A steam turbine system uses a laser to instantaneously vaporize water in a nozzle within a turbine. This steam is then used to rotate the turbine. Thus, the turbine system does not require an external boiler. The steam turbine system may be used in either an open system, where the steam passing through the turbine is not condensed and reused, or a closed system, where the steam passing through the turbine is condensed and reused.

A steam turbine system uses a laser to instantaneously vaporize water in a nozzle within a turbine. This steam is then used to rotate the turbine. Thus, the turbine system does not require an external boiler. The steam turbine system may be used in either an open system, where the steam passing through the turbine is not condensed and reused, or a closed system, where the steam passing through the turbine is condensed and reused.

A process of transferring heat from a first relatively cold medium to a second relatively hot medium features rotating a contained amount of a compressible fluid about an axis of rotation, thus generating a radial temperature gradient in the fluid, and heating the second medium by the fluid in a section of the fluid relatively far from the axis of rotation. An apparatus for carrying out the process includes a gastight drum rotatably mounted in a frame, and a first heat exchanger mounted inside the drum relatively far from the axis of rotation of the drum.

A process of transferring heat from a first relatively cold medium to a second relatively hot medium features rotating a contained amount of a compressible fluid about an axis of rotation, thus generating a radial temperature gradient in the fluid, and heating the second medium by the fluid in a section of the fluid relatively far from the axis of rotation. An apparatus for carrying out the process includes a gastight drum rotatably mounted in a frame, and a first heat exchanger mounted inside the drum relatively far from the axis of rotation of the drum.

The invention relates to a process producing useful energy from thermal energy. An overall population of mobile particles confined to a unidirectional flow closed circuit of conducting channels (1-2-3-3′-4-1) is subjected to a conservative or effectively conservative force field. The circuit is thermally insulated with the exception of two non juxtaposed areas a first area (2-3) allowing thermal exchange for heating (Qin) from a warmer environment outside the circuit, a second area (4-1) allowing thermal exchange (Qout) for cooling, as necessary, by a colder environment outside the circuit. The closed circuit is provided with a load (3′-4;) designed to convert the energy it receives from the mobile particles flow to a useful output energy. In two portions of the unidirectional circuit located before (3-3′) and after (1-2;) said load, flow velocity vector is parallel or has a component which is parallel to the conservative or effectively conservative force field one portion with a warm flow and the other portion with a cool flow of mobile particles and in that if the density of the chosen mobile particles decreases when the temperature increases, the direction of the conservative force field is the same as that of the cool flow velocity vector or of a cool flow velocity vector component in the said circuit portion and the inverse if the density of the chosen mobile particles increases when the temperature increases.

The invention relates to a process producing useful energy from thermal energy. An overall population of mobile particles confined to a unidirectional flow closed circuit of conducting channels (1-2-3-3′-4-1) is subjected to a conservative or effectively conservative force field. The circuit is thermally insulated with the exception of two non juxtaposed areas a first area (2-3) allowing thermal exchange for heating (Qin) from a warmer environment outside the circuit, a second area (4-1) allowing thermal exchange (Qout) for cooling, as necessary, by a colder environment outside the circuit. The closed circuit is provided with a load (3′-4;) designed to convert the energy it receives from the mobile particles flow to a useful output energy. In two portions of the unidirectional circuit located before (3-3′) and after (1-2;) said load, flow velocity vector is parallel or has a component which is parallel to the conservative or effectively conservative force field one portion with a warm flow and the other portion with a cool flow of mobile particles and in that if the density of the chosen mobile particles decreases when the temperature increases, the direction of the conservative force field is the same as that of the cool flow velocity vector or of a cool flow velocity vector component in the said circuit portion and the inverse if the density of the chosen mobile particles increases when the temperature increases.

An energy recovery device includes a plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel with each other into which a plurality of heat sources flow, an expander for expanding a working medium, a dynamic power recovery unit, a condenser, a pump for sending the working medium which has flown out from the condenser to the plurality of heat exchangers, and a regulator for regulating inflow rates of the working medium flowing into the plurality of heat exchangers. The regulator regulates the inflow rates of the liquid phase working medium flowing into the plurality of respective heat exchangers such that a difference of temperatures or a difference of degrees of superheat of the gas phase working medium which has flown out from the plurality of respective heat exchangers falls within a certain range. Thereby, heat energy can be efficiently recovered from the plurality of heat sources having temperatures different from each other.

A steam turbine of an opposed-current single-casing type has a high pressure turbine part and an intermediate-pressure turbine part housed in a single casing. A dummy ring partitions the high-pressure turbine part and the intermediate-pressure part, and a cooling steam supply path and a cooling steam discharge path are formed in the dummy ring in the radial direction. Extraction steam or discharge steam of the high-pressure turbine part, whose temperature is not less than that of the steam having passed through a first-stage stator blade, is supplied to the cooling steam supply path. The cooling steam is fed throughout the clearance to improve the cooling effect of the dummy ring and a turbine rotor. The cooling steam is then discharged through a cooling steam discharge path to a discharge steam pipe which supplies the steam to a subsequent steam turbine.

The invention relates to a waste-heat utilization assembly (1) of an internal combustion engine (50), comprising a circuit (2) that conducts a working medium, wherein a pump (6), a distribution valve block (7), two evaporators (10, 11), an expansion machine (3), and a condenser (4) are arranged in the circuit (2) in the flow direction of the working medium. The two evaporators (10, 11) are arranged in a parallel connection, and the parallel connection begins at the distribution valve block (7) and ends at a node point (8). A temperature sensor (21) for determining the outlet temperature of the working medium at the expansion machine (3) is arranged between the expansion machine (3) and the condenser (4).

Apparatus for extracting useful work or electricity from low grade thermal sources comprising a chamber, a source of heated dense heat transfer fluid in communication with the chamber, a source of motive fluid in communication with the chamber, wherein the motive fluid comprises a liquid phase, a flow control mechanism cooperating with the source of heated dense heat transfer fluid and with the source of motive fluid to deliver said fluids into the chamber in a manner that said fluids come into direct contact with each other in the chamber to effect a phase change of the motive fluid from liquid to gas to increase the pressure within the chamber to yield pressurized fluids, and a work extracting mechanism in communication with the chamber that extracts work from the pressurized fluids by way of pressure let down.