MXPA04000011A

MXPA04000011A - Assembly of gas expansion elements and a method for operating said assembly.

Info

Publication number: MXPA04000011A
Application number: MXPA04000011A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Stock Gerhard
Original assignee: Stock Gerhard
Priority date: 2001-07-07
Filing date: 2002-07-03
Publication date: 2005-06-06
Also published as: ATE422602T1; DE10133153C1; JP2004532953A; WO2003004835A1; EP1404948A1; KR20040018424A; DE50213273D1; US20040237525A1; BR0211238A; CA2453017A1; EP1404948B1; NO20040036L

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly of gas expansion elements for a device for converting thermal energy into motor energy in particular for a hot-water motor. Said assembly comprises two closed pressure containers (9, 10), which are filled with a gas or gas mixture, are actively connected to the device and have an upper injection opening (7, 8) for hot and cold water. The assembly is provided with a short-circuit pipe (11) between the two pressure containers (9, 10), said pipe comprising at least one controllable valve (12, 13) for equalising the pressure between the pressure containers (9, 10), after the gas or gas mixture has performed its work.

Description

ASSEMBLY OF GAS EXPANSION ELEMENTS AND METHOD TO OPERATE THE ASSEMBLY DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY The invention relates to an assembly of gas expansion elements for a device for converting thermal to motor energy, in particular for a hot water motor, which contains two closed pressure tanks, filled with a gas or a gas mixture , which is actively connected to the device and has an upper injection opening for hot and cold water, and a method for operating the assembly. The gases convert relatively much heat when heating and expanding in work, with which in rapid processes, as in the Stirling process, large losses are produced by dissipation, inadequate control of the piston, heat and pendulum losses, dead space effects , large regenerator resistance and high speeds. From US-A-4 283 915, a mounting for converting thermal energy to a motor is known, which comprises respectively a hot water supply and a cold water supply, whereby a certain temperature difference between the hot water prevails and the cold water. The hot and cold water are alternately driven through the tubes of a heat exchanger to expand and contract a working liquid. The work cycle is carried out above a boiling point of the working liquid. By means of check valves a relatively high pressure is ensured to activate the assembly. In this case the use of a heat exchanger is disadvantageous, since such a tubular heat exchanger has only a markedly limited efficiency with a large thermal application and is relatively prone to breakdowns depending on the nature of the media flowing through and around the heat exchanger. same. Furthermore, DE 197 79 190 C2 discloses an assembly for converting thermal to electrical energy, which consists of a working circulating current with a working liquid for operating a turbomachine and a plurality of heat exchangers flooded alternately by a half cold and another hot. In the heat exchangers, an expansion element is respectively arranged which expands and contracts in dependence on the temperature of the medium, whose expansions and contractions conditioned by the temperature are supplied through an intermediate accumulator to the circulating working current. To store energy, an intermediate accumulator formed as a spring is associated with each thermal exchanger, whereby each spring is connected to the piston of a pressure cylinder, whose working space is connected respectively by controllable valves through suction pipes. and pressure with a circulating current of working oil, which operates a turbine with a generator. This assembly has a relatively complex structure, in particular by intermediate accumulators designed as springs, and comprises the disadvantages explained above of a heat exchanger. Furthermore, it is known from WO 00/539898 a gas expansion element for an assembly for converting thermal energy to a motor, in particular for a hot water motor, which consists of a closed pressure tank, filled with a gas or a gas mixture which is actively connected by a displaceable piston to the assembly. The pressure tank has an upper injection opening for hot and cold water and a lower water outlet opening. A hot water engine comprises respectively groups of two pressure tanks with associated liquid piston pumps, which admit a circulating working current of a water turbine. During a first circulatory process, a gas or a mixture of expandable hot gas is present in the first pressure reservoir and the second pressure reservoir contains a gas or a contractable cold gas mixture. In a second circulatory process following, the gas or the gas mixture of the first pressure tank is cooled by injecting cold water and the gas or gas mixture of the second pressure tank is heated by injecting hot water, so that the gas volumes change correspondingly. Therefore, the complete gas mixture still containing hot water is rinsed in exemplary manner in the first pressure vessel with cold water until the temperature in this pressure vessel is returned to an initial magnitude. In this case, the thermal energy still present is lost.

It is an object of the invention to create a gas expansion element assembly of the aforementioned technique, as well as a method for operating the assembly, with which a relatively large capacity can be achieved with reduced technical application. According to the invention, the objective according to the device is achieved in the sense that, between both pressure vessels, a short circuit pipe is provided with at least one controllable valve for the pressure composition between the tanks of pressure after carrying out work on the gas or the gas mixture. At the end of the work phase, a pressure difference between both pressure vessels remains. By virtue of the present pressure difference between the hot gas mixture of a pressure tank and the cold gas mixture of another pressure tank, a pressure compensation takes place between both pressure tanks after opening the controlled valve, with which takes advantage of the thermal energy still present in a pressure tank to heat the gas mixture of the other pressure vessel to the compensation temperature, by virtue of the thermal current. At the same time, the quantity of gas rises in the pressure tank with the gas or expandable gas mixture, which is accompanied by an increase in the pressure difference between both pressure tanks and with this a rise in capacity. The valve is opened after carrying out the work of the gas mixture by means of expansion or corresponding contraction and the operation related thereto of a detachable piston of the hot water motor, the piston being able to be formed as a liquid piston pump. . Since the gas mixture heated in the first circulation process is cooled in a second subsequent circulation process, it is indispensable to lower the temperature of the gas mixture in this tank below the compensation temperature, whereby the present residual heat of the gas mixture to heat the cooled mixture and then to heat. The residual heat is therefore not lost without being used, so that a relatively large capacity is achieved with a relatively low technical application. The residual heat does not reach the circulating working current of the hot water motor, which should be removed again. In addition, in the pressure tank to be heated each time is a larger amount of the gas mixture, which finally performs the work to operate the hot water engine by its expansion, and at the same time is less of the mixture of gas to be cooled in the other pressure tank and greater the dissolution of the outlet pressure with respect to a conventional assembly, which results in a displacement of a corresponding pV diagram in the desired direction. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the short circuit pipe is mounted in the upper area of the pressure tank. In this area of! pressure tank, in which there is a flange or a screw cap, there is no hot or cold water, so that the gas mixture arrives without difficulty through the valve open to the short circuit pipe.

In addition, the gas mixture meets the highest temperature in this area approximately. In order to avoid the large dead spaces in the pressure vessels, a controllable valve is preferably mounted in the area immediately connecting to the associated pressure tank in the short-circuit pipe. To reduce heat losses, the short circuit pipe is thermally insulated conveniently with the valves. The object according to the invention is achieved by a method for operating an assembly according to claim 1, by means of which hot and cold water are injected alternately into the pressure vessel in the sense that, after transmission of the work of the gas or gas mixture from a pressure tank, the gas or gas mixture is conducted by opening the controllable valve through the short circuit pipe respectively to the other pressure tank. After the gas mixture, by virtue of its expansion or contraction that takes place by the emission of heat or cold, brings to a predetermined position the displaceable piston, formed as liquid piston pump, hot water motor, opens the valve in the short circuit pipe to compensate the pressure between both pressure tanks and by the prevailing connection of the hot gas mixture is adjusted to a compensation temperature between both pressure tanks. This results in an essential increase in the capacity of the assembly operated according to the method according to the invention, since the existing residual pressure and the existing residual thermal energy of the gas mixture are used from a pressure tank to raise the pressure and to heat the gas mixture of the other pressure vessel. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, after the transmission of the useful work of expansion of the gas or of the gas mixture of a pressure vessel, a part of the gas or of the gas mixture is conducted to the other pressure vessel. . Since an economically insignificant work base of the gas mixture does not correspond to the total operation of expansion of the gas mixture, opening the valve, it ends in the working phase, that is to say the useful work of expansion of the mixture of gas. gas, and its residual energy is used to raise the pressure and to heat the gas mixture from the other pressure vessel. Conveniently, two controllable valves of the short circuit pipe are opened and closed at about the same time. Therefore, the pressure condensation can be selectively controlled, which results in a thermal current from one to the other pressure vessel, and the dead space in the short circuit pipe is minimized. It is understood that the features mentioned above and to subsequently explain still not only in the combination indicated in each case, but also in other combinations, are useful, without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the inherent drawings. In the same: Figure 1 shows a schematic projection of a mounting according to the invention, Figure 2 shows a projection of a diagram to represent a circulatory process of the assembly and Figure 3 shows a projection of a diagram of the pressure with regarding time to represent a circulatory process of assembly. The assembly comprises a storage tank 1 for water with a level indicator 2, which is connected through the pipes 3 with a cooling device 4 and a heating device 5. From the cooling device 4 and the heating device 4 5, the tube 6 in each case leads to a controlled injection opening 7, 8 of a pressure vessel 9, 10. The closed pressure tanks 9, 10 are filled with a gas mixture. Between both pressure tanks 9, 10, a short circuit pipe 1 1 is mounted, which has a controllable valve 12, 13 in the region of the pressure tank 9, 10. At the lower end of each pressure tank 9, 10, a discharge opening 14, 15 is provided, which is coupled with a circulating work flow 16, the latter comprising two liquid piston pumps 17, 18 of a hot water motor and a turbine 19 with generator. In addition, a pump 21 is mounted to the circulating work flow 16 which is in communication with the storage tank 1 through a pipe 20. To operate the assembly, hot water is prepared in the heating device 5, which arrives through the first injection opening 7 to the first pressure reservoir 9. By spraying hot water into the first pressure reservoir 9, the gas mixture expands and executes work through a piston 22 different from the first piston pump of liquid 17, work that is supplied through the working circulating current 16 of the turbine 19 to convert thermal energy. After the increase in pressure and the pressure decrease corresponding to the first piston displacement of the first liquid piston pump 17 in the first pressure device 9, the water is interrupted, which is discharged through the associated discharge opening 14. At the same time, cold water is prepared in the cooling device 4, which comes through the second injection opening 8 to the second pressure tank 10. When spraying the cold water to the second pressure tank 10, the gas mixture work is also contracted and executed through the displaceable piston 22 of the second liquid pump 18. After transmission of the useful work of expansion or contraction of the gas mixture, they open to more valves 12, 3 of the pipeline short circuit 11 and, after the pressure compensation, a temperature compensation is produced up to a temperature compensation between the first pressure tank 9 and the second pressure tank 10. Hot water is then sprayed into the second pressure tank 10 and cold water to the first pressure tank 9. Since the gas mixture of both pressure tanks 9, 10 is at the compensation temperature, it is not essential a heating or unnecessary cooling of the respective mixture, whereby the assembly has a relatively large efficiency. The diagram pV according to figure 2, the circulatory process of a conventional assembly is schematically compared in exemplary manner with a mounting according to the invention, in which the pressure-temperature curves of a conventional assembly with continuous lines and are represented. those of the assembly according to the invention with dotted lines. Accordingly, the work W executed by a conventional assembly is less than the work executed w by an assembly according to the invention. The diagram of the pressure with respect to time (p-t) according to figure 3, shows at the beginning a conventional course of the process, in which the pressure p'max of the first pressure reservoir 8 drops to the pressure p'm¡n, whereupon cold water is injected at the instant De and the gas mixture executes I work in the Ata period. The pressure of the second pressure reservoir 10 rises from the pressure p'min to the pressure p'max, whereby hot water is injected into the second pressure reservoir 10 at the instant te and the gas mixture executes work in the same time Attaches to operate the liquid piston pump 14. During the Ati lapse, no work is performed and the residual pressure pressure tanks 9, 10 are lost to the system. After coupling the first pressure reservoir 9 with the second pressure reservoir 10 via the short circuit pipe 11, the valves 12, 13 are opened at time tk and a pressure compensation takes place between the first pressure reservoir 9 and The second pressure reservoir 10. Therefore, in the first pressure reservoir 9, the gas mixture which expands a comparatively large quantity of the gas mixture and in the second pressure reservoir 10 a comparatively small quantity of the gas mixture. At the same time, a combination temperature is regulated in the pressure tanks 9, 10 by virtue of the thermal current. After the pressure compensation by short-circuiting both pressure tanks 9, .10, hot or cold water is injected at the instant te, after which, by virtue of the different quantity distribution of the gas mixture , the pressure pmax or Pmin is reached in the corresponding pressure vessel 9,. 0 and therefore the pressure difference ?? compared to the conventional course of the process.

Claims

12 NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A gas expansion element assembly for a device for converting thermal to motor energy, in particular for a hot water motor, which comprises two closed pressure tanks (9, 10), filled with a gas or a mixture of gas, which are actively connected to the device and have an upper injection opening (7, 8) for hot and cold water, characterized in that a short-circuit pipe is provided between both pressure tanks (9, 10) ( 11) at least with a controllable valve (12, 13) to compensate for the pressure between the pressure vessels (9, 0) after the execution of the work of the gas or of the gas mixture.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that the short circuit pipe (1 1) is mounted in the upper area of the pressure tank (9, 10).

3. The assembly according to claim 1, further characterized in that a controllable valve (12, 13) is disposed in the area that immediately connects to the associated pressure tank (9, 10) in the short circuit pipeline. (eleven). 13

4. - The assembly according to any of claims 1 to 4, further characterized in that the short circuit pipe () is thermally insulated with the valves (12, 13).

5. - A method for operating an assembly as claimed in claim 1, in which alternating hot and cold water is injected into the pressure tank (9, 10), characterized in that after the transmission of the gas work or the gas mixture from a pressure tank (9, 10), the gas or gas mixture is conducted by opening the controllable valve (12, 13) through the short circuit pipe (11) to the respective other pressure reservoir (9, 0).

6. - The method according to claim 5, further characterized in that after the transmission of the useful work of expansion of the gas or gas mixture from a pressure tank (9, 10), a part of the gas is known or from the gas mixture to the other pressure vessel (9, 10).

7. - The assembly according to claim 5 or 6, further characterized in that two controllable valves (12, 13) of the short circuit pipe (11) are opened and closed at about the same time.