RU2102632C1 - Two-phase gravitational motor - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: conversion of low-potential heat source energy into mechanical energy. SUBSTANCE: vertically installed inside thermosiphon casing under turbine is tube placed in a spaced relation to thermosiphon casing and turbine rotor; at least one steam-liquid nozzle of turbine is placed in clearance between side surface of tube and casing; turbine is of steam-liquid type; boiling liquid level is above turbine. EFFECT: improved design. 1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to the field of gravitational engines with external heat supply and can be used to convert the energy of low-grade heat sources into mechanical energy with higher efficiency.

 A device of a gravitational engine is known (German patent 2951574, class F 03 3/00, 1981), which contains a reservoir with a liquid of height (H), in which a vertically moving closed circuit with bells on links is installed, at the bottom of which a heat supply section is installed under the bells and at the top of the tank is a refrigerator.

 The bells are successively filled with boiling steam in the liquid heat supply area in the lower part of the tank. There is a lifting force and the chain moves, performing mechanical work, in the upper part of the tank the steam is discharged into the refrigerator, and the condensed liquid is returned to the tank.

The disadvantages of elevator engines are:
large heat leakage due to large dimensions;
high hydraulic resistance to the movement of the chain with bells, and consequently, low speed of the chain and small removable power.

 The closest in technical essence to the claimed device is a device of a steam thermosiphon engine Rankine. (T. Nguyeu, M. Mochizuku "Thermosyphon Rankine Engine" Heat Recovery Systems. CHP. Volume 15.1995 p. 73).

 This device contains a vertically arranged cylindrical sealed thermosyphon case, partially filled with liquid, with a device for supplying heat to the liquid in the lower part, with an adiabatic steam middle zone and a refrigerator in the upper zone, steam nozzles and a steam turbine are aligned with the cylindrical body in the steam zone of the thermosyphon, the turbine shaft is connected to an electric motor installed inside the thermosiphon housing.

The disadvantages of this engine are:
low efficiency (Heat Recovery Systems CHP Volume 15, 1995) of the Rankine steam-powered cycle, since the cycle uses dry saturated steam obtained from a low-grade heat source;
kinetic energy of boiling liquid is not used.

 The objective of the invention is to remedy these disadvantages, namely the possibility of increasing the efficiency of energy conversion of low potential heat using the kinetic energy of a boiling liquid.

 To achieve this goal, a “two-phase gravity engine” containing a thermosiphon with a housing partially filled with liquid and a turbine installed in it, a pipe with gaps vertically installed inside the housing under the turbine relative to the thermosiphon housing and turbine rotor, and in the gap between the side surface of the pipe and at least one steam-liquid nozzle of the turbine is installed in the casing, while the turbine is made of liquid-vapor, and the level of boiling liquid is located above the turbine.

The invention is illustrated by the diagram shown in the drawing. The device "two-phase gravitational engine" contains a vertical cylindrical sealed thermosiphon housing (1), the lower part of which is filled with liquid, is a heat sink (Q ₁ ), and the upper part is a refrigerator (Q ₂ ). A pipe (2) is installed in the liquid cavity of the housing (1), which has a gap (3) between the bottom of the housing (1) and its lower end and an annular gap between the side surface of the pipe (2) and the inner surface of the housing (1). In the housing (1) above the upper end of the pipe (2) with a clearance, the rotor of the steam-liquid turbine (4) is installed coaxially with the housing (1) and the pipe (2) in the bearings (5), and the turbine blades (4) are located in the annular gap. In front of the turbine blades (4), stationary vapor-liquid nozzles (7) are installed in the annular gap. The shaft (8) of the turbine (4) is connected to an electric generator (9).

 The device operates as follows. The pipe (2) divides the boiling liquid into two streams; to the liquid flow in the pipe (2) and to the vapor-liquid flow in the annular gap, in which the liquid rises up under the influence of gravity and viscosity, acquiring kinetic energy, then it is accelerated and directed (throttled) by the nozzles (7) onto the turbine blades (4).

 At the exit from the annular gap, the spent vapor-liquid stream is divided into two steam and liquid. The steam enters the refrigerator, and the liquid through the central zone of the turbine (4) through the pipe (2) falls into the boiling start zone. Condensed liquid from the refrigerator also drains into the pipe (2).

 Unlike the prototype engine, in which steam is supplied to the turbine blades, in the proposed engine, a vapor-liquid mixture is supplied to the pipe blades, which accelerates under the action of the lifting forces of the steam bubbles.

 To prove the objectives of the invention, we consider one section of the engine in the form of a closed vertical loop with a cross section of one nozzle of the turbine and is comparable with a similar loop of the prototype device with the same steam productivity and the same steam parameters.

The coolant is water. The cross section of the channels (3x2) cm ² , S = 6 • 10 ^-4 m ² . The height of the vapor-liquid zone H = 0.5 m. The mass vapor content of X = 0.1 m. The height of the vapor zone of the prototype H = 0.5 m. The rotary parts of the channels above and below 180 ^o with a radius of R-0.1 m, which respectively are a zone of complete condensation and a zone of heat supply, in which a given steam content is achieved. The pressure in the boiling zone ρ _bale = 1 ATM, therefore, t _bale = 100 ^o .

 The calculation was carried out according to the program "Smogolev I.P. Anisimov V.V. et al.", "Program complex for hydraulic calculation of pressure loss on a personal computer" Atomic energy. t. 70, p. 402, 1991 and materials of the reference book IE Idelchik. "Handbook of hydraulic resistance" M. Engineering 1975, p.26.

As a result of the calculations: for the proposed engine, the flow rate of the vapor-liquid flow G = 583.9 kg / h, the velocity of the vapor-liquid mixture V = 46 m / s, the density ρ = 5.77 kg / m ³ , the steam flow G _steam = 0.0267 m ³ / sec, the power of the vapor-liquid jet N ₁ = 169 watts.

For the prototype engine: with the same dimensions and parameters, but in the lower bend of the channel, all the liquid turns into dry steam. Steam consumption G _n = 0.0267 m ³ / s, steam velocity V ″ = 44.5 m / s, steam density ρ ″ = 0.597 kg / m ³ steam jet power N ₂ = 16 W.

Elevator engine: the liquid level in the tank is H = 0.5 m, the hemispherical bell V = 0.0267 m ^{3 is} filled with steam for 1 second. Taking into account only hydraulic resistance, the speed of the bell lifting is V = 0.15 m / s, the lifting force is P = 26.7 kg, and the developed power is N ₃ = 40 W.

 Comparing the results, we can conclude that with the same heat costs, the proposed "two-phase gravitational engine" is the most efficient converter of thermal energy into mechanical energy.

N ₁ = 169 watts, N ₂ = 16 watts, N ₃ = 40 watts.

Claims (1)

 A two-phase gravity engine containing a thermosiphon with a housing partially filled with liquid and a turbine installed in it, characterized in that a pipe with gaps is vertically installed inside the housing under the turbine relative to the thermosiphon housing and turbine rotor, and it is established in the gap between the side surface of the pipe and the housing as at least one vapor-liquid nozzle of the turbine, while the turbine is made vapor-liquid, and the level of boiling liquid is located above the turbine.