Near-isothermal compressor/expander

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10533810-B2
Application number	US-201615161064-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2016
Priority date	May 20, 2015
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

One aspect includes an isothermal compressor that includes an isothermal body, an isothermal cavity defined by the isothermal body, a compressible membrane heat exchanger disposed within the isothermal cavity that defines at least one first fluid chamber, and an actuating assembly configured to compress the membrane heat exchanger. A further aspect includes an isothermal engine that includes the isothermal compressor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An isothermal compressor comprising:
an isothermal body;
an isothermal cavity defined by the isothermal body containing an incompressible fluid sealed therein;
a compressible membrane heat exchanger disposed within the isothermal cavity, the compressible membrane heat exchanger having an elongated fluid chamber disposed within a sheet portion and containing a second fluid, with the chamber extending from both sides of the isothermal body; and
an actuating assembly configured to compress the membrane heat exchanger.

2. The isothermal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the isothermal body comprises a rigid cylinder that defines the isothermal cavity.

3. The isothermal compressor of claim 2 , wherein the actuating assembly comprises:
a rotatable crank;
a piston disposed within and configured to translate within the cylinder; and
a con rod coupled to piston and to the crank; and
wherein rotation of the crank is configured to increase and decrease a volume of the isothermal cavity and compress the membrane heat exchanger via a non-compressible fluid disposed within the isothermal cavity.

4. The isothermal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the membrane heat exchanger comprises:
a first planar sheet;
a second planar sheet coupled to the first planar sheet at least by at least one seam; and
at least one fluid chamber defined by the first and second planer sheet and the at least one seam and comprising a first and second end, the fluidic chamber extending a length of the membrane heat exchanger.

5. The isothermal compressor of claim 4 , wherein the first and second planar sheet comprise a polymer.

6. The isothermal compressor of claim 1 , wherein the compressible membrane heat exchanger comprises a coiled planar body that defines a fluid chamber that extends between a first and second end of the coiled planar body.

7. The isothermal compressor of claim 1 , wherein a non-compressible liquid is disposed in the isothermal cavity and a compressible gas is disposed in at least one first fluid chamber of the compressible membrane heat exchanger.

8. The isothermal compressor of claim 7 , wherein the compressible gas is configured to be compressed via physical compression between adjoining stacked portions of the membrane heat exchanger.

9. An isothermal compressor comprising:
a cylinder;
a compression cavity defined by the cylinder, the compression cavity defining a volume with at least a portion of the volume filled with a liquid;
a membrane heat exchanger disposed within the compression cavity, with an inlet/outlet port of the membrane heat exchanger extending through the cylinder, the membrane heat exchanger comprising a compressible bladder that includes a chamber with an end that communicates with the inlet/outlet port;
a piston disposed within and configured to translate within the cylinder to increase and decrease the volume of the compression cavity, the piston driven by a con-rod that is coupled to a rotating crank, the piston having a flat top face that engages the liquid within the cavity;
wherein the isothermal compressor is configured to assume a non-compressed configuration where a compressible gas is present in the chamber of the membrane heat exchanger;
where the isothermal compressor is configured to transition to a compressed configuration where the membrane heat exchanger is compressed via the piston reducing the volume of the of the compression cavity such that the liquid within the compression cavity compresses the membrane heat exchanger, the compression of the membrane heat exchanger generating heat in the compressible gas in the chamber of the heat exchanger such that heat is transferred through the membrane heat exchanger from the gas to the liquid within the compression cavity, such that the gas remains at near the same temperature as the fluid within the compression cavity, thereby achieving at least near-isothermal compression.

10. The isothermal compressor of claim 9 , wherein the membrane heat exchanger comprises a folded body defining a plurality of stacked planar layers disposed in parallel, with faces of a plurality of internal layers engaging faces of adjacent layers within the stack of planar layers.

11. The isothermal compressor of claim 10 , wherein the membrane heat exchanger comprises a body that includes the chamber disposed within a sheet portion, with the chamber being elongated and extending from both sides of the body and the chamber including a pair of ends with switchback portion and a wrapping portion that surrounds the switchback portion such that the ends are disposed proximate to each other.

12. The isothermal compressor of claim 10 , wherein the membrane heat exchanger comprises a body defined by a pair of sheets, the sheets coupled together by a planar coupling, wherein the chamber rectangularly coils from a peripheral portion of the membrane heat exchanger to a central portion of the membrane heat exchanger with the ends of the chamber being respectively disposed at the peripheral and central portions.

13. The isothermal compressor of claim 10 , wherein the membrane heat exchanger comprises a pillow-plate heat exchanger that includes a planar body that comprises a chamber defined at least in part by a plurality of dimples and a bifurcating seam that couples opposing sheets.

14. The isothermal compressor of claim 9 , wherein cylinder defines a domed top end with the inlet/outlet port of the membrane heat exchanger extending through the cylinder at an apex of the dome.

Assignees

• Other Lab Llc

Inventors

• Lynn Peter
• Griffith Saul
• Romanin Vincent Domenic

Classifications

• C02F1/06

  Flash evaporation · CPC title

• F28D1/024

  with an air driving element · CPC title

• B01D1/28

  with vapour compression · CPC title

• F15B15/10

  the motor being of diaphragm type · CPC title

• F04D25/088

  Ceiling fans · CPC title