Thermally powered heating system

A thermally powered heat transfer system having two cycles of operation comprising:

• a first closed loop heat transfer means having a first evaporator, a first heat sink, a first refrigerant, and first condenser means for transferring heat from a common heat source to the first refrigerant during each first cycle of operation and said first condenser means transferring heat from the first refrigerant to the first heat sink during each second cycle of operation;
• a second closed-loop heat transfer means having a second evaporator, a second heat sink, a second refrigerant, and a second condenser means for transferring heat from the second refrigerant to a second heat sink, said second evaporator transferring heat from the common heat source to the second refrigerant during each second cycle of operation and the second condenser means transferring heat from the second refrigerant to the second heat sink during each first cycle of operation;
• compressor means powered by the first refrigerant of the first closed loop heat transfer means for compressing the second refrigerant during each first cycle of operation and powered by the second refrigerant of the second closed loop heat transfer means for compressing the first refrigerant during each second cycle;
• the temperature of the first heat sink being higher than that of the second;
• the temperature of the common heat source being between the temperatures of the first and second heat sinks;
• the boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure of the second refrigerant being higher than that of the first refrigerant, and
• control means including valve means for causing the system to switch from one cycle of operation to the other at the completion of each cycle of operation.

The method of transferring heat from a common heat source to a first and a second heat sink using a first and second refrigerant during two cycles of operation, comprising the steps of:

• A. during the first cycle of operation:
• 1. evaporating the first refrigerant in a first evaporator using heat from the common source;
• 2. compressing the vaporized second refrigerant using the evaporated first refrigerant as the source of energy;
• 3. transferring heat from the compressed vaporized second refrigerant in a second condenser to a second heat sink to liquify the second refrigerant;
• 4. causing the liquified second refrigerant in the second condenser to flow into a second evaporator;
• 5. initiating a second cycle of operation when substantially all the vaporized second refrigerant available to the second condenser has been liquified;
• B. during the second cycle of operation:
• 1. evaporating the second refrigerant in a second evaporator using heat from the common source;
• 2. compressing the first refrigerant using the evaporated second refrigerant as the source of energy;
• 3. transferring heat from the compressed vaporized first refrigerant in a first condenser to a first heat sink to liquify the first refrigerant;
• 4. causing the liquified first refrigerant to flow from the first condenser into the first evaporator;
• and
• 5. initiating the first cycle of operation when substantially all the vaporized first refrigerant available to the first condenser has been liquified.

The method of removing heat from a common heat source comprising during a first cycle of operation the steps of:

• evaporating a first refrigerant in a first evaporator using heat from said common heat source;
• compressing a second refrigerant in a compressor powered by the first refrigerant;
• condensing the second refrigerant in a second condenser by transferring heat from the second refrigerant to a second heat sink;
• initiating a second cycle of operation when substantially all the vaporized second refrigerant has been condensed, the second cycle of operation comprising the steps of:
• evaporating condensed second refrigerant in a second evaporator using heat from the common heat source;
• compressing the first refrigerant in a compressor powered by the second refrigerant;
• condensing the first refrigerant in a first condenser by transferring heat from the first refrigerant to a first heat sink;
• and
• initiating the first cycle when substantially all the vaporized first refrigerant has been condensed;
• The temperature of the first heat sink being higher than that of the second, the boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure of the first refrigerant being higher than that of the second, and the temperature of common heat source being between the temperatures of the heat sinks.