Multi-stage heat engine

US10712050B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek NV (VITO) · BE

Inventor

• Johan Van Bael · Westerlo, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 22, 2015
• Grant date: Jul 14, 2020
• Expiry date: Oct 3, 2036

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F25B2600/2513
• WIPO field: Thermal processes and apparatus
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

A multi-stage heat engine having an evaporator, a condenser, expander stages; vapour compression stages; tanks for holding gaseous phases of a fluid. The compressor stages is adapted to compress the gaseous phase in the adjacent tank with a higher pressure than which occurred at expansion and to move the compressed fluid to the next adjacent tank at a higher pressure, the expander stages are adapted to expand a part of the compressed fluid in each tank, to expand the fluid in the adjacent tank at a lower pressure, the compressor and expander sections are adapted to output the gaseous phase at the highest pressure to the condenser and the liquid phase at the lowest pressure to the evaporator, where the output of the condenser are fed back to the tank at the highest pressure and the output of the evaporator is fed back to the tank at the lowest pressure.