Isothermalizer system

An isothermalizing element comprising:

• a chamber;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls each comprising a plurality of concentric tapered rings of thermally conductive material, said walls dividing the chamber into a pair of thermally controlled subchambers and a working subchamber;
• a pair of temperature control fluids in the respective thermally controlled subchambers which maintain the temperatures in said thermally controlled subchambers substantially constant, the temperatures of the respective subchambers being different;
• a piston reciprocal in the working subchamber toward and away from the thermally conductive walls, the faces of the piston confronting the walls having complementary concentric ridges for nesting with the concentric tapered rings of the thermally conductive walls to minimize dead volume therebetween;
• and
• a pair of working fluids between the piston and the respective thermally conductive walls in the working subchamber which undergo a thermodynamic cycle.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a chamber having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant from cycle to cycle at said heat source end, said chamber having a larger cross-sectional area toward the heat source end than toward the heat sink end;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the respective thermally conductive walls, said walls comprising concentric tapered rings to increase their surface area, the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber including a conduit to a pressure actuated load;
• a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls, the piston having complementary concentric ridges which meet with the rings of the respective walls, said piston having a hollow center and ports penetrating the faces confronting the respective thermally conductive walls, said piston further having a differential area so that the face confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end is larger than that confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end;
• a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source;
• a heat sink fluid in the heat sink subchamber having a temperature different from that of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• a working fluid located between the respective walls of the piston and filling the hollow center thereof, the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the heat source and the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the temperature of the heat sink fluid, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves nearly Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a plurality of chambers each having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end, a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the thermally conductive walls, said walls comprising concentric tapered rings to increase their surface area, a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls and having complementary concentric tapered ridges which mesh with the rings, a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source, and a heat sink fluid in the heat sink subchamber having a temperature different from that of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• means for mechanically coupling the piston to an external force;
• conduits connecting each space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of one chamber with the space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of another subchamber, said conduits including heat regenerative material, so that the working fluid is cycled to and from the opposite sides of the pistons in joined chambers through the regenerative material, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves near Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a chamber having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the respective thermally conductive walls;
• a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls;
• a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source;
• a heat sink fluid including liquid and vapor in the heat sink subchamber having a boiling temperature different from the temperature of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• a working fluid located between the respective walls and the piston, the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the heat source and the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to the temperature of the heat sink fluid;
• heat regenerative material;
• and
• means for cycling the working fluid to and from the opposite sides of the piston within the chamber through the regenerative material, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves nearly Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a chamber having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said source end, said chamber having a larger cross-sectional area toward the heat source end than toward the heat sink end;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the respective thermally conductive walls, the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber including a conduit to a pressure actuated load;
• a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls, said piston having a hollow center and ports penetrating the faces confronting the respective thermally conductive walls, said piston further having a differential area so that the face confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end is larger than that confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end;
• a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source;
• a heat sink fluid including liquid and vapor in the heat sink subchamber having a boiling temperature different from the temperature of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• a working fluid located between the respective walls of the piston and filling the hollow center thereof, the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the heat source and the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the temperature of the heat sink fluid, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves nearly Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a plurality of chambers each having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end, a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the thermally conductive walls, a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls, a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat souce, and a heat sink fluid including liquid and vapor in the heat sink subchamber having a boiling temperature different from the temperature of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• means for mechanically coupling the piston to an external force;
• conduits connecting each space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate that heat source end of one chamber with the space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat end of another subchamber, said conduits including heat regenerative material, so that the working fluid is cycled to and from the opposite sides of the pistons in joined chambers through the regenerative material, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves near Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a chamber having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the respective thermally conductive walls;
• a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls;
• a heat source fluid including liquid and vapor in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source;
• a heat sink fluid in the heat sink subchamber having a temperature different from that of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• a working fluid located between the respective walls and the piston, the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the heat source and the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to the temperature of the heat sink fluid;
• heat regenerative material;
• and
• means for cycling the working fluid to and from the opposite sides of the piston within the chamber through the regenerative material, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves nearly Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a chamber having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end, said chamber having a larger cross-sectional area toward the heat source end than toward the heat sink end;
• a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the respective thermally conductive walls, the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber including a conduit to a pressure actuated load;
• a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls, said piston having a hollow center and ports penetrating the faces confronting the respective thermally conductive walls, said piston further having a differential area so that the face confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end is larger than that confronting the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end;
• a heat source fluid in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source;
• a heat sink fluid in the heat sink subchamber having a temperature different from that of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• a working fluid located between the respective walls of the piston and filling the hollow center thereof, the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the heat source and the working fluid adjacent the wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber having a temperature substantially equal to that of the temperature of the heat sink fluid, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves nearly Carnot efficiency.

An isothermalizer system comprising:

• a plurality of chambers each having a heat source end and a heat sink end and a heat source having a substantially constant temperature from cycle to cycle at said heat source end, a pair of thermally conductive walls spanning the chamber and forming a heat source subchamber at the heat source end of the chamber, a heat sink subchamber at the heat sink end of the chamber, and a central subchamber between the thermally conductive walls, a piston located in the central subchamber and reciprocal between the respective thermally conductive walls, a heat source fluid including liquid and vapor in the heat source subchamber to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat source end of the chamber at substantially the temperature of the heat source, and a heat sink fluid in the heat sink subchamber having a temperature different from that of the heat source to maintain the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of the chamber at a substantially constant temperature different from that of the heat source;
• means for mechanically coupling the piston to an external force;
• conduits connecting each space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat souce end of one chamber with the space between the piston and the thermally conductive wall proximate the heat sink end of another subchamber, said conduits including heat regenerative material, so that the working fluid is cycled to and from the opposite sides of the pistons in joined chambers through the regenerative material, said working fluid undergoing a thermodynamic cycle which achieves near Carnot efficiency.