Liquid ring heat engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9540936-B2
Application number	US-201113989307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2011
Priority date	Nov 23, 2010
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A method and at least two devices demonstrate improvements to energy extraction from a compressible working fluid in a liquid ring heat engine, which has a rotor mounted in a case. A space in the case is occupied by a liquid that establishes a liquid ring piston for the rotor. The rotor defines at least a first and a second operating zone. In the first zone, the working fluid is expanded against the liquid and, in the second zone, the working fluid is re-compressed. Between the two zones, the working fluid is cooled. In one device, the cooling step occurs on the rotor in a third zone. In another device, the cooling occurs outside of the case.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid ring heat engine for extracting energy from a working fluid, comprising:
a cylindrical case;
a rotor, located inside the cylindrical case, the rotor defining, on a face thereof, a first zone where the working fluid is expanded, a second zone where the working fluid is compressed, and a third zone, positioned in a rotational sense between the first and second zones, said third zone comprising a cooler for cooling the working fluid, operatively arranged in the third zone;
a plurality of vanes, in spaced-apart relationship, on at least a portion of the rotor face;
a shaft, positioned eccentric to an axis of symmetry of the cylindrical case, the shaft and rotor coupled for rotation relative to the cylindrical case;
a space, internal to the cylindrical case, for receiving an amount of liquid that effects a piston ring around the rotor as the rotor rotates relative to the cylindrical case;
an inlet for the working fluid, open to the first zone through the shaft;
a conduit in the shaft to provide a cooling liquid to the cooler;
an outlet for the working fluid, open to the second zone through the shaft; and
a flange, formed inside the cylindrical casing, the flange and the rotor coacting to effectively divide the internal space of the cylindrical case into an expander portion and a compressor portion, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine is extracted from the working fluid.

2. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of vanes are arranged symmetrically on one face of the rotor.

3. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the first and second zones is located on the face of the rotor on which the vanes are arranged.

4. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of vanes are arranged symmetrically on the face of the rotor.

5. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , wherein:
the first and second zones are located on a respective first face and a second face of the rotor.

6. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , wherein:
the inlet and outlet are each arranged radially with respect to the shaft.

7. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sealing surface, in fixed angular position relative to the rotor, operating with the vanes and rotor face to trap the working fluid inside the rotor during the expansion thereof in the first zone.

8. The liquid ring heat engine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sealing surface, in fixed angular position relative to the rotor, operating with the vanes and rotor face to trap the working fluid inside the rotor during the compression thereof in the first zone.

9. A method of extracting energy from a compressible working fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
injecting the working fluid into a liquid ring heat engine comprising a rotor defining at least a first and a second zone;
expanding the working fluid against a liquid in the first zone;
directing the working fluid to a cooler external to the liquid ring heat engine and rapidly cooling the working fluid that was expanded in the first zone by removing the expanded working fluid from the first zone, passing the removed working fluid through the cooler, and reinjecting the cooled working fluid into the second zone of the liquid ring heat engine;
directing the cooled working fluid from the cooler to the second zone and compressing the cooled working fluid in the second zone; and
discharging the compressed and cooled working fluid from the liquid ring heat engine, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine is extracted from the working fluid.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the step of rapidly cooling the expanded working fluid occurs in a third zone of the rotor positioned, in a rotational sense, between the first and second zones.

11. An improved liquid ring heat engine for extracting energy from a working fluid, comprising a cylindrical case, a rotor having at least one vaned face mounted on a shaft that is eccentrically positioned in the case, a fluid in an internal space of the case to provide a liquid piston when the rotor rotates on the shaft, the improved liquid ring heat engine comprising:
a first zone on the rotor where the working fluid is received into the first zone via a first conduit in the shaft and is expanded;
a second zone on the rotor where the working fluid is compressed and said compressed working fluid exits the liquid ring heat engine via a second conduit in the shaft;
an intermediate outlet from the first zone for the working fluid;
a cooler located external to the cylindrical case; and
an intermediate inlet to the second zone for the working fluid,
wherein the intermediate outlet, the cooler and the intermediate inlet define a conduit such that the working fluid exits the first zone, passes through the cooler and enters the second zone, wherein energy to drive the liquid ring heat engine are extracted from the working fluid.

12. The improved liquid ring heat engine of claim 11 , wherein each of the first and second zones are located on one face of the rotor.

13. The improved liquid ring heat engine of claim 11 , further comprising:
a flange, formed inside the cylindrical case, that coacts with the rotor to effectively divide the internal space into an expander portion and a compressor portion, with the first zone arranged on a face of the rotor in the expander portion and with the second portion arranged on an opposite face of the rotor, in the compressor portion.

Assignees

• Cantemir Codrin-Gruie
• Chiara Fabio
• Canova Marcello
• Ohio State Innovation Foundation

Inventors

• Cantemir Codrin-Gruie
• Chiara Fabio
• Canova Marcello

Classifications

• F01D9/02 Primary

  Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits {, e.g. individual nozzles (nozzle boxes F01D9/047)} · CPC title

• F04C19/008

  Port members in the form of conical or cylindrical pieces situated in the centre of the impeller · CPC title

• F01C7/00 Primary

  Rotary-piston machines or engines with fluid ring or the like · CPC title

• F01C21/06

  Heating; Cooling (of machines or engines in general F01P); Heat insulation (heat insulation in general F16L) · CPC title

• F01K25/02

  the fluid remaining in the liquid phase · CPC title