US 4,009,082 AGranted

Production of energy by direct contact of water immiscible working fluid with hot or warm water to vaporize liquid working fluid, utilization of vapor to produce mechanical energy and direct contact of spent vapor with cold or cool water to condense same

OwnerCalvin Schwartz Smith, Jr.inventor

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Abstract

A low boiling water immiscible fluid containing two or more molecular species and having a variable boiling point is contacted in the liquid state with relatively hot or warm water such as surface sea water or geothermal water, thereby generating vapor of immiscible fluid (together with a certain amount of water vapor) which is used to drive a prime mover such as a gas turbine and thereby produce mechanical energy; the exhaust vapor from the prime mover is condensed by direct contact with a relatively cool or cold liquid aqueous phase such as deep sea water or water from a lake or stream or cooling tower to condense the vapor; and the condensate is recycled. Provision is made for ridding water discharged from the system of entrained and dissolved immiscible fluid. By countercurrent flow of the liquid phases and by suitable matching techniques greater efficiency is obtained. The invention is also applicable to heat pumps.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of deriving mechanical energy from a source of relatively hot or warm water (HW) and a source of relatively cold or cool water (CW) wherein a working fluid (WF) is vaporized from the liquid state (LWF) to the vapor state (VWF) by heat from the hot or warm water source (HW), the vapor (VWF) is expanded through a combustionless gas pressure to mechanical energy converter, the expanded vapor (VWF) of working fluid (WF) is condensed by the source of cold or cool water (CW) and the condensate (LWF) is recycled, said working fluid (WF) being immiscible with water, being more volatile than water, and having a density different from that of water to allow its separation from water by gravity, such method comprising:

a. providing a first zone (LWF heating Zone I) having a warm water inlet and a relatively cool water outlet, such zone being adapted to cause intimate direct contact of liquid working fluid (LWF) with water (HW) to vaporize said liquid working fluid at least in part,
b. providing a second zone (VWF condensing zone II), having a cold water inlet and a relatively warmer water outlet, such zone being adapted to cause intimate direct contact of both vapor of working fluid (VWF) and condensate thereof (LWF) with water (CW),
c. causing flow of relatively hot or warm water (HW) through Zone I from its water inlet to its water outlet,
d. causing flow of relatively cold or cool water (CW) through Zone II from its water inlet to its water outlet,
e. providing said working fluid (WF) in the form of a mixture of two or more molecular species and having a boiling range,
f. causing such working fluid in liquid state (LWF) arriving from Zone II to pass through Zone I countercurrently to the flow of water (HW) and in intimate direct contact with the water to vaporize the liquid working fluid,
g. causing the vapor of working fluid (VWF) generated in step (f) to expand through a combustionless gas pressure to mechanical energy converter thereby producing mechanical energy,
h. causing the expanded vapor (VWF) from step (g) to pass into Zone II and to flow, together with its condensate (LWF), through Zone II countercurrently to the flow of water (CW) therein and in intimate direct contact with said water, thereby condensing the vapor of working fluid (VWF) to liquid working fluid (LWF), and
i. separating the liquid working fluid (LWF) produced in step (h) and returning it to Zone I.

6 more elements

A system for producing mechanical energy from a relatively low temperature source of warm or hot water (HW) as a source of thermal energy for evaporation of a liquid working fluid (LWF) to vaporize such liquid and a source of cold or cool water (CW) as a heat sink for condensation of vapor of working fluid (VWF) to liquid working fluid (LWF), said system comprising:

a. a first zone (Zone I) having a hot water (HW) inlet, a used cooled water (UW) outlet, a vapor outlet for vapor of working fluid (VWF) and a liquid working fluid (LWF) inlet, said inlets and outlets being arranged for countercurrent flow of water and working fluid, said zone being also provided with means to promote intimate direct contact of water (HW) with liquid working fluid (LWF) and vapor thereof (VWF),
b. a second zone (Zone II) having a cold water (CW) inlet, a warmed used water (UW) outlet, a vapor inlet for vapor of working fluid (VWF) and a liquid working fluid (LWF) outlet, said inlets and outlets being arranged for countercurrent flow of cold or cool water (CW) and working fluid, said Zone II being also provided with means to promote intimate direct contact of the working fluid with the water,
c. and a gas pressure-to-mechanical energy converter having an inlet connected to the VWF outlet of Zone I and an outlet connected to the VWF inlet of Zone II.

In combination with a steam power plant having a boiler and at least one steam turbine operated by high pressure steam generated by the boiler, a waste heat recovery system comprising:

a. a condenser adapted to condense water or low pressure steam from the turbine or turbines of said plant by direct contact with water, said condenser having a steam inlet for receiving waste or low pressure steam from the turbine or turbines, a return outlet for returning water to the boiler, a cold water inlet and a hot water outlet,
b. a first zone (zone I) having a hot water (HW) inlet connected to the hot water outlet of said condenser and having a cooled, used water (UW) outlet connected to the cold water inlet of said condenser, said zone I having also a liquid working fluid (LWF) inlet and a vapor of working fluid (VWF) outlet, said zone I being adapted to maintain direct intimate contact between the water flowing therethrough and a liquid working fluid (LWF) which boils below, is immiscible with and has a different density than water to cause vaporization of LWF to VWF,
c. a combustionless gas pressure-to-mechanical energy converter having an inlet connected to the vapor outlet of zone I and having a vapor outlet,
d. a second zone (zone II) having a cold water (CW) inlet and a heated, used water (UW) outlet and having also a vapor (VWF) inlet connected to the outlet of said energy converter and having a liquid working fluid (LWF) outlet connected to the liquid working fluid (LWF) inlet of zone I, said zone II being adapted to maintain intimate direct contact between vapor (VWF) and resulting condensate (LWF) of working fluid and the water (CW) flowing therethrough.

1 more element

A method of operating a heat pump system comprising an evaporating-cooling zone (Zone I) for evaporating a liquid working fluid (LWF) and cooling an aqueous liquid (HW) by heat exchange between the fluid LWF and the liquid HW, a compressor for compressing the vapor of working fluid (VWF) generated in Zone I and a condensing-heating zone (Zone II) for condensing compressed vapor of working fluid VWF) from the compressor, said method comprising:

a. providing said Zone I with a water inlet, a water outlet, a liquid working fluid inlet, a vapor of working fluid outlet and means for causing intimate direct contact between water and liquid working fluid in said Zone I, said inlets and outlets being arranged to cause countercurrent flow of water and liquid working fluid in said Zone I,
b. providing said Zone II with a water inlet, a water outlet, a vapor of working fluid inlet, a liquid working fluid outlet and means for causing intimate direct contact of vapor of liquid working fluid and water in said Zone II, said inlets and outlets being arranged to cause countercurrnt flow of water and vapor of liquid working fluid in said Zone II,
c. causing flow of relatively hot or warm water (HW) through Zone I from the water inlet to the water outlet thereof,
d. causing flow of relatively cold or cool water (CW) through Zone II from the water inlet to the water outlet thereof,
e. providing a working fluid (WF) in the form of a mixture of two or more molecular species and having a boiling range, said working fluid being immiscible with water, lower boiling than water and having a density different than that of water to allow separation of the liquid working fluid from water by gravity,
f. causing such working fluid in liquid state (LWF) to pass through Zone I from its LWF inlet countercurrently to the flow of water (HW) and in intimate direct contact with the water to vaporize the liquid working fluid and cool the water, and conducting vapor of working fluid (VWF) from Zone I through the VWF outlet to said compressor,
g. compressing the vapor of working fluid (VWF) generated in step (f) in said compressor,
h. causing the compressed vapor (VWF) from step (g) to pass into Zone II and to flow, together with its condensate (LWF), through Zone II countercurrently to the flow of water (HW) therein and in intimate direct contact with water, thereby condensing the vapor of working fluid (VWF) to liquid working fluid (LWF),
i. separating the liquid working fluid (LWF) produced in step (h) and returning it to Zone I and
j. the temperature of inlet water to Zone I being lower than the temperature of outlet water from Zone II.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 05/636,417Filed 1 Dec 1975 · continuation in part
Priority: 16 Mar 1970
Granted: 22 Feb 1977
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B01D 1/26
Evaporating: multiple-effect evaporating
C02F 1/10
By distillation or evaporation: by direct contact with a particulate solid or with a fluid, as a heat transfer medium
Y02W 10/37
Wastewater or sewage treatment systems using renewable energies: using solar energy
Y10S 159/33
Concentrating evaporators: two liquids, one a heat carrier

Family

Serial19,592Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 16 Mar 1970
Serial224,018Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 Feb 1972
Serial480,963Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 19 Jun 1974
3856631Parent of this continuation-in-part
3640850Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,009,082 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.