AU773281B2

AU773281B2 - Ammonia electro-static refrigerator

Info

Publication number: AU773281B2
Application number: AU11136/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael Bunting
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-01-12
Filing date: 2001-01-11
Publication date: 2004-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2021-01-11
Also published as: AU1113601A

Description

C OMPL 1 ETE SPEC IFICATION STANDARD PATENT AMMIVONIA ELECTRO-STATIC

REFRIGERATOR

The following statement, is a full descriptioni of this invention,. including-the best method of performing it knowni to me: AMMONIA ELECTRO-STATIC REFRIGERATOR This invention relates to the production of refrigeration with low grade energy as a. useful. by-product by the expansion of ammonia gas from atmospheric pressure.and ambient temperature-.down into a vacuum environment.

Current technology' usually employs concentrated solar hea.'t o boil water' or another volatile 1fluid for driving turbines: for the production of energy. and the e.xpansion of -a .gas; or vapoour from a. high pressure down to a lower pressure for, the, production of refrigeration.

An improvement. in efficiency is; proposed by this. present invention by employing an. absorbent solution which is' abile to ab'sorb ammonia gas, after an. expansion process which allows an expansion turbine/engine to operate in a.-cycle.-which may be operated from several energy sources. At the edxt of the expansion process. a heatexchanger remove.s.refrigeration from the processed gas before this: gas. is absorbed into, either a chemical.

solution or pure water. The absorbent solution is 20 contained in a cylinder which is immersed in a water tank which consti.tutea a heat sink. The cylinder containing the? abjsorbent solution is connected to,'a vacuum, tank which is maintained at a low pressure allowing the expansion process; to) continue from atmospheric pressure.

In one mode! of' operation a. chemical- solution of a. highly soluble potassium, salt is employed which under-goes .extensive hydrolysis in water such as; potassiu metaberat,e or potassium meta-silicate. When such solutions are exposed to, an electric field two solutions are f'ornd, S one high in alkali content and the other high in acid content. The energy for thisi proces s may be taken from E high voltage generator driven by the ammonia. expansion process or may be taken directly from the earths; electric field with the use of earth field antennas..

In a second mode of operation pure water is employed asthe ammonia. absorbent and a solar heater or any heat source from'any industrial- process is employed to displace the ammonia from.the absorbent water through a heat-exchanger. The collected ammonia is then recycled back through the expansion process; using the original.

absorbent-water in a cyclic fashion.

To assist with understanding the invention. reference is.

now made to the drawing which shows one mode of operation. To further assist this; understanding it should. be assumed that the cycle is: in operation.

Pure ammonia gas: is: being delivered by pip.e 1 to) the expansion -process' 2' at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. Pipe 3 conveys the expanded ammonia at low pressure and low. temperature..below the surface of .the absorbent solution 5. The heat-exchanger 4 removing the refrigeration from the gas.stream before the.absorption process. The absorption, liquid is; contained in a metal.

20) cylinder 6 which isi immersed in. a tank of water 7 which constitutes' a heat sink.' Cooling finsi may be attached to the:.outer side of 6 but are not shown' on drawing.

Figure 8 represents, a vacuum space above the absorbent liq quid with cylinder 6 being..c nnected- to a, vacuum tank 9.by a narrow- pipe TO.. Pure water and acid solutions absorb large amounts; of ammonia gas with the production of hea.t and causing this gas to, expand through a work process and then. absorbing the ammonia in a vacuum.

environment will allow the established vacuum to be 30; maintained. The drawing shows, the expansion process; driving, a high voltage generator 11 via, shaft 12. The high voltage generator is; optional and may be replaced by earth field antennas; which can draw energy for the processing of working-fluids- from the, electric field in the.earths- atmosphere. Generator 11 is; connected by insulated high voltage leads 13 and 14 to glass electrodes 15 and 16 which are immersed in a strong asolution of potassium meta-silicate 17. The electrodes are constructed of potash glass.which are lined on the inside with small. ball bearings. The electrodes are mounted in a. plastic tube 18' with the p:ositively charged electrodes: at one end and the negatively charged electrodes at the opposite end. A valve 19 being located midway between the electrodes. The volume of this: chamber 18 is:. approximately twice the volume of the solution held by 6. Recharge and drainage ports; for chamber 18 and cylinder 6 are not shown on drawing. With the chamber 18..charged with a strong solution of potassiumt meta-silicate and the electrodes in operation to) produce an electric field orthosilicic acid is; drawn to the anode: whilst the solution which is drawn to the cathode contains; a higher concentration of potassium hydroxide. High voltag* electrodes made of potash glass with a. thickness of one to-.two millimetres do not polarise in this application. At the appropriate_time in the cycle the solution is: removed from. cylinder 6 being high in ammonia concentration and mixed with the solution 20) which has; collected at the cathode end of chamber 18 in a mixing tank 20. The valve 19 being closed before the removal.of any solutions from chamber 18. The mixing, of these two solutions: drives' the ammonia.gas out of solution as a gas; which is;. co llected and a strong solution of potassium meta-silicate is; reformed. Ammonia gas: is; not soluble in a strong solution of potassium.

meta-silicate due to the caustic nature of this; salt when dissolved in water. The solution remaining in chamber 118 which has callected at the anode end of the 30 chamber ils. now re-directed back to cylinder 6. The mixing t~nk 20 is; connected via. pipe 21 to a. flexible gas collection bag 22 which is also connected to pipe 1.

Working solutions are removed and replaced in cylinder 6 in a. fashion which does not cause the loss of vacuum in tank 9.

The solution of potassium meta-silicate which has been reformed in the mixing tank 20G is; re-directed back to chamber 18 to be re-processed by the electric field.

In. a second mode of operation solar or waste industrial heat. is, employed to, drive the ammonia from pure water which constitutes; the working fluid. in cylinder 6. The transfer of this, heat is. through a heat-exchanger. This is, not shown on drawing. The maj.or, components of this cycle are the turbine inlet pipe 1, expansion turbine 2, heat-exchanger for theremoval of .refrigeration 4, turbine! exhaust pipel 3, absorption cylinder 6, heat.

sink 7, and the vacuum tank 9 and connecting tube In thisi application the high voltage: generator and 115 components, 13 to 22 are not required. The ammonia is: driven fromt the pure water by the application of heat at the appropriate time in the. cycle. The tank to displace the ammonia. from. the water by heat will re:quire to be of sufficient mechanical- strength as, the operating 20 pressures; are greater than atmospheric. In the solar application the amonia can be directed to enter the expansion process; at a positive gauge pressure and expanded, down into: the vacuum region to, extract the maximum work and refrigeration. A pressure regulator 25 can be placed in.,the turbine inlet pipe 1. to regulate the) ammonia pressure before expansion.

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Claims

1. Ai simple ammonia gas expansion -cycle where ammonia ga is: expanded in a work process: from atmospheric pressure or greater and. then abs:orbed into water or chemical. solutiens -under near vacuum conditions and then is expelled for recycling by the application of solar or waste heat .or chemical. reaction with the chemical. separations .being effected with. glass electrodes, powered by high voltage static. electricity. 1 b

2. The ammonia gas expansion cycle of claim 1I where ammonia gas is: expanded in a work proceass from atmospheric -pressure or. greater down to near vacuum preszssures. to be absorbed by- water or acid solutions, there-by..permitting the -continuous operation of such cycle with-out the loss of the vacuum.

3. The ammonia gas absorption cycle of claim. 1 where ammonia gas is! expanded in a.work process from atmospheric pressure or greater- down to near vacuum pressures; to produce refrigeration.

4. The ammonia gas expansion cycle of claim 1 where ammonia. gas is. expanded in a work -process from atmospheric pressure or' greater down to near vacuum pressures for- the production of energy.

5. The ammonia gas expansion cycle of claim 1 which employs highly soluble potassium salts, which under-go extensive hydrolysis when dissolved in water producing highly caustic solution suitable as working fluids.

6. The ammonia gas expansion cycle of claim I which employs: sealed glass-electrodes; made of potash glass lined on the inside with small ball bearings! which.do not .parise when inmersed in potassium salt solutions when high voltage static electricity is applied to said electrodes.,

7. The ammonia gas~t.expansion cycle of claim, 1 where-by so'lar heat. or waste industrial heat is applied through a. heat exchanger to expell ammonia gas from the working fluid at atmospheria. pressure or greater.

S.The ammonia gas. expansion cycle of claim, I where-by atmospheric electricity is drawn from the atmosphere with the use o~f earth field antennas: and directed to power the high volItage electrodes caf claim 6.

9. The, ammonia gas; expansion cycle of claim 1 where-by the, ga; expansion .turbine, drives~ m high vol3-tage generator which provi des, the poWer. -to! operate, the high voltage electrodes; of clairm 6. lb 1G.. An ammonia,& gas expansion and regeneration. cycle as described hereinv with reference to the accompanying drawing: MiLchael, Bunting. 111 January 200)1.