An energy-recovery device comprises an engine, an immersion chamber, a drive, and a power module. The engine comprises a core comprising a core element that comprises working material, the core element comprising a fixed first end and a second end that is connected to the drive. The immersion chamber houses the engine and is configured to be sequentially filled with fluid to expand and contract the core element. The power module applies a controlled stress to the core element during at least one of a heating phase and a cooling phase of a power cycle carried out by the engine.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of structural vibration control, and provides a composite axial energy consumption device based on piezoelectricity and shape memory alloy, comprising a screw, steel pipes, stiffening ribs, steel sheets, bolt-nuts, piezoceramics, screw caps and SMA wire bundles. The mechanical energy of the structure under pressure is converted into the electric energy of the piezoceramics and then the electric energy is converted into heat energy, so that energy consumption efficiency is high and mechanical performance is good. The SMA wire bundles have large tensile bearing capacity, shape memory effect and good corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. The number of the segments and the specifications of the piezoceramics and the SMA wire bundles can be adjusted according to the actual needs, so that the structure can be adjusted according to the size of an axial force and specific stress conditions.

The present invention belongs to the technical field of structural vibration control, and provides a composite axial energy consumption device based on piezoelectricity and shape memory alloy, comprising a screw, steel pipes, stiffening ribs, steel sheets, bolt-nuts, piezoceramics, screw caps and SMA wire bundles. The mechanical energy of the structure under pressure is converted into the electric energy of the piezoceramics and then the electric energy is converted into heat energy, so that energy consumption efficiency is high and mechanical performance is good. The SMA wire bundles have large tensile bearing capacity, shape memory effect and good corrosion resistance and fatigue resistance. The number of the segments and the specifications of the piezoceramics and the SMA wire bundles can be adjusted according to the actual needs, so that the structure can be adjusted according to the size of an axial force and specific stress conditions.

A thermobimetal heat driven turbine having a rotor, and a series of vanes extending from the rotor wherein the vanes comprise two or more separate materials laminated together, said two separate materials having different coefficients of expansion whereby exposure to a heat source causes the two separate materials to expand at different rates thereby re-shaping the vanes to drive the rotor. The rotating turbine is thus able to generate power using direct heat from an energy source. The heat source may be radiant, convection and/or conduction type heat.

A drive system based on cyclic conversion of thermal energy into mechanical or electrical energy by using a difference in temperature between at least two media and the contraction of a metal element with shape memory properties, and a method for generating energy using the drive system. The drive system has a first and a second store containing media at different temperatures, the second store having a passage opening through a bottom of a housing. The housing is a cylinder containing a liquid-tight and gas-tight cylinder piston dividing the cylinder into two cylinder spaces of variable volumes. One cylinder space contains the metal element and the other cylinder space contains a restoring element. The metal element is secured to the piston at a fixing point and to a fixing point within the second store so that the metal element is in contact with the medium of the second store.

A drive system based on cyclic conversion of thermal energy into mechanical or electrical energy by using a difference in temperature between at least two media and the contraction of a metal element with shape memory properties, and a method for generating energy using the drive system. The drive system has a first and a second store containing media at different temperatures, the second store having a passage opening through a bottom of a housing. The housing is a cylinder containing a liquid-tight and gas-tight cylinder piston dividing the cylinder into two cylinder spaces of variable volumes. One cylinder space contains the metal element and the other cylinder space contains a restoring element. The metal element is secured to the piston at a fixing point and to a fixing point within the second store so that the metal element is in contact with the medium of the second store.

A device for converting thermal, mechanical and/or electrical energy quantities into other such energy quantities comprises at least one volume (97, 98, 127, 128, 129) comprising a liquid quantity (31, 32, 130, 131, 132, 202) and at least one partial volume (33, 34, 133, 134, 135) with a working medium. The partial volume is bounded by volume delimiting elements and a liquid surface. At least one of the volume delimiting elements or the liquid quantity can change its position relative to other volume delimiting elements or the liquid quantity in such a way as to change the size of the partial volume. The partial volume and the liquid quantity perform a rotational movement so that centrifugal forces act on the liquid quantity. Heat quantities are suppliable to or removable from at least one liquid quantity in that a part of the liquid quantity can flow into and out of the volume from outside the device through openings (49, 50, 52, 149) or in that the at least one liquid quantity is thermally coupled to another liquid quantity by heat exchangers.

A thermoelectric, thermomechanical or thermal converter with at least one of the devices is provided, with which a Stirling, Ericsson, Vuilleumier, Clausius-Rankine, Joule process or a mixed form of the processes is realized.

The fluid driven motor device, which does not use a magnet or an armature coil, includes a motor casing chamber containing a fluid mixture, a shaft disposed within the chamber, and a plurality of ray guns arranged on the periphery of the chamber. The shaft has a plurality of cell holders, onto which a corresponding plurality of membrane cells is attached. Each membrane cell holds a predetermined quantity of a liquid. The membrane cells expand and contract continuously based on the firing of the subatomic rays by the plurality of ray guns. This expansion and contraction cycle causes the shaft to rotate. The device has several advantages such as being very energy and heat efficient, having lesser weight as compared to conventional electromagnetic coil based motors.

A system manages the reactions of fluids to their changes in their environment in order to convert these reactions into energy thereby harvesting the same while protecting the device against destruction or malfunction when the environmental conditions exceed predefined thresholds.

In an example, an engine includes a thermal expansion unit comprising expansion material that expands in response to a temperature increase of the expansion material and contracts in response to a temperature decrease of the expansion material. The engine includes a structure comprising a heat receiving region, wherein at least a portion of the thermal expansion unit is disposed within the structure. The heat receiving region is configured to transfer thermal energy from a source of thermal energy to the expansion material through a first thermal energy transference path. The transfer of thermal energy to the thermal expansion unit causes expansion of the expansion material within the thermal expansion unit. The expansion of the expansion material causes an increase in length of the thermal expansion unit. The increase in length of the thermal expansion unit causes establishment of a second thermal energy transference path through which thermal energy is transferred from the expansion material to outside the thermal expansion unit.