An organic Rankine cycle system (100, 110, 120) with direct exchange and in cascade comprising a high temperature organic Rankine cycle (10) which carries out the direct heat exchange with a hot source (H) and a low temperature organic Rankine cycle (10′) in thermal communication with the high temperature cycle (10). The organic Rankine cycle system (100, 110, 120) is configured in a way that the thermal communication between the cycles (10, 10′) takes place through at least one heat exchanger (3) configured to use at least the condensation heat of the high temperature cycle to vaporize and/or preheat the working fluid of the low temperature organic Rankine cycle fluid and through a heat exchanger (4) configured to operate as working fluid sub-cooler for the high temperature organic Rankine cycle (10) and as a working fluid preheater for the low temperature organic Rankine cycle (10′).

A unique method and ternary cycle process that captures heat from low temperature sources currently considered not commercially usable to produce electricity and desalinate water. In one cycle a novel flash tower operating at vacuum pressure causes a fraction of low temperature water to flash into steam. The steam passes to an indirect heat exchanger with a circulating refrigerating agent such as CO.sub.2, which condenses the steam on its outside surfaces to produce desalinated water product. The steam heat of condensation vaporizes the refrigerating agent, which is part of a binary refrigerate cycle that uniquely conditions it for turbine expansion to produce electricity in a connected electric generator.

A unique method and ternary cycle process that captures heat from low temperature sources currently considered not commercially usable to produce electricity and desalinate water. In one cycle a novel flash tower operating at vacuum pressure causes a fraction of low temperature water to flash into steam. The steam passes to an indirect heat exchanger with a circulating refrigerating agent such as CO.sub.2, which condenses the steam on its outside surfaces to produce desalinated water product. The steam heat of condensation vaporizes the refrigerating agent, which is part of a binary refrigerate cycle that uniquely conditions it for turbine expansion to produce electricity in a connected electric generator.

A stand-alone long-distance closed-loop heat energy capture, conveyance, and delivery system, comprises three closed-loop modules in serial communication. The first module is in communication with a first closed-loop piping infrastructure interconnected with a source of heat energy, and has a LBP liquid circulating therein whereby the LBP liquid is converted into its gas phase when flowing through the source of heat energy thereby capturing a portion of heat energy therefrom, and is converted into its liquid phase when flowing through a first heat exchanger that transfers the captured-heat energy to a second closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein also is circulating a LBP liquid. The second closed-loop module may extend for long distances. The captured-heat energy in the second module is transferred to a third closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein is also circulating a LBP liquid. The captured-heat energy is transferred from the third module to a delivery site.

An air energy power machine comprises an air compressor (1). An air inlet end of the air compressor is connected with an air storage tank (2) through a pipeline; an air outlet end of the air compressor is connected with a first heat exchanger (3) through a pipeline; a second heat exchanger (4) is connected to the right side of the first heat exchanger through a pipeline; the second heat exchanger is connected with the air storage tank to form a closed loop; a first liquid pump (5) connected with the first heat exchanger through a pipeline is arranged below the first heat exchanger; a first liquid collection tank (6) is connected to the first liquid pump; a first steam turbine (7) is arranged above the first heat exchanger; a steam inlet of the first steam turbine is connected with the first heat exchanger through a pipeline.

A method for extracting and storing, respectively, energy in the form of concentration gradients wherein a process of extracting energy comprising the steps of feeding stored gaseous working medium into a working volume (2), compressing the working medium in the working volume (2), spraying a dilute solution into the working volume (2) before or during compression, increasing the temperature of the working medium fed in the working volume (2) by compression, evaporating the dilute solution with the working medium of increased temperature, removing heat from the working medium by the evaporating solution, keeping the heat extracted from the working medium in the form of latent heat of the vapor in the working volume (2), further increasing the temperature of the working medium until the partial pressure of the vapor in it approaches the vapor pressure of a solution of higher concentration at a corresponding temperature, spraying a solution of higher concentration of a vapor pressure of up to 60% of the vapor pressure of the dilute solution into the working medium of an expanding and high solvent vapor content, condensing the vapor in the working volume (2) onto solution droplets of the atomized solution and thereby heating the solution droplets, transferring the heat energy of the heated solution droplets to the working medium through contact surfaces of the solution and the working medium, feeding the heat previously conveyed to the dilute solution vapor during the compression back into the working medium plus as much heat as the condensation heat of the warmer vapor to the solution of higher concentration exceeds the heat of evaporation of the dilute solution, using the heat thus fed for performing work by the expansion of the working medium, obtaining the work performed by the working medium, removing the working medium and the solution from the working volume (2) after the gaseous working medium of low relative humidity is getting into a state near to its initial state, separating the working medium and the solution and returning the working medium to a container (7) for working medium and returning the slightly diluted solution of higher concentration to one of a container (11) for solution of higher concentrations and an additional intermediate container (24).

The invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing the method.

The invention can be used in all fields, where electric or mechanical energy should be stored for later use, but especially for leveling out the production and consumption differences on electrical power grids.

A method for extracting and storing, respectively, energy in the form of concentration gradients wherein a process of extracting energy comprising the steps of feeding stored gaseous working medium into a working volume (2), compressing the working medium in the working volume (2), spraying a dilute solution into the working volume (2) before or during compression, increasing the temperature of the working medium fed in the working volume (2) by compression, evaporating the dilute solution with the working medium of increased temperature, removing heat from the working medium by the evaporating solution, keeping the heat extracted from the working medium in the form of latent heat of the vapor in the working volume (2), further increasing the temperature of the working medium until the partial pressure of the vapor in it approaches the vapor pressure of a solution of higher concentration at a corresponding temperature, spraying a solution of higher concentration of a vapor pressure of up to 60% of the vapor pressure of the dilute solution into the working medium of an expanding and high solvent vapor content, condensing the vapor in the working volume (2) onto solution droplets of the atomized solution and thereby heating the solution droplets, transferring the heat energy of the heated solution droplets to the working medium through contact surfaces of the solution and the working medium, feeding the heat previously conveyed to the dilute solution vapor during the compression back into the working medium plus as much heat as the condensation heat of the warmer vapor to the solution of higher concentration exceeds the heat of evaporation of the dilute solution, using the heat thus fed for performing work by the expansion of the working medium, obtaining the work performed by the working medium, removing the working medium and the solution from the working volume (2) after the gaseous working medium of low relative humidity is getting into a state near to its initial state, separating the working medium and the solution and returning the working medium to a container (7) for working medium and returning the slightly diluted solution of higher concentration to one of a container (11) for solution of higher concentrations and an additional intermediate container (24).

The invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing the method.

The invention can be used in all fields, where electric or mechanical energy should be stored for later use, but especially for leveling out the production and consumption differences on electrical power grids.

A system including a pump, a boiler coupled to the pump, a turbine coupled to the boiler, a two-phase expander coupled to the turbine, and a condenser coupled to the two-phase expander and the pump.

A system including a pump, a boiler coupled to the pump, a turbine coupled to the boiler, a two-phase expander coupled to the turbine, and a condenser coupled to the two-phase expander and the pump.

A stand-alone long-distance closed-loop heat energy capture, conveyance, and delivery system, comprises three closed-loop modules in serial communication. The first module is in communication with a first closed-loop piping infrastructure interconnected with a source of heat energy, and has a LBP liquid circulating therein whereby the LBP liquid is converted into its gas phase when flowing through the source of heat energy thereby capturing a portion of heat energy therefrom, and is converted into its liquid phase when flowing through a first heat exchanger that transfers the captured-heat energy to a second closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein also is circulating a LBP liquid. The second closed-loop module may extend for long distances. The captured-heat energy in the second module is transferred to a third closed-loop piping infrastructure wherein is also circulating a LBP liquid. The captured-heat energy is transferred from the third module to a delivery site.