Heat exchange system reactive to internal and external temperatures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10345010-B1
Application number	US-201715857674-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

The present invention includes a heat exchanger reactive to external and internal temperatures for carrying a working fluid, including two pairs of nested pipes; each pair including one pipe with a channel portion and a stress relief portion and a second pipe with just a channel portion, one of said pipes enclosing the other with an interference fit and both pipes having different coefficients of thermal expansion. The first pair of pipes positioned co-axially with and encompassing the second pair. A fluid is positioned in the space defined by the inner surface of outer pair of pipes and the outer surface of inner pair of pipes. The two pipe pairs have positions responsive to the internal and external temperatures in which the space defined by pipe pairs is either minimized or maximized by expansion and contraction of the pipe pairs caused by differences in coefficients of thermal expansion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for extracting energy from an environment with the use of working fluid, said system comprising:
a heat engine capable of a power output, said heat engine having first piston movement area reactive to a first heat exchanger, a first internal flow channel for the working fluid with an input fluidly connected to said first heat exchanger and having an output, a second piston movement area reactive to a second heat exchanger, a second internal flow channel for the working fluid with an input fluidly connected to said second heat exchanger and having an output;
a first flow circuit fluidly connected to said first internal flow channel, said first flow circuit having a first pump fluidly connected to the output of said first internal flow channel at an input of said first pump;
a first supply line having a first end and a second end with the first end of said first supply line fluidly connected to an output of said first pump wherein said first supply line is reactive to internal and external temperatures of the environment;
a first accumulator for the working fluid fluidly connected to said first supply line to maintain a pressure balance of the working fluid in said first supply line;
a first return line reactive to internal and external temperatures of the environment with said first return line having a first end and a second end, the first end of said first return line fluidly connected to the second end of said first supply line with the second end of said first return line fluidly connected to said first heat exchanger;
a second accumulator of the working fluid fluidly connected to said first return supply line to maintain a pressure balance of the working fluid in said first return line;
a second flow circuit fluidly connected to said second internal flow channel, said second internal flow circuit having a second pump fluidly connected to the output of said second internal flow channel at an input of said second pump;
a second supply line having a first end and a second end with the first end of said second supply line fluidly connected to an output of said second pump, said second supply line reactive to internal and external temperatures of the environment;
a third accumulator capable of supplying and fluidly connected to said second supply line to maintain a pressure balance of the working fluid in said second supply line;
a second return line reactive to internal and external temperatures of the environment with said second return line having a first end and a second end, the first end of said second return line fluidly connected to the second end of said second supply line with the second end of said second return line fluidly connected to the input of said second heat exchanger; and
a fourth accumulator of the working fluid fluidly connected to said second return supply line to maintain a pressure balance of the working fluid in said second return line.

2. The system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first supply line, said first return line, said second supply line and said second return line are structured as:
a first pipe having an inner surface and an outer surface and with a first coefficient of thermal expansion, said first pipe having a cross-section with a first channel portion and a first stress relief portion parallel to an axis of said first pipe and said first stress relief portion defining a volume and protruding toward the axis of said first pipe, said first pipe provided for containing the working fluid within the inner surface thereof;
a second pipe having an inner surface and an outer surface with a second coefficient of thermal expansion, said second pipe having a cross section with a second channel portion, said second pipe positioned co-axially with and enclosing said first pipe, the inner surface of the said second pipe being in contact with the outer surface of said first pipe as an interference fit, and said second pipe positioned rotationally about said axis of said first pipe relative to said first pipe such that the channel portion of said second pipe is rotationally aligned with said channel portion of said first pipe;
a third pipe having an inner surface and an outer surface and with a third coefficient of thermal expansion, said third pipe positioned parallel to and enclosing said second pipe, with said third pipe having a cross-section with a third channel portion;
a fourth pipe having an inner surface and an outer surface and with a fourth coefficient of thermal expansion, said fourth pipe having a cross-section with a fourth channel portion and an fourth stress relief portion parallel to an axis of said fourth pipe with said fourth stress-relief portion having a volume and protruding away from the axis of said first pipe, said fourth pipe positioned rotationally about the axis of said third pipe relative to said third pipe such that the inner surface of said fourth pipe is in contact with the outer surface of said third pipe with an interference fit; and
a low thermal conductivity fluid positioned in the space defined by the inner surface of said third pipe and the outer surface of said second pipe;
wherein said first and second pipes and said third and fourth pipes have a first position responsive to the internal and external temperatures in which the space defined by the said second and third pipes is minimized and a second position responsive to different internal and external temperatures in which the space defined between said second and third pipes is maximized by expansion and contraction of said first pipe, said second pipe, said third pipe and said fourth pipe caused by a difference in coefficients of thermal expansion.

3. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said first pipe includes a plurality of first pipe segments, said second pipe includes a plurality of second pipe segments, said third pipe includes a plurality of third pipe segments and said fourth pipe includes a plurality of fourth pipe segments and wherein said system further comprises:
a first set of elastomeric interconnectors joined between adjacent combined first and second pipe segments; and
a second set of elastomeric interconnectors joined between adjacent combined third and fourth pipe segments.

4. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein said first pipe includes a plurality of first pipe segments, said second pipe includes a plurality of second pipe segments, said third pipe includes a plurality of third pipe segments and said fourth pipe includes a plurality of fourth pipe segments and wherein said system further comprises:
internal elastomeric encasing having said plurality of combined first pipe segments and said second pipe segments embedded therein for joining adjacent said first pipe segments and said second pipe segments; and
external elastomeric encasing having said plurality of combined third pipe segments and said fourth pipe segments embedded therein for joining adjacent third and fourth pipe segments.

5. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the second coefficient of thermal expansion of said second pipe in said first supply line is greater than the first coefficient of thermal expansion of said first pipe in said first supply line and the fourth coefficient of thermal expansion of said fourth pipe in said first supply line is greater than the third coefficient of thermal expansion of said third pipe in said first supply line.

6. The system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the second coefficient of thermal expansion of said second pipe in said first return line is greater than the first coefficient of thermal expansion of said first pipe in said first return line and the fourth coefficient of thermal expansion of said fourth pipe in said first return line is greater than the third coefficien

Assignees

• Gieseke Thomas J
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Gieseke Thomas J

Classifications

• F28D15/0208

  using moving tubes · CPC title

• B32B15/01 Primary

  all layers being exclusively metallic {(making layered metal workpieces by pressure cladding B23K20/22; making coatings with a metallic material characterised by its composition C23C30/00)} · CPC title

• F28D2015/0291

  comprising internal rotor means, e.g. turbine driven by the working fluid · CPC title

• F24S70/25 Primary

  Coatings made of metallic material · CPC title

• F15B1/02

  Installations or systems with accumulators · CPC title