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US 2012/0240551 A1Published application
Heat engine
OwnerMurray R.K. JOHNSONinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat engine for use in conjunction with a power generating plant, including a turbine section having a number of turbines, a heat exchanger section having a number of modules through which the expanded working fluid of the power generating plant and other sources of heat are circulated, a laminar flow inducing section, and a tower section for providing a pressure differential across the turbines of the turbine section. In use, the heat engine provides the dual function of: heating air to generate an updraft such that air forces its way into the turbine sections to drive the turbines and generate additional electricity; and using incoming colder air to condense the expanded working fluid and cool other sources of heat.
Claims36
A heat engine for generating power from heat sources, said heat engine comprising:
- a turbine section, said turbine section having at least one air inlet and at least one rotor, said rotor being positioned to be rotated by air flowing through said air inlet;
- a generator coupled to said rotor for generating power as the rotor is rotated;
- a tower section, said tower section having an air outlet, said tower section being positioned above the turbine section and arranged to receive air flowing from said turbine section and deliver it to said air outlet;
- a heat exchanger section positioned between said turbine section and said tower section and comprising a heat exchanger, said heat exchanger being adapted to be connected to the heat sources and configured to transfer heat from the heat sources to air flowing from said turbine section into said tower section;
- said heat exchanger including a plurality of modules including at least one upper module, and at least one lower module positioned below the upper module, said modules being arranged to receive sources of heat at different temperatures, said upper module being adapted to receive from a heat source at a higher temperature than the lower module;
- said modules being positioned substantially across the entire transverse cross sectional area of said heat exchanger section.
3 more elements
A heat engine for generating power from heat sources, said heat engine comprising:
- a turbine section, said turbine section having at least one air inlet and at least one rotor, said rotor being positioned to be rotated by air flowing through said air inlet;
- a generator coupled to said rotor for generating power as the rotor is rotated;
- a tower section, said tower section having an air outlet, said tower section being positioned above the turbine section and arranged to receive air flowing from said turbine section and deliver it to said air outlet;
- a heat exchanger section positioned between said turbine section and said tower section and comprising a heat exchanger, said heat exchanger being adapted to be connected to the heat sources and configured to transfer heat from the heat sources to air flowing from said turbine section into said tower section;
- said heat exchanger including a plurality of modules including at least one upper module, and at least one lower module positioned below the upper module, said modules being arranged to receive sources of heat at different temperatures, said upper module being adapted to receive from a heat source at a higher temperature than the lower module;
- said modules being positioned substantially across the entire transverse cross sectional area of said heat exchanger section;
- an adjustment system for adjusting the impedance of the turbine section to air entering through the air turbine section and flowing up through the heat exchanger section and into the tower section;
- and
- a control system, said control system including sensors for detecting the temperature of the heat sources, the control system altering the adjustment system according to the temperatures of the heat sources so as to control the flow rate of air flowable through the air inlet to the air outlet.
6 more elements
A heat engine for generating power from heat from the expanded steam from a power plant operating a steam cycle, said heat engine comprising:
- a turbine section, said turbine section having at least one air inlet and at least one rotor, said rotor being positioned to be rotated by air flowing through said inlet;
- a generator coupled to said rotor for generating power as the rotor is rotated;
- a tower section, said tower section having an air outlet, said tower section being positioned above the turbine section and arranged to receive air flowing from said turbine section and deliver it to said air outlet;
- a heat exchanger section positioned between said turbine section and said tower section and comprising a heat exchanger,
- a compressor with an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the compressor being adapted to receive expanded steam from a power plant and compress the steam to form water,
- the outlet of the compressor being connected to the heat exchanger;
- said heat exchanger being configured to transfer heat from the water in the outlet of the compressor to air flowing from said turbine section to said tower section.
4 more elements
A heat engine for generating power from heat from the expanded steam from a power plant operating a steam cycle, said heat engine comprising:
- a turbine section, said turbine section having at least one air inlet and at least one rotor, said rotor being positioned to be rotated by air flowing through said inlet;
- a generator coupled to said rotor for generating power as the rotor is rotated;
- a tower section, said tower section having an air outlet, said tower section being positioned above the turbine section and arranged to receive air flowing from said turbine section and deliver it to said air outlet;
- a heat exchanger section positioned between said turbine section and said tower section and comprising a heat exchanger,
- a compressor with an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the compressor being adapted to receive expanded steam working fluid from a power plant and compress the steam to form water,
- the outlet of the compressor being connected to the heat exchanger;
- said heat exchanger being configured to transfer heat from the water in the outlet of the compressor to air flowing from said turbine section to said tower section;
- an adjustment system for adjusting the impedance of the turbine section to air entering through the air turbine section and flowing up through the heat exchanger section and into the tower section;
- and
- a control system, said control system including sensors for detecting the temperature of the heat sources, the control system altering the adjustment system according to the temperatures of the heat sources so as to control the flow rate of air flowable through the air inlet to the air outlet.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.