초록 ▼

Various heat cycles are disclosed which make use of comparatively low grade heat such as that from hot rock geo-thermal sources, the cycles incorporating either a helical screw expander or a rotary vane expander operating with an organic working fluid and in accordance with the invention, the exhaus

Various heat cycles are disclosed which make use of comparatively low grade heat such as that from hot rock geo-thermal sources, the cycles incorporating either a helical screw expander or a rotary vane expander operating with an organic working fluid and in accordance with the invention, the exhaust from the helical screw expander or rotary vane expander is used in a conventional rankine cycle.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of utilizing thermal energy comprising the steps of heating a first fluid by pumping through a hot dry rock heat source, transferring the heat from the said first fluid to a more volatile, second fluid which passes through a trilateral cycle and recycling the first fluid to the heat source,

A method of utilizing thermal energy comprising the steps of heating a first fluid by pumping through a hot dry rock heat source, transferring the heat from the said first fluid to a more volatile, second fluid which passes through a trilateral cycle and recycling the first fluid to the heat source, the said trilateral cycle comprising substantially adiabatically pressurizing the said second fluid, receiving the transferred heat from the first working fluid, substantially adiabatically expanding the hot pressurized second fluid by flashing in a helical screw expander capable of operating effectively with wet working fluid and progressively drying said fluid during expansion, passing substantially the whole of the exhaust dry second fluid through a turbine operating on dry vapor as in the conventional Rankine cycle, condensing the second fluid exhausted from the turbine, and recycling the second fluid to the adiabatic pressurization stage.