This invention relates to methods, apparatuses, systems for boosting and stimulating the motion of weaker body parts of a person or animal by harvesting the power or strength of stronger body parts. It describes mechanisms for harvesting, storage and release of energy from one part of the body to another part of the body. A preferred embodiment of the present invention describes harvesting through mechanical means, storage through mechanical means and release through mechanical means to help harness energy from one strong part of the body to boost the muscular power of a weaker part of the body.

A high-efficiency power generation system includes: at least one first heat exchanger, inside which is full of a liquid actuating medium with a low boiling point; a hydraulic power generator; a gas-liquid recycling device; a liquefying device and a control device. The present disclosure accomplishes a recirculation for an entire power generating procedure through two steps including vaporization and a recycle of the actuating medium with a low boiling point by liquefaction. A technical difficulty in the conventional art that huge costs for realizing recycle of the actuating medium by a compressor, a booster pump, etc. can be overcome. In addition, since the present disclosure generate power through the liquid pressure rather than the gas pressure, the conversion efficiency can be improved and the requirement for performance of material for the system can be lowered, so that the economical efficiency and practicability for the entire system are highly improved.

Strain augmented power cycle is disclosed. This power cycle is a thermodynamic power cycle that contains a strain energy device to increase the thermodynamic efficiency above what is possible from a conventional Rankine power cycle. Strain augmented power cycle comprises an assembly of components including a working fluid, a pump, an evaporator, a strain energy device, an expander and a condenser.

This invention presents a method for conversion of heat to electrical power through absorption of heat from any types of fluids with temperatures both higher and lower than 0° C. Heat can be absorbed from fossil or renewable energy resources. The mechanism in this invention uses fluid internal energy and enthalpy difference to generate power, where a reciprocating piston-cylinder system provides the required force to rotate a turbine for power generation.

This invention presents a method for conversion of heat to electrical power through absorption of heat from any types of fluids with temperatures both higher and lower than 0° C. Heat can be absorbed from fossil or renewable energy resources. The mechanism in this invention uses fluid internal energy and enthalpy difference to generate power, where a reciprocating piston-cylinder system provides the required force to rotate a turbine for power generation.

The present invention concerns a method of utilising the waste heat contained in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, comprising a turbine (20). To provide an apparatus and a method of operating same which directly supplies additional drive energy which otherwise would be lost as waste heat, it is proposed according to the invention that the turbine is an inverse turbine connected downstream of the exhaust gas outlet of the internal combustion engine and comprising at the inlet side an expansion stage (23) and at the outlet side a subsequent compressor (21), wherein the expansion stage and the compressor of the inverse turbine are so designed that the downstream-disposed compressor of the inverse turbine generates at the outlet of the expansion stage (23) a reduced pressure (p1) below the ambient pressure (p0), wherein the outlet (2b) of the compressor (21) is at the level of the ambient pressure and the compressor of the inverse turbine is driven by the turbine.

Embodiments provide a system and method for harvesting solar thermal energy. According to at least one embodiment, there is provided a system which includes an absorption module, a storage module, and a flow control module. The absorption module retains a working fluid in a substantially constant volume and facilitates absorption of solar thermal energy in the working fluid. The storage module is fluidically coupled to the absorption module and is spatially positioned such that working fluid stored therein has higher gravitational potential energy relative to that stored in the absorption module. The flow control module permits passage of the working fluid from the absorption module to the storage module based on pressure of the working fluid in the absorption module exceeding a predefined threshold. When the working fluid transfers from the absorption module to the storage module, the thermal kinetic energy of the working fluid is transformed into gravitational potential energy thereof.

A transient liquid pressure power generation system can include a liquid source and a transient pressure drive device fluidly coupled to the liquid source. The transient pressure drive device can include a drive component, and a valve to cause a high pressure transient wave in the liquid traveling toward the liquid source to operate the drive component. The system can also include a liquid velocity continuation component downstream of the transient pressure drive device and a bypass conduit. Additionally, the system can include a heat source to receive liquid from the transient pressure drive device and heat liquid returning to the liquid source. The liquid velocity continuation component can operate to maintain continuous liquid flow from the liquid source to the heat source from the transient pressure drive device or the bypass conduit to cause immediate maximum liquid flow velocity from the transient pressure drive device upon opening the valve.

The present invention provides a catalytic cracking fractionation and absorption-stabilization system, and energy saving method thereof; the present invention is to arrange a waste heat refrigerator of the main fractionating tower, a waste heat refrigerator of rich gas and a waste heat refrigerator of stabilizer in a catalytic cracking fractionation and absorption-stabilization system so as to utilize low temperature waste heat at the top of a main fractionating tower, rich gas, stable gasoline, intermediate heat exchange flow of an absorber of the system as a refrigerator driving heat source; in order to cool naphtha and circulating gasoline to a low temperature lower than 40° C., control low temperature operations of the absorber and reduce the heat load of a desorber and a stabilizer, and the heat extracted by the refrigerators is cooled by cooling water with a higher temperature so as to reduce the consumption of the cooling water. In addition, developed residual pressure generating units and waste heat generating units coordinate to convert medium and low pressure of the dry gas and low-grade waste heat of other products in the system into electric energy that can be conveyed into a grid, therefore the electricity consumption of a dry gas compressor can be supplemented, and the operation cost of the system is reduced to the minimum.

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.