Refrigeration – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-05
2003-07-29
Jiang, Chen-wen (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Combined
C062S116000, C062S260000, C060S641300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06598416
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the fundamental principles of combining different types of energy and systems for converting energy into power, and more particularly for converting heat energy into electric power energy, mostly with gravitational acceleration, according to improvements of the methods and systems disclosed in South African patent number 97/1984 and patent application 98/8561 which has not been published.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION AND THE STATE OF ART
Denotation: Represent depth below surface by z, measured positive downwards; g to denote gravitational acceleration and m to be mass. For purposes of this application the term:
“N” is the ratio of two energy values like two latent heat values;
“T-s diagram” means the presentation on a graph with scales of temperature and entropy, of the state of condition of a fluid subject to variable temperature and energy levels;
“Work” is one of the forms of energy;
“Cycle” means a thermodynamic T-s cycle as presented in a T-s diagram and/or a mass circulation system operating in a closed loop;
“Preheating” means to increase the energy and/or entropy of a fluid;
“Drenching” means the addition of low entropy fluid(s) to a high entropy fluid(s) to reduce the high entropy of the formed fluid. The lower level of the high entropy limit of the entropy state of condition can also be reached by heat extraction and/or incomplete heat supply to fluid,
“Power Cycle” includes thermodynamic cycle(s) employed to produce more output power than power consumed to complete the cycle. In the “conventional” power cycle fluid is pressurised, vaporised or gassified by the addition of heat, depressurised to do work, liquefied by the removal of heat in a continual process to form a cycle. In this document the power cycle includes a cycle in which low entropy fluid, preheated and drenched to any convenient level, is pressurised mostly by gravity, the pressurised fluid is partly depressurised to produce power, heated to higher entropy level by addition of heat, depressurised further by elevation against gravity, fluidised or liquified by the removal of heat in a continual process to form a cycle. The entropy extent of the power cycle is conveniently reduced to a more profitable value by preheating and/or drenching to produce less netto work per cycle and to produce globally more work per co-operating countercycle of a refrigeration fluid.
“Refrigeration Cycle” means a “conventional” cycle that discards heat at high, or high and intermediate temperature(s), consumes heat at low, or low and intermediate temperature(s) and consumes and produces heat and work in circulation. fluid(s),mostly gas or vapour at high entropy level is pressurised to a significant extent by gravity in being lowered in a column, is vaporised or liquefied to be a low entropy fluid by the release or rejection of heat, to become a liquid and/or vapour or pre-heated vapour, in order to be of decreased entropy, the low entropy fluid becomes pressurised mechanically and depressurised to a significant extent by gravity, in moving up a column, the depressurised fluid heated by receiving heat to become a gas or vapour or drenched to be a high entropy fluid, recirculated to become a continual cycle.
“Countercycle” mens a cycle running in the opposite sense compared to another cycle. In this document a countercycle includes two thermodynamic cycles operating as a combination as a power cycle and a refrigeration cycle, mostly in the sense that the refrigeration cycle prescribes the operation of the power cycle and the combined countercycle consumes heat and produces power. Commonly the temperature range of the refrigeration cycle must be cooler at the cold end and hotter at the hot end of the two thermodynamic cycles. In this document the dominance of the refrigeration cycle over the power cycle is maintained in the sense that power input to the refrigeration cycle maintains the running of countercycles, even if the two or more cycle fluids are mixed to operate at the same temperatures.
For purposes of this application Countercycle Power Production is obtained by running a power T-s cycle inside or up to the boundary of a refrigeration T-s cycle.
Heat engines and refrigeration systems are well known in the art and have been subjected to extensive theoretical analysis. Typically the systems operate on closed circuits of fluid.
With heat engines the fluid is pressurised and then heated, to cause an increase in temperature and pressure. The pressurised fluid is then made to do work, usually by driving a turbine whereafter heat and energy is removed from the system to be pressurised again. Generally, the fluid will be in a liquid state before heating and in a gaseous or superheated gas state after heating.
With refrigeration systems a fluid in gas and/or fluid state is compressed mechanically and/or mostly by gravity, which heats the fluid. Heat is removed in a heat exchanger and/or fluid mixer and discarded from the refrigeration fluid. Thereafter the compressed fluid is depressurised mostly against gravity and/or to do work and cool by evaporation. At the lower pressure the fluid is allowed to vaporise partially or in whole to consume heat at low temperature. The low pressure vapour and/or liquid is then pressurised mechanically and/or by gravity to repeat the cycle.
Typical examples of the use of heat engines are power stations, and of refrigeration systems are household refrigerators. Some mine cooling systems performs work to reduce the internal, potential, velocity and/or gravitational energy.
Although the power and refrigeration systems tend to function well, they also tend to be inefficient due to a number of factors, such as mechanical and thermodynamic inefficiencies inherent in equipment used to do work, and the need to reject heat and/or energy.
South African patent number 97/1984 discloses a method of performing work in a cyclic manner. The method being characterised in that the gas and liquid are pressurised to a significant extent by the action of gravity in columns.
State of the art features applied are hysteresis loops, velocity energy, and common T-s diagram applications.
A yet further feature of the above patent provides for heat flow into the cycle(s) to be used in energy conversion, applying countercycles of fluid at different temperature values, consuming low grade heat and even in freezing water in the process of producing electric power.
The above patent further provides for a system for performing work substantially as described above comprising a closed circuit defining a flow path, the circuit being oriented to have an upper and a lower end and such that the action of gravity will cause a predetermined pressure difference in a fluid contained therein between the ends of the flow path.
The patent therefore includes gravitational refrigeration of water and power generation in countercycles by applying fluids having dissimilar latent heat exposures. The new application claims new versions of the above which change the application of the academic principles to become practical production units as described in the examples, and displayed in the figures.
The applicant's co-pending South African complete patent application number 98/8561 has not been accepted and has not been published. It describes methods for performing work by the countercycle method including drenching of the power cycle up to 50%. The present application describes variable drenching and/or preheating up to or more than 50%, the gas and liquid being pressurised and depressurised to a significant extent by the action of gravity, the method being characterised in that the density of the fluid in the column is increased by drenching the vapour with a liquid component of the fluid or drenching it by a catalyst fluid or drenching it by any fluid. The new application includes drenching by internal countercycles of similar fluid(s) or mixtures of fluids exceeding 50% drenching.
The unpublished patent application 98/8561 further discloses a method for performing work in thermodynamic counte
Jiang Chen-wen
McDonnell & Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff
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