FR2849717A1 - Electrical current generator has cooled group for gas which is condensed and passed through pressure reducer to evaporator - Google Patents

Abstract

The electrical current generator has a cooled group (7,8) with a refrigerant gas in a condensing compartment (6) to release latent heat. The liquefied gas is passed through a capillary or pressure reducer (22) and fed to an evaporator (17) or a space in the same vessel (28) for cooling by aspiration of the cooling group. Thermocouples between the cold and hot produces an electric current.

Description

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  The present invention relates to a device for obtaining direct electric current for electrolysis or other applications, and which, after transformation into single-phase or polyphase, can be used for domestic or industrial use.

  The production of direct current is traditionally obtained by means of batteries, dynamos, rectifiers of alternating current, photovoltaic cells, combustion cells, etc ... processes which are quite expensive and sometimes subject to weather conditions. If a little bit of continuous power is required, it is usually obtained by rectifying the alternating current, which, even when stabilized, is subject to certain faults. The present invention makes it possible to obtain a direct current without any variation in voltage, from very low powers, for example a watt, to powers of several hundred megawatts, and this without any danger of explosion or nuisance and in a perfectly ecological way. Only the current voltage may require precautions. It is completely independent of weather and climatic conditions. Power can be produced both at night and during the day, summer and winter, at the poles and at the equator, in periods of prolonged or almost perpetual drought, all in calm or rough weather. It is a marriage between the heat pump to create two zones at different temperatures, and thermocouples placed in series and possibly in parallel, which use this temperature difference to produce direct current by Peltier-Seebeck effect. The whole is produced by elements made up of two metals from any thermocouple known today. We will take as an example the iron-constantan couple which is one of the most effective and most economical from the cost point of view. For the other constituents of thermocouples, the description would be the same and the applications identical. FIG. 2 represents one of these elements consisting of a wire, a plate or a preformed bar (1) of iron; and a constantan wire, plate or bar (2) which are welded, brazed, riveted or bolted to each other in (5) to form an element, and separated along their common length without welding by a space vacuum, or better, by insulators (3) and (4) to avoid any contact liable to short-circuit the path of the electric current. The shapes and arrangements of the components in Figure 2 are not exclusive.

  Figure 1 shows the various components of the present invention.

  A tank (28), in one piece in Fig 1 and Fig 3 but which can be produced in several dismountable parts for interventions, in metal or plastic or any other suitable product, of circular or parallelepiped shape, closed by a cover (18 ) and carefully insulated over its entire surface including the cover (18), is divided into three compartments.

  A lower compartment (15) which we will call condenser. An upper compartment (16) which we will call evaporator. Between the two is one or more lines and rows of thermocouple elements described above and represented by FIG 2, which are welded, soldered, riveted or bolted together at (29), thus constituting a thermocouple compartment in series ; FIG 1 represents eight but there can be hundreds of miles and more by arranging them on several rows of lines coupled in series or in parallel. This set of thermocouples is supported by insulating bars placed between the rows or below, not shown in FIG 1 and must be impermeable to the liquids and gases used.

  If the tank (28) and its cover (18) are made of electrically conductive materials, they must be perfectly insulated by insulating plates (31) and (33) and insulating tubes (20) and (24) or pass the wires (25) and (26) 20 allowing the isolation and passage of the electric current produced.

  The compartments (15) and (16) contain a heat transfer liquid but not necessarily the same, as well as a set of tubes or radiators (6) and (17) of known shape or arrangement which constitute heat exchangers. FIG 1 shows them in the lengthwise direction but they can be placed in that of the width, in which case they can be placed between the extensions (21) and (27) of the iron part (1) and the heat transfer liquids can be deleted, as in the other position for that matter.

  The lower heat exchanger (6) is connected by a tube (9) to the discharge of a refrigeration compressor (7) while the upper exchanger (17) is connected to the suction of the same compressor (7). The reverse can also be done. A motor (8) drives the compressor (7) by a drive shaft (30) thus constituting a refrigeration unit which can be opened as in FIG 1, or hermetic. All the tubes and the refrigeration unit can be thermally insulated by an insulation not shown in FIG 1. The compressor (7) can be single-stage or multi-stage, piston, centrifugal, vane or any other known means, the motor (8) is like: electric, thermal, water, wind or any other source of energy. The motor (8), the compressor (7), the tubes (9) and (10), the capillary or pressure reducer (22) are insulated. If they are not, the operation of the assembly is not disturbed but the efficiency of energy production decreases.

  At the outlet of the condenser (6), the refrigerating liquid passes through a capillary tube or a pressure reducer (22) to drop its temperature and its pressure before entering through the tube (23) into the evaporator (17). A coolant reservoir can be placed between the condenser and the expansion valve or capillary (22).

  The operation of the present invention is illustrated in FIG 1. It is in all respects that of the heat pump and that of small current generators that are thermocouples.

  If the motor (8) is started by any energy source, the compressor (7) sends refrigerated gases under pressure and hot, through the tube (9) into the condenser (6), and these gases , by liquefying in this exchanger, heat the coolant contained in the compartment (15), which in turn heats the ends (27) which by conductivity, raise the temperature of the welds (5). The refrigerant formed by condensation in the exchanger (6), pushed by the pressure then passes through the capillary or pressure reducer (22) to enter the evaporator (16). Aspirated by the compressor (7), it evaporates and produces cold which the heat transfer liquid communicates at the ends (21) of the iron (1). Thus, at thermocouples, all the welds (5) are heated and all the welds (29) are cooled, there is therefore established between the welds (5) and the welds (29) a temperature difference which, by the Peltier-Seebeck effect, produces a direct electric current that can be collected at terminals (25) and (26).

  FIG 3 represents a modification with respect to FIG 1. In order to facilitate the heat exchanges, the exchangers (6) and (17) of FIG 1 are eliminated, so that the extension (21) of the iron part (1), and the extension (27) of the lower part are directly in contact with the vapors and the refrigerating liquid. Fins (34) and (35) are added to activate the heat exchanges. They are shown horizontal in FIG 3, but they can be vertical or oblique, on one side or on both sides. Thus, the extension (27) with its fins (35) serves as a condenser, and the extension (21) with its fins (34) serves as an evaporator, the first captures calories and the second captures frigories. The operation is the same as in FIG 1 but more direct. The tank (28) and its cover (18), made in one or more pieces each, must be able to withstand operating voids and pressures.

  Refrigeration compressor units have a refrigeration efficiency which varies from one hundred percent to values which can exceed two thousand percent, depending on the compression ratio that is used, therefore the difference in temperature that is allowed between the hot and the cold of the heat pump. On the other hand, thermocouples have a theoretical useful efficiency of fifty percent. It is therefore possible to obtain more energy at the terminals (24) 10 and (25) which are used to actuate the motor (8), which can moreover be driven by the energy which it produces. The operation of the assembly: heat pump and thermocouples is more of the formula e = mc2 than usual transformations. This can be explained by the action of heat and cold which agitates the electrons in a different way to the welds, and forces them to move. So there is a slow, very slow change in the molecular structure of the constituents.

  The device according to the invention is particularly intended for the production of low and high power direct current and by transformation of single-phase and polyphase alternating current.

Claims (5)

  1- Device for the production of electric current characterized in that it comprises a refrigeration unit (7) and (8), compressing a refrigerant gas in a condenser compartment (6) Fig 1, or a space (15) Fig 3 d 'a tank (28) for producing heat by condensation; 5 which gas transformed into liquid, after passing through a capillary or regulator (22) arrives in an evaporator (17) Fig 1 or a space (16) Fig 3 of the same tank (28) to produce cold by suction of the refrigeration unit, therefore evaporation, and which, with the thermocouples placed between the cold and the hot, produces electric current collected between the terminals (24) and (25).   2- Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the temperature difference between the welds (5) and (29) is obtained by compression (9) and suction (10) of a refrigeration unit (7) and ( 8), open or airtight.   3- Device according to claim 1 and claim 2 characterized in that the heat exchangers (6) and (17) Fig 1 can be removed and replaced by the extensions (21) and (27) of the iron part (1) for direct exchange of calories or frigories with the refrigerant.   4- Device according to claim 1 and claim 2 characterized in that the temperature difference thus established is sensed by thermocouples placed in series and parallel to produce direct current collected at the terminals (24) and (25).   5- Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is completely independent of climatic conditions: day or night, cold or hot, rain or wind, prolonged or almost perpetual drought.