A thermal energy storage system comprising a working fluid to store and transfer thermal energy between a heat source and a thermal load and a vessel to store the working fluid. The vessel has an interior region and a floating separator piston in the interior region to separate a hot portion from a cold portion of the working fluid. There is a first manifold thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel and a second manifold thermally coupled to an input of the heat source and an output of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel. There is a controller configured to maintain the working fluid in a liquid state.

A measurement of the pressure of hydraulic fluid in a fluid working machine can be determined from the timing of the movement of valves which selectively seal a working chamber of cyclically varying volume from a fluid gallery. The timing of opening of a low pressure valve, to connect a working chamber to a low pressure fluid gallery, following the closure of a high pressure valve to seal a working chamber can be used to estimate the pressure in the high pressure fluid gallery at the moment of closure of the high pressure valve.

A rotational mechanical transformer has been arranged for transfer and transformation of velocity, force, angular momentum, torque, energy/work, energy density, and pressure, associated with at least one rotating device. The transformer includes an actuator having at least one cylinder arranged to contain the at least one working fluid, an externally supported shaft and a drive shaft having parallel axes orthogonally displaced by a predetermined displacement, and each respectively connected to at least one connecting arm and at least one additional connecting arm. The at least one cylinder includes at least one actuator rod and at least one blind end each respectively connected with at least one revolving eccenter axle and the at least one drive shaft, and have been arranged to allow for angular displacements of the at least one actuator with respect to the parallel axis.

A thermal energy storage system comprising a working fluid to store and transfer thermal energy between a heat source and a thermal load and a vessel to store the working fluid. The vessel has an interior region and a floating separator piston in the interior region to separate a hot portion from a cold portion of the working fluid. There is a first manifold thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel and a second manifold thermally coupled to an input of the heat source and an output of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessel. There is a controller configured to maintain the working fluid in a liquid state.

A rotational mechanical transformer has been arranged for transfer and transformation of velocity, force, angular momentum, torque, energy/work, energy density, and pressure, associated with at least one rotating device. The transformer includes an actuator having at least one cylinder arranged to contain the at least one working fluid, an externally supported shaft and a drive shaft having parallel axes orthogonally displaced by a predetermined displacement, and each respectively connected to at least one connecting arm and at least one additional connecting arm. The at least one cylinder includes at least one actuator rod and at least one blind end each respectively connected with at least one revolving eccenter axle and the at least one drive shaft, and have been arranged to allow for angular displacements of the at least one actuator with respect to the parallel axis.

The present invention relates to a device which applies work to the outside with environmental thermal energy, including a positive feedback heat pump system and a reciprocating multi-stage heat exchange working system. A high temperature heat source and a low temperature heat source are produced using a positive feedback heat pump, and at the same time the reciprocating multistage heat exchange working device applies work with heat energy and cold energy. As we can get several times of heat energy and cold energy when a certain amount of electric energy is consumed by a heat pump, and the thermal efficiency of the reciprocating multistage heat exchange working system is 100% theoretically, so we can get several times of electric energy. That is to say, its output is much bigger than its input, and the device can run without electric energy input, and provide electric energy to the outside.

The present invention relates to a system comprising: a shaft having a distal end and a proximal end; a casing defining a housing in which a hydraulic device is rotatably mounted on the shaft; and a sealing element comprising a low pressure dynamic sealing means and a reinforced dynamic sealing means formed by a static seal tightly mounted on a friction pad, such as to isolate the dynamic sealing means from the rotating hydraulic device, said sealing element defining a discharge chamber between the dynamic sealing means and the reinforced dynamic sealing means, which discharge chamber is connected to a drain via a pipe arranged on the surface of the shaft, between the hydraulic device and the shaft, so as to discharge the fluid located in the discharge chamber, such that said discharge chamber is not subjected to the pressure in the casing of the hydraulic device.

The invention provides a device and method for converting reciprocating motion of various amplitudes and frequencies into unidirectional fluid flow, comprising a piston section and a valves section. The unidirectional fluid flow may then be used for various processes including for example conversion to mechanical or electrical power.

Methods and systems for a hydraulic axial piston motor with a braking system are described. A brake assembly for a hydraulic axial piston motor, comprising: a cylinder block and a pair of braking pads positioned around the cylinder block, wherein compression of the braking pads against an outer surface of the cylinder block realizes braking of the cylinder block.

A radial piston machine includes a multi-disc brake, a brake disc assembly of which interacts with a first annular section on a drive shaft and a second annular section on a housing. The brake disc assembly is disposed within a brake chamber. The first annular section and the second annular section each delimit the brake chamber in sections. A disc section, a spring, a brake piston, and the brake disc assembly are disposed next to one another in a specified sequence along an axis of rotation in such a way that a force of the spring is transmitted to the brake disc assembly.