been compressed to the third pressure, relaxing the evaporated working fluid to a pressure smaller than the third pressure, so as to generate electrical current, and liquefying relaxed evaporated working fluid within the evaporator.
A small power station for heating buildings, comprising:
- a water pump for compressing water to a first pressure above 0.1 MPa;
- an evaporator for evaporating the compressed water using primary energy from a combustion process or from a solar collector so as to provide water vapor at the first pressure;
- a turbine for generating electrical current, the turbine being configured to bring water vapor up to a second pressure while outputting electrical current, the second pressure being smaller than 50 kPa;
- and
- a liquefier for liquefying the cooled-off water vapor, the liquefier comprising a heating advance flow and a heating backflow for heating a building.
A method of heating a building, comprising:
- compressing water to a first pressure above 0.1 MPa;
- evaporating the compressed water while using primary energy from a combustion process or from a solar collector, so as to provide water vapor at the first pressure;
- generating electrical current by relaxing the water vapor at the first pressure to a second pressure, the second pressure being smaller than 50 kPa;
- and
- liquefying the water vapor, which has been output by generating electrical current, within a liquefier water volume coupled to a heating advance flow and a heating backflow for heating a building.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.