Energy storage and recovery system
AssigneeElectron Power Systems
InventorD. Clint Seward
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An energy storage device in which a vacuum tube and a magnetic field are used to store electrons circulating within the tube along spiral paths. The vacuum tube can have a generally toroidal shape and contains an electron gun or filament to inject electrons into the tube. Systems for retrieving electrons and precisely controlling their movement within the tube use a microprocessor control circuit that may be programmed to perform energy storage and retrieval functions.
Claims18
An apparatus for recovering energy stored in an energy storage device having a plurality of electrons that are moving along paths that are arranged in a fixed geometry, comprising:
- an inlet for controllably injecting a gas into the storage device such that the gas encounters the arranged electrons to energize the gas by transferring energy from the electrons to the gas, the gas in the storage device having a pressure of 100 mb or less;
- an outlet for controllably removing the energized gas from the storage device;
- an electric generator connected to the outlet;
- a sensor that measures a property of the storage device;
- and
- a computer connected to a system controller, the controller being connected to the inlet and the outlet such that the controller controls injection of the gas into the storage device at the inlet and regulates removal of energy at the outlet.
A method for recovering energy stored in an energy storage device, comprising the steps of:
- providing a computer, a controller connected to the computer, and a plurality of electrons that are moving along paths within the device that are arranged in a fixed geometry, the controller being connected to the storage device;
- controllably injecting a gas into the storage device with the controller such that the gas encounters the arranged electrons to energize the gas by transferring energy from the electrons to the gas, the gas in the storage device having a pressure of 100 mb or less;
- sensing a property of the storage device with a sensor;
- controllably removing the energized gas from the storage device;
- and
- generating electricity with the removed energized gas.
The method of 9 wherein the step of converting includes a magnetohydrodynamic conversion.
An apparatus for converting energy stored in an energy storage device having a plurality of electrons that are moving along paths that are arranged in a fixed geometry-into electricity, comprising:
- an inlet for controllably injecting a gas into the storage device such that the gas encounters the arranged electrons to energize the gas by transferring energy from the electrons to the gas, the gas in the storage device having a pressure of 100 mb or less;
- an outlet for controllably removing the energized gas from the storage device;
- a sensor that measures a property of the storage device;
- a control system that controls the inlet and the outlet to regulate the removal of energy from the storage device, the control system including a programmably computer;
- and
- a generator to produce electricity from the energized gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.