Ultra efficient turbo-compression cooling systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11466907-B2
Application number	US-202017104479-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2020
Priority date	Nov 27, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure include a system for turbo-compression cooling. The system may be aboard a marine vessel. The system includes a power cycle and a cooling cycle. The power cycle includes a first working fluid, a waste heat boiler configured to evaporate the working fluid, a turbine, and a condenser. The condenser condenses the working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid. The cooling cycle includes a second working fluid, a first compressor configured to increase the pressure of the second working fluid, a condenser configured to condense the second working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid after exiting the first compressor, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The turbine and first compressor are coupled one to the other. The waste heat boiler receives waste heat from engine jacket water and lubricating oil from a ship service generator. The evaporator cools water in a shipboard cooling loop.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for turbo-compression cooling in a facility having a cooling loop, the system comprising:
a power cycle comprising:
a first working fluid;
a waste heat boiler configured to evaporate the working fluid, the waste heat boiler configured to receive waste heat;
a turbine configured to receive the evaporated first working fluid from the waste heat boiler, 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 first working fluid expands to a lower pressure; and
a first condenser configured to receive the first working fluid from the turbine and configured to condense the first working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid;

a cooling cycle comprising:
a second working fluid;
a first compressor configured to increase the pressure of the second working fluid;
a second condenser configured to receive the second working fluid from the first compressor and configured to condense the second working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid;
an expansion valve configured to receive the second working fluid from the second condenser and configured to expand the second working fluid to a lower pressure;
an evaporator configured to receive the second working fluid from the expansion valve and configured to reject heat from a circulating fluid to the second working fluid, thereby cooling the circulating fluid, the circulating fluid being water or a water-glycol mixture that is part of the cooling loop;
an economizer configured to reject heat from the second working fluid exiting the first compressor and absorb heat in the first working fluid exiting the first condenser; and

wherein the turbine and first compressor are coupled one to the other, thereby coupling the power cycle and the cooling cycle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the water in the cooling loop is seawater that cools shipboard chillers in a marine vessel.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling loop provides cooling within a marine vessel.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling cycle further comprises a second compressor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the second compressor is electrically powered.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first compressor is powered via the waste heat from the waste heat boiler.

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

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power cycle and the first working fluid are hermetically sealed from the cooling cycle and the second working fluid.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the turbine and the first compressor are magnetically coupled one to the other, and wherein the turbine has a first shaft and the first 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 , further comprising a recuperator configured to receive heat rejected by the first working fluid, and wherein the recuperator is configured to transfer the rejected heat to the saturated or subcooled liquid as the first working fluid re-enters the waste heat boiler.

11. A method of turbo-compression cooling, the method comprising:
receiving, from a waste heat source, heat waste in a waste heat boiler;
evaporating a first working fluid using the heat waste in the waste heat boiler;
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 saturated or subcooled liquid in a first condenser;
pressurizing the saturated or subcooled liquid through a mechanical pump to re-enter the waste heat boiler;
transferring the generated mechanical power to a first compressor, the first compressor configured to receive a second working fluid;
compressing the second working fluid via the first compressor thereby increasing the pressure thereof;
condensing the second working fluid in a second condenser to a saturated or subcooled liquid;
expanding the second working fluid to a lower pressure via an expansion valve;
rejecting heat through an evaporator from circulating cooling fluid to the second working fluid;
compressing the second working fluid via a second compressor powered separately from the first compressor; and
discharging the second working fluid from the second compressor to the first compressor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first working fluid and the second working fluid are the same fluid.

13. The method of claim 11 , 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 in the recuperator.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising recirculating a portion of the second working fluid exiting the first compressor to an inflow of the second compressor.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising rejecting heat from the second working fluid in the recuperator.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising preheating the second working fluid in a suction-line heat exchanger prior to compressing the second working fluid via the second compressor.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second working fluid is preheated via the second working fluid after discharge from the second condenser.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising recirculating a portion of the second working fluid exiting the first compressor to an inflow of the first compressor.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second compressor is electrically powered.

20. The method of claim 11 , further comprising rejecting heat from the second working fluid exiting the first compressor in an economizer, and absorbing heat in the first working fluid exiting the mechanical pump.

21. The method of claim 20 , 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.

22. A system for turbo-compression cooling powered with waste heat from a facility having a cooling loop, the system comprising:
a power cycle comprising:
a first working fluid;
a waste heat boiler configured to evaporate the first working fluid, the waste heat boiler configured to receive the waste heat from the facility;
a turbine configured to receive the evaporated first working fluid from the waste heat boiler, 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 first working fluid expands to a lower pressure; and
a first condenser configured to receive the first working fluid from the turbine and configured to condense the first working fluid to a saturated or subcooled liquid;

a cooling cycle comprising:
a second working fluid;
a first compressor configured to increase the pressure of the second working fluid;
a second condenser configured to receive the second working fluid from the first comp

Assignees

• Univ Colorado State Res Found

Inventors

• Bandhauer Todd M
• Young Derek N
• Garland Shane D
• Grauberger Alex M
• Simon Iii John R
• Roberts Nickolas R
• Colosimo Samuel

Classifications

• F01K25/10

  the vapours being cold, e.g. ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether · CPC title

• F25B27/02 Primary

  using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines · CPC title

• F25B11/02

  as expanders (F25B9/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01K23/065 Primary

  the combustion taking place in an internal combustion piston engine, e.g. a diesel engine · CPC title

• F05D2260/232

  characterized by the cooling medium · CPC title