US 6,553,771 B2Granted

Electrochemical heat pump system

AssigneeBorst, Inc.

InventorBoris Tsenter

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Abstract

An electrochemical heat pump system comprising an electrochemical pump, refrigerant-based cooling system, and gas-driven compressor. The electrochemical pump is capable of reversibly producing and consuming hydrogen gas. The cooling system comprises a condenser, compressor, and evaporator in thermal communication with an object to be cooled. The compressor comprises a chamber having a fixed volume and a flexible separator that physically divides the chamber into a gas space and a refrigerant space containing vapor refrigerant. As hydrogen gas is produced in the gas space, the flexible separator extends into the refrigerant space thereby expanding the gas space and compressing the vapor refrigerant. As the vapor refrigerant is compressed, it is forced through the condenser where the refrigerant is liquefied. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the evaporator where the liquid refrigerant is evaporated by absorbing heat from the object to be cooled.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An electrochemical heat pump system comprising:

a reciprocal electrochemical pump having at least two electrochemical cells each containing a first electrode selected from the group consisting of a metal electrode, a metal-hydride electrode, and metal-oxide electrode and a hydrogen electrode wherein each of said hydrogen electrodes is capable of reversibly producing and consuming hydrogen gas during electrochemical reactions and each of said first electrodes is capable of reversibly producing or accepting at least one electron to support such electrochemical reactions;
a refrigerant-based cooling system;
a gas-driven compressor connected to said electrochemical pump and said cooling system, said compressor including a flexible member to physically isolate hydrogen gas in said gas-driven compressor from refrigerant in said cooling system;
and wherein said gas-driven compressor comprises:
at least one chamber having a fixed volume;
and
said flexible member dividing said at least one chamber into a first gas space and a refrigerant gas space, said first gas space connected to said electrochemical pump and said first refrigerant space connected to said cooling system.

4 more elements

An electrochemical heat pump system comprising:

a first compressor including a first chamber having a fixed volume, said first chamber having a first flexible member dividing said first chamber into a first gas space and a first refrigerant space, said first refrigerant space being connected to said cooling system;
a second compressor including a second chamber having a fixed volume, said second chamber having a second flexible member for dividing said second chamber into a second gas space and a second refrigerant space, said second refrigerant space being connected to said cooling system;
a cooling system connected to said first refrigerant space and said second refrigerant space, said cooling system contains a refrigerant that circulates between said first refrigerant space, cooling system, and second refrigerant space;
and
an electrochemical pump connected to said first and second gas spaces, said electrochemical pump provides a supply of gas to said first gas space to move said first flexible member and compress said refrigerant in said first refrigerant space during a charge cycle, said electrochemical pump provides a supply of gas to said second gas space to move said second flexible member and compress said refrigerant in said second refrigerant space during a discharge cycle when the polarity to said electrochemical pump is reversed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/728,586Filed 1 Dec 2000
Published: US 2002/0066277 A16 Jun 2002
Granted: 29 Apr 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F04B 35/00
Piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids and characterised by the driving
F25B 1/02
Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle: with compressor of reciprocating-piston type
F25B 6/02
Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits: arranged in parallel
F25B 27/00
Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy