Volumetric energy recovery device and systems

摘要

A volumetric expander (20) configured to transfer a working fluid and generate useful work includes a housing. The housing includes an inlet port (24) configured to admit relatively high-pressure working fluid and an outlet port (26) configured to discharge to a relatively low-pressure working fluid. The expander also includes first and second twisted meshed rotors (30,32) rotatably disposed in the housing and configured to exp/and the relatively high-pressure working fluid into the relatively low-pressure working fluid. Each rotor has a plurality of lobes, and when one lobe of the first rotor is leading with respect to the inlet port, one lobe of the second rotor is trailing with respect to the inlet port. The expander additionally includes an output shaft (38) rotated by the relatively high-pressure working fluid as the fluid undergoes expansion. A system for generating work using the expander in a Rankine cycle is also disclosed.

主权项

1. A system used to generate useful work via a closed-loop Rankine cycle, the system comprising:
a condenser configured to condense a working fluid; a fluid pump configured to pressurize the working fluid; a heat exchanger configured to heat the working fluid; and a volumetric fluid expander configured to receive the working fluid from the heat exchanger, generate the work, and transfer the working fluid to the condenser, the expander including:
a housing having an inlet port configured to admit relatively high-pressure working fluid and an outlet port configured to discharge into relatively low-pressure working fluid;first and second twisted non-contacting meshed rotors rotatably disposed in the housing and configured to expand the relatively high-pressure working fluid into the relatively low-pressure working fluid, wherein the first rotor has a first plurality of lobes and the second rotor has a second plurality of lobes equal in number to the first plurality of lobes, and wherein a volume defined between the interior side of the housing and adjacent lobes of the first and second plurality of lobes is constant as the working fluid respectively traverses the length of the rotating first and second rotors; andan output shaft operatively connected to one of the first and second rotors and rotated by the working fluid as the working fluid undergoes expansion.