In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for improving the efficiency of a heat exchange system having a compressor, condenser, expansion valve, evaporator and a flowing refrigerant is provided. The apparatus is a tubular device having a refrigerant entrance and a refrigerant exit and is positioned in the heat exchange system between the expansion valve and the evaporator. The device further comprises a means for removing heat from the refrigerant. According to an embodiment of the invention, the heat removal means is a cylindrical screen coated with diamonds.

A cycle enhancement apparatus is provided. The apparatus has a first side entrance line and exit line, both connected to a first side of a refrigerant line, and a second side entrance line and exit line, both connected to a second side of the refrigerant line. One-way valves prevent flow through the first side entrance line toward the first side, through the first side exit line away from the first side, through the second side entrance line toward the second side, and through the second side exit line away from the second side. The apparatus has a cycle enhancement line. The cycle enhancement line has an entrance portion, connected to the first side entrance line and the second side entrance line, an exit portion, connected to the first side exit line and the second side exit line, and a cycle enhancement between the entrance portion and the exit portion.

[PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED]

A method and apparatus for cooling compressed air include the following. Compressed air is introduced into a vortex tube where cold air and warm air are generated. The cold air and warm air are introduced into a pressure vessel where the temperature and moisture of the compressed air are adjusted. The adjusted compressed air is fed to a downstream side of the pressure vessel. Before the generated cold air and warm air are introduced into the pressure vessel, the warm air is introduced into a pre-pressure vessel disposed at an upstream side of the pressure vessel. The cold air is introduced into a cooling tube or cooling chamber which is disposed inside the pre-pressure vessel which is disposed at the upstream side of the pressure vessel. The warm air is adjusted by cooling. The adjusted warm air is introduced into the pressure vessel from the pre-pressure vessel together with the cold air.

[PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED]

A method and apparatus for cooling compressed air include the following. Compressed air is introduced into a vortex tube where cold air and warm air are generated. The cold air and warm air are introduced into a pressure vessel where the temperature and moisture of the compressed air are adjusted. The adjusted compressed air is fed to a downstream side of the pressure vessel. Before the generated cold air and warm air are introduced into the pressure vessel, the warm air is introduced into a pre-pressure vessel disposed at an upstream side of the pressure vessel. The cold air is introduced into a cooling tube or cooling chamber which is disposed inside the pre-pressure vessel which is disposed at the upstream side of the pressure vessel. The warm air is adjusted by cooling. The adjusted warm air is introduced into the pressure vessel from the pre-pressure vessel together with the cold air.

Disclosed herein is a cooling system for two-dimensional array power converters. The cooling system includes: a plurality of power converters arranged in two-dimension; a compressor configured to generate compressed air; vortex tubes each installed in the respective power converters, the vortex tubes configured to generate low-temperature air based on compressed air from the compressor; valves installed between the compressor and the vortex tubes; temperature sensors each installed in the respective power converters to measure temperature inside the power converters; and a controller configured to determine whether to supply the low-temperature air into the power converters by using the vortex tubes, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensors, and to control the valves depending on a result of the determination.

The cooling apparatus includes: a compressor configured to generate compressed air; first and second vortex tubes configured to generate cold air based on the compressed air generated from the compressor; a first valve installed between the compressor and the first vortex tube; a second valve installed between the compressor and the second vortex tube; first and second temperature sensors installed in the power converter and configured to measure the internal temperature of the power converter; and a control unit configured to determine whether or not the first and second vortex tubes supply the cold air into the power converter, based on first and second temperatures respectively measured by the first and second temperature sensors, and to transmit a valve open signal or a valve close signal to the first and second valves based on a result of the determination.

Systems and methods of generating power in a wellbore extending through a subterranean formation are described. A swirling flow of pressurized fluid is passed through a vortex tube to generate a temperature differential between first and second outlets of the vortex tube. The temperature differential is applied to a thermoelectric generator configured to convert the temperature differential into a voltage. The thermoelectric generator produces electrical power that is transmittable to down-hole tools within the wellbore such as an inflow control valve.

A vortex tube according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cold and heat separation chamber; a cold air outlet provided at an end of the cold and heat separation chamber, a generator provided between the cold air outlet and the cold and heat separation chamber, a hot air outlet provided at another end of the cold and heat separation chamber and including a hot air adjusting valve, and an outer tube cover having a compressed air inlet and surrounding the cold and heat separation chamber at a predetermined gap while blocking the cold and heat separation chamber at an outside thereof, so that introduced compressed air can be supplied into the generator, wherein the compressed air flowing through the compressed air inlet generates rapid rotating wind by passing through the generator to be moved into the cold and heat separation chamber to separate cold and heat from each other.

A vortex tube according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a cold and heat separation chamber; a cold air outlet provided at an end of the cold and heat separation chamber, a generator provided between the cold air outlet and the cold and heat separation chamber, a hot air outlet provided at another end of the cold and heat separation chamber and including a hot air adjusting valve, and an outer tube cover having a compressed air inlet and surrounding the cold and heat separation chamber at a predetermined gap while blocking the cold and heat separation chamber at an outside thereof, so that introduced compressed air can be supplied into the generator, wherein the compressed air flowing through the compressed air inlet generates rapid rotating wind by passing through the generator to be moved into the cold and heat separation chamber to separate cold and heat from each other.

A thermoelectric power generation system for a vehicle is provided. The system includes an air compressor that is configured to compress and discharge air and a vortex tube that is configured to receive the compressed air discharged from the air compressor and separate and discharge the compressed air into two groups of air having a temperature difference. In addition, a thermoelectric module is provided that includes a thermoelectric element having a channel formed at a first side thereof introduced with any one of the two groups of air and a channel formed at a second side thereof introduced with the other of the two groups of air to generate an electromotive force due to a temperature difference of the two groups of air.