METHOD AND APPARATUS OF CONVERTING HEAT TO USEFUL ENERGY

摘要

A method and apparatus for implementing a thermodynamic cycle. A heated gaseous working stream including a low boiling point component and a higher boiling point component is separated (S), and the low boiling point component is expanded (T) to transform the energy of the stream into useable form and to provide an expanded relatively rich stream (31). This expanded rich stream (31) is then split into two streams, one (33) of which is expanded further to obtain further energy, resulting in a spent stream (34), the other (32) of which is extracted. The lean expanded stream (7) and the spent rich stream (34) are then combined in a regenerating subsystem with the extracted stream (32) to reproduce the working stream, which is then efficiently heated in a heater (HE-5) to provide the heated gaseous working stream that is separated.