EP0045179B1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Heat actuated space conditioning unit with bottoming cycle
Assignee: Garrett Corp
•
Filing: 1981-07-22
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Granted: 1984-10-17
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Expires: 2001-07-22
Abstract
No abstract record available.
Inventors
- 👤 James C. Noe
- 👤 David W. Friedman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 02:53
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01K; F01K23/00; F01K23/02; F01K23/06; F01K23/10; F01K23/101; F25; F25B; F25B13/00; F25B27/00; F02; F02G; F02G2250/00; F02G2250/03
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 28
Claim 1
Independent Claim
228 words
Space conditioning apparatus comprising a Brayton cycle circuit (12) including a combustor (16) and a turbo-compressor (20) comprising a turbine (22) coupled to the output of the combustor for expanding combustor exhaust to sub-atmospheric levels and driving an associated compressor (24); a recuperator (26) connected to the outlet of the turbine for preheating combustion air supplied to the combustor, the exhaust gas flow outlet of the recuperator being connected to the inlet of the compressor; a Rankine cycle heat pump circuit (14) comprising indoor and outdoor heat exchanger coils (34, 36), a centrifugal compressor (30) coupled to a drive shaft (40) for directing refrigeration fluid through the coils, and a transfer valve (32) for selecting operation of the system in the heating or cooling mode; means for deriving power to drive the Rankine cycle compressor from the Brayton cycle circuit including a coupling (42) for driving the compressor shaft from the turbo-compressor; and means for developing useful power from waste heat in the Brayton cycle circuit including a boiler (50) interconnecting the Brayton cycle circuit and the Rankine cycle circuit to vaporise the refrigeration fluid in the Rankine cycle circuit from waste heat in the Brayton cycle circuit and a second turbine (48) connected to the boiler to be driven by the vaporised refrigeration fluid, and having an exhaust circuit returning the fluid to the Rankine cycle circuit.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
228 words
Space conditioning apparatus comprising a Brayton cycle circuit (12) including a combustor (16) and a turbo-compressor (20) comprising a turbine (22) coupled to the output of the combustor for expanding combustor exhaust to sub-atmospheric levels and driving an associated compressor (24); a recuperator (26) connected to the outlet of the turbine for preheating combustion air supplied to the combustor, the exhaust gas flow outlet of the recuperator being connected to the inlet of the compressor; a Rankine cycle heat pump circuit (14) comprising indoor and outdoor heat exchanger coils (34, 36), a centrifugal compressor (30) coupled to a drive shaft (40) for directing refrigeration fluid through the coils, and a transfer valve (32) for selecting operation of the system in the heating or cooling mode; means for deriving power to drive the Rankine cycle compressor from the Brayton cycle circuit including a coupling (42) for driving the compressor shaft from the turbo-compressor; and means for developing useful power from waste heat in the Brayton cycle circuit including a boiler (50) interconnecting the Brayton cycle circuit and the Rankine cycle circuit to vaporise the refrigeration fluid in the Rankine cycle circuit from waste heat in the Brayton cycle circuit and a second turbine (48) connected to the boiler to be driven by the vaporised refrigeration fluid, and having an exhaust circuit returning the fluid to the Rankine cycle circuit.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 further comprising a boiler feed pump (52) and means for connecting it to the heat pump circuit between the indoor and outdoor coils for supplying the refrigeration fluid to the boiler in liquid form under pressure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the second turbine (48) includes an inlet connected to receive vaporised refrigeration fluid from the boiler (50) and an outlet connected to the outlet of the Rankine cycle compressor (30).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus of Claim 3 as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the second turbine (48) is mounted on a common shaft with the Rankine cycle compressor (30) to provide auxiliary driving power to the compressor.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
61 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including means for starting up the Brayton cycle circuit by driving the Rankine cycle compressor drive shaft (40) to provide shaft power through the coupling (42) to the turbo-compressor (20) to develop gas flow in the Brayton cycle circuit to a point where the combustor (16) can be lit off safely.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 2 and Claim 5 wherein the starting means includes means for driving the boiler feed pump (52) to pressurise the refrigeration fluid system and power the second turbine (48).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the second turbine (48) is directly coupled to drive the compressor shaft (40) and compressor (30).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1-4 including means for starting up the Brayton cycle circuit comprising an electrically actuated starter (100) and means (102) for releasably connecting the starter to the compressor shaft (40).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the releasable coupling means (102) comprises means for disconnecting the starter (100) from the shaft (40) for shaft speeds in excess of a predetermined level.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1-3, and 5-9 including an electrical generator (150) coupled to be driven by the second turbine (148) to generate electricity for auxiliary power.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
39 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including means for switching the Rankine cycle circuit between heating and cooling modes of operation, the switching means being connected at the outlet of the Rankine cycle compressor (30).
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a surge valve (62) connected between the inlet and outlet of the Rankine cycle compressor (30) and means responsive to the pressure differential across that compressor to open the surge valve upon the development of a surge condition in the compressor.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
79 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including hot gas bypass valve (60) connected between the outlet of the Rankine cycle compressor (30) and the end of the outdoor coil (36) which is remote from the mode switching means (32) and means (61) responsive to a predetermined pressure differential in ambient air being driven across the outdoor coil (36) for controlling the valve to direct heated refrigeration fluid from the compressor to defrost the outdoor coil.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein combustion produces from the combustor (16) flow to the turbo-compression turbine (22) thence to the recuperator (26) and from the outlet of the recuperator through the hot side of the boiler (50) to transfer waste heat to the Rankine cycle circuit.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
69 words
Appparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the gas from the hot side of the boiler (50) flows to the inlet of the turbo-compressor (24) for pressurisation to atmospheric pressure level whence a part of it flows to the recuperator for heat transfer from the exhaust from the turbine (22) and finally to the combustor for addition to the combusted gases therein as a diluent.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 15 in which a portion of the gas from the outlet of the turbo-compressor (24) is exhausted and only a part of the gas circulating in the Brayton cycle circuit is re-introduced into the combustor as diluent.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
40 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including a relief valve (78) connected across the compressor (24) of the turbo-compressor combination and pressure sensing means connected at the inlet of that compressor for controlling the relief valve.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including means (18) for controlling flow of fuel supplied to the combustor (16) in accordance with the temperature and a selected indoor temperature setting.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
52 words
Apparatus as claimed in Claim 18 wherein the fuel controlling means (18) includes means for sensing indoor and outdoor temperatures, comparing the sensed temperature levels - relative to the selected indoor temperature setting, and modulating a gas valve for supplying gas to the combustor in accordance with the result of said comparison.
Claim 21
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of conditioning a space by heating or cooling relative to outside ambient temperatures comprising the steps of; coupling a rotary compressor (30) to drive a refrigerant fluid in a Rankine cycle circuit through indoor and outdoor heat exchanging coils (34, 36); driving the compressor by means of a hermetically sealed magnetic coupling (42) from the shaft of a turbo-compressor operated in an associated Brayton cycle circuit characterised by the step of developing useful power from the waste heat of the Brayton cycle circuit by coupling the waste heat to evaporate refrigerant fluid in the Rankine cycle circuit, direct the evaporated fluid to a second turbine (48); and return the fluid to the Rankine cycle circuit.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
117 words
A method of conditioning a space by heating or cooling relative to outside ambient temperatures comprising the steps of; coupling a rotary compressor (30) to drive a refrigerant fluid in a Rankine cycle circuit through indoor and outdoor heat exchanging coils (34, 36); driving the compressor by means of a hermetically sealed magnetic coupling (42) from the shaft of a turbo-compressor operated in an associated Brayton cycle circuit characterised by the step of developing useful power from the waste heat of the Brayton cycle circuit by coupling the waste heat to evaporate refrigerant fluid in the Rankine cycle circuit, direct the evaporated fluid to a second turbine (48); and return the fluid to the Rankine cycle circuit.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in Claim 20 including the steps of coupling the second turbine (48) directly to the shaft (40) of the Rankine cycle compressor to provide additional shaft power.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as claimed in Claim 20 or Claim 21 including the step of generating electrical power by means of a generator coupled to be driven by the second turbine (48).
Claim 25
Independent Claim
49 words
A method as claimed in any one of the Claims 20-22 including the step of protecting the Rankine cycle compressor against surge conditions by detecting the onset of a surge condition and bleeding refrigeration fluid directly from the outlet to inlet of the compressor to terminate the surge condition.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
42 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 20-23, including the step of sensing the build-up of frost on the outdoor coil and bleeding fluid from the outlet of the Rankine cycle compressor to the outdoor coil to eliminate the frost.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
54 words
A method as claimed in any of Claims 20-24 including initiating the operation of the system by pumping refrigerant fluid to drive the second turbine and thereby initiate rotation of the turbo-compressor and gas flow in the Brayton cycle circuit to a point where it is safe to fire up the Brayton cycle system.
Claim 28
Independent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in any one of Claims 20-25 including driving the turbo- compressor shaft from the second turbine during system startup.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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