JPH025766A - Method of utilizing heat energy of environmental fluid - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to energy conversion, and specifically to methods of harnessing thermal energy in the atmosphere, oceans, large lakes, or rivers for the generation of power. . Industrial and municipal wastewater or other so-called low-grade thermal energy fluids can also be utilized according to the invention, and furthermore, since the fluid or fluids discharged from the power generation facility according to the invention are of very low temperature. It can be used for desalination of seawater, cooling of superconductors, and cooling or freezing processes such as air conditioning equipment.

It is already known that the higher the temperature of the heat source and the lower the temperature of the low heat source, the higher the efficiency of thermal energy conversion. Although the development of high temperature technology has already reached the permissible limit temperature of materials, the minimum temperature has been limited to the environmental temperature of water or the atmosphere available in nature. It is therefore clear that as fossil and nuclear fuels become scarce, available energy will be limited unless other sources of heat are found. The amount of solar energy projected onto the Earth is nearly infinite, but diffuse. Solar energy obtained using collectors, reflectors and absorbers is not only expensive but also unstable in supply. Although the atmosphere, oceans, large lakes, and rivers are natural absorbers of solar energy, harnessing ocean thermal energy
de) type power generation facility (Mechanical E
ngineering, Vol. 52.

(see 1430), nothing has been developed at all other than those with efficiency of only a few percent that take advantage of the temperature gradient in the deep ocean. A method of harnessing the thermal energy of environmental fluids with an efficiency of approximately 20 percent has only recently been published by the inventors. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,246, 4,516,402, 198
In order to further improve energy conversion efficiency, many new thermodynamic concepts are needed, and the second law will be outlined below.

(1) Heat reservoir
is a concept that describes a large object that maintains a constant temperature regardless of the amount of heat transferred beyond its environment, and is a closed system as shown in Figure 1. In Fig. 1, W is the amount of work done by the engine, and the temperature difference between the two thermal lips plays an important role in determining the performance of the engine.

(2) The second law is the self of entropy v in an isolated system.
The law states that there can be no J-like or continuous decrease.

(3) Kelvin and blank (Pl)
Ank) states that it is impossible to create a device that generates useful work and operates periodically by taking heat from a single reservoir without making any other changes. Ta. This second law has been described in various ways, but they are all equivalent, and they are all based on the closed system shown in Figure 1.

(4) - The limit of the amount of work generated by periodic operation is the amount of work due to the Carnot cycle, but there is no such limit to the amount of work caused by aperiodic processes.

(5) Although the atmosphere or ocean is often used to explain conceptual heat reservoirs, it is impossible to create an engine that continuously produces useful work using the atmosphere or ocean as the sole heat source. is clear by the second law. Therefore, it has been thought that the thermal energy of an environmental fluid in a homogeneous state is in a dead state.

The point to note here is that the heat source or low heat source can be either a closed system or an open system, but the second law description (3
) The conceptually defined thermal reservoir is a closed system. It is possible to use the atmosphere or ocean as an open thermal reservoir, and an open reservoir is a more flexible thermal reservoir than a closed reservoir. For example, an open cycle engine draws heat from an open heat reservoir,
It is a system that releases heat and entropy into an environment at any temperature, but in this case the environment is simply a waste reservoir; do not have. Said No. (3)
As shown in the section, all statements regarding the second law are based on
ent) It is based on a closed system surrounded by the external world, which is an isolated system. If the system is a closed system, operates only periodically, and exchanges heat with the outside world as a single reservoir, the following equation is satisfied.

dW=dQ where W represents the amount of work done by the closed system and Q represents the amount of heat supplied to the closed system. If dW>O, then d
Since Q>O, the outside world is continuously cooled. Therefore, entropy in the external world (isolated system) decreases continuously, which results in a contradiction to item (2) of the second law description. However, if the system is an open system and includes both periodic and non-periodic operations, the following equation holds.

dW=dQ+dE where dE represents the change in the total energy of the open system. In this case, if entropy is expressed by S, it is impossible to deny the possibility that dW>O, dQ>0, and dS>0 hold true. If the non-periodic operation is capable of doing work, and the periodic operation is a reversible process, the system can generate more work than a Carnot cycle operating between equivalent thermal lips. An object is thermodynamically disabled only when its temperature is at absolute zero, but if a low heat source is in a fluid state, the triple point of the fluid can be considered to be disabled. I can do it.

(Summary of structure and operation of the invention) The present invention is a method for highly efficiently utilizing the thermal energy of an environmental fluid for power generation and cooling processes, and includes ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), atmospheric thermal energy conversion (A
TEC), and atmosphere-ocean thermal energy conversion (A-
Three types of systems (OTEC) are considered. Either system may include a prime mover operating in a closed cycle, first and second heat exchange means, and a cooling enhancer, and the working fluid for the prime mover may be compressed gas or steam. The heat source fluid transfers its heat to the working fluid of the prime mover by the first heat exchange means, and at the same time is itself cooled. This cooled heat source fluid is expanded and further cooled by a turbine and/or simply an expansion valve as it passes through the cooling enhancer. This accelerated cooling heat source fluid is used by the second heat exchange means to cool the expanded working fluid of the prime mover.

EXAMPLES For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 represents a conceptual thermal reservoir, Figure 2 represents the basic approach of the invention, Figure 3 represents the flow circuit of an ocean thermal energy converter (OTEC), and Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3. FIG. 5 is an illustration of freezing and thawing of the throttle valve; FIG. 6 represents the temperature-entropy curve of the Rankine cycle and the flow process of the heat source fluid; FIG. represents the flow circuit of the atmospheric thermal energy converter (ATEC), Figure 8 represents the temperature-entropy curve of the Carnot cycle and the flow process of the heat source fluid, and Figure 9 represents the thermal configuration of the isothermal heat exchanger. , Figure 10 shows a new gas power cycle.
Fig. 11 shows the flow circuit of an atmospheric thermal energy conversion device mainly for heating and cooling, and Fig. 12 shows the flow process without phase change of the heat source fluid. Figure 13 represents the temperature-entropy curve of the modified Rankine cycle and the flow process with phase change of the heat source fluid; Figure 14 represents the temperature-entropy curve of the device;
EC), and FIG. 15 is a detailed view of the vortex chamber in FIG. 13.

1. Basic Method The steady state flow circuit of an energy conversion device that utilizes the thermal energy of an environmental fluid for power generation and cooling is shown in FIG. For simplicity, the environmental fluid is 1
Assuming that it consists of several types of components, we will call it a heat source fluid. If the heat source fluid is a gas, the device will be called an ATEC device, meaning Atmospheric Thermal Energy Conversion, and if the environmental fluid is a liquid, it will be called an OTEC device, meaning Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion. In addition, when both gas and liquid are used as heat sources at the same time, it will be called an A-OTEC device, which means atmospheric-ocean thermal energy conversion.

In Figure 2, R is a heat reservoir; G is a supercharger; M is a prime mover operating in a closed cycle; N is a cooling accelerator; AB
and CD represent heat exchangers called first and second heat exchange means, respectively.

The cooling enhancement device may be a turbine using the heat source fluid as the working fluid, a simple expansion device, or both. Here, p and P are the static pressure and total pressure of the heat source fluid, respectively, the subscript a represents the state of the heat source fluid under the environmental conditions, and the subscripts A, B, C, and D represent the position, respectively.
The following conditions are possible.

pa <ph, pc <ps, Pc >Pa (
1) These equations indicate the conditions under which the heat source fluid can flow inside the device, and how to satisfy these conditions will be described later. As the heat source fluid passes through the first heat exchange means, it is cooled as it transfers its heat to the working fluid of the main motor M. This cooled heat source fluid is further acceleratedly cooled by passing through the cooling accelerator N. This accelerated cooling heat source fluid is used to cool the expanded working fluid via a second heat exchange means, and from there passes through a desalination facility or other cooling device (not shown in the figure) to the heat reservoir R. It is ejected at the position. In this case, the discharge position must be far enough away from position K so as not to disturb the thermodynamic state of heat reservoir R.

If the ATEC device is used only for the purpose of generating power and
When o < p m, the freely available thermal energy of the ambient atmosphere is used to pump the vortex pump from Po to P.
The voltage can be increased to L>p. The principle of this vortex pump is the same as that shown in Fig. 15, but in this case the explanation of the figure is “
"From 16" becomes "From heat exchanger 14,""From12" becomes "From ambient air," and "To 14 and 14'" becomes "From heat exchanger 14."
, which is released into R, respectively. Since the incoming air is cooled and in a vortex state, PL can be maintained at or above pl.

The start-up of the energy device shown in Figure 2 and the initiation of heat release from the environmental fluid are carried out primarily by directing the cooling medium provided by the starter device (not shown in Figure 2) to the second heat exchange means. Cools the working fluid of the prime mover for a short period of time. This cooling medium can be a liquefied gas that can be produced during low-load operation of the energy equipment (usually at night in the case of stationary power plants), and the starting device can be a conventional gas-liquefier. I can do it.

The important point here is that the main engine M is a closed system, and the cooling acceleration device N is an open system, and both operate between two types of heat source fluids: a naturally obtained heat source fluid and an acceleratedly cooled heat source fluid. There is a particular thing. The accelerated cooling heat source fluid described herein is initially provided by the starter;
After that, it is maintained by an energy device. This is similar to a hurricane (or typhoon) whose source is a small eddy current in the ocean, where a stationary environmental fluid, which is generally thought to be in a thermally incapacitated state, can generate a huge amount of energy. It shows that it can be a source.

According to the first law of thermodynamics, the amount of work per unit mass flow rate of the heat source fluid generated by the prime mover (periodic system) is expressed by the following equation.

ωl = QAI Qoc (2) Here, Q
AII and qoc are the amount of heat per unit mass of the hot tA fluid supplied to and discharged from the prime mover, respectively. In the case of an ATEC device, the cooling enhancement device may include a turbine, the amount of work generated by this non-periodically open system and the amount of work required by the supercharger G satisfying the following equation:

(172=hi −hc (3)ω,
= hll - hA (4) where h represents the specific enthalpy of the heat source fluid.

By summing equations (2), (3), and (4), we get the second
The amount of work done by the ATEC device shown in the figure is expressed by the following equation:

ω-QAI Q(Ic+(hll hc) (h
A hs) According to this equation, (
It is clear that under the condition that ha hc) > (hA h,), the amount of work done by this ATEC device is greater than the amount of work done by the periodic system alone.

Since actual processes such as heat transfer or fluid flow in a device are generally irreversible processes, the inequality so −3m >Q holds true. Therefore, mixing the existing heat source fluid with the surrounding environmental fluid results in a further increase in entropy.

The efficiency of this ATEC device is conventionally expressed by the following equation.

In the case of a qA rich qAllAll OTEC device, the cooling enhancer may be provided with a simple expansion device instead of a turbine, in which case the above equation (
hm hc) are deleted.

In the case of an A-OTEC device, it is advantageous to use water as a heat source whenever possible and the atmosphere as a low heat source, but this will be discussed in a separate section below.

2. OTEC Apparatus FIG. 3 represents a flow circuit diagram of an OTEC apparatus that obtains heat only from seawater and utilizes it for power generation and fresh water production. The prime mover comprises a steam turbine 13 and a condensate pump 15 operating on a Rankine cycle, the seawater being pumped to the heat exchanger 11 by a pump 60 at a sufficient flow rate so that its temperature does not change significantly. A portion of the seawater flowing out of the heat exchanger 11 is discarded into the surroundings, and the rest flows into the heat exchanger 12, where it transfers its heat to the working fluid in an almost isobaric state and is simultaneously cooled to freezing point. This cooled seawater is led to a freshwater facility 92, where it is further cooled by expansion to 1 to 2 degrees Celsius below the triple point, where it becomes fresh water by separating ice crystals from the salt water.

The fresh water produced here branches into two channels, the main channel is connected to the water storage tank 93, and the second small channel expands inside the heat exchanger 14 through the throttle valve 83 and carries the working fluid. Cooling. At this time, the water vapor is
The water is led to the main freshwater channel via the tube pump 85. To prevent freezing inside the jet pump, the internal jet tube can be heated with room temperature water as shown in FIG. To prevent freezing, the wetted surface of the throttle valve 83 is precooled with salt water via a heat exchanger 84 and protected by a large number of minute air jets sucked by the throttle valve 83, as shown in FIG. I can do it.

From a thermodynamic point of view, the device shown in Figure 3 is a 1 (10) kW QC-O system installed in the Republic of Nauru that uses deep sea water as a low heat source.
It is strikingly similar to the TEC test facility (see Tokyo Electric Power Company Report, 1982).

In the equipment shown in Figure 3, assuming that the temperature difference in heat exchange is 5.3°C, the cycle of the main engine is within a temperature range of approximately 30°C, but the 1 (10) kW Nauru facility is 13°C. ℃
It operates within a temperature range of Therefore, the apparatus of FIG. 3 can produce more effective work than the Nauru facility.

- As an example, the OTEC device in Fig. 3 has a power of 1 (10) kW
Considering the case where Freon 12 is used as the working fluid according to the design standards of the Nauru facility and a temperature difference of 5.2°C is given between the two types of fluids, the temperature of Freon cycle 12345 -
The entropy curve and the heat source fluid flow path ABCDE are shown in FIG. Here, the following symbols and units are employed below and in the explanations that follow.

T = hot water temperature "C," K P = positive pressure kPaV = specific volume, resistance/kg h = specific enthalpy, kJ/kg Subscript 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 and A, B, C
.

The above symbols with the addition of D and E relate to freon and seawater, respectively. Here, the specified data, TA”T
Using a = 30 and T O = T E-0, the efficiency of the turbine is 80%.
Assuming that, a simple calculation yields the following result.

Amount of heat given ha hz = 156.54 Amount of heat emitted = h, -h, = 146.05 Amount of work generated = 10.49 k, I, /kg Efficiency
=6.7% In determining what kind of gas power cycle is suitable for this energy conversion device, an ATEC device that operates reversibly in the Carnot cycle can be considered. Figure 7 shows the flow circuit, number 15 in the figure is a compressor, 60
The numbers used in FIGS. 3 and 7 represent the same parts of the equipment, except that represents the supercharger.

The temperature-entropy curves of the working fluid and heat source fluid in this device are as shown by 12341 and ABCD in FIG. 8, respectively.

Since reversible heat exchange is assumed here, ΔT=O, that is, states 1, 2, 3. and 4 are states C, B, A
, and D, respectively. Similarly, isobaric curves are shown in FIG. 8, and it can be seen that all of the inequalities (1) are satisfied. The following relationship is derived from equation (5).

T.

ωrmv = Q+ (1-)+(ha-hc)
s-(ha-ha)sT.

Here, Q+ = Tr (SA Ss).

Ti = TA−T, and T −” T o = T
It is c.

In the above formula, (hi hc)s > (hA h,)s
Therefore, the reversible work done by this ATEC device is larger than the work by a closed system (Carnot engine), i.e. ω〉ω.

becomes. The lower the temperature of To, and therefore the lower hC, the greater the additional work, ω2, but with the restriction that the pressure at BC must be small (at least equal to the environmental pressure).

Based on the above knowledge of reversible work, the efficiency of the more important reversible ATEC device can be defined by the following equation:

ω η= < 1 (8) ω rav where ω and ω rllv are as defined by equations (5) and (7), respectively.

It can be seen that this isothermal heating and cooling can be achieved by assuming a one-dimensional flow of variable cross-section with heat addition and reduction.

The following result is obtained from the law of conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and ideal gas equation of state (8, If, 5hap
Written by iro.

Compressible Flow, Ronal
d Pr5ee, l 953): Vl-M"h A where V is the flow velocity; p is the static pressure; A is the cross-sectional area of the flow path; h is the specific enthalpy; dQ is the addition or reduction of heat; M is the local The Matsuha number indicates the specific heat ratio.

Since it is possible for the flow velocity to be large at any position inside the heat exchanger, that is, kM2<1 holds true, and dT=o in the case of equal overflow, the following relationship is obtained from equation (11).

A (k-1)M'' By substituting the h0th equation into the equations (9) and (10), the following relationship is obtained.

This shows that all of the heat added or removed is converted into work as a change in kinetic energy.

Here, when cooling the fluid, assuming that dQ<O and dA>O, the following equation holds true.

■P These inequalities apply to the heat source fluid inside the heat exchanger 12 and the working fluid inside the heat exchanger 14 in FIG. 7, respectively. -When heating the force fluid, dQ>O, and dA<O, the following equation holds true.

(p) These equations apply to the working fluid inside the heat exchanger 12 and the heat source fluid inside the heat exchanger 14, respectively. Therefore, heating and cooling in an isothermal state can be achieved by enlarging the flow path in the direction of the flow of the heating fluid and contracting the flow path in the direction of the flow of the fluid to be heated.

Addition or reduction of heat in an isobaric state is also No. 9.

(10) and (11) can be similarly derived: heat reduction and addition are achieved by respectively expanding and contracting channels in the flow direction.

The actual calculation results using the above equation show that the length of the flow path and the amount of heat addition or reduction cannot be increased too much in order to maintain the Matsuha number below the critical value (1/k). , this difficulty can be overcome by dividing the flow path into several sections, as illustrated in FIG. 9 as an example of gas heating. Also the 9th
The figure shows the distribution of total pressure, static pressure, and flow velocity.

According to FIG. 9, the flow rate can be set to any speed below the critical value, the pressure at the inlet of the conduit does not necessarily have to be large, and the amount of work required for the supercharger ω,
=hA-ri.

It can be seen that a sufficient amount can be supplied.

Based on the above understanding of iso-salting, it is possible to devise a more efficient cycle based on the Carnot and Rankine cycles.

Some examples of these are listed below.

1. Isothermal heating and cooling, and adiabatic compression and expansion.

2. In the cycle shown in Figure 10, 4-5 is adiabatic compression and expansion, 2-3 and 5-6 are isobaric heating and cooling, and 3-
Modified Carnot cycle such that 4 and 6-1 represent isothermal heating and cooling processes, respectively.

3. As shown in FIG. 13, a modified Rankine cycle in which heating and cooling in the superheated region are performed in an isothermal state.

4. ATEC equipment This section assumes three types of ATEC equipment. Device(
A) and (B) utilize a heat source fluid in a gaseous state, while in device (c) the heat source fluid is cooled to a liquid state. Here, for the sake of simplification without loss of generality, we put ′j: (
The following assumptions are adopted to explain A) and (c).

(al) The heat source fluid inside the device (A) is an ideal gas having a constant specific heat, and the heat source fluid inside the device (c) is nitrogen.

(bl Assume that the working fluid is the same as the heat source fluid but under pressure.

(c) All expansion and compression are assumed to be isentropic processes.

The Cdl heat exchange is given a temperature difference of 5.5° C., all symbols are the same as defined in the previous section, and the units of thermal and physical properties are the same as in the OTEC device.

The heat exchanger 12 in FIG. 7 is divided into two parts, and the heat source fluid is isothermally cooled in one part and isobarically cooled in the other part. The flow circuit of Figure 7 also applies to an ATEC device operating on the cycle of Figure 1O.Flow path A of the heat source fluid of the device.

The temperature-entropy curve corresponding to aABCDEF is also shown in FIG. Here, the following data is specified.

p,=101.3. T, = 298.2 ps = 1.2 pa = 121.6 1) c = p, = 2.5 p- = 304° 1) o =
1.2 pa = 121.6To””90.
pt = pr = 40 Based on the above data and applying routine calculations, the work done by this ATEC device is ω-96 kJ/kg and the flow rate of heat source fluid per second per 1 MW of output is: It is. This A defined based on the heat input, qAllC
The efficiency of the TEC device is η-34%. The important point here is that an aperiodic device is required.

As a special example of the ATEC device described above, the heat exchanger 14 and the prime mover are removed, the heat source fluid is used as the working fluid, and the heat source fluid is used as the working fluid. Considering a device that only operates, the steady-state operating state of this device is as shown in Figure 11.The temperature-entropy curve of the heat source fluid is a solid line, and the isobaric oil line group is a dashed line as shown in Figure 12. The heat source fluid is heat exchanger 1
2, it is discharged to the outside world, and the outside world is heated. The cooled heat source fluid exiting the turbine 16 can be used for any cooling process. At this time, S-sc <5A
Since it is -5R, entropy is continuously produced in the external world, which is an isolated system. Also, - direction, -
Since h, > hA-h, it is possible to generate effective work. This device is therefore consistent with all the laws of thermodynamics.

If a phase change is allowed in both the heat source fluid and the working fluid, this A
TEC devices can basically operate on a Rankine cycle. The flow circuit in this case is the same as in FIG. 7, except that the installation of the aperiodic device is optional. FIG. 13 shows the modified Rankine cycle 1234561 of this device, the flow path aABCDE of the heat source fluid, and the saturation curve of the heat source fluid, respectively; in this case, both heat exchangers are the same as those described in the previous section, and therefore the process 1-4 and D-E
can be an isothermal process within the superheated region. In this device, the heat source fluid is cooled to a cryogenic level, so the following is an ATECC device (atmosphoric
thermal energy conversion
cryogenic).

Here, the following data is adopted as an example.

T, -298,2,p = 101.3゜pm =
1.2pa = 1 21.6゜pa = 3 pA
=303 hlI Eng325.7. Tc =80゜hc
=-115,9 po =101.3 To =77.3゜h
D = hc = -115,9 XD (vapor rate) = 0.028 According to routine calculations based on this data, this ATEC
The net output and efficiency based on equation (6) provided by device C are as follows.

ω=222.83kJ/+r, 77-42.5%
The flow rate of heat source fluid per 1 megawatt of output is m = 4.
It becomes 48 kg/s.

5. A-OTEC Device The OTEC device described in Section 2 operates over a very small temperature range and therefore has an efficiency of only a few percent, whereas the A-TEC device requires a significantly larger heat exchanger. do. Obviously, the larger the heat exchanger, the more expensive it becomes.

Considering that the enthalpy of water per unit volume is approximately 1.0 times larger than that of air and that the triple point of air is extremely low, it is possible to use as much water as possible as a high heat source, and to It turns out that it is advantageous to use it as a low heat source. As an example of various A-OTEC devices, the flow circuit can be shown in FIG. Here the seventh
Like numbers in Figures and Figure 14 each represent similar parts of the equipment, except that primed numbers refer to OT.
Numbers without a prime mark refer to ATEC devices. Heat exchanger 11' is used for isothermal heating of the heat source fluid, while 12' is used for isobaric heating.

The atmospheric heat source fluid sent by the supercharger 60 at twice the flow rate of the ATECC device alone is equally divided into two flow paths,
The flow path ■ is cooled to the liquefaction saturation temperature through heat exchangers 11 and 12, while the block path ■ expands inside the turbine 16 until it reaches a temperature equal to that of the flow path I, and in order to reduce the size of the turbine 16. , the flow path (2) can be cooled in isothermal conditions by natural convection of the environmental fluid (air or water).

Further, these two channels are introduced into a swirl chamber 101, which is enlarged in FIG. 15, and mixed. At this time, the liquefied fluid in the flow path (1) flows into the vortex chamber through the ejection cylinder, becomes a steam jet in the tangential direction to the inner wall, and forms a spiral vortex. On the other hand, the gaseous fluid in the flow path (2) flowing out from the turbine 16 is guided to the center of this vortex, mixes with the flow path (I), and becomes at a pressure higher than the environmental pressure. The accelerated cooling atmospheric heat source fluid is divided into two equal parts, one for cooling the ATEC device and the other for cooling the expanded working fluid of the OTEC device.

The atmospheric heat source fluid exiting the heat exchangers 14 and 14' can be utilized for desalination of seawater, and the fresh water produced therein can be warmed in the water storage tank 90 if no other source of fresh water is available. Afterwards, it can be used as a heat source for the OTEC device.

Now - using the same data as the ATECC system described in the previous section as an example, and assuming that the OTEC system also operates on a modified Rankine cycle, routine calculations yield the following result.

ω = A - total work done by the OTEC device = 6
80.8 kJ/kg η = 66% In this case the turbine 16 provides approximately 1/3 of the total work, and the heat exchangers 11' and 12' each provide l/1
(10) A size of 0 is sufficient.

It is of course possible to construct an OTEC device by combining an ATCM device and an OTEC device, each of which operates on a gas or steam cycle.

Based on the discussion of the embodiments of the invention above, the following conclusions can be drawn.

+11 The statement of the second law of thermodynamics that there cannot be a continuous decrease in entropy in an isolated system applies to closed systems as well as open systems.

(2) Kelvin-Blank's description of the second law of thermodynamics (or its equivalent variant) is based on a closed system, as is clear from the expression "operating periodically." However, considering that multiple thermal reservoirs are required for a closed system or an open system to generate work, the description applies to both closed and open systems.

(3) The thermal energy of an environmental fluid at an environmental temperature (for example, 25°C) is not in a "disabled state", and in the case of an energy conversion device that operates using a low heat source in the fluid state, the triple point of the low heat source fluid is It can be considered as a state of incapacity.

(4) Even if the temperature difference between high heat source and low heat source is small, AT
Efficiency of EC and A-OTEC devices can achieve efficiencies similar to conventional power generation facilities.

(A 51A TE C or OTEC unit can be installed near an existing power generation facility to significantly increase its existing power output while reducing chemical contamination of the environment.

(6) Municipal and industrial wastewater can also be used as a heat source or an auxiliary heat source, and a freezing process can further purify the wastewater and convert it into useful water. The residue can be treated at a much lower cost compared to existing wastewater treatment methods.

(Electricity from the 71A-OT E The price can be lowered even further if you put it in.

(8) By supplementing limited fuel with other heat sources, ATEC and A-OTEC devices can be utilized in transportation vehicles such as land vehicles, sea vessels, or commercial aviation.

(9) These energy conversion devices are non-polluting and their only undesirable impact on the environment is the continuous production of cryogenic fluids in the environment.

Large-scale utilization of these power plants will therefore have climate impacts. Despite this long-term climate impact, large-scale use of these energy conversion devices could reduce dependence on fossil and nuclear fission fuels at the lowest cost and in the shortest possible time. .

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of this invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to these embodiments.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 represents a conceptual thermal reservoir. FIG. 2 represents the basic approach of the invention. Figure 3 represents the flow circuit of an ocean thermal energy converter (OTEC). FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the jet pump shown in FIG. 3. Figure 5 is an illustration of freezing and thawing of the throttle valve. FIG. 6 shows the temperature-entropy curve of the Rankine cycle and the flow process of the heat source fluid. FIG. 7 represents the flow circuit of an Atmospheric Thermal Energy Converter (ATEC). FIG. 8 shows the temperature-entropy curve of the Carnot cycle and the flow process of the heat source fluid. FIG. 9 represents the thermal configuration of the isothermal heat exchanger. Figure 1O shows the new gas power cycle (a netm g
The temperature-entropy curve of the aspower cycle and the flow process without phase change of the heat source fluid are shown. FIG. 11 shows a flow circuit of an atmospheric thermal energy conversion device mainly for heating and cooling. FIG. 12 represents the temperature-entropy curve of the device shown in FIG. 1O. FIG. 13 represents the temperature-entropy curve of a modified Rankine cycle and the flow process with a phase change of the heat source fluid. Figure 14 shows the atmosphere-ocean thermal energy conversion device (A-OT).
EC) represents the flow circuit. Figure 15 shows the vortex chamber in Figure 13.
amber). R...Heat reservoir G...Supercharger, M・N・l 1. 13 ・ l 5 ・ 16 ・ 60 ・ 92 ・ 93 ・ Main engine, cooling acceleration device 1. 14...Heat exchanger, steam turbine, pump, turbine, supercharger, freshwater facility, water storage tank. Engraving of drawings (no change in content) FjG, 9 Procedural amendment (method) % formula % 1. Indication of case Patent Application No. 316053 of 1988 2. Name of invention Heat of environmental fluid How to use energy 3, Person making the amendment Name of applicant related to the case: Yanpotyan 4, Agent 64 Document certifying power of representation subject to amendment FIG, 15

Claims (1)

Scope of Claims: (1) a first heat exchange means operatively connected to a heat source; a prime mover operatively connected to the first heat exchange means operating in a closed cycle; an energy conversion device comprising: a cooling enhancement device operatively connected to said prime mover and said cooling enhancement device; a second heat exchange means operatively connected to said prime mover and said cooling enhancement device; and an auxiliary device for starting said energy conversion device. A method of using an environmental fluid as a heat source for the purpose of
(b) introducing the heat source fluid into the first heat exchange means; (c) initiating the release of thermal energy from the heat source fluid and activating the energy conversion device; (d) disengaging the auxiliary starter during steady state operation; (e) applying a cooling medium provided by the auxiliary starter to the second heat exchange means to cause (f) continuously introducing the heat source fluid into the first heat exchange means in which the heat source fluid is cooled at the same time as the working fluid is heated; (f) the heated working fluid is heated to perform work; (g) directing the cooled heat source fluid exiting the first heat exchange means to the cooling enhancement device for further cooling; (h) directing the cooled heat source fluid exiting the first heat exchange means to the cooling enhancement device; cooling the working fluid expanded in the prime mover by the second heat exchange means using a heat source fluid; (i) subjecting the heat source fluid flowing out of the energy conversion device to a further cooling or refrigeration step; (j) integrating a plurality of said energy conversion devices into a single unit to increase output and reduce capital investment. How to use it. (2) A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said further cooling or refrigeration step comprises a freezing step for liquid purification. (3) The method according to claim 2, wherein the liquid purification step includes a desalination step. (4) A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said further cooling or refrigeration step comprises a gas liquefaction step. (5) The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said further cooling or refrigeration step includes a superconductor cooling step. (6) The heat source fluid is seawater (OTEC), and the prime mover is a steam turbine and a Rankine cycle (Rankin cycle).
a condensate pump operated based on the cycle), and the first heat exchange means exchanges heat between the heat source fluid and the working fluid, one isothermally and the other isobarically. at least two heat exchangers, and the second heat exchange means includes at least one heat exchanger for isothermally exchanging heat between the accelerated cooling heat source fluid and the expanded working fluid. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling promotion device comprises a throttle valve and a jet pump. (7) the heat source fluid is the atmosphere (ATEC), the prime mover comprises a gas turbine and a compressor operating in a closed cycle, and the first heat exchange means comprises at least one heat exchanger, and the first heat exchange means comprises at least one heat exchanger; The bi-heat exchange means also comprises at least one heat exchanger, and wherein the cooling promotion device performs work by expansion of the cooled heat source fluid at its outlet, and is provided with accelerated cooling at its outlet; characterized by comprising at least one turbine such that the accelerated cooling heat source fluid takes away the exhaust heat of the prime mover,
The method according to claim (1). 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the closed cycle includes adiabatic compression and expansion and isothermal or near-isothermal heating and cooling. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the closed cycle comprises adiabatic compression and expansion, isothermal and isobaric heating, and isothermal and isobaric cooling. (10) The closed cycle includes adiabatic compression and expansion, and decreasing-pressure heating in the direction of the flow of the working fluid.
ng) and increasing-pre
ssurecooling),
The method according to claim (7). 11. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the turbine of the prime mover and the second heat exchange means are omitted and the ATEC device is operated only aperiodically. (12) The heat source fluid is an atmosphere in which it is liquefied (ATE
CC) and the prime mover comprises a steam turbine and a condensate pump operated on a Rankine cycle, and the first heat exchange means comprises at least one heat exchanger, and the second heat exchange means also comprises comprising at least one heat exchanger,
A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling promotion device further comprises an expansion valve. (13) The heat source fluid is one or more types of environmental fluid (
A-OTEC), and using as much water as possible as a heat source,
In addition, the atmosphere is utilized as a low-temperature heat source, each prime mover is operated in a gas or steam cycle, and each of the first heat exchange means exchanges heat isothermally and isobarically between the heat source fluid and the working fluid. one or more types of heat exchangers for the same purpose, and each second heat exchange means comprises one or more types of heat exchangers for the same purpose; Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a turbine as the working fluid and an expansion device and a swirl chamber serving both ATEC and OTEC devices.