Disclosed is a drive device, in particular for a flying vehicle such as an aircraft or a spacecraft, comprising at least one engine and a device for cooling the engine, the device for cooling the engine comprising a cryogenic refrigerator, i.e. refrigerating to a temperature between ?100? C. and ?273? C., the refrigerator comprising a working circuit forming a loop and containing a working fluid, the working circuit forming a cycle comprising, in series: a mechanism for compressing the working fluid, a mechanism for cooling the working fluid, a mechanism for expanding the working fluid and a mechanism for heating the working fluid, the refrigerator comprising a portion for heat exchange between the working fluid expanded in the expansion mechanism and the engine, the refrigerator being configured to produce a first determined maximum refrigeration power, characterized in that the device for cooling the engine further comprises an additional refrigeration system comprising a cryogenic fluid store that can be brought into heat exchange with the refrigerator and/or the engine, the additional refrigeration system being configured to supply a second determined maximum refrigeration power to the refrigerator and/or to the engine when the cryogenic fluid is brought into heat exchange with the refrigerator and/or the engine.

A heating apparatus comprises a housing (10) with an apparatus volume (15) enclosed thereby. The apparatus comprises a liquid supply (13) for a liquid flow and a liquid discharge (14) for the liquid flow at an increased liquid temperature. The apparatus further comprises a gas inlet (11) for a gas flow. and a gas outlet (12). A heat exchanger (W2) is provided between the gas flow and the liquid flow. A compressor (30) driven by a drive (40) brings the gas flow to an increased pressure and temperature upstream of the heat exchanger (W2). Provided upstream of the gas outlet is a turbine (50) which is driven by the gas flow and which produces an output capacity which is supplied to the drive of the compressor (30). The compressor (30) comprises a mechanical drive (40) which supplements the power supplied by the turbine (50) up to the power consumed by the compressor (30).

A refrigeration system includes a heat exchanger including a gas cooler or condenser. The heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger inlet and a heat exchanger outlet. The refrigeration system further includes an evaporator including an evaporator inlet and an evaporator outlet. The refrigeration system further includes a compressor including a compressor inlet fluidly coupled to the evaporator outlet and a compressor outlet fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger inlet. The refrigeration system further includes a pressure exchanger (PX) including a first PX inlet fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger outlet, a first PX outlet fluidly coupled to the heat exchanger inlet, a second PX inlet fluidly coupled to the evaporator outlet, and a second PX outlet fluidly coupled to the evaporator inlet.

A system includes a pressure exchanger (PX) to receive a first fluid at a first pressure, second fluid at a second pressure, and exchange pressure between the first fluid and the second fluid. The first fluid is to exit the PX at a third pressure and the second fluid is to exit the PX at a fourth pressure. A first condenser is to receive the first fluid from a compressor and provide thermal energy from the first fluid to a first environment. A second condenser is to receive the second fluid from the PX and provide thermal energy from the second fluid to a second environment. A heat exchanger is to receive the first fluid from the first condenser and the second fluid from the second condenser, provide thermal energy from the first fluid to the second fluid, and provide the first fluid to the PX.

Disclosed illustrative embodiments include systems and methods for power peaking with energy storage. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a power plant includes a thermodynamic piping circuit having a working fluid contained therein, and the working fluid has a flow direction and a flow rate. Power plant components are interposed in the thermodynamic piping circuit. The power plant components include a compressor system, a recuperator system, a heat source, a turbine system, a heat rejection system, and a thermal energy storage system. A valving system is operable to selectively couple the heat rejection system, the thermal energy storage system, and the compressor system in thermohydraulic communication with the working fluid maintaining the flow direction and the flow rate to implement a thermodynamic cycle chosen from a Brayton cycle, a combination Brayton cycle/refrigeration cycle, and a Rankine cycle.

A thermal management system includes a closed dynamic cooling circuit, and a closed first steady-state cooling circuit. Each circuit has its own compressor, heat rejection exchanger, and expansion device. A thermal energy storage (TES) system is configured to receive a dynamic load and thermally couple the dynamic cooling circuit and the first steady-state cooling circuit. The dynamic cooling circuit is configured to cool the TES to fully absorb thermal energy received by the TES when a dynamic thermal load is ON, and the steady-state cooling circuit is configured to cool the TES when the dynamic thermal load is OFF.

A system includes a pressure exchanger (PX) configured to receive a first fluid at a first pressure and a second fluid at a second pressure and exchange pressure between the first fluid and the second fluid. The system further includes a condenser configured to provide corresponding thermal energy from the first fluid to a corresponding environment. The system further includes a first ejector to receive a first gas and increase pressure of the first gas to form the second fluid at the second pressure. The first ejector is further to provide the second fluid at the second pressure to the PX.

The invention relates to a renewable power and/or water generator with an absorption heat transformer (AHT) providing a heat pump, an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for generating power, and a coupling between the AHT and the ORC to regenerate ORC rejection heat. The AHT consists of a low pressure evaporator and a vapour absorption binary (VAB) reactor that forms the coupling between the AHT and ORC. The VAB reactor includes an absorption section with an absorber heat exchanger and a distillation section provided by a rotating centrifugal unit that includes a flooded rotating packed bed.

An air conditioning system includes a compression unit; a plurality of high pressure condensing tanks; an expander for releasing the compressed refrigerant from the high pressure tanks while expanding the compressed refrigerant; an evaporator; low-pressure storage tanks for collecting discharged vapor from the evaporator; and a conduit for conveying the refrigerant vapor from the low-pressure storage tanks to an intake of the compression unit. The compression unit may include pairs of liquid-gas pistons, each pair having first and second cylinders having substantially equal volumes, a pressure equalizing valve arranged between the first and second cylinders of each pair, and a liquid pump. Pressurizing of gas through pumping of liquid through each respective pair of liquid gas pistons is performed with a constant time shift. An expander may capture work of expanding refrigerant for purposes of pumping of liquid in the compression unit.

Closed thermodynamic cycle systems, such as closed Brayton cycle systems, with regenerative heat exchangers are disclosed. Embodiments include dual regenerators and regenerators with buffer tank systems. Regenerators may be used instead of or in addition to one or more recuperators within the systems, and may be used as a means of gas-gas heat exchange for different streams of a working fluid.