Dynamic regenerative heat exchanger

Claim 2

A dynamic regenerative heat exchanger comprising: a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders, said housing having a central cold fluid manifold and two hot fluid manifolds, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said cold fluid manifold, each of said manifolds extending across both of said pair of piston cylinders; and a pair of piston assemblies disposed within said pair of piston cylinders to alternately reciprocate therein, said piston assemblies each including at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material to alternately reciprocate between one of said hot fluid manifolds and said cold fluid manifold, cold fluid from said cold fluid manifold physically passing through the fluid permeable Cshaped matrices material in one direction and hot fluid from said hot fluid manifolds physically passing through the fluid permeable C-shaped matrices material in the other direction.

Claim 3

The dynamic regenerative heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein cold fluid from said cold fluid manifold flows radially outward successively through said matrices material of both of said pair of piston assemblies during reciprocation thereof and the hot fluid from said hot fluid manifold flows radially inward successively through said matrices material of both of said pair of piston assemblies during reciprocation thereof.

Claim 4

The dynamic regenerative heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein cold fluid from said cold fluid manifold flows radially inward successively through said matrices material of both of said pair of piston assemblies during reciprocation thereof and the hot fluid from said hot fluid manifold flows radially outward successively through said matrices material of both of said pair of piston assemblies during reciprocation thereof.

Claim 5

The dynamic regenerative heat exchanger of claim 1 and in addition, means operably associated with said housing and said pair of piston assemblies to alternately reciprocate said pair of piston assemblies with said pair of piston cylinders.

Claim 6

A dynamic regenerative hEat exchanger comprising: a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders, said housing having a central cold fluid manifold and two hot fluid manifolds, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said cold fluid manifold, each of said manifolds extending across both of said pair of piston cylinders; and a pair of piston assemblies disposed within said pair of piston assemblies to alternately reciprocate therein, each assembly having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material disposed between two end retainers with adjacent matrices separated by a piston ring to prevent the flow of fluid between adjacent matrices, each heat transfer matrix to alternately reciprocate between one of said hot fluid manifolds and said cold fluid manifold.

Claim 7

A dynamic regenerative hEat exchanger comprising: a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders, said housing having a central cold fluid manifold and two hot fluid manifolds, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said cold fluid manifold, each of said manifolds extending across both of said pair of piston cylinders; and a pair of piston assemblies disposed within said pair of piston assemblies to alternately reciprocate therein, each assembly having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material disposed between two end retainers with adjacent matrices separated by a piston ring to prevent the flow of fluid between adjacent matrices, each heat transfer matrix to alternately reciprocate between one of said hot fluid manifolds and said cold fluid manifold.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 5 wherein said C-shaped heat transfer matrices include flow splitting lobes.

Claim 9

A dynamic regenerative heat exchanger comprising: a pair of piston assemblies, each assembly having at least five substantially equal length, generally C-shaped heat transfer matrices disposed between two end retainers, each end retainer having a length substantially equal to at least three heat transfer matric lengths, each of said pair of piston assemblies including at least four piston rings, one piston ring disposed between adjacent heat transfer matrices; and a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders in which said pair of piston assemblies are disposed to oppositely reciprocate, said housing having a central cold fluid manifold having an opening to direct the flow of cold fluid in one direction across said pair of piston cylinders substantially equal to at least one heat transfer matrix length, two hot fluid manifolds each having an opening to direct the flow of hot fluid in an opposed direction across said pair of piston cylinders substantially equal to at least two heat transfer matrix lengths, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said central cold fluid manifold, two bulkheads each having a length substantially equal to at least one heat transfer matrix length disposed on either side of said central cold fluid manifold between said central cold fluid manifold and said hot fluid manifolds, and two end portions disposed at either end of said pair of piston cylinders, each end portion having a length substantially equal to at least four heat transfer matric lengths; during the opposed reciprocation of said pair of piston assemblies at least two heat transfer matrices of each piston assembly exposed to the flow of hot fluid and at least one heat transfer matrix of each piston assembly exposed to the flow of cold fluid.

Claim 10

A dynamic regenerative heat exchanger comprising: a pair of piston assemblies, each assembly having at least five substantially equal length, generally C-shaped heat transfer matrices disposed between two end retainers, each end retainer having a length substantially equal to at least three heat transfer matric lengths, each of said pair of piston assemblies including at least four piston rings, one piston ring disposed between adjacent heat transfer matrices; and a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders in which said pair of piston assemblies are disposed to oppositely reciprocate, said housing having a central cold fluid manifold having an opening to direct the flow of cold fluid in one direction across said pair of piston cylinders substantially equal to at least one heat transfer matrix length, two hot fluid manifolds each having an opening to direct the flow of hot fluid in an opposed direction across said pair of piston cylinders substantially equal to at least two heat transfer matrix lengths, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said central cold fluid manifold, two bulkheads each having a length substantially equal to at least one heat transfer matrix length disposed on either side of said central cold fluid manifold between said central cold fluid manifold and said hot fluid manifolds, and two end portions disposed at either end of said pair of piston cylinders, each end portion having a length substantially equal to at least four heat transfer matric lengths; during the opposed reciprocation of said pair of piston assemblies at least two heat transfer matrices of each piston assembly exposed to the flow of hot fluid and at least one heat transfer matrix of each piston assembly exposed to the flow of cold fluid.

Claim 11

In combination: a gas turbine, including a fuel-air combustor, to produce shaft power and hot exhaust gases; a compressor operably associated with said gas turbine to supply compressed air to the fuel-air combustor of said gas turbine; and a dynamic regenerative heat exchanger comprising, a pair of piston assemblies each having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material therein and including flow splitting lobes, and a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders in which said pair of piston assemblies are disposed to alternately reciprocate, said housing having two exhaust gas manifolds to receive the exhaust gases from said turbomachine and pass the exhaust gases through the heat transfer matrices of said pair of piston assemblies alternately reciprocating through said exhaust gas manifolds whereby said heat transfer matrices recover thermal energy from said exhaust gases, and a central air manifold to receive the air for combustion and pass the air through the heat transfer matrices previously heated in the exhaust gas manifolds whereby the air recovers thermal energy from said heat transfer matrices, one exhaust gas manifold disposed on either side of said central air manifold.

Claim 12

In combination: a gas turbine, including a fuel-air combustor, to produce shaft power and hot exhaust gases; a compressor operably associated with said gas turbine to supply compressed air to the fuel-air combustor of said gas turbine; and a dynamic regenerative heat exchanger comprising, a pair of piston assemblies each having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material therein and including flow splitting lobes, and a housing defining a pair of piston cylinders in which said pair of piston assemblies are disposed to alternately reciprocate, said housing having two exhaust gas manifolds to receive the exhaust gases from said turbomachine and pass the exhaust gases through the heat transfer matrices of said pair of piston assemblies alternately reciprocating through said exhaust gas manifolds whereby said heat transfer matrices recover thermal energy from said exhaust gases, and a central air manifold to receive the air for combustion and pass the air through the heat transfer matrices previously heated in the exhaust gas manifolds whereby the air recovers thermal energy from said heat transfer matrices, one exhaust gas manifold disposed on either side of said central air manifold.

Claim 13

A dynamic regenerative heat exchanger compRising: a housing defining a first piston cylinder having a longitudinal axis and a second substantially identical piston cylinder having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said first piston cylinder; said housing having a central cold fluid manifold to direct the flow of a cold fluid transversely across the longitudinal axes of said first and said second piston cylinders in one direction and having two hot fluid manifolds to direct the flow of a hot fluid transversely across the longitudinal axes of said second and said first piston cylinders in a direction opposite to the flow of the cold fluid, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said cold fluid manifold; and a first and a second piston assembly each having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material, said first piston assembly disposed within said first piston cylinder to reciprocate therein along the longitudinal axis thereof, and said second piston assembly disposed within said second piston cylinder to reciprocate therein along the longitudinal axis thereof oppositely to said first piston assembly, the matrices of said first and said second piston assemblies alternating between said cold fluid manifold and said hot fluid manifold.

Claim 14

A dynamic regenerative heat exchanger compRising: a housing defining a first piston cylinder having a longitudinal axis and a second substantially identical piston cylinder having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said first piston cylinder; said housing having a central cold fluid manifold to direct the flow of a cold fluid transversely across the longitudinal axes of said first and said second piston cylinders in one direction and having two hot fluid manifolds to direct the flow of a hot fluid transversely across the longitudinal axes of said second and said first piston cylinders in a direction opposite to the flow of the cold fluid, one hot fluid manifold disposed on either side of said cold fluid manifold; and a first and a second piston assembly each having at least five substantially C-shaped heat transfer matrices of a fluid permeable material, said first piston assembly disposed within said first piston cylinder to reciprocate therein along the longitudinal axis thereof, and said second piston assembly disposed within said second piston cylinder to reciprocate therein along the longitudinal axis thereof oppositely to said first piston assembly, the matrices of said first and said second piston assemblies alternating between said cold fluid manifold and said hot fluid manifold.