Cryogenic liquid heat exchanger system with fluid ejector

Abstract

A cryogenic liquid heat exchanger system has a subatmospheric pressure reservoir, a tube, and an initial fluid ejector. The sub-atmospheric pressure reservoir has a vacuum exhaust. The tube extends through the reservoir. The initial fluid ejector has a suction chamber inlet that is functionally connected to the reservoir vacuum exhaust. The system may have a plurality of fluid ejectors connected to one or more exhausts either in series or parallel. The initial fluid ejector may receive one or more pressurized fluid streams, and the streams may be steam. A process for generating sub-atmospheric pressures in a cryogenic fluid heat exchanger reservoir includes the step of discharging an initial fluid stream into an initial fluid ejector having a suction chamber functionally connected to an exhaust of the reservoir. A process for generating sub-atmospheric pressures in a cryogenic fluid heat exchanger reservoir includes the step of using a fluid ejector to reduce the pressure in the reservoir. In either process, cooling cryogenic fluid is directed through the reservoir. The cooling cryogenic fluid may be liquid nitrogen or liquid hydrogen. In either process, an incoming cryogenic fluid stream is directed through a tube that extends through the reservoir. The incoming cryogenic fluid may be liquid oxygen or liquid hydrogen, or any other suitable cryogenic fluid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.