Cooling systems and methods with high efficiency and of compact design are disclosed. In an aspect, cooling systems and methods are disclosed that are capable of generating thermal energy that powers at least some of the components of the disclosed cooling systems. Such cooling systems and methods may utilize heat energy transfers into and out of an internal fluid that undergoes substantial changes in pressure states such that the changes in pressure states of the internal fluid generate mechanical power that may be converted into usable energy by other portions of the system. Such cooling systems and methods may be capable of removing unwanted heat from building interiors, various pieces of machinery, electrical components, and spaces proximal to industrial and commercial processes.

A working fluid (6) for a device (4) for converting heat into mechanical energy is disclosed. The working fluid (6) comprises a fluid (7) having a boiling temperature in the range between 30 and 250° C. at a pressure of 1 bar and nanoparticles (8) which are dispersed or suspended in the liquid phase of the fluid (7). Said nanoparticles (8) are instrumented as condensation and/or boiling nuclei and the surface of said nanoparticles (8) is adapted to support condensation and/or boiling.

A support structure for a condensation system is disclosed having a pair of tube bundles connected at its respective upper ends to steam distribution lines for introducing steam into the tube bundles. The lower ends of the tube bundles are connected to condensate collectors for receiving condensate from the tube bundles and the tube bundles are arranged in a V shape such that the steam distribution lines of a pair of tube bundles are further apart from one another than are the condensate collectors of the pair of tube bundles.

A cooling device for an internal combustion engine including: an ebullient cooling system in which a refrigerant cools the internal combustion engine by boiling in the internal combustion engine, and a rankine cycle system including a superheater that superheats the refrigerant discharged from the internal combustion engine, a turbine to which the refrigerant discharged from the superheat is supplied, and a condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the turbine; wherein the rankine cycle system includes a supply path that supplies a liquid-phase refrigerant discharged from the condenser to a shaft part of the turbine, and a first supply part of the condenser to which the refrigerant discharged from the turbine is supplied is arranged higher than the shaft part of the turbine in a gravity direction.

The present invention provides a power plant whose motive fluid is geothermal fluid, comprising: a high-pressure steam turbine to which geothermal fluid is supplied to produce power; a high-pressure condenser to which the geothermal fluid exhausted from the high-pressure turbine after being expanded therein is supplied and condensed, said high-pressure condenser being configured with a port through which non-condensable gases contained in the geothermal fluid supplied to the high-pressure turbine are extractable in an extraction process and further configured to use heat being released during condensation of the high-pressure steam turbine exhaust to vaporize the steam condensate produced therein for producing low pressure steam without non-condensable gases; and a low-pressure steam turbine for producing power from said low-pressure steam without non-condensable gases supplied from said high-pressure condenser.

A turbine bypass system comprises a bypass path which is selectively operable to deliver hot gases to a gas cooler and a pebble bed positioned in the bypass path upstream of the gas cooler. The pebble bed absorbs heat from the bypass gases and thereby reduces the temperature of the bypass gases prior to delivery of the bypass gases to the gas cooler.

A cogeneration power plant and a method for operating a cogeneration power plant are provided, with a working medium being additionally cooled by a suitable heat pump between an outlet of a thermal heating device and an inlet of a power generator of the cogeneration process. The thermal power obtained in this manner is again available for heating purposes within the heat cycle.

An air cooling unit is an air cooling unit used in a Rankine cycle system and includes an expander and a condenser. The expander recovers energy from a working fluid by expanding the working fluid. The condenser cools the working fluid using air. The air cooling unit includes a heat-transfer reducer that reduces heat transfer between the expander and an air path.

A Steam power plant comprising a steam turbine (3) and a condenser (5), wherein the condenser (5) is disclosed, comprising a first heat sink being a ground heat exchanger (29) is connected to the condenser during times when ground temperature is lower than air temperature; and a second heat sink being an above-ground heat exchanger is connected to the condenser during times when ground temperature is not lower than air temperature.

The present disclosure is directed to heat recovery systems that employ two or more organic Rankine cycle (ORC) units disposed in series. According to certain embodiments, each ORC unit includes an evaporator that heats an organic working fluid, a turbine generator set that expands the working fluid to generate electricity, a condenser that cools the working fluid, and a pump that returns the working fluid to the evaporator. The heating fluid is directed through each evaporator to heat the working fluid circulating within each ORC unit, and the cooling fluid is directed through each condenser to cool the working fluid circulating within each ORC unit. The heating fluid and the cooling fluid flow through the ORC units in series in the same or opposite directions.