Scroll expander with electricity generating scrolls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016290337-A1
Application number	US-201414778240-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 4, 2014
Priority date	Apr 5, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device for generating electrical power, the device comprising a scroll expander with first and second scrolls configured to move relative to each other when a fluid is provided to an inlet at a higher pressure than a pressure at an outlet. The first scroll is configured to provide a magnetic field and the second scroll comprises one or more conductors in which electric currents are induced when the first and second scrolls move relative to each other.

First claim

1 . A device for generating electrical power, the device comprising a scroll expander with first and second scrolls configured to move relative to each other when a fluid is provided to an inlet at a higher pressure than a pressure at an outlet, wherein the first scroll is configured to provide a magnetic field and the second scroll comprises one or more conductors in which electric currents are induced when the first and second scrolls move relative to each other.

2 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising one or more magnetic regions extending around and/or spaced around the first scroll.

3 . A device according to claim 2 , wherein at least one of the one or more magnetic regions is unidirectionally magnetised.

4 . A device according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one magnetic region is magnetised in a direction substantially parallel to a radial line from the centre of the first scroll through a centre of the magnetic region.

5 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of the conductors spaced around the second scroll.

6 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of magnetic regions and a plurality of the conductors and wherein one or more of the plurality of conductors is arranged in association with a corresponding one or more of the plurality of the magnetic regions.

7 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more conductors comprises a coil.

8 . A device according to claim 7 , wherein the coil axis is substantially aligned with a radial line from the centre of the first scroll.

9 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more conductors comprises one or more conducting members connecting two conducting plates, wherein the conducting members extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a radial line from the centre of the first scroll.

10 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising at least one magnetic region included inside the first scroll and/or wherein at least one of the one or more conductors is included inside the second scroll.

11 . A device according to claim 10 , wherein a plate associated with the second scroll comprises one or more passages to the inside of the second scroll to allow electrical connections to be made to the at least one conductor.

12 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising circuitry electrically connected to the one or more conductors and configured to convert the induced currents to provide an electrical output with predetermined characteristics.

13 . A device according to claim 12 , wherein the circuitry comprises at least one rectifier, each rectifier connected to one of the conductors or to two or more of the conductors, the two or more conductors electrically connected to one another.

14 . A device according to claim 1 , wherein the second scroll is further configured to provide a further magnetic field, and optionally wherein the first scroll further comprises one or more further conductors in which electric currents are induced when the first and second scrolls move relative to each other.

15 . A system comprising a device according to claim 1 , wherein the system is a micro combined heat and power system, a compressed air energy storage system, a back-up power system, a standby power system, or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system.

16 . A device according to claim 1 , comprising a scroll compressor instead of a scroll expander, the scroll compressor comprising first and second scrolls configured to move relative to each other to pump, compress or pressurize a fluid in response to a driving force applied to the first and/or the second scroll, wherein the first scroll is configured to provide a magnetic field and the second scroll comprises one or more conductors in which electric currents are induced when the first and second scrolls move relative to each other.

Assignees

• Univ Warwick

Inventors

• Wang Jihong
• Luo Xing

Classifications

• F01C1/0207 Primary

  both members having co-operating elements in spiral form · CPC title

• F04C29/0064 Primary

  Magnetic couplings · CPC title

• F01C1/0246

  Details concerning the involute wraps or their base, e.g. geometry · CPC title

• F04C18/0207

  both members having co-operating elements in spiral form · CPC title

• F04C18/0215

  where only one member is moving · CPC title