A compact energy cycle construction that operates as or in accordance with a Rankine, Organic Rankine, Heat Pump, or Combined Organic Rankine and Heat Pump Cycle, comprising a compact housing of a generally cylindrical form with some combination of a scroll type expander, pump, and compressor disposed therein to share a common shaft with a motor or generator and to form an integrated system, with the working fluid of the system circulating within the housing as a torus along the common shaft and toroidally within the housing as the system operates.

An improved heat engine employing a dual-component working fluid and configured to generate internal heat from one component of the working fluid that heats the other component through the physical contact between them such that together with the addition of external heat, the engine advantageously yields enhanced work extraction efficiency through separate, parallel expansion of each of the working fluids.

A system is provided. The system includes at least two heat exchangers that are alternatively cooled by an outlet medium. The system also includes a cooling circuit that provides a cooling medium to the at least two heat exchangers. The cooling circuit provides the cooling medium to a first heat exchanger of the at least two heat exchangers in accordance with a first mode. The cooling circuit provide the cooling medium to a second heat exchanger of the at least two heat exchangers in accordance with a second mode.

A system is provided. The system includes at least two heat exchangers that are alternatively cooled by an outlet medium. The system also includes a cooling circuit that provides a cooling medium to the at least two heat exchangers. The cooling circuit provides the cooling medium to a first heat exchanger of the at least two heat exchangers in accordance with a first mode. The cooling circuit provide the cooling medium to a second heat exchanger of the at least two heat exchangers in accordance with a second mode.

A renewable energy device includes a wheel rotatably mounted on a base to spin about an axis of rotation and having a plurality of hollow, barbell-shaped fluid subassemblies fixed symmetrically about the axis. The fluid subassemblies each have a longitudinal axis radiating away from the axis of rotation, a hollow outer end defining a circular, ring-shaped, outer travel path when rotated about the axis of rotation, a hollow inner end defining a circular, ring-shaped, travel path disposed within the outer travel path when rotated about the axis of rotation, a hollow conduit fluidically connecting the outer and inner ends to define an interior cavity, and a room-temperature-boiling-point fluid disposed in the interior cavity. Inner and outer thermal variance subassemblies cover approximately half of respective ones of the inner and outer travel paths on at least one side of the wheel.

A dual-cycle heat engine employing a first cycling working fluid and a second cycling working fluid whose cycles overlap when fused into a combined working stream so as to preserve compression heat generated during compression of the first working fluid thereby yielding enhanced work extraction when complying with additional thermodynamic requirements.

Provided herein is a heat engine system and a method for transforming energy, such as generating mechanical energy and/or electrical energy from thermal energy. The heat engine system may have one of several different configurations of a mass management system (MMS) fluidly coupled to a working fluid circuit. The MMS may be utilized to control the amount of working fluid added to, contained within, or removed from the working fluid circuit. The MMS may contain a mass control tank, an inventory transfer line, and system/tank transfer valves. The MMS may contain a transfer pump fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the pressure in the inventory transfer line. The MMS may have two or more transfer lines, such as an inventory return line and valve, and an inventory supply line and valve.

Provided herein is a heat engine system and a method for transforming energy, such as generating mechanical energy and/or electrical energy from thermal energy. The heat engine system may have one of several different configurations of a mass management system (MMS) fluidly coupled to a working fluid circuit. The MMS may be utilized to control the amount of working fluid added to, contained within, or removed from the working fluid circuit. The MMS may contain a mass control tank, an inventory transfer line, and system/tank transfer valves. The MMS may contain a transfer pump fluidly coupled to the inventory transfer line and configured to control the pressure in the inventory transfer line. The MMS may have two or more transfer lines, such as an inventory return line and valve, and an inventory supply line and valve.

A renewable energy device includes a wheel rotatably mounted on a base to spin about an axis of rotation and having a plurality of hollow, barbell-shaped fluid subassemblies fixed symmetrically about the axis. The fluid subassemblies each have a longitudinal axis radiating away from the axis of rotation, a hollow outer end defining a circular, ring-shaped, outer travel path when rotated about the axis of rotation, a hollow inner end defining a circular, ring-shaped, travel path disposed within the outer travel path when rotated about the axis of rotation, a hollow conduit fluidically connecting the outer and inner ends to define an interior cavity, and a room-temperature-boiling-point fluid disposed in the interior cavity. Inner and outer thermal variance subassemblies cover approximately half of respective ones of the inner and outer travel paths on at least one side of the wheel.

A compact energy cycle construction that utilizes a working fluid in its operation is disclosed having a compact housing of a generally cylindrical form, an orbiting scroll type expander, a central shaft which is driven by the expander, a generator having a rotor and a stator with the central shaft being mounted to the rotor for rotating the rotor relative to the stator, a pump mounted to the central shaft, an evaporator positioned between the expander and the generator and surrounding the central shaft, and the orbiting scroll type expander, the central shaft, the generator, the pump, and the evaporator being housed within the compact housing to form an integrated system operable in accordance with an energy cycle.