Rotary thermodynamic apparatus

Claim 2

A thermodynamic apparatus comprising a rotor, means for rotating said rotor, conduit means in said rotor having a pair of closed working fluid flow loops, one of said loops having a first heat transfer chamber, the other of said loops having a second heat transfer chamber, said conduit means including a third heat transfer chamber forming a common section for each of said loops, said loops sharing a common flow point at a location situated radially outwardly from the largest radial location of any free liquid surface in any of said chambers, means for removing heat from said third chamber, and means in said conduit for creating a difference in fluid vapor pressure in said second and third chambers whereby said fluid is adapted to discharge heat by condensation in said third chamber and absorb heat in said second chamber.

Claim 3

Thermodynamic apparatus as in claim 1 including an entrainment jet pump associates with said third chamber and having a jet nozzle and a diffuser, conduit means for providing a flow path for vapor from said first chamber to said jet nozzle, means for heating said first chamber, and additional conduit means for providing a flow path for vapor between said second chamber and said diffuser.

Claim 4

Thermodynamic apparatus as defined in claim 1, including means for adding heat energy to said first chamber, and means for removing heat from said third chamber whereby said first and third chambers provide a thermodynamic compressor having an outwardly flowing column of dense liquid in and from said third chamber and an inwardly flowing column of less dense compressed vapor in and from said first chamber, said compressor actuating pump means to evacuate vapor from said second chamber.

Claim 5

Thermodynamic apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means for mounting said apparatus for rotation about a generally longitudinally extending axis, and said conduit means including first conduit means positioned adjacent the periphery of said rotor for conducting liquids between chambers and second conduit means positioned adjacent said axis for conducting gases between chambers.

Claim 6

Apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein means for rotating said rotor comprises a housing member mounted on said first chamber along said axis of rotation, jet nozzle means communicating with said first chamber and positioned within said housing to direct a stream of gas tangentially to the inner surface of said housing, relatively stationary means positioned within said housing for contacting and reacting against said stream of vapor, and means mounted adjacent said rotor for maintaining the position of said stationary means relative to said position maintaining means whereby circulating gas from said jet nozzle reacts against said stationary means to effect rotation of said apparatus.

Claim 7

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said second and third chambers include a plurality of hollow fan vanes adapted to contain working fluid flow whereby the heat transfer areas of said chambers are increased.

Claim 8

A thermodynamic apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said third heat transfer chamber has a heat transfer surface, and operates during rotation of the rotor with substantially none of the heat transfer surface immersed in liquid.

Claim 9

A thermodynamic apparatus comprising, a rotor, means for rotating said rotor, conduit means in said rotor having a pair of closed working fluid flow loops, one of said loops having a first heat transfer chamber, the other of said loops having a second heat transfer chamber, said conduit means including a third heat transfer chamber forming a common section for each of said loops, means for removing heat from said third chamber, and means in said conduit for creating a difference in fluid vapor pressure in said second and third chambers whereby said fluid is adapted to discharge heat by condensation in said third chamber and absorb heat in said second chamber; said working fluid comprising a pair of immiscible fluids, one of said fluids flowing through said one loop and the other of said fluids flowing through said other of said loops and having a density different from the density of said one fluid, said fluids being separated in their liquid forms at the periphery of said third chamber by the centrifugal effects of said rotor, and means in said loops for separately returning said one fluid to said first chamber and said other fluid to said second chamber.

Claim 10

A thermodynamic apparatus comprising, a rotor, means for rotating said rotor, conduit means in said rotor having a pair of closed working fluid flow loops, one of said loops having a first heat transfer chamber, the other of said loops having a second heat transfer chamber, said conduit means including a third heat transfer chamber forming a common section for each of said loops, means for removing heat from said third chamber, and means in said conduit for creating a difference in fluid vapor pressure in said second and third chambers whereby said fluid is adapted to discharge heat by condensation in said third chamber and absorb heat in said second chamber; said working fluid comprising a pair of immiscible fluids, one of said fluids flowing through said one loop and the other of said fluids flowing through said other of said loops and having a density different from the density of said one fluid, said fluids being separated in their liquid forms at the periphery of said third chamber by the centrifugal effects of said rotor, and means in said loops for separately returning said one fluid to said first chamber and said other fluid to said second chamber.