Organic rankine cycle decompression heat engine
US9745870B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 5, 2014 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 17, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E20/16
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An improved heat engine that includes an organic refrigerant exhibiting a boiling point below −35° C.; a heat source having a temperature of less than 82° C.; a heat sink; a sealed, closed-loop path for the organic refrigerant, the sealed, closed-loop path having both a high-pressure zone that absorbs heat from the heat source, and a low-pressure zone that transfers heat to the heat sink; a positive-displacement decompressor providing a pressure gradient through which the organic refrigerant in the gaseous phase flows continuously from the high-pressure zone to the low-pressure zone, the positive-displacement decompressor extracting mechanical energy due to the pressure gradient; and a positive-displacement hydraulic pump, which provides continuous flow of the organic refrigerant in the liquid phase from the low-pressure zone to the high-pressure zone, the hydraulic pump and the positive-displacement decompressor maintaining a pressure differential between the two zones of between about 20 to 42 bar.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.