The present invention provides a heat pump apparatus comprising a Rankine cycle and an Carnot cycle part when implemented for cooling. The Rankine cycle comprises an evaporator configured for evaporating by direct evaporation water received from an external water source. An expander receives steam from the evaporator and drives a compressor compressing the fluid of the Carnot cycle. The fluid is thereafter condensed in a condenser and evaporated in an absorber.

Methods for generating a vapor are provided. In some embodiments, the method may comprise heating a pressurized stream liquid brine in an ohmic heating device and introducing the resulting heated, pressurized stream liquid brine into a flash vessel such that the heated, pressurized liquid brine flashes to a vapor portion and a remaining liquid portion. In some embodiments, the method provides integrated vapor generation and water treatment such that feedwaters of varying water quality may be used. Also provided are related systems for generating a vapor.

The present disclosure is directed to a tankless water heater and systems and methods of using the same. The tankless water heater embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured to have a plurality of independently operable heat exchangers that can be used individually or collectively, in any combination, to heat water based on the level of demand for hot water. Embodiments can be configured for randomly selecting which heat exchangers are used to heat the incoming water. Embodiments of the present disclosure can also be configured to flow water through heat exchangers that are not being used to heat water and direct such water to a recirculation loop.

A water heater system includes a tank having internal capacity no greater than 1 gallon, a water inlet, and a water outlet. A flow of water into the tank through the water inlet and out of the tank through the water outlet is a downstream water flow. An absence of downstream water flow is a standby condition of the water heater. The water heater includes a heating element for heating water in the tank, a first temperature sensor positioned to sense a temperature of the water flowing into the tank, and a second temperature sensor positioned to sense a temperature of the water flowing out of the tank. The water heater further includes a damper upstream of the second temperature sensor to reduce fluctuations in the temperature readings of the second temperature sensor to reduce false detection of downstream water flow.

Methods for generating a vapor are provided. In some embodiments, the method may comprise heating a pressurized stream liquid brine in an ohmic heating device and introducing the resulting heated, pressurized stream liquid brine into a flash vessel such that the heated, pressurized liquid brine flashes to a vapor portion and a remaining liquid portion. In some embodiments, the method provides integrated vapor generation and water treatment such that feedwaters of varying water quality may be used. Also provided are related systems for generating a vapor.

A flash steamer water control system for use in connection with the flash-steam cooking of food items comprises a heated platen, an electric power supply for supplying electrical power to the heated platen, a water discharge mechanism for discharging water onto the heated platen such that the water discharged onto the heated platen will be flashed into steam, and a control system operatively connected to the water discharge mechanism for controlling the water discharge mechanism so as to permit the water discharge mechanism to discharge water onto the heated platen only when the temperature level of the heated platen is at or above a predetermined temperature level so as to effectively guarantee that the water, discharged from the water discharge mechanism onto the heated platen, will be flashed into steam throughout a predeterminedly timed flash-steamed cooking cycle without overwhelming the heated platen and flooding the same.

A method for generating process steam using condensate recycled in the form of feed water is described and illustrated. In order to be able to achieve a higher efficiency with the method, it is proposed that the process steam is delivered to a consumer device (V) to form a condensate by at least partial condensation of the process steam, that the condensate from the consumer device (V) is fed to a feed water treatment for treatment, that feed water from the feed water treatment is separated into a steam phase and a liquid phase in a flash tank, that the liquid phase of the feed water is evaporated in an evaporator to form a raw steam, and that the steam phase of the feed water and the raw steam are compressed in at least one compressor to form process steam.

Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.

Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.

An apparatus, system, and method for controlling combustion gas output in direct steam generation for oil recovery. A direct combustion steam generator burns a fuel and an oxygen-containing gas mixture to produce combustion products including steam, CO.sub.2 and N.sub.2. Supplemental oxygen is separately supplied to the combustion steam generator to adjust the oxygen content of the oxygen-containing gas mixture during the combustion process in order to adjust the ratio of CO.sub.2 to N.sub.2 produced in the combustion products.