Described herein are technologies of a heat engine that transforms a low-level temperature differential between a heat source and a heat sink into useful electrical power. One heat engine includes a hydro-electric turbine, a steam source configurable to generate steam from a hot water source, a condenser, and a slug intake bend in a first pipe coupled between the steam source and the condenser. The slug intake bend is configurable to receive a slug of water from a cold water source. The steam from the hot water source pushes the slug of water up a vertical distance to the condenser. The condenser is configurable to receive the slug of water and the steam and provide liquid water from the slug of water and steam to power the hydro-electric turbine.

A pumping apparatus includes a container positioned over a left column and a right column that contains a first fluid, left and right intake valves that respectively connect the left and right columns to the container, left and right pumps respectively associated with the left and right columns, upper and lower connecting pipes that connect the left and right columns below the container, a plurality of gates positioned at entrances of the upper and lower connecting pipes in each of the left and right columns, a turbine positioned to be driven by fluid flowing through the upper and lower connecting pipes, and a third fluid disposed in the upper and lower connecting pipes, and the left column and a right column. The turbine generates electric power due to the flow of the third fluid through the left and right columns and the upper and lower connecting pipes.

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 device is provided having a fermentation chamber having one or more inlets to receive a mixed stream to be fermented and an outlet to release fermented product; a distillation vessel surrounding the fermentation chamber having communication with the fermentation chamber outlet to receive fermented product to be distilled and a turbine located within the outlet of the fermentation chamber, the turbine having a rotor rotatable by force of flow of fermented product from the fermentation chamber to the distillation vessel, to generate electricity. A sidewall common to both the fermentation chamber and distillation vessel allows for heat transfer of heat generated from fermentation to the distillation vessel to heat the product to be distilled. A method of fermenting and distilling a product is also provided. The method involves receiving in a fermentation chamber a mixed stream to be fermented; transferring heat energy generated by fermentation to a distillation vessel surrounding the fermentation chamber; allowing pressurized fermented product to flow from the fermentation chamber into the distillation vessel via a turbine and rotating a rotor of the turbine by a force of flow of the fermented product to the distiller to generate electricity.

A phase-shift-assisted gravity drive system is provided. The phase-shift-assisted gravity drive system has a series of repeating phase-shift chambers separated by inner baffles, wherein the series of repeating steam chambers define a circular loop about a hub. The phase-shift-assisted gravity drive system with the addition of a heat source is adapted to unidirectionally change steam from one phase-shift chamber to spraying condensation flowing into an adjacent phase-shift chamber. Thereby, the phase-shift-assisted gravity drive system generates force through this unidirectional transfer of the fluid throughout the loop of phase-shift chambers so that the loop rotates about its hub under the further influence of gravity, wherein the hub can be attached to a mechanism for applying rotation force thereto.

In a described example, an automated fluid pumping system (AFPS) includes a fluid pump coupled to a pump controller, an electronic sensor that detects air, oil, or water coupled to a sensor controller, and the sensor controller coupled to the pump controller. The pump controller is configured to control the operation of the fluid pump based on a detected fluid in the well as determined by the electronic sensor.

A steam-assisted gravity drive system is provided. The steam-assisted gravity drive system has a series of repeating steam chambers separated by inner baffles, wherein the series of repeating steam chambers define a circular loop about a hub. The steam-assisted gravity drive system with the addition of a heat source is adapted to unidirectionally change steam from one steam chamber to spraying condensation flowing into an adjacent steam chamber. Thereby, the steam-assisted gravity drive system generates force through this unidirectional transfer of the fluid throughout the loop of steam chambers so that the loop rotates about its hub under the further influence of gravity, wherein the hub can be attached to a mechanism for applying rotation force thereto.

An embodiment provides a working medium to be used in a circular osmotic pressure electric power generation system. The working medium comprises water and an inducing-liquid. The working medium, under conditions of a temperature of 5? C. to 35? C. and a pressure of 1 atmosphere, is in (1) a state of a liquid-liquid mutually dissolved two-component mixed solution when a concentration of the water or the inducing-liquid in the total amount of the water and the inducing-liquid is 10% by weight or lower, and (2) a state of being separated into the water phase and the inducing-liquid phase when the concentration of the water or the inducing-liquid in the total amount of the water and the inducing-liquid is higher than 10% by weight.

The invention describes an apparatus for generating electric power including a sealed assembly including at least two chambers, a communication duct connecting the two chambers, at least one energy conversion device and a working medium contained in at least one of the chambers. The apparatus is configured to transform energy of the working medium travelling through the communication duct into electric power.

A multiphase pump includes a housing having a flow inlet and a flow outlet which are fluidly connected to each other via a flowpath, a rotor arranged in the flow path which propels a fluid from the flow inlet to the flow outlet via the flow path, the rotor has a longitudinal axis which extends for a length of the rotor and a multiphase impeller arrangement, at least one leak path which permits a reverse flow of the fluid from the flow outlet to the flow inlet, and at least one channel which is arranged within the housing, the at least one channel directs a liquid from a liquid source to one of the at least one leak path in the multiphase pump.