Method of and apparatus for producing uninterruptible power

An uninterruptible power supply associated with a power line supplying a load comprising:

• a) a load circuit connecting said power line to said load for supplying power to the same while said power line is operative;
• b) a rotatable member including a Rankine cycle turbine coupled to a device that operates as a motor when line power is applied to said device thereby rotating said member, and as a generator when line power is inoperative and said member is rotated by the application of vaporized working fluid to said turbine;
• c) a driver circuit connecting said power line to said device thereby rotating said rotatable member at a standby rotational speed while said power line is operative for storing a predetermined amount of kinetic energy in the rotating member;
• d) a boiler containing working fluid;
• e) a burner associated with said boiler operable to produce vaporized working fluid and to maintain the same at an operational temperature level when said line power is inoperative;
• f) a resistance heater associated with said boiler and connected to said line power for holding said working fluid at a standby temperature level while said power line is operative, said standby level of said boiler being greater than said operational level of said boiler whereby said working fluid contains a predetermined amount of thermal energy while said power line is operative;
• g) a valve operable to connect said boiler to said turbine for applying vaporized working fluid to said turbine thereby rotating said rotatable member;
• h) a control responsive to loss of line power (1) for operating said burner that causes said boiler to produce vaporized working fluid and for operating said valve that supplies vaporized working fluid to said Rankine cycle turbine which thereby rotates said member at a nominal operational speed that is less than said standby rotational speed, and (2) for connecting to said load whereby power is supplied to said load while said power line is inoperative, said thermal energy in said working fluid in said boiler and said predetermined amount of kinetic energy being converted by said device to power for said load upon loss of line power.