Heat pump

The heat pump apparatus of claim 14 wherein said compressor means comprises a second continuous loop passageway containing a plurality of freely-movable, unrestrained bodies, means for generating a force by expansion of a gas in an expander region of said second passageway to propel successive ones of the bodies in one direction around the second passageway, a compression region in said second passageway beyond the expander region wherein fluid is compressed between successive ones of the propelled bodies, port means in the second passageway between the end of the expander region and the beginning of the compression region to permit the venting of fluid which has been expanded and the extrance of fluid which is to be compressed, heat exchanger means having its entrance connected to the second passageway at the end of the compression region and its exit connected to the second passageway at the beginning of the expander region, wherein heat is introduced into the portion of said compressed fluid traversing the heat exchanger and the heated, compressed fluid is then introduced into the expander region, means to convey a portion of the compressed fluid from the end of the compression region of the second passageway to the beginning of the expander region of the first passageway, and a thruster region in the second passageway beyond the compression region wherein an external force is applied to successive ones of said bodies to counterbalance the external forces acting against the bodies as they traverse the loop passageway and to return them from the end of the compression region to the beginning of the expander region.

Heat pump apparatus comprising:

• (a) a continuous loop passageway containing a plurality of bodies to move along the passageway,
• (b) means for generating a force by expansion of fluid in an expander region of said passageway to thereby propel the bodies in one direction around the passageway,
• (c) a compression region in the passageway beyond the expander region wherein fluid is compressed between successive ones of the propelled bodies,
• (d) port means in the passageway between the expander region and the compression region to permit the venting of fluid which has been expanded in the expander region and the entrance of fluid which is to be compressed in the compression region,
• (e) heat exchanger means connected to the passageway at the compression region for extracting heat from the fluid thus compressed, and
• (f) a thruster region between the compression region and the expander region.

A method for increasing the heat content of a fluid and thereafter transferring the heat content to an ambient atmosphere, which comprises the steps of:

• (a) providing a closed-continuous loop passageway containing a plurality of bodies to move along the passageway, p1 (b) generating a force between successive ones of said bodies by expansion of fluid in an expander region of said passageway to increase the kinetic energy of the bodies and thereby propel successive ones of the bodies in one direction around the passageway,
• (c) exiting said fluid after expansion thereof from the interior of said passageway at a reduced temperature,
• (d) introducing a fluid at a temperature higher than said reduced temperature into the interior of said passageway and thereafter compressing said introduced fluid between successive ones of the bodies propelled by expansion, and
• (e) thereafter passing the compressed fluid through heat exchanger means connected to the passageway after compression of said fluid for extracting heat from the fluid thus compressed.

Heat pump apparatus comprising:

• (a) a continuous loop passageway containing a plurality of bodies to move along said passageway, said continuous loop passageway including two vertical passageway sections with successive ones of said bodies moving upwardly against the force of gravity along one vertical section and thence downwardly under the force of gravity along the other vertical passageway section,
• (b) means for generating a force by expansion of fluid in an expander region in each of said two vertical passageway sections to thereby accelerate successive ones of the bodies in one direction around the passageway,
• (c) a compression region in each of said two vertical passageway sections beyond the expander region thereof to compress fluid between successive ones of the propelled bodies,
• (d) port means in the passageway between the end of each expander region and the beginning of the compression region therebeyond to permit the venting of fluid which has been expanded and the entrance of fluid which is to be compressed,
• (e) a thruster region beyond each compression region in the passageway wherein a force is applied to successive ones of the bodies to counterbalance the external forces acting against the bodies as they traverse the passageway and to feed them from the end of one compression region to the beginning of an expander region, and
• (f) heat exchanger means having its entrance connected to the passageway at the end of each compression region to extract heat from the compressed fluid leaving each compression region.