Liquid ring heat engine
AssigneeOhio State Innovation Foundation
InventorsCodrin-Gruie Cantemir, Fabio Chiara, Marcello Canova
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and at least two devices demonstrate improvements to energy extraction from a compressible working fluid in a liquid ring heat engine, which has a rotor mounted in a case. A space in the case is occupied by a liquid that establishes a liquid ring piston for the rotor. The rotor defines at least a first and a second operating zone. In the first zone, the working fluid is expanded against the liquid and, in the second zone, the working fluid is re-compressed. Between the two zones, the working fluid is cooled. In one device, the cooling step occurs on the rotor in a third zone. In another device, the cooling occurs outside of the case.
Claims13
A liquid ring heat engine for extracting energy from a working fluid, comprising:
- a cylindrical case;
- a rotor, located inside the cylindrical case, the rotor defining, on a face thereof, a first zone where the working fluid is expanded, a second zone where the working fluid is compressed, and a third zone, positioned in a rotational sense between the first and second zones, said third zone comprising a cooler for cooling the working fluid, operatively arranged in the third zone;
- a plurality of vanes, in spaced-apart relationship, on at least a portion of the rotor face;
- a shaft, positioned eccentric to an axis of symmetry of the cylindrical case, the shaft and rotor coupled for rotation relative to the cylindrical case;
- a space, internal to the cylindrical case, for receiving an amount of liquid that effects a piston ring around the rotor as the rotor rotates relative to the cylindrical case;
- an inlet for the working fluid, open to the first zone through the shaft;
- a conduit in the shaft to provide a cooling liquid to the cooler;
- an outlet for the working fluid, open to the second zone through the shaft;
- and
- a flange, formed inside the cylindrical casing, the flange and the rotor coacting to effectively divide the internal space of the cylindrical case into an expander portion and a compressor portion, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine is extracted from the working fluid.
A method of extracting energy from a compressible working fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
- injecting the working fluid into a liquid ring heat engine comprising a rotor defining at least a first and a second zone;
- expanding the working fluid against a liquid in the first zone;
- directing the working fluid to a cooler external to the liquid ring heat engine and rapidly cooling the working fluid that was expanded in the first zone by removing the expanded working fluid from the first zone, passing the removed working fluid through the cooler, and reinjecting the cooled working fluid into the second zone of the liquid ring heat engine;
- directing the cooled working fluid from the cooler to the second zone and compressing the cooled working fluid in the second zone;
- and
- discharging the compressed and cooled working fluid from the liquid ring heat engine, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine is extracted from the working fluid.
An improved liquid ring heat engine for extracting energy from a working fluid, comprising a cylindrical case, a rotor having at least one vaned face mounted on a shaft that is eccentrically positioned in the case, a fluid in an internal space of the case to provide a liquid piston when the rotor rotates on the shaft, the improved liquid ring heat engine comprising:
- a first zone on the rotor where the working fluid is received into the first zone via a first conduit in the shaft and is expanded;
- a second zone on the rotor where the working fluid is compressed and said compressed working fluid exits the liquid ring heat engine via a second conduit in the shaft;
- an intermediate outlet from the first zone for the working fluid;
- a cooler located external to the cylindrical case;
- and
- an intermediate inlet to the second zone for the working fluid,
- wherein the intermediate outlet, the cooler and the intermediate inlet define a conduit such that the working fluid exits the first zone, passes through the cooler and enters the second zone, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine are extracted from the working fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.