Heat pump
AssigneeEfficient Energy GmbH
InventorsHolger Sedlak, Oliver Kniffler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat pump has an evaporator for evaporating water as a working liquid so as to produce a working vapor, the evaporation taking place at an evaporation pressure of less than 20 hPa. The working vapor is compressed to a working pressure of at least 25 hPa by a dynamic-type compressor so as to then be liquefied within a liquefier by direct contact with liquefier water. The heat pump is preferably an open system, wherein water present in the environment in the form of ground water, sea water, river water, lake water or brine is evaporated, and wherein water which has been liquefied again is fed to the evaporator, to the soil or to a water treatment plant.
Claims18
A heat pump comprising:
- an evaporator for evaporating water as a working liquid to generate a working vapor, the evaporator comprising an evaporation chamber and being adapted to generate an evaporation pressure of less than 20 hPa within the evaporation chamber, so that the water will evaporate at temperatures below 18° C.;
- a dynamic-type compressor coupled to the evaporator for compressing the working vapor, the compressor being adapted to compress the working vapor to a working pressure of more than 5 hPa above the evaporation pressure;
- and
- a liquefier for liquefying a compressed working vapor, the liquefier being adapted to output a heat which has been acquired during the liquefaction to a heating system,
- wherein the liquefier comprises a drain to drain off liquefied working liquid, and
- wherein the drain to drain off liquefied working liquid comprises a portion arranged within the evaporator for providing a nucleating effect for a bubble evaporation within the evaporator.
A method of pumping heat, comprising:
- evaporating, by an evaporator, water as a working liquid to generate a working vapor, the working vapor being generated at an evaporation pressure of less than 20 hPa, so that the water will evaporate at temperatures below 18° C.;
- compressing the working vapor in terms of flow so as to compress the working vapor to a working pressure of more than 5 hPa above the evaporation pressure;
- and
- liquefying, by a liquefier, a compressed working vapor to output a heat which has been acquired during the liquefaction to a heating system,
- wherein the liquefier comprises a drain to drain off liquefied working liquid, and
- wherein the drain to drain off liquefied working liquid comprises a portion arranged within the evaporator for providing a nucleating effect for a bubble evaporation within the evaporator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.