Method and apparatus for co-generation of electrical power and absorption-type heat pump air conditioning

Method of co-generation of electrical and thermal energy for local supply of electrical power and space air conditioning requirements which comprises,

• operating a Diesel engine at a load sufficient to create heated exhaust gas to a range of temperatures of from about 500.degree. F. to about 1200.degree. F., said load including mechanically driving an electrical generator with said engine, said generator being electrically connected to a system adapted to modulate said load to hold said gas temperature within said range,
• flowing said heated exhaust gas from said engine through a vapor generator of an absorption-type refrigeration system to extract the refrigerant component as a vapor from the liquid carrier phase of said system, and thereby to heat and increase the pressure of the vapor phase of said refrigerant component,
• flowing said vapor phase to a condenser to form a high pressure liquid phase of said condensed vapor, restricting the flow of said liquid phase into an evaporator to re-expand said liquid phase into a vapor phase by absorption of heat, and from said evaporator coil into an absorber for resolution of said vapor into said liquid carrier phase for return circulation of the combined liquid to said vapor generator,
• said flow between said condenser and said evaporator coil being controlled in response to a preselectable temperature of space air to be temperature conditioned which includes controlling the direction of flow of heated vapor from said vapor generator through a selected one of a pair of heat exchangers adapted to serve as either said condenser or said evaporator, said pair of heat exchangers being respectively located (a) in the space air conditioning system for heat exchange with air flowing therethrough and (b) external to said space for heat exchange with ambient air, simultaneously restricting flow of said liquid phase from said one heat exchanger to the other heat exchanger of said pair to serve as said evaporator for return flow to said absorber whereby selection of the direction of flow of said refrigerant alone converts a space air conditioning system from heating to cooling and vice versa in response to said preselectable temperature of said space.

Method for co-generation of electrical power and space heating or cooling for utility service to a building complex which comprises operating an internal combustion engine to mechanically drive an electrical generator, said generator being electrically connected to the electrical distribution system for said building complex, recovering heat rejected by said engine in a vapor generator of an absorption-type refrigeration system to increase the pressure of the vaporizable refrigerant component of said absorption circulating system, condensing such vapor component by cooling said refrigerant at substantially constant pressure to a liquid, said vapor component being cooled in response to a preselected temperature range to cool or heat space in said building complex, which includes selectively directing said vapor flow either through a coil exposed to outside air for cooling or to a coil in an air flow duct for heating said building space, absorbing heat from the resultant condensed liquid refrigerant by flowing said liquid to the other of said coils from said one coil through pressure reducing means, and returning the resulting vaporized refrigerant at such reduced pressure to said vapor generator through an absorber for resolution of said vapor in the liquid carrier component of said absorption circulation system for regeneration of said refrigerant vapor component by heat absorbed in said vapor generator from said internal combustion engine.

Apparatus for co-generation of electrical power and air conditioning requirements of a building which comprises a Diesel engine, an electrical generator driven by said engine, means connecting the electrical energy output of said generator to the distribution system for said building, heat recovery means connected to the exhaust system of said Diesel engine, said heat recovery means including a heat exchanger in a vapor generator adapted to vaporize the refrigerant component from a concentrated solution of refrigerant and liquid carrier in said vapor generator of an absorption-type heat pump, valve means for directing the refrigerant vapor from said vapor generator to either a heat exchanger positioned external to said building or to a heat exchanger disposed in the air conditioning system of said building, said valve means additionally including means for simultaneously connecting the other of said heat exchangers not then connected to said vapor generator to the vapor absorber of said heat pump to complete flow of refrigerant through both of said heat exchangers, and expansion valve means in fluid circuit between said external and said air conditioning heat exchangers, said expansion valve means being responsive to a pressure difference between said heat exchangers to control flow of condensed liquid from the one of said heat exchangers selected for flow of vapor from said vapor generator to said other heat exchanger for heat absorption by liquid therein either from the atmosphere external to said building for heating of said building air or from said air conditioning system for cooling of said building air.

Apparatus for co-generation of electrical power and air conditioning requirements of a building which comprises a Diesel engine, an electrical generator driven by said engine, means connecting the electrical energy output of said generator to the electrical distribution system for said building, heat recovery means connected to the exhaust system of said Diesel engine, said heat recovery means including an absorption-type heat pump vapor generator means adapted to vaporize the refrigerant component from a concentrated solution of refrigerant in a liquid carrier, first conduit means connected to outlet means from said vapor generator, valve means in said first conduit means, first heat exchange means positioned external to said building, second heat exchange means disposed in the air conditioning system of said building, said valve means including means for connecting said first conduit to conductor means connected either to said first or said second heat exchange means, said valve means additionally including means for simultaneously connecting the other of said first or said second heat exchange means to vapor absorber means of said absorption-type heat pump to complete flow of said refrigerant component back to said vapor generator after traversing both of said heat exchange means and said absorber means, and expansion valve means in fluid circuit between said first and said second heat exchange means, the direction of flow through said expansion valve means being in response to the pressure difference between said first and said second heat exchange means, whereby said refrigerant component flowing in said second heat exchange means may provide either heating or cooling to said building air conditioning system, and simultaneously said refrigerant component flowing in said first heat exchanger respectively rejects heat to or absorbs heat from ambient external air.

A method of simultaneously generating electrical power and thermal energy to heat and cool an enclosed area to maintain a preselected temperature therein, which comprises operating an internal combustion engine at a load sufficient to generate exhaust gas having a temperature within a range of from about 500.degree. F. to about 1200.degree. F. and mechanically drive an electrical generator, said electrical generator being connected to an electric power system adapted to modulate said load to hold said gas temperature within said range, flowing said exhaust gas from said engine through a vapor generator of an absorption-type refrigeration system to heat and increase the pressure of the vapor which is essentially the refrigerant component of the working fluid of said system, selectively extracting heat from said vapor by condensing said refrigerant at substantially constant pressure to a substantially liquid state by flowing selectively said vapor either through a heat exchanger exposed to outside air for ambient air cooling of said vapor or to a heat exhanger exposed to air flow in said enclosed area, simultaneously flowing the resultant refrigerant liquid through expansion means to the unselected other of said heat exchangers for reduction of the pressure of said liquid flowing therethrough to absorb heat from air flow over said unselected heat exchanger, and returning the resultant refrigerant vapor at such reduced pressure to said vapor generator which includes flowing said vapor through an absorber for solution in the carrier liquid withdrawn from said vapor generator after vaporization therefrom of said refrigerant vapor, and pumping said carrier liquid at an elevated pressure from said absorber to said vapor generator.