Ultra efficient turbo-compression cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10294826-B2
Application number	US-201615234824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2016
Priority date	Aug 12, 2015
Publication date	May 21, 2019
Grant date	May 21, 2019

Abstract

A turbo-compression cooling system includes a power cycle and a cooling cycle coupled one to the other. The power cycle implements a waste heat waste heat exchanger configured to evaporate a first working fluid and a turbine configured to receive the evaporated working fluid. The turbine is configured to rotate as the first working fluid expands to a lower pressure. A condenser condenses the first working fluid to a saturated liquid and a pump pumps the saturated liquid to the waste heat waste heat exchanger. The cooling cycle implements a compressor increasing the pressure of a second working fluid, a condenser condensing the second working fluid to a saturated liquid upon exiting the compressor, an expansion valve expanding the second working fluid to a lower pressure, and an evaporator rejecting heat from a circulating fluid to the second working fluid, thereby cooling the circulating fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for turbo-compression cooling comprising:
a power cycle comprising:
a first working fluid;
a waste heat exchanger configured to heat the first working fluid to a superheated vapor;
a turbine receiving the superheated vapor working fluid, the turbine having a plurality of vanes disposed around a central shaft and configured to rotate about the central shaft, the plurality of vanes configured to rotate as the working fluid expanding to a lower pressure; and
a condenser condensing the working fluid to a subcooled liquid;

a cooling cycle comprising:
a second working fluid;
a compressor configured to increase the pressure of the second working fluid;
a cooler configured to cool the second working fluid after exiting the compressor;
an expansion valve wherein the second working fluid expands to a lower pressure;
an evaporator rejecting heat from a circulating fluid to the second working fluid, thereby cooling the circulating fluid;

wherein the turbine and compressor are magnetically coupled one to the other and hermetically sealed one from the other, thereby coupling and sealing the power cycle and the cooling cycle, and the first working fluid and the second working fluid are optimized such that the turbine and compressor rotate at the same rotational speed and the turbine and the compressor have an isentropic efficiency greater than eighty (80) percent (%).

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power cycle condenser is a dry air condenser and the cooling cycle cooler is a dry air cooler.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid and the second working fluid are the same fluid.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid is a refrigerant, hydrocarbon, inorganic fluid, or combination thereof and the second working fluid is a refrigerant, hydrocarbon, inorganic fluid, or combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid is a supercritical fluid in the waste heat exchanger and the second working fluid is a supercritical fluid in the cooler.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid is a supercritical fluid in waste heat exchanger and the second working fluid is a subcritical fluid throughout the cooling cycle.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid is a subcritical fluid throughout the power cycle and the second working fluid is a subcritical fluid throughout the cooling cycle.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first working fluid is one of 1-methoxyheptafluoropropane, methoxy-nonafluorobutane, octafluorocyclobutane, octafluoropropane, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon ethane, or inorganic xenon and the second working fluid is one of 1,1-Difluoroethane, pentafluoropropane, 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane, octafluoropropane, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon ethane, or inorganic xenon.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbine has a first shaft and the compressor has a second shaft, one of the first shaft and the second shaft disposed around at least a portion of the other of the first shaft and the second shaft, the first shaft having one or more first polarity magnetic elements and the second shaft having one or more second polarity magnetic elements, the first polarity and the second polarity being opposite and magnetically engaged with one another.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbine and the compressor are coupled by a common shaft and have a rotational shaft seal hermetically separating the first working fluid and the second working fluid.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a recuperator configured to receive heat rejected by the first working fluid, and wherein the recuperator transfers the rejected heat to the subcooled liquid as the working fluid re-enters the waste heat exchanger.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbine is a multi-stage turbine having at least a first stage having a plurality of vanes arranged to allow expansion of the first working fluid to an expanded first working fluid and at least a second stage having a second plurality of vanes arranged to allow expansion of the expanded first working fluid.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the compressor is a multi-stage compressor having at least a first stage having a plurality of impellers arranged to allow compression of the second working fluid to a compressed second working fluid and at least a second stage having a second plurality of impellers arranged to allow compression of the compressed second working fluid.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbine and compressor coupling is lubricant free.

15. A method of turbo-compression cooling, the method comprising:
receiving, from a power generation system, heat waste in a waste heat exchanger;
heating a first working fluid using the heat waste in the waste heat exchanger to a superheated vapor;
generating mechanical power through expansion of the first working fluid to a lower pressure in a turbine, the expansion of the first working fluid rotating one or more turbine vanes;
condensing the first working fluid to a subcooled liquid in a condenser;
pressurizing the subcooled liquid through a mechanical pump to re-enter the waste heat exchanger;
transferring the generated mechanical power to a compressor, the compressor configured to receive a second working fluid;
compressing the second working fluid thereby increasing the pressure of the second working fluid;
cooling the second working fluid in a cooler;
expanding the second working fluid to a lower pressure in an expansion valve;
rejecting heat through a liquid coupled evaporator from circulating cooling fluid to the second working fluid,
wherein the turbine and compressor are magnetically coupled one to the other and hermetically sealed one from the other, thereby coupling and sealing the power cycle and the cooling cycle, and the first working fluid and the second working fluid are optimized such that the turbine and compressor rotate at the same rotational speed and the turbine and the compressor have an isentropic efficiency greater than eighty (80) percent (%).

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid condenser is a dry air condenser and the second working fluid cooler is a dry air cooler.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid and the second working fluid are the same fluid.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising rejecting heat from the first working fluid exiting the turbine in a recuperator, and absorbing heat in the first working fluid exiting the mechanical pump.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid is a refrigerant, hydrocarbon, inorganic fluids, or combination thereof and the second working fluid is a refrigerant, hydrocarbon, inorganic fluid, or combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid is a supercritical fluid in the waste heat exchanger and the second working fluid is a supercritical fluid in the cooler.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid is a supercritical fluid in the waste heat exchanger and the second working fluid is a subcritical fluid and is a subcooled liquid in the outlet of the cooler.

22. The system of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid is a subcritical fluid in the waste heat exchanger and the second working fluid is a subcritical fluid in the cooler.

23. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first working fluid is one of 1-methoxyheptafl

Assignees

• Univ Colorado State Res Found

Inventors

• Bandhauer Todd M
• Grumstrup Torben P

Classifications

• F25B2309/061

  with cycle highest pressure above the supercritical pressure · CPC title

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F01K7/16

  the engines being only of turbine type (the engines using steam of critical or overcritical pressure F01K7/32; the engines being of extraction or non-condensing type F01K7/34) · CPC title

• F25B2327/00

  Compressor driving means · CPC title

• F25B9/008

  the refrigerant being carbon dioxide · CPC title