Method and apparatus for evaporating liquefied gases

Claim 1

A METHOD OF VAPORIZING A LIQUEFIED GAS FROM A SOURCE THEREOF MAINTAINED AT SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND LOW TEMPERATURE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCING POWER COMPRISING: WITHDRAWING A STREAM OF LIQUEFIED GAS FROM SAID SOURCE; RAISING THE PRESSURE OF A STREAM OF CONDENSED WORKING FLUID; PASSING THE PRESSURIZED STREAM OF WORKING FLUID IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH A STREAM OF WARM FLUID AT A HIGHER TEMPERATURE FROM A HEAT SOURCE TO THEREBY VAPORIZE SAID WORKING FLUID; EXTRACTING MECHANICAL WORK FROM SAID PRESSURIZED STREAM OF WORKING FLUID BY PARTIAL EXPANSION THEREOF IN A FIRST STAGE; DIVIDING THE PARTLY EXPANDED WORKING FLUID INTO FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS; EXTRACTING ADDITIONAL WORK BY FURTHER EXPANDING SAID FIRST STREAM IN A SECOND STAGE; CONDENSING SAID FIRST AND SECOND STREAMS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY VAPORIZING SAID STREAM OF LIQUEFIED GAS, SAID FIRST STREAM BEING CONDENSED BY PASSING IT IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID STREAM OF LIQUEFIED GAS, SAID SECOND STREAM BEING CONDENSED BY PASSING IT IN HAT EXCHANGE RELATIIONSHIP WITH THE STREAM OF LIQUEFIED GAS AFTER IT HAS GIVEN UP HEAT TO SAID FIRST STREAM.