A high pressure gas lift compressor system and method of using the system for supplying compressed gas to multiple wells are provided. The system includes a compressor having multiple compressor cylinders. Each cylinder has its own gas inlet line and dedicated gas outlet line that supplies compressed gas from that cylinder directly to a wellbore to provide artificial gas lift. Each cylinder also has its own control valve upstream of the cylinder to control the suction pressure to the cylinder. A desired gas flow rate to each well may be input, and the control valve is adjusted accordingly to achieve the flow rate. By inputting a flow rate for each separate cylinder, the flow rate to each well may be independently controlled.

Methods and systems to provide compressed air via exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine are presented. In one example, a pump comprising two pistons is driven via engine exhaust gases. On piston within the pump moves in response to the exhaust gases while the other piston acts to compress air.

Methods and systems to provide compressed air to one or more air consumers external to the engine using transmission fluid from a transmission pump are presented. In one example, the transmission fluid may be routed to drive an air compression system including two cylinders. The air compressed at the compression system may be stored in a tank and/or provided to the one or more air consumers.

An automatically opening and closing inflatable holiday ornament includes a box that has a base, a plurality of side panels hingedly connected to the base, and a top portion connected to each of the plurality of side panels. The ornament further includes a motor, a plurality of pull cables, such that each of the plurality of pull cables has a first end operatively connected to the motor and a second end connected to one of the plurality of side panels. The ornament also includes a first blower, an inflatable disposed in the box and surrounding the first blower such that operation of the first blower blows air into the inflatable to inflate the inflatable, and a controller operatively connected to the motor and to the first blower such that the controller controls operation of the motor and the blower.

A vacuum generation system and method utilizes a dual-action piston-cylinder vacuum generation system to evacuate a vacuum storage. Saturated steam of higher than ambient pressure is inserted into a condensation cylinder with two chambers separated by a movable piston. Steam moves the piston to fill one chamber while expel gaseous content and condensate out of the other chamber. Steam is then condensed to a rough vacuum (RV) state by cooling. By repeated operations of inserting and condensing steam in each chamber alternatively, a sustained vacuum generation is achieved. A multi-level vacuum storage is also disclosed with a high vacuum (HV) storage placed inside a rough vacuum (RV) storage to reduce leakage as well as mechanical stresses. The vacuum generation system and method is extended for creating a prime mover or actuator to drive vacuum pumps maximizing thermal energy usage for increased vacuuming capacity.

A machine and process to compress ambient air using natural swell of ocean waves to store energy. The devise is a bi-directional air pump operated by ocean wave power of water buoyancy as well as earth gravity in a pressure vessel using a piston. The machine uses a large surface area as float connected by a rod to a small area as piston, housed in a pressure vessel to multiply compression of air. The compression of air is directly proportional to the respective surface areas of float to the piston attached with a rod inside the pressure vessel. An array of similar machines can be employed to multiply potential energy output.

Provided herein are systems that enable proportional air flow delivery control for an air compressor. One system includes a pneumatic air compression system having a flow control member and being adapted to receive inlet air and to compress the inlet air to produce compressed air. The system also includes a pneumatic flow control system including a proportional control valve having a proportionally variable activation state. Varying the activation state of the proportional control valve regulates a pressure acting on the flow control member to regulate the flow of the compressed air produced by the pneumatic air compression system in a variable manner, and further regulates a power demand placed on the engine by the pneumatic air compression system in a variable manner.

Methods and systems are provided to adaptively control a hydraulic fluid supply to supply a driving fluid for applying a driving force on a piston in a gas compressor, the driving force being cyclically reversed between a first direction and a second direction to cause the piston to reciprocate in strokes. During a first stroke of the piston, a speed of the piston, a temperature of the driving fluid, and a load pressure applied to the piston is monitored. Reversal of the driving force after the first stroke is controlled based on the speed, load pressure, and temperature.

Methods and systems are provided to adaptively control a hydraulic fluid supply to supply a driving fluid for applying a driving force on a piston in a gas compressor, the driving force being cyclically reversed between a first direction and a second direction to cause the piston to reciprocate in strokes. During a first stroke of the piston, a speed of the piston, a temperature of the driving fluid, and a load pressure applied to the piston is monitored. Reversal of the driving force after the first stroke is controlled based on the speed, load pressure, and temperature.

The present invention is inherent to a shape memory alloy actuated fluidic subassembly (10) and to an equipment incorporating it as dispensing device, wherein actuation of the shape memory alloy wires (16, 16′) causes a fluid-tight reservoir (17″) to e compressed by a lid (18) so as to reduce its volume from a maximum volume Vo to a minimum volume V1, this reduction resulting in a pressure increase that causes the opening of an outlet flap (13″) and the dispensing of a fluid through an outlet channel (13).