System and method for rapid isothermal gas expansion and compression for energy storage
AssigneeSustainX, Inc.
InventorBenjamin R. Bollinger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to systems and methods for rapidly and isothermally expanding gas in a cylinder. The cylinder is used in a staged hydraulic-pneumatic energy conversion system and includes a gas chamber (pneumatic side) and a fluid chamber (hydraulic side) and a piston or other mechanism that separates the gas chamber and fluid chamber while allowing the transfer of force/pressure between each opposing chamber. The gas chamber of the cylinder includes ports that are coupled to a heat transfer subassembly that circulates gas from the pneumatic side and exchanges its heat with a counter flow of ambient temperature fluid from a reservoir or other source.
Claims16
A method of substantially isothermal expansion and compression of a gas in an energy storage and recovery system suitable for the efficient use and conservation of energy resources, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a cylinder assembly having a first side and a second side separated by a boundary mechanism configured to transfer mechanical energy from the first side to the second side, wherein at least one of the sides is a pneumatic chamber;
- at least one of expanding and compressing a gas in the pneumatic chamber of the cylinder assembly, while transferring mechanical energy via the boundary mechanism;
- and
- circulating the gas through the pneumatic chamber of the cylinder assembly and a heat transfer subsystem in fluid communication therewith to maintain a substantially constant temperature of the gas in the pneumatic chamber of the cylinder assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.