Thermal regenerator

Claim 2

A regenerator comprising a housing and within the housing a plurality of carbon heat-storage elements each having walls which are permeable to gas and which define an interior space into which a quantity of said gas is diffusible and retainable, and a quantity of said gas contained within said spaces.

Claim 3

A regenerator according to claim 1 wherein said gas is helium and wherein said walls adsorb a quantity of said helium.

Claim 4

A regenerator according to claim 2 wherein said elements have a spherical outer surface with a diameter in the range of about 5 to 150 microns.

Claim 5

A regenerator according to claim 3 wherein said spheres have a wall thickness in the range of about 1 to 2 microns.

Claim 6

A regeneRator according to claim 1 wherein the elements within a housing have bulk density in the range of about 0.13 to 0.14 gm/cc.

Claim 7

A regenerator according to claim 1 wherein the housing has an internal volume and said elements are spheres which occupy about 63 percent of the volume.

Claim 8

A regenerator comprising a housing having an internal volume, a plurality of hollow, thin-walled carbon spheres having diameter in the range of about 80 to 110 microns and occupying about 63 percent of the volume within the housing, and helium gas diffused into hollows of the spheres and adsorbed into the walls thereof.

Claim 9

A regenerator comprising a housing having an internal volume, a plurality of hollow, thin-walled carbon spheres having diameter in the range of about 80 to 110 microns and occupying about 63 percent of the volume within the housing, and helium gas diffused into hollows of the spheres and adsorbed into the walls thereof.

Claim 10

A regenerator according to claim 2 wherein each element defines a closed geometric outer shape and each element has substantially only single point outer surface contact with each other immediately adjacent element.

Claim 11

A method of manufacturing a regenerator according to claim 1 comprising the steps: a evacuating air and any other gases from a plurality of said carbon heat-storage elements and subsequently, b. exposing said evacuated elements to helium gas thus diffusing said gas into the elements and c. disposing said elements within said housing.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 9 comprising the further steps of heating the elements during said evacuating.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 9 comprising the further steps of pressurizing said helium gas, while diffusing it into the elements.

Claim 14

A regenerative-cycle thermodynamic apparatus such as a refrigerator, wherein the regenerator housing comprises a matrix of a plurality of hollow carbon spheres and a quantity of helium gas contained within the hollows of and adsorbed in the walls of said spheres, the matrix having a specific heat corresponding to that of helium gas.

Claim 15

A regenerative-cycle thermodynamic apparatus such as a refrigerator, wherein the regenerator housing comprises a matrix of a plurality of hollow carbon spheres and a quantity of helium gas contained within the hollows of and adsorbed in the walls of said spheres, the matrix having a specific heat corresponding to that of helium gas.

Claim 16

In a regenerative-cycle apparatus such as a refrigerator which includes a regenerator having helium gas contained in hollow, carbon heat-storage elements, and in which a working gas is flowed through the regenerator and is subsequently cooled and flowed back through the regenerator, an improved method of regenerating heat in the working gas comprising: a. flowing the working gas into contact with said elements, b. transferring heat from the working gas through the elements into the helium gas, c. storing the heat in the helium gas, d. subsequently flowing the cooled working gas again through the regenerator and into contact with said elements, and e. transferring heat from the helium gas back into the working gas.

Claim 17

In a regenerative-cycle apparatus such as a refrigerator which includes a regenerator having helium gas contained in hollow, carbon heat-storage elements, and in which a working gas is flowed through the regenerator and is subsequently cooled and flowed back through the regenerator, an improved method of regenerating heat in the working gas comprising: a. flowing the working gas into contact with said elements, b. transferring heat from the working gas through the elements into the helium gas, c. storing the heat in the helium gas, d. subsequently flowing the cooled working gas again through the regenerator and into contact with said elements, and e. transferring heat from the helium gas back into the working gas.

Claim 18

A regenerator comprising a housing and within the housing a plurality of heat storage elements, each element having walls defining a continuous outer surface and an interior space for containing helium gas, the walls comprising a material (a) through which helium is diffusible into said interior space and (b) into which the helium is adsorbable.

Claim 19

A regenerator comprising a housing and within the housing a plurality of heat storage elements, each element having walls defining a continuous outer surface and an interior space for containing helium gas, the walls comprising a material (a) through which helium is diffusible into said interior space and (b) into which the helium is adsorbable.