System and method for energy conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10683852-B2
Application number	US-201715414789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2017
Priority date	Jul 19, 2010
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a method for converting energy. The method comprises receiving energy from an external source, using the received energy for inducing a mass exchange process to release thermodynamic energy, and converting the thermodynamic energy directly into electrical energy at sufficient amount for performing work therewith. In some embodiments of the present invention, a portion of the released energy is converted to a pressure wave, and the mechanical energy constituted by the pressure wave is converted to non-mechanical energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of material separation, comprising:
introducing a fluid medium having at least a first substance and a second substance into an acoustic resonator;
generating a pressure wave in said resonator, to form within said resonator a region of high concentration of said first substance and a region of low concentration of said first substance, to effect a change between a gaseous phase and a non-gaseous phase for said first substance; and
storing at least said first substance separated from said fluid medium, thereby storing a phase-separation energy.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising converting said phase-separation energy to energy other than phase-separation energy.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said resonator is partially occupied by a sorbent medium wherein said regions of high and low concentrations of said first substance are formed within said sorbent medium.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said sorbent medium is selective for said first substance, and has inert relations with any other species in said fluid medium.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein said sorbent medium is contained in a porous stack.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first substance is water vapor.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said fluid medium comprises air and water vapor.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said first substance is other than water vapor.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second substance comprises brine.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said storing comprises extracting said at least said first substance at a pressure node of said pressure wave into a storage container.

Assignees

• Technion Res & Dev Foundation

Inventors

• Agnon Yehuda
• Ramon Guy
• Dosoretz Carlos

Classifications

• F03G7/002 Primary

  using the energy of vibration of fluid columns · CPC title

• F03G7/00 Primary

  Mechanical-power-producing mechanisms, not otherwise provided for or using energy sources not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F25B9/145

  pulse-tube cycle · CPC title

• F25B2309/1413

  Pulse-tube cycles characterised by performance, geometry or theory · CPC title

• F02G2243/52

  acoustic · CPC title