An artificial muscle includes an electrode pair including a first electrode and a second electrode. One or both of the first electrode and the second electrode includes a central opening. The first electrode and the second electrode each include two or more fan portions and two or more bridge portions. Each fan portion includes a first end having an inner length, a second end having an outer length, a first side edge extending from the second end, and a second side edge extending from the second end. The outer length is greater than the inner length. Each bridge portion interconnecting adjacent fan portions at the first end.

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.

An artificial muscle stack that includes a plurality of artificial muscle layers. Each artificial muscle layer includes one or more artificial muscles having a housing with an electrode region and an expandable fluid region, a dielectric fluid housed within the housing, and an electrode pair having a first and second electrode positioned in the electrode region. The first and second electrodes each include two or more tab portions and two or more bridge portions. The two or more bridge portions interconnects adjacent tab portions. At least one of the first and second electrode includes a central opening positioned between the tab portions and encircling the expandable fluid region. The plurality of artificial muscle layers are arranged such that the expandable fluid region of the artificial muscles of each artificial muscle layer overlaps at least one tab portion of one or more artificial muscles of an adjacent artificial muscle layer.

A disk-pack turbine for use, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid through a vortex chamber into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side. In at least one embodiment, the waveform patterns include a plurality of hyperbolic waveforms axially aligned around a horizontal center of the system.

A disk-pack turbine for use, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid through a vortex chamber into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side. In at least one embodiment, the waveform patterns include a plurality of hyperbolic waveforms axially aligned around a horizontal center of the system.

A disk-pack turbine for use, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid through a fluid intake chamber into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side.

A disk-pack turbine for use, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid through a fluid intake chamber into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side.

A pair of waveform rotors and/or disks for use in a disk-pack turbine used, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side.

A pair of waveform rotors and/or disks for use in a disk-pack turbine used, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two rotors and/or disks. The rotors and/or disks having waveform patterns on at least one side.

A pair of waveform disks for use in a disk-pack turbine used, for example, in systems and methods in at least one embodiment for separating fluids including liquids and gases into subcomponents by passing the fluid into an expansion chamber and then through at least a portion of a waveform pattern present between at least two disks. The disks having waveform patterns on at least one side.