Energy conversion system for deriving useful power from sources of low level heat
OwnerCharles E. Jahniginventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An energy conversion system for deriving useful power from the thermal gradients in the ocean, or from solar, geothermal, or other sources of low level heat, by using warm water to heat a confined working gas such as air whereby a pressure increase results due to warming the gas, arranging so that the expansion moves a piston or other device to extract power, and then cooling the gas and compressing it back to initial conditions while directly or indirectly contacting it with cooler water to thereby decrease the work needed for recompression. Net useful work results from the difference between the work of expansion at higher temperature and the work of recompression at lower temperature.
Claims33
A method of energy conversion which comprises alternately contacting a confined gas with relatively warm liquid to expand said gas and with relatively cool liquid to contract said gas to thereby produce a pressure differential under conditions wherein the working gas is expanded to a volume greater than that which would result from the change in temperature alone and producing work by means of said pressure differential.
An energy conversion system which comprises
- means for providing a source of relatively warm water,
- means for providing a source of relatively cool water,
- means for contacting a confined gas with said relatively warm water to thereby expand said gas,
- means for contacting said gas with said relatively cool water to thereby contract said gas,
- means for alternately contacting said gas with said warm water and said cool water to thereby alternately warm and cool said gas in a cycle to thereby produce a pressure differential,
- means for putting in work in the expansion portion of said cycle and for taking out work in the contraction portion of said cycle under conditions wherein the working gas is expanded to a volume greater than that which would result from the change in temperature alone, and
- means for producing work by means of the pressure differential of said gas.
An energy conversion system which comprises
- means for providing a source of relatively warm liquid,
- means for providing a source of relatively cool liquid,
- means for alternately contacting a confined gas with said warm liquid to expand said gas and with said cool liquid to contact said gas in a cycle to thereby produce a pressure differential,
- means for putting in work in the expansion portion of said cycle and for taking out work in the contraction portion of said cycle under conditions wherein the working gas is expanded to a volume greater than that which would result from the change in temperature alone, and
- means for producing work by use of the pressure differential of said gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.