System and method for capacitive heat to electrical energy conversion

A system comprising:

• a motor;
• a shaft connected to the motor and having a plurality of blades coupled thereto, wherein a first end of each blade is mechanically connected to the shaft;
• a plurality of capacitors, wherein one of the plurality of capacitors is mechanically coupled to a second end of each of the blades such that each one of the plurality of capacitors is coupled to only one of the blades, each of the plurality of capacitors comprising a dielectric material having a Curie temperature, each of the plurality of capacitors exhibiting an increased capacitance at a temperature below the Curie temperature and exhibiting a decreased capacitance at a temperature above the Curie temperature;
• a liquid source positioned adjacent to the plurality of capacitors and having a liquid at a temperature above a highest Curie temperature of the plurality of capacitors;
• a voltage source electrically connected to the plurality of capacitors;
• a voltage storage electrically connected to the plurality of capacitors;
• and
• a controller connected to the motor, the controller configured to cause the motor to rotate the shaft to sequentially expose each one of the plurality of capacitors to the liquid for a predetermined time such that the temperature of the dielectric material of the plurality of the capacitors exposed to the liquid exceeds the Curie temperature, the controller further configured to operate the voltage source to charge the plurality of capacitors prior to the plurality of capacitors being exposed to the liquid.

A method for a controller that is part of a system comprising a motor, a shaft connected to the motor, the shaft having a support mechanically coupled thereto, a plurality of capacitors mechanically coupled to the support, a voltage source and a voltage storage each electrically connected to the plurality of capacitors, wherein the voltage source charges the plurality of capacitors and the plurality of capacitors are discharged into the voltage storage, and wherein the controller is connected to the motor, wherein the plurality of capacitors each comprise a dielectric material having a Curie temperature, each one of the plurality of the capacitors exhibiting an increased capacitance at a temperature below the Curie temperature and exhibiting a decreased capacitance at a temperature above the Curie temperature,

• the method comprising the steps of:
• using the controller to cause the motor to move the shaft to expose each of the plurality of the capacitors to a liquid source having a temperature above a highest Curie temperature of the plurality of capacitors for a predetermined time such that the temperature of the dielectric material of the respective one of the plurality of capacitors exceeds the Curie temperature;
• and
• using the controller to expose each of the plurality of capacitors to a cooling source, subsequent to exposing each of the plurality of capacitors to the liquid source, iteratively cooling each capacitor, and re-exposing each of the plurality of capacitors to the liquid source.