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An HVAC system that uses a mechanical compressor powered by vaporized refrigerant and/or electric power, to increase efficiency in a jet ejector cooling cycle. The device is further able to convert thermal energy to electric power which may be used to meet internal or external requirements, for exam

An HVAC system that uses a mechanical compressor powered by vaporized refrigerant and/or electric power, to increase efficiency in a jet ejector cooling cycle. The device is further able to convert thermal energy to electric power which may be used to meet internal or external requirements, for example, to activate control a system or charge a battery. Compatible input power includes only thermal energy, only electric energy or a combination of the two. Motive thermal energy may be input at a wide range of temperature and include both waste and non-waste heat sources such as that from an internal combustion engine and fuel-fired heater. Solar thermal and solar photovoltaic may also be used when collected from either concentrated or non-concentrated sources. Embodiments of the device are equally well suited to both mobile and stationary applications.

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1. An ejector cycle system comprising: (a) a source of thermal energy,(b) a first heat exchanger for transferring said thermal energy to a refrigerate to create a vapor at a first high-side pressure,(c) a vapor expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port being in fluid communic

1. An ejector cycle system comprising: (a) a source of thermal energy,(b) a first heat exchanger for transferring said thermal energy to a refrigerate to create a vapor at a first high-side pressure,(c) a vapor expander having an inlet port and an outlet port, said inlet port being in fluid communication with said first heat exchanger so as to receive said vapor at a first high-side pressure; a means to expand said vapor at a first high-side pressure to a second high-side pressure while extracting mechanical energy; a discharge port to discharge said expanded refrigerant at the said second high-side pressure,(d) a motor-generator operably coupled to receive said mechanical energy from said vapor expander and to controllably convert none or some portion of said mechanical energy to electrical energy and, with the application of electric power from an external source, to create mechanical energy,(e) a refrigerant compressor operably coupled to receive said mechanical energy from said motor-generator; an inlet port to receive a refrigerant vapor at a second low-side pressure; a compression means to use said mechanical energy to elevate said vapor at a second low-side pressure to a first low-side pressure; a discharge port to discharge said vapor at a first low-side pressure,(f) an ejector compressor, including a primary nozzle in fluid communication with said first heat exchanger so as to receive said vapor at a first high-side pressure; a mixing region which uses the Venturi Effect to create a low pressure zone: a second inlet port in fluid communication with said mixing region and in further fluid communication with said refrigerant compressor discharge port so as to receive said vapor at a first low-side pressure: a third discharge port to discharge vapor at a said second high-side pressure, said second high side pressure being lower than said first high-side pressure and equal to, or greater than said first low-side pressure,(g) a condenser having an inlet port and an outlet port; the inlet port being in fluid communication with said ejector compressor third discharge port and further, in fluid communication with said vapor expander discharge port so as to receive said expanded vapor at a second high-side pressure,(h) a pressure boosting liquid refrigerant pump in fluid communication with said condenser outlet port so as to receive said condensed liquid refrigerant at a second high-side pressure; a means to use mechanical energy to increase said second high-side pressure to said first high-side pressure, a discharge port in fluid communication with said first heat exchanger,(i) a pressure reducing refrigerant flow control having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port in fluid communication with said condenser outlet port so as to receive said condensed liquid refrigerant at a second high-side pressure, an outlet port to controllably discharge liquid refrigerant at the said second low-side pressure,(j) a refrigerant evaporator having an inlet port and outlet port, the inlet port in fluid communication with the said refrigerant flow control outlet port so as to receive said liquid refrigerant at a second low-side pressure, the outlet port in fluid communication with the said refrigerant compressor inlet port. 2. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 which further includes an additional heat exchanger which provides thermal communication between a first fluid and a second fluid, said first fluid being a liquid refrigerant at a first high side pressure and said second fluid being a vapor discharged from a compressor. 3. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 which further includes an intelligent control system which adjusts the flow of fluid through the system during operation in response to changes in temperature, vapor pressure, load and other factors to produce the maximum mechanical power from the least thermal input. 4. The ejector cycle system of claim 3 which further includes an intelligent control system which determines the available sources of thermal and electric input energy and prioritizes their use based on pre-defined parameters. 5. The ejector cycle system of claim 4 which further includes an intelligent control system which may, under certain pre-defined conditions, supply electric power to the said motor-generator to reduce or eliminate the need for external thermal energy input. 6. The ejector cycle system of claim 5 which further includes an intelligent control system which may, under certain pre-defined conditions, use electric power produces by the said motor-generator to reduce or eliminate the need for an external electric energy input. 7. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 further including a high temperature heat transfer loop comprising; (a) a heat transfer fluid in fluid communication with said first heat exchanger and said source of thermal energy,(b) a circulating pump having an inlet port and a discharge port. 8. The ejector cycle system of claim 4 which further includes a means to store electric energy, said means being in electrical communication with said motor/generator. 9. The ejector cycle system of claim 4 which further includes a means to store thermal energy, said means being in thermal communication with said first heat exchanger. 10. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 wherein the said vapor expander is of a type selected from a list which includes reciprocating piston, scroll, Wankel, rotary piston, rotary vane, gerotor, wobble piston, turbine, reaction turbine and impulse turbine. 11. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 wherein the said refrigerant compressor is of a type selected from a list which includes reciprocating piston, scroll, Wankel, rotary piston, rotary vane, gerotor, wobble piston, liquid piston and centrifugal. 12. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 which includes a plurality of said pressure reducing refrigerant flow controls and a plurality of said refrigerant evaporators. 13. The ejector cycle system of claim 5 wherein the said motor/generator is a permanent magnet brushless type. 14. The ejector cycle system of claim 13 which further includes an electronic control means to commutate the said permanent magnet type brushless motor-generator to produce mechanical energy. 15. The ejector cycle system of claim 14 in which the said electronic control means further acts as an active rectifier which is in electric communication with the said motor-generator to controllable convert mechanical energy to an electric voltage and current. 16. The ejector cycle system of claim 7 further including a second heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from said heat transfer fluid to air. 17. The ejector cycle system of claim 7 wherein the said source of thermal energy is a plurality of sources. 18. The ejector cycle system of claim 17 wherein at least one of the said sources of thermal energy is waste heat produced from a chemical process. 19. The ejector cycle system of claim 17 wherein at least one of the said sources of thermal energy is non-waste heat produced from a chemical process. 20. The ejector cycle system of claim 19 wherein at least one of the said sources of thermal energy is solar energy. 21. The ejector cycle system of claim 17 wherein at least one of the said sources of thermal energy is mechanical resistance. 22. The ejector cycle system of claim 17 wherein at least one of the said plurality of sources of thermal energy is an internal combustion engine and further, wherein at least one of the said plurality of sources of thermal energy is a fossil-fuel fired heater. 23. The ejector cycle system of claim 1 wherein; (a) the said refrigerant compressor is operably coupled to receive said mechanical energy from said motor-generator; an inlet port to receive a refrigerant vapor at a second high-side pressure; a compression means to use said mechanical energy to elevate said vapor at a second high-side pressure to a third high-side pressure; a discharge port to discharge said vapor at a third high-side pressure,(b) the said ejector compressor including a primary nozzle in fluid communication with said first heat exchanger so as to receive said vapor at a first high-side pressure; a mixing region which uses the Venturi Effect to create a low pressure zone: a second inlet port in fluid communication with said mixing region and in further fluid communication with said refrigerant evaporator outlet port so as to receive said vapor at a second low-side pressure: a third discharge port to discharge vapor at a said second high-side pressure, said second high side pressure being lower than said first high-side pressure less than said third high-side pressure,(c) a condenser having an inlet port and an outlet port; the inlet port being in fluid communication with said refrigerant compressor discharge port and further, in fluid communication with said vapor expander discharge port so as to receive said expanded vapor at a second high-side pressure. 24. A mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system comprising; (a) a high temperature heat transfer loop including; a heat transfer fluid circulated by a pump, anda single or plurality of heat sources in thermal communication with said heat transfer fluid, anda heat exchange boiler to transfer heat from said heat transfer fluid to a refrigerant circuit, and(b) a thermal generator-compressor including; a vapor expander to convert vapor expansion energy to mechanical torque, anda motor-generator coupled to the said vapor expander so as to receive and transfer said mechanical torque, and further capable of controllably converting a portion of said mechanical torque to an electrical voltage, and further capable of receiving electric power and controllably converting said electric power to mechanical torque, anda gas compressor, having an inlet port and an outlet port and coupled to receive and use said mechanical torque from said motor-generator to compress a gas, and(c) a refrigerant circuit including; a jet ejector compressor having a motive fluid inlet port, an intermediate pressure inlet port and a discharge port, anda refrigerant condenser, anda liquid refrigerant circulating pump, and(d) a cooling loop including; a refrigerant flow control, anda refrigerant evaporator heat exchanger having an inlet port and an outlet port, such that;heat from the said heat transfer fluid enters the said refrigerant circuit through the said heat exchange boiler and vaporizes a refrigerant at a high pressure, the said vapor expander being in fluid communication with the said heat exchange boiler and the said refrigerant condenser such that it may receive a portion of the said refrigerant vapor at a high pressure and expand it to a second intermediate pressure before flowing it to the said refrigerant condenser with the resultant energy difference recovered as mechanical torque such that,the said mechanical torque being transferred to the said motor-generator, the said motor generator converting some portion of said mechanical torque to an electrical voltage and transferring a remaining portion of said mechanical torque to the said gas compressor and,the said gas compressor inlet port being in fluid communication with the said refrigerant evaporator heat exchanger outlet port and, the said gas ejector outlet port being in fluid communication with the said jet ejector compressor intermediate pressure inlet port, uses the said remaining mechanical torque to compress a refrigerate vapor leaving the said refrigerant evaporator at a low pressure to a first intermediate pressure, and further,the said jet ejector compressor motive fluid inlet port, in fluid communication with the said heat exchange boiler, receives a portion of the said vaporized refrigerant at a high pressure and, according to the Venturi Effect, combines with vapor entering the said jet ejector compressor intermediate pressure inlet port at a first intermediate pressure and compresses it to a second intermediate pressure and, the said jet ejector compressor discharge port being in fluid communication with the said refrigerant condenser, the said combined vapor at a second intermediate pressure exists the said jet ejector compressor discharge port and is condensed to a liquid in the said refrigerant condenser such that,the said liquid refrigerant circulating pump, having an inlet port in fluid communication with the said refrigerant condenser and an outlet port in fluid communication with the said heat exchange boiler, receives a portion of the said condensed liquid refrigerant at a second intermediate pressure and controllably pressurizes it to the said high pressure and transfers it to the said heat exchange boiler, and further,the said refrigerant flow control, having an inlet port in communication with the said refrigerant condenser and an outlet port in fluid communication with the said refrigerant evaporator inlet port, receives a portion of the said condensed liquid refrigerant at an second intermediate pressure and controllably meters it to the said refrigerant evaporator inlet port at a low pressure such that,heat from an area to be cooled enters the said refrigerant evaporator and boils the said liquid refrigerant at a low pressure thereby converting it to the said refrigerant vapor at a low pressure. 25. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 wherein the said motor-generator may be electrically controlled to convert a greater or lesser portion of the said mechanical torque input energy to an electrical output voltage, and further, may controllably receive and convert electrical power from an outside source to mechanical torque output energy. 26. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 25 wherein, under certain operating conditions, all of the said motor-generator mechanical torque output is created from said electric power from an outside source. 27. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 25 wherein said electric power from an outside source includes one or more of a storage battery, utility power grid, internal combustion engine-driven alternator or solar photovoltaic array. 28. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 wherein the said heat sources include one or more of an internal combustion engine cooling system, an internal combustion engine exhaust system, a fuel-fired hydronic heater, an electric resistance heater, a concentrated thermal solar array, a non-concentrated solar thermal array, a geothermal loop or a fluid thermocline. 29. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 which further includes a means to store thermal energy. 30. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 which further includes a means to store electric energy. 31. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 which further includes an intelligent control system which, according to operating conditions, optimizes system performance by adjusting the ratio of the said portion of refrigerant vapor at a high pressure which flows to the said vapor expander relative to that which flows to the said jet ejector compressor. 32. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 25 which further includes an intelligent control system which, according to operating conditions, optimizes system performance by adjusting the percentage of the said vapor expender output torque which is converted to said electrical output voltage. 33. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 which further includes an intelligent control system which, according to operating conditions, optimizes system performance by increasing or decreasing the amount of refrigerant which enters the said heat exchange boiler by altering the flow rate from the said liquid refrigerant circulating pump. 34. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 31 in which the said adjusting is accomplished by changing the open dwell and timing of flow control valves which control the flow of vapor to and from the said vapor expander. 35. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 in which said cooling loop includes; a heat transfer fluid circulated by a pump, anda refrigerant flow control, anda refrigerant evaporator heat exchanger in thermal communication with said heat transfer fluid, andone or a plurality of liquid-air heat exchangers in fluid communication with said heat transfer fluid and in further thermal communication with an area to be cooled such that heat from said area to be cooled is transferred to said heat transfer fluid. 36. The mechanically boosted jet ejector cooling system of claim 24 which further includes one or more speed reducer/increasers functionally located to change the rotational speed of one or more of said vapor expander, said boost compressor and/or said motor-generator relative to the rotational speed of the other.