JP2001523786A - Heat engine with improved efficiency - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The present invention relates to a method for converting thermal energy ( _external to Q) to mechanical energy ( _external to W) and a heat engine. The heat engine includes a first thermodynamic cycle process (steam cycle process) and a second cycle process (gas cycle process), wherein the waste heat of the first cycle process (Q _D ) is transferred to the second cycle process. The second cycle process waste heat (Q _G ) is supplied to the first cycle process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for converting heat energy in a heat engine into mechanical energy. In this way, the thermal efficiency of the heat engine is increased without having to change higher and / or lower cycle process temperatures. Furthermore, the invention relates to a heat engine for performing this method.

[0002] A heat engine is an energy converter that converts supplied thermal energy into shaft work (wellenerbeit) (kinetic energy) by means of a thermodynamic cycle process. For this purpose, thermal energy
It is fed to the working medium in the engine at a high temperature level and then partially extracted again at a low level, following its passage through a cycling process. In the ideal case,
The difference between the amount of supplied and extracted thermal energy is consistent with the shaft work output by the engine.

[0003] The thermal efficiency of a cycle process, such as an engine, is the ratio between the shaft work achieved and the first thermal energy applied. This is increased by the level of difference between the higher and lower process temperatures, and the value of the ideal Carnot engine can be maximized. The maximum thermal efficiency of the cycle process that can be obtained is obtained by the following Carnot's law: η = (T ₀ −T _u ) / T ₀ where η is the maximum thermal efficiency of the cycle process and T ₀ is High process temperature and _Tu is the low process temperature.

In order to achieve as high a shaft work or kinetic energy yield as possible for each application unit of the first thermal energy, the heat engine must have as high a thermal efficiency as possible. This goal is achieved by increasing the efficiency of the cycle process. For this purpose, according to Carnot's law, it is necessary to either reduce the low process temperature and / or increase the high process temperature. Due to the thermal stability of the materials used in heat engines, the increase in high process temperatures is limited. In the case of conventional methods of operating a heat engine, the waste heat is dissipated to the surroundings, so that the reduction of low process temperatures is also limited. The natural limit to the reduction of low process temperatures is thus dictated by the ambient temperature of the heat engine (second law of thermodynamics). For example, fresh water that cools the system is used to reduce low process temperatures and bring them closer to ambient temperature, due to the heat load already present in rivers and lakes.
Not preferred for environmental protection reasons. Instead, heat is dissipated into the air through wet and dry cooling towers.

[0005] A known approach to increasing the efficiency of heat engines is to preheat the feedwater with bleed steam from the turbine and reduce the process waste heat by increasing the average temperature of the heat input. The upper limit of the method is defined by the fact that when the preheating temperature of the feedwater is too high, the boiler exhaust gas can no longer be kept at its minimum despite air preheating. Furthermore, this form of waste heat feedback is disadvantageous because the feedwater can be preheated up to the temperature of the waste heat.

With the help of modern mainframe computers, it is also possible to optimize the variables of the heat engine cycle process. For example, in a power plant,
Live steam and intermediate superheat conditions, volumes, preheater efficiency and bleed pressure, condenser size and design, cooling tower design, etc. Nevertheless, even with the help of these measuring instruments, an increase in efficiency is possible only to a limited extent.

[0007] Finally, a further way to increase the efficiency of the heat engine consists in reducing the energy loss in the absorption and delivery of thermal energy. To do this, it makes full use of the available temperature gradient between the heat absorbed and supplied in the chain of the cycle process as far as possible. For this purpose, two or more engines are connected in series and the waste heat of the preceding cycle process is used as the heating heat of the subsequent cycle process. For example, this method is used in modern combined cycle power plants (gas and steam power plants), where the high temperature of the combustion process is first utilized in a gas turbine and then the exhaust gas is heated to a steam power plant. Use it further. In this way, the energy loss of the steam generation is reduced and the temperature gradient existing between the combustion chamber and the ambient temperature is exploited at various stages.

[0008] Methods of continuous combination of cycle processes are disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 5,437,157 and 4,428,190 (two continuous cycle processes each) and AT 327,299 (three in total). Continuous cycle process).

In US Pat. No. 5,437,157, the concentrated heat of a conventional steam power plant (
Working medium water) is used for the vaporization of the organic working medium that produces useful work in the second steam cycle process. The waste heat of the second cycle process is then released around. A similar principle is used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,428,190, in which two steam cycle processes (water and organic working medium) are combined through an intermediate heat accumulator to reduce the Improve load distribution. AT 327,299 describes the combination of a potassium and steam cycle process with a third cycle process based on organic working media. This medium transfers waste heat from the potassium process to the water process as warming heat. In all cases described, each cycle process is materially isolated from one another, and the transfer of heat from one process to another is achieved through the walls of the heat exchanger.

A disadvantage of the continuous connection of the cycle process is the additional heat transfer and energy conversion equipment in each cycle process. In addition, the transfer of heat by the heat exchanger
The energy loss of the energy conversion increases with the number of continuous coupling cycle processes, since only limited temperature differences can be maintained. The disadvantage is also that the waste heat of the last cycle process in the continuous chain must also be released to the environment.

[0011] It is therefore an object of the present invention to construct a method by which the thermal efficiency of a heat engine can be increased without having to change the higher and / or lower process temperatures of the thermal cycle process. It is also an object of the present invention to construct a heat engine for performing this method.

[0012] These objects are achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and a heat engine having the features of claim 14. The related dependent claims disclose the advantages and preferred developments of the method and the heat engine according to the invention.

For purposes of understanding the present invention, it is essential to know that the thermal efficiency of a heat engine is not the same as the thermal efficiency of the cycle process promoted therein.

The thermal efficiency of the cycling process is defined by the ratio of the delivered work and the thermal energy applied to each cycle of the cycling process. In contrast, the thermal efficiency of a heat engine is
It is defined by the ratio between the heat delivered and the thermal energy applied over the entire cycle of the cycling process.

These two efficiencies are equal if and only if the waste heat of the cycle process leaves the engine and is delivered to the environment beyond the boundaries of the system. In the case of a conventional heat engine, the low temperature heat extracted from the cycle process is released to the surroundings upon completion of each respective cycle. Thus, the prescribed heat engine is at most equal to the efficiency of the thermodynamic cycle process.

If all or part of the waste heat of the cycle process in the engine can be applied as primary energy (waste heat reuse), the efficiency of the heat engine will be greater than the efficiency of the associated cycle process. In this case, the energy contained in the waste heat of the cycle process need not be replaced, or only partially replaced by new primary energy, and the cumulative efficiency of the engine increases with the number of cycle processes performed I do.

This process is illustrated in FIG. FIG. 1 shows the progress of the efficiency of the heat engine.
The hypothetical cycling process operates at 35% thermal efficiency. The released waste heat is returned to this cycle process through various cycles at 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% (waste heat recycling). In the absence of waste heat feedback (0% curve), the efficiency of the heat engine is equal to the efficiency of the cycle process.
With waste heat feedback, the efficiency of the heat engine increases relative to the number of cycles in the cycle process and asymptotically approaches a theoretical maximum.

FIG. 2 shows the same process as a very inefficient cycling process of only 5%. Even at such poor process efficiencies, the efficiency of the heat engine can increase very significantly relative to the number of different cycles. With sufficiently effective waste heat feedback, such heat engines can operate economically using low temperature heat.

Conventional heat engines associated with the prior art use a single internal cycle process.
These include steam cycle processes with a phase transition of the working medium (steam turbines, steam engines) or gas cycle processes without a phase transition of the working medium (gas turbines, Otto engines, diesel engines, Wankel engines, Stirling engines, Stelzer engines) ).

In the case of conventional heat engines, the waste heat feedback is limited by the fact that the waste heat temperature is sufficiently lower than the required temperature of the heat supplied to the cycle process. For this reason, only a small part of the energy contained in this waste heat can be returned to the cycle process. In conventional engines, raising the temperature level of the waste heat to high process temperatures requires a heat pump, whereby the energy of the waste heat can be returned to the cycle process. However, this heat pump can consume some of the shaft work generated by the first engine. Consequently, for conventional heat engines related to the prior art, this waste heat feedback is economical only to a limited extent.

The methods associated with the present invention now increase the cumulative thermal efficiency of thermal energy through internal waste heat feedback without the use of shaft work in conventional heat pump processes.

Conventional engines have either a single steam cycle process or a single gas process process, or these two continuous connections (gas / steam turbine, combustion engine, gas and steam power plant). The heat engine related to the present invention is:
Within each heat engine there is a steam cycle process and a gas cycle process (ie two cycle process treatments that are simultaneously combined physically or superimposed on the gas phase).

The steam cycle process contributes to producing axis work. This steam cycle process takes warming heat from an external heat source. The waste heat of this steam cycle process is the heating heat of the connected gas cycle process. The working medium A of the steam cycle process is a kind of substance or a mixture of substances. These components have a sufficiently higher molecular dipole moment than component B of the working medium AB during the gas cycle process. This component B is basically in a permanent gas state. In the steam cycle process, the working medium A undergoes a cycle phase transition between liquid and gas in most conventional steam engines or steam turbines.

The gas cycle process is used as exhaust gas feedback in a heat engine in connection with the present invention. For this purpose, the waste heat of the steam cycle process contained in the expanded working medium A is supplied to the gas cycle process as warming heat to physically create shaft work. This gas cycle process also converts some of the waste heat of the steam cycle process into shaft work. This working medium AB (= working medium during the gas cycle process) is a mixture of the gas part of the working medium A of the steam cycle process and the persistent gas component B of the working medium during the gas cycle process. Component B is a substance or a mixture of substances. This component is
It has a sufficiently low molecular dipole moment than the material constituents of the working medium A from the steam cycle process. In the gas cycle process, the working medium AB
Is regularly supplied with the gas quantity of the working medium A from the steam cycle process, which is again taken up in liquid form. As a result, the proportion of the component amount of A in AB changes periodically in the closed cycle of the gas cycle process.

The intersection of the materials of the two cycle processes in the gas phase is due to the direct exchange of thermal energy between the materials of the two cycle processes or between the material mixture A and AB, and to the enrichment of the working medium A. Used for The exchange of thermal energy results from the use of Brownian molecular motion (number of collisions on the order of 10 ¹⁰ per second) by an elastic material between the gas molecules of the two working medium materials. At the microscopic level, the kinetic energy of a molecule (which is equivalent to temperature) follows a statistical probability distribution according to Maxwell's theory. It should be noted that, by way of illustration, atoms or molecules, which are gases or liquids, move without stopping and continually collide with each other. Due to the collision process, these are continuously the direction of their movement,
Energy and, consequently, speed also change. Thus, the velocity of a gas or liquid is not the same for all atoms or molecules, but follows Maxwell's velocity distribution. At the molecular level, temperature and kinetic energy are linked through Boltzmann's constant, and the average kinetic energy of the particle (ignoring rotational and vibrational energies) is E = 3 kT / 2. Consequently, there is not just one temperature in the gas phase, but a range of temperatures, which is equivalent to a statistical distribution of molecular velocities. The random motion of molecules from material groups A and B in the gas phase is
It produces elastic collisions between molecules with different velocities and dipole moments. The collision between the slow (= cold) molecules of the materials of the working medium A with a high dipole moment results in solidification of the colliding partner due to the influence of the intermolecular forces, resulting in a larger lattice of molecules, ultimately Droplets are formed. Collisions between the molecular lattice and the fast single molecules of materials groups A and B result in a net transfer of kinetic energy (= heat) from heavier droplets to lighter colliders. As a result, the gas phase AB of the gas cycle process
Is divided into fast (= hot) and slow (= cold) amounts of components.

From a macroscopic point of view, the phase transition of the working medium A takes place through the natural formation of mist from the material mixture AB during the gas cycle process of the heat engine according to the invention.
The mist droplets can then be removed from the gas cycle process gas phase by a phase separation by a conservative force field (eg, gravity or centrifugal force field) from the gas cycle process gas phase and steam cycled by a feed pump. Can be returned to the process. In this way, the stream of the working medium A is supplied to the gas cycle process in the gaseous phase and is again extracted to the liquid phase. The heat supplied to the gas cycle process is latent heat, which corresponds to the heat of condensation and is included in the supplied gaseous amount of component A. The transfer of heat from the steam cycle process to the gas cycle process results from the condensation of the working medium A during the gas cycle process. The waste heat of the gas cycle process is the heat extracted in the liquid phase of the working medium A. The difference between the heat supplied and the heat extracted is the heat of condensation of the material stream in the amount of working medium A exchanged between the steam cycle process and the gas cycle process. This corresponds to the maximum shaft work that can be produced in the gas cycle process. As a result, the heat of condensation of the steam cycle process of the heat engine according to the invention can be sufficiently converted to the axial work of the gas cycle process (less any heat dissipated). Thus, the heat engine according to the invention excludes the heat dissipated,
No further waste heat. Thus, by comparison with a conventional heat engine, the efficiency of the heat engine according to the invention increases over the number of cycles of the cycle process, even with a poorly efficient steam cycle process. Consequently, the heat engine according to the invention is also suitable as an energy converter for the utilization of low-temperature heat.

For example, the following material combinations allow operation of the heat engine according to the invention: steam cycle (A ) gas cycle (B) temperature window for vaporization water air 70. . . 300 ° C carbon dioxide air, nitrogen -70. . . 20 ° C ammonia air, nitrogen -40. . . 70 ° C cooling mixture air, nitrogen -50. . . 0 ° C. nitrogen hydrogen -200. . . -150 ° C nitrogen inert gas -200. . . FIG. 1 shows various evolutions of the efficiency of a virtual heat engine over 20 cycles. The heat engine cycle process has a theoretical efficiency of 35%. The heat engine has the same efficiency if the waste heat is not fed back to the cycle process (0% progress). If a certain portion of the waste heat released by the cycle process is returned to it, the efficiency of the heat engine will increase slowly. With, for example, 80% waste heat feedback, the described heat engine reaches approximately 70% efficiency after 20 cycles.

FIG. 2 shows the same situation for a cycle process of only 5% efficiency. FIG.
As shown, the efficiency of the heat engine increases to a value of about 20% with 80% waste heat feedback. Thus, with the waste heat feedback method, the efficiency of the heat engine is about four times that of the cycle process.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic description of a substantially coupled steam cycle process (left PV diagram) and a gas cycle process (right PV diagram). The steam cycle process shown here is a single process without multiple intermediate overheating. The method can also be applied to all other steam cycle processes. The present steam cycle process includes six points indicated by points D1 to D6. This gas cycle process is performed at point G
1 to G4 are included. The individual steps are described in detail below: D1-D2 The liquid of the steam cycle process is pumped from low pressure to high pressure via a pump and fed to the vaporizer at high pressure. D2-D3 The working medium A is vaporized in a high-pressure vaporizer by applying heat (Q _to ),
It is converted from a liquid phase to a gaseous phase. D3-D4 The steam is superheated, but this superheating is not essential. Superheating may be omitted in the case of engines designed for low temperature heat utilization. The D4-D5 steam expands with shaft work output until its pressure matches the mixing pressure of the gas cycle process. (Note: points are shown in the hot steam area, but could also be in the wet steam area.) D5-D6 In a conventional steam cycle system, this section would be the complete steam flow into the wet steam area. Swelling. However, in the engine according to the invention, this process takes place in a gas cycle process. D6-D1 In a conventional steam cycle process, this area converts the working medium A of the steam cycle process from a gaseous to a liquid phase, in that the condensation is forced by the extraction of heat. The shaded area Q _from corresponds to the waste heat of the steam cycle process. In the case of the method according to the invention, this process also takes place in a gas cycle process. D5-G2 Transfer of the gaseous working medium A of the fully or partially expanded steam cycle process into the gas cycle process, and the gaseous working medium to the compressed gaseous working medium AB of the gas cycle process Mixing of A. Due to the mixing of the working medium A into the gas mixture AG, the relative humidity of the gas mixture AB increases with respect to component A.

The gas cycle process is described below from its first step: G 1 -G 2 Adiabatic compression of the gas process working medium AB. This results in an increase in the pressure and temperature of the medium AB, the relative humidity of which decreases with respect to the material component A. At point G2,
The amount of medium A material is mixed from the steam cycle process as described in transition D5-G2. G2-G3 The actual mixing process: where the amount and (and consequently) the volume of the gas mixture AB in the gas cycle process is increased by the amount of medium A material from the steam cycle process and the relative mixture AB Humidity increases for material component A. The mixing process is shown at constant pressure, but this is not essential. This means that the mixing process can also cause pressure changes. Mixing produces the output of shaft work. The G3-G4 gas mixture expands adiabatically with the output of shaft work. Here, the pressure and temperature of the working medium AB decrease and the relative humidity of the gas mixture AG exceeds the saturation limit for its material component A. Material A with high dipole moment
Molecules solidify to form droplets while outputting kinetic energy to the particles AB remaining in the gas phase. The mist is formed while reducing the pressure and volume of the residual gas amount AB. The relative humidity of the gas phase AB increases up to 100% for material A. The latent heat of condensation of the amount of material A that condenses as mist remains in residual gas amount AB. G4-G1 Volume reduction due to liquid extraction: mist is removed from the residual gas content of the working medium AB by phase separation in the field of preservative force (preferably the field of centrifugal force)
It is returned to the vapor cycle process as a liquid. The points G4 and G1 are in fact very close together, so that the contour of the gas cycle process of the PV diagram is almost triangular. G4-D1 This step describes, for liquid working medium A, the exchange of materials from a gas cycle process to a steam cycle process. Thus, the liquid amount of material A having a high molecular dipole moment extracted from the gas cycle process is resupplied to the vapor cycle process.

This region, limited by the line D-1-2-3--4-5-6-1, corresponds to the maximum work that can be generated in the steam cycle process. Line G-1-2-3-4-
This area, limited by 1, corresponds to the maximum work that can be generated in the gas cycle process. The waste heat of the steam cycle process is transferred from point D5 to point G2 as input heat to the gas cycle process with the exhaust gas of the steam cycle process working medium A, and the waste heat of the gas cycle process is condensed liquid At the same time, the heat is transferred from the point G4 to the point D1 as input heat to the steam cycle process. Both cycle processes generate work and waste heat from the supplied heat. Due to the combination of the two cycle processes, no waste heat is released to the environment by the latter in one heat engine.

FIG. 4 shows a steam cycle process and a gas cycle in a heat engine according to the present invention.
This shows the flow of energy into and out of the process. This engine has two cycles
Processes, each of which has a shaft work (W_DAnd W_G)
Waste heat (Q_DAnd Q_G). As shown in FIG._Outside+ Q _G Is supplied to the steam cycle process and heat Q_DThe gas cycle process
Supplied to The two cycle processes are, conversely, their respective waste.
Due to the fact that heat flow can be reused as supplied heat,
Enough to provide this externally supplied heat_OutsideThe axis work W_OutsideCan be converted to
(Optionally less than the heat emitted).

This is because, at the microscopic level, the separation of fast (= high temperature) and slow (= low temperature) particles by the use of the dipole moment of a real gas, acting intermolecularly, In a field of conserved forces, it is possible because it is carried out by condensation through atomization and subsequent separation.

In the gas phase, energy transfer between molecules is provided by elastic collisions and is not associated with any directional limitations. At the molecular level, a net transfer of kinetic energy (= heat) can be brought from a heavy and slow (= low temperature) collision partner to a light and fast (= high temperature) collision partner in elastic collisions. That is, according to Maxwell, since the velocity of this molecule is related to the probability distribution, there is always a collision partner sufficiently faster or slower than the corresponding microscopically measured temperature. Mixing of gases from molecules with large and small dipole moments therefore necessarily results in the solidification of the molecules with high dipole moments when the temperature decreases, and then in elastic collisions the smaller dipoles Loss even more kinetic energy (= heat), like a heavier collision partner with molecules with child moments. This temperature reduction is forced by adiabatic expansion (see stages G3-G4), so that slow molecules with large dipole moments should remain attached to one another and reduce their kinetic energy to low dipole Must be released to the molecule with the child moment. Due to the fact that this transfer of heat of condensation in the gas phase does not take place between bodies at different temperatures, Maxwell
At the molecular level due to elastic collisions between particles within the range of 1 velocity distribution, the second thermodynamic law is observed.

This process is shown in FIG. The left figure of FIG. 5 shows the Maxwell velocity distribution of the gas mixture of the two working media A and B, where, in each case,
N (u) specifies the number of molecules with a particular velocity u. Upon cooling, mist condensation is performed through adiabatic condensation. The mixture of the working media A and B, with the working medium A having a reduced concentration, remains present in the gaseous state (upper right figure in FIG. 5). In contrast, the working medium A can form droplets and be removed from the gas phase, for example with the aid of a centrifuge (lower right figure in FIG. 5).

Material exchange occurs only between two cycle processes in the engine, without this environment. The engine can be constructed as a closed system, transferring only thermal energy and shaft work at the boundaries of the system. It may utilize low temperature thermal energy as one heat source, as the engine should not deliver any waste heat back to the environment. This requires that the steam cycle process have a phase transition temperature that is less than the temperature of the low temperature heat source. Otherwise, the low temperature heat cannot be used for vaporizing the steam cycle working medium. At this time, the efficiency of the engine is even better with low-temperature heat application than with high-temperature heat when thermal energy is supplied at low temperature, since this radiation loss is small.

This heat engine according to the invention can be designed as a piston engine (motor) or as a flow engine (turbine). Since centrifugal fields are advantageous for phase separation of mist, flow engines are preferably used because of the fact that such centrifugal forces can easily be generated in the rotating part of the turbine.

Two flow engines suitable for implementing the method according to the invention are described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 shows a comprehensive system suitable for a steam cycle process with superheating,
FIG. 7 shows, as a minimum configuration, a compact system that includes only those elements of the system that are absolutely essential.

Both figures include only the functional components of each institution without the design of their structure, with indications of the inflow and outflow of substances between these components.

As shown in FIG. 6, the heat engine according to the invention comprises at least the following functional components: pump, evaporator, steam turbine, mixing chamber, gas turbine, condenser, centrifuge and compressor. This steam cycle process includes the following components: pump, evaporator, steam turbine and condenser. This gas cycle process comprises the following components: gas turbine and compressor. The exchange of material between the two cycle processes is accomplished by a mixing chamber and a centrifuge. Consumers of shaft work are compressors, pumps and centrifuges, which are operated by gas turbines and / or steam turbines. at the same time,
The steam turbine and / or gas turbine outputs shaft work to an external consumer.

The evaporator is vaporized at high pressure through the pump through the addition of heat,
Then, a liquid working medium A that is expanded in a steam turbine with an output of shaft work is supplied. The exhaust gas of this steam turbine is mixed in a mixing chamber with the working gas AB of the gas cycle process compressed by the compressor and expanded by the gas turbine with the output of shaft work. After releasing the gas turbine,
Mist is generated in the capacitor. This mist is removed from the gas phase of the gas cycle process in the centrifuge and re-fed as a liquid to the vapor cycle process through a pump.

FIG. 7 includes a functional component steam turbine and a gas turbine, as well as a turbine component mixing chamber and a functional component condenser and a condensing centrifuge component centrifuge.
Here, the gas inflows and outflows of the two cycle processes are directly brought together in a turbine, and the exhaust gas is separated into two phases in a condensing centrifuge. The pump and compressor deliver each fluid back into the circuit. Such a unit can be of a very compact construction.

A heat engine according to the present invention may be used in both hot and cold regions, providing that the phase transition temperature of the steam cycle process is less than the temperature of the heat source. It is completely environmentally neutral, as the heat engine does not require any exchange of the system environment with the material. Due to the lack of thermal stability, it is possible to use materials that cannot be used in the high temperature range in the low temperature range.

Consequently, conventional engine unaffected applications according to the prior art can be utilized for low temperature heat engines which do not have any exchange of material with the environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

The method according to the invention and the heat engine according to the invention for carrying out this method comprise:
Described below with reference to the accompanying figures, where:

FIG. 1 shows the efficiency accumulated over 20 cycles of a heat engine with an initial efficiency of 35%;

FIG. 2 shows the efficiency accumulated over 200 cycles of a heat engine with an initial efficiency of 5%;

FIG. 3 shows a PV diagram of a steam cycle process coupled with a gas cycle process according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a description of the energy flow during the cycle process of the heat engine according to the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an illustration of Maxwellian distribution and mist condensation of the two working media A and AB;

FIG. 6 shows a detailed description of the configuration of the individual functions of the heat engine according to the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows an explanation of the configuration of the function of the small heat engine according to the present invention.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (81) Designated country EP (AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE ), OA (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GW, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG), AP (GH, GM, KE, LS, MW, SD, SZ, UG, ZW), EA (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, MD, RU, TJ, TM), AL, AM, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BR, BY, CA, CH, CN, CU, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, GB, GE, GH, GM, HR, HU, ID, IL, IS, JP, KE, KG, KP , KR, KZ, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LV, MD, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, RU, SD, SE, SG, SI, SK, SL, TJ, TM, TR, TT, UA, UG, US, UZ, VN, YU, ZW

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A method for the conversion of thermal energy to mechanical energy in a heat engine having a first thermodynamic cycle process and at least one second cycle process, wherein the heat engine includes the first thermodynamic cycle process and the at least one second cycle process. Waste heat of a cycle process is provided to the second cycle process, and waste heat of the second cycle process is provided to the first cycle process, wherein the first cycle process is a steam cycle process, and The method wherein the second cycle process is a gas cycle process and the exchange of material occurs between the gas cycle process and the steam cycle process. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cycle process and the second cycle process proceed simultaneously without any exchange of material with the environment. 3. A working medium A comprising a substance or a mixture of substances having a high molecular dipole moment is used in the vapor cycle process, and a substance or substance having a low molecular dipole moment in the gas cycle process. Process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a working medium AB is used, comprising a mixture from the gas phase of a medium A and a second component B of a steam cycle process. 4. Thermal energy supplied to the heat engine from the outside is preferably
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method is used for vaporizing a working medium A of the liquid vapor process. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the working medium A of the steam cycle process participates in both cycle processes through a substance exchange. 6. The gas phase of the working medium A of the steam cycle process is mixed with the gas phase of the working medium AB of the gas cycle process.
A method according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change of the liquid-gas-liquid phase cycle occurs in the steam cycle process together with the output of the shaft work. 8. The process of claim 3, wherein the change in cycle amount or concentration of the working medium A of the steam cycle process occurs with respect to the working medium AB of the gas cycle process, accompanied by an output of shaft work. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The condensation of the working medium A of the steam cycle process essentially takes place in and during the expansion phase of the working medium AB of the gas cycle process.
A method according to any one of claims 3 to 8. 10. The mist generated by the phase transition of the working medium A of the steam cycle process is separated from the working medium AB of the gas cycle process by a stored force field, preferably a centrifugal field. 10. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the liquid is re-supplied as a liquid to the working medium A of the steam cycle process. 11. The working medium A of the steam cycle process and the second component B of the working medium AB of the gas cycle have the following combination: A = water and B = air; A = carbon dioxide and B = air / A = ammonia and B = air / nitrogen; A = cooling mixture and B = air / nitrogen; A = nitrogen and B = hydrogen; or A = nitrogen and B = inert gas. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 10. 12. A heat engine for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a first thermodynamic cycle process and at least one second thermodynamic cycle process. A heat engine wherein the waste heat of the first cycle process is provided to the second cycle process and the waste heat of the second cycle process is provided to the first cycle process, wherein the first A heat engine, wherein the cycle process is a steam cycle process, and the second cycle process is a gas cycle process, and material exchange occurs between the gas cycle process and the steam cycle process. 13. The heat engine, comprising: at least the functional component pump; an evaporator;
13. The heat engine according to claim 12, comprising a steam turbine, a mixing chamber, a gas turbine, a condenser, a centrifuge and a compressor. 14. The liquid working medium A of the steam cycle process is supplied to the evaporator at increasing pressure, where it evaporates when supplied with thermal energy,
The heat engine according to claim 13, wherein the heat of the shaft work expands in the steam turbine. 15. The steam turbine exhaust gas is mixed with the compressed working medium AB of the gas cycle process in the mixing chamber, expanded in the gas turbine by the power of shaft work, and a condenser. Mist of the working medium A of the steam process is separated in the centrifuge and fed by the pump as liquid to the evaporator, and the remaining gas cycle process Heat engine according to any of claims 13 and 14, wherein the working medium AB is re-supplied from the centrifuge to the mixing chamber via the compressor. 16. The heat engine according to claim 13, wherein the compressor, pump and centrifuge are operated by the steam turbine and / or the gas turbine. 17. The heat engine according to claim 13, wherein the steam turbine and / or the gas turbine output shaft work to an external consumer. 18. The functional component, a steam turbine, a gas turbine, and a mixing chamber are combined to form one functional unit, a turbine, and the functional component, a condenser and a centrifuge, are combined to form a turbine. The heat engine according to any one of claims 13 to 17, forming a condensing centrifuge that is a single functional unit. 19. The heat engine according to claim 12, wherein the phase transition temperature of the working medium of the steam process is lower than an ambient temperature of the heat engine.