Isothermal compressor apparatus and method
AssigneeSplit Cycle Energy Systems, Inc.
InventorVerDon C. Brinkerhoff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An isothermal compressor apparatus and method, the apparatus including a compression chamber, a piston operable in the compression chamber and an evaporation chamber disposed in heat exchange relationship with the compression chamber, the evaporation chamber being interconnected with a closed refrigerant system. Valves control the flow of compressible gas through the compression chamber while heat exchange coils carry the compressed gas from the compression chamber through the evaporation chamber. The method includes compressing a gas and rapidly removing thermal energy imparted to the gas by the compression process with a refrigerant in the evaporation chamber.
Claims14
A compressor comprising:
- a compression chamber defined by a thin-wall element having a hemispherical profile;
- a piston operable in the compression chamber to compress a compressible gas;
- valve means for admitting the compressible gas into the compression chamber;
- conduit means for removing compressed gas from the compression chamber;
- cooling means for cooling the compressible gas comprising an evaporation chamber disposed about at least a portion of the hemispherical profile of the compression chamber, the evaporation chamber containing a body of liquid having a predetermined heat of vaporization to accommodate removal of at least a portion of the thermal energy from the compressible gas wherein the thermal energy is in the compressible gas resulting from compression of the compressible gas;
- and
- heat exchange means for removing the thermal energy from the evaporated liquid.
An isothermal compressor comprising:
- a crankcase having a crankshaft rotatably mounted therein;
- a cylinder superimposed over the crankcase and having a first end and a second end;
- a compression chamber formed in the first end of the cylinder, the compression chamber having an outlet for compressed gas;
- an evaporation chamber formed in the second end of the cylinder;
- a divided fabricated as a thin-wall sleeve insertable in the cylinder, the sleeve having a closed end and separating the compression chamber from the evaporation chamber;
- a piston interconnected with the crankshaft and operable for reciprocatory movement in the compression chamber upon rotation of the crankshaft;
- gas intake means in the crankcase;
- valve means in the piston for admitting gas into the compression chamber through the piston;
- and
- cooling means in the evaporation chamber for cooling compressed gas from the compression chamber thereby providing isothermal compression of the gas.
A method for removing thermal energy from a compressed gas comprising:
- fabricating a cylinder;
- preparing a compression chamber in the cylinder with a piston cooperating therein for compressing a gas in the compression chamber by fabricating a closed-end sleeve insertable in the cylinder;
- segregating the cylinder into the compression chamber and an expansion chamber with the closed-end sleeve thereby placing the expansion chamber in heat exchange relationship to the compression chamber;
- and
- removing thermal energy from a compressed gas in the compression chamber by providing a refrigerant to the expansion chamber, the refrigerant absorbing the thermal energy from the compressed gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.