Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
  • F25B9/02—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point using Joule-Thompson effect; using vortex effect
  • F25B9/04—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point using Joule-Thompson effect; using vortex effect using vortex effect
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01D—NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES
  • F01D1/00—Non-positive-displacement machines or engines, e.g. steam turbines
  • F01D1/34—Non-positive-displacement machines or engines, e.g. steam turbines characterised by non-bladed rotor, e.g. with drilled holes
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01D—NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES
  • F01D9/00—Stators
  • F01D9/02—Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits, e.g. individual nozzles
  • F01D9/04—Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits, e.g. individual nozzles forming ring or sector
  • F01D9/048—Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits, e.g. individual nozzles forming ring or sector for radial admission

Definitions

• the present invention relates to methods and devices
• the present invention provides systems, methods, and
• a rotatable rotor is provided along with a number of hollow conduits that radially radiate from an exit port at or near the center of the rotor.
• the pressurized gas is provided to the mechanism at the inlet (s) of the rotor.
• the gas then enters the conduits and travels from the inlet (s) of the rotor to the exit port. In doing so, the gas causes the rotor to rotate about its central axis while the gas cools. This results in a colder gas at the exit port than at the outer perimeter of the rotor.
• the present invention provides a
• rotatable rotor having an axis of rotation; - an exit port;
• inlet port being at a periphery of said rotor, said inlet port being for receiving pressurized gas from said periphery of said rotor;
• a radial distance between said axis of rotation and said exit port is less than a radial distance between said axis of rotation and said inlet port;
• the present invention provides a
• method for cooling a gas comprising: a) pressurizing said gas to produce a pressurized gas; b) providing a mechanism comprising:
• FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram used to explain the principles of the invention
• FIGURE 2 is a partially transparent isometric view of a mechanism according to one aspect of the invention.
• FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanism of Figure 2 ; and FIGURE 4 is an exploded view of the mechanism
• the present invention provides a
• rotational device comprising: a) a conduit D with length R and drive means connected to the conduit D to impart rotational velocity to said conduit D; b) an air tank, which provides compressed air to the inlet of duct D c) a cold exit vent positioned at a device centre, wherein pre-rotated air, supplied at device periphery is run through the device and undergoes a sharp temperature decrease, as this spiral motion of air leads to the exhaust of cold air via said central exit vent .
• illustrated embodiments are directed to the method and device that that reproduces and controls the vortex tube effect .
• thermodynamic (or static) temperature T s is that which corresponds to thermal equilibrium and is the same in all frames of reference.
• the total, or stagnation, temperature is an effective temperature that originates from the total (or stagnation) enthalpy
• the tank fluid expands through the duct and does work to overcome the centrifugal gravitational potential - (coxr ) 2 /2 ; the exiting fluid has lost internal energy and gained gravitational potential energy;
• the exiting fluid has a higher velocity than at the duct inlet due to expansion, but has lost internal energy and is c 2 /2c p cooler than T ⁇ .
• cooling of the ejected fluid is due to conservation of angular momentum and the corresponding angular propulsion imparted to the rotating frame. It is this critical element that leads to a clear understanding of the temperature separation effect in fluids. Since the energy conservation
• R x v represents rotational thrust, which is maximum in the stationary frame F, since the velocity of the expelled mass is zero.
• This expression has dimension of torque; it is to be attributed to the third law of Newton, according to which the rotating system experiences the reaction torque of the radially ejected mass flow dM/dt
• rotary propulsion motion producing maximum thrust is the rotational motion of a system with variable mass, exhausting at its center.
• the rotational system can also be characterized as an angular propulsion engine (APE) that derives thrust torque due to conservation of angular momentum, i.e. T
• APE angular propulsion engine
• T The maximum propulsion energy attributed to an APE having peripheral speed v by the ejection of gas at its center is Mv 2 - a sum of two equal energy portions, one of which is due to the deceleration of the expelled gas and the other to its cooling.
• the basic rotational system we studied exhibits a gradient of the total temperature over the entire radial extent of the system, as witnessed in the
• thermophysics of the rotating system is derived based on existing laws; no special treatment to the mass, Navier-Stokes or energy transport equations for compressible, rotating flows is implied. On this basis, it is not surprising that commercially available computational fluid dynamics solvers are already capable of predicting the observed cooling effect.
• CFD computational fluid dynamics solver FLUENT to demonstrate that the results of the presented theoretical model are also obtained by discretely solving the differential transport equations for mass, momentum and energy. Simulations were performed with air as an ideal gas using the 3 -dimensional , double precision discretization model for compressible flow.
• the standard version of the k- ⁇ model with wall- functions was used to characterize turbulence effects, and the second-order upwind discretization scheme was used to model advection in the transport equations. Since physical scale is not a factor in the current treatment, the duct was given a length of 15 m and rectangular cross-sectional dimensions 0.3m x 0.4m with no-slip, adiabatic walls. Smaller or larger ducts will produce the same effect provided the rotational speed is adjusted to develop the same pressure gradient across the duct. In all calculations, the mass flow rate of the air was fixed at 3 kg/s; the highest
• a rotating duct or conduit can be considered a discrete element of the vortex tube flow field. It presents a simplification in the description of vortex tube flow, which allows for a succinct explanation of the vortex tube phenomenon.
• flow is driven from the periphery to the center by a pressure gradient that opposes the centrifugal gravitational field induced by rotation. Energy is imparted by the expanding fluid to propel the rotating frame via the interface between the fluid and the solid (i.e. the duct or conduit wall) . In this manner, maximum energy exchange occurs and the maximum possible temperature separation is observed.
• vortex tube is the necessity of a hot fluid outlet in the latter.
• the hot outlet is not required in the rotating duct because the compressed fluid source is rotating with the duct; the only heating that occurs is due to fluid friction opposing the flow towards the duct outlet.
• the fluid enters the tube at the periphery to generate the swirling flow, and to set up the (centrifugal) gravitational field and the pressure gradient. Because of the high flow speeds required to set up the required gravitational field, fluid friction results in significant viscous
• control parameters in either case are the rotational speed of the fluid and the radius from the center to the periphery, since this sets up the strength of the centrifugal gravitational field, which dictates the pressure gradient from the periphery to the center. This pressure gradient dictates the maximum temperature drop that can be achieved by expansion of the fluid as it flows towards the cold outlet.
• the present invention provides a mechanism which may be used for rotary motors, the cooling of gases, and the efficient conversion of gas pressure into mechanical work .
• FIG. 2 a partially transparent isometric view of the mechanism is provided. As can be seen, the partially transparent view in Figure 2 is provided to present the internal workings and components of the mechanism .
• the mechanism 10 in Figure 2 has four inlet ports 20
• a rotatable rotor 30 is inside the
• the rotor 30 has an exit port 40 located at its center and four conduits 50 extend radially from the exit port 40 to the outer perimeter of the rotor.
• the conduits 50 are hollow and provide a passageway for pressurized gas to travel from the outer perimeter of the rotor to the exit port. In this embodiment of the invention, the conduits are all straight and do not deviate from the exit port to the outer perimeter of the rotor .
• the exit port 40 at the center of the rotor 30 leads to a gas exit shaft 60 through which the pressurized gas exits the mechanism.
• the rotor 30 is sandwiched between bearings 70 which allow the rotor 30 to freely rotate.
• a driveshaft 80 is coupled to the rotor 30 such that rotation of the rotor 30 similarly rotates the driveshaft 80.
• the gas exit shaft 60 is inside the hollow driveshaft 80. Seals 90 adjacent the bearings 70 and the driveshaft 80 ensure that an airtight seal is maintained for the mechanism.
• an enclosure 100 provides an airtight environment for the mechanism. In this configuration, the driveshaft 80 is collinear with the rotor's axis of rotation .
• a gap 110 between the outer perimeter or periphery 120 of the rotor 30 and the inside wall 130 of the enclosure 100.
• the gap 110 is there to allow the pressurized gas to travel from the inlet ports to the various conduits.
• a pressurized gas is provided to the mechanism by way of the inlet ports.
• the said ports are oriented suchthat gas is injected in a direction tangential to the rotor periphery and in the direction of rotor rotation. This configuration is preferable as it provides optimal results.
• the pressurized gas enters the conduits and travels from the outer perimeter of the rotor to the exit port at the center of the rotor.
• the pressurized gas causes the rotor to rotate about its center and thereby also causes the driveshaft to rotate. While travelling from the outer perimeter or periphery of the rotor to the exit port, the temperature of the pressurized gas drops, thereby providing a cooler gas at the exit port than at the outer perimeter of the rotor.
• each conduit being at 90 degrees from adjacent conduits for the purpose of mechanical balancing of the rotor.
• conduits and rotors may be stacked above one another with a common exit port at the center of the driveshaft for the varying rotors.
• the conduits may be formed as a tunnel in the material of a solid rotor or the conduits may be a hollow tube embedded in the structure of the rotor. Similarly, the conduits need not be located within the rotor -- placement of the rotor may be above, under, or inside the rotor as long as the rotor is coupled to the rotor such that pressurized gas travelling through the conduits will cause the rotor to rotate.
• the conduits may have any suitable shape but it has been found that straight conduits that directly radiate from the center of the rotor to the rotor's periphery provided the best results .
• conduits would be directing the pressurized gas in a direction tangential to the exit port instead of in a direction that is radial to the exit port.
• the pressurized gas may be provided to the periphery of the rotor in any suitable manner.
• the gas is to be injected in a direction that is tangential to the rotor and at right angles to the rotor's axis of rotation. Differing angles at which the pressurized gas may be provided to the mechanism may be used as long as the gas is not injected in a direction with components that are opposite to the direction of rotation of the rotor.
• the direction of the pressurized gas is not parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor.
• the radial distance between the rotor's axis of rotation and the exit port should be less than the radial distance between the rotor's axis of rotation and the inlet port.
• the rotor's axis of rotation is at the center of the rotor such that the distance between the rotor's axis of rotation and the exit port is at a minimum.
• the exit port is not at the center of the rotor.
• a single exit port at the center of the rotor is preferable as this has been shown to provide the best results.
• each of the various conduits connects one or more of the inlet ports to an exit port. It should be clear that the various inlet ports and their associated exit ports need not be on the same plane. It should also be clear that each inlet port is associated with an exit port with a conduit directly connecting an inlet port (or multiple inlet ports) with an exit port.
• the inlet port is located at the periphery of the rotor.
• the inlet port is not at the periphery of the rotor are possible, as long as the radial distance from the center of rotation to the inlet port is larger than the radial distance from the center of rotation to the associated exit port.
• inlet ports need be at the same radial location. Any configuration is possible provided that the radial distance from the center of rotation to the inlet port is larger than the radial distance from the center of rotation to the associated exit port.
• Figures 2-4 and the discussion above describes multiple conduits, a configuration using a single inlet port and a single conduit connecting the inlet port to a single exit port is also possible.
• this may be any suitable gas such as compressed air.
• the mechanism may be used in any device, motor, engine, or system that involves a rotating rotor or the cooling of a
• the mechanism may be used in applications that require the cooling or the lowering of the temperature of a
• the mechanism may therefore be used as part of a pneumatic engine, turbine or motor.
• the rotation of the rotor may be used to pressurize gas to be used in the mechanism.
• gas exiting through an exit port may be recycled by being pressurized using the rotation of the rotor. Once pressurized, the pressurized gas may then be reintroduced into the system.
• a pre-rotation may be needed to start the system. This may take the form of manually rotating the rotor. Once the rotor starts rotating, the pressurized gas in the system can continue the rotor's rotation.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Heat-Exchange Devices With Radiators And Conduit Assemblies (AREA)
• Motor Or Generator Cooling System (AREA)

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Citations (7)

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• 2013
  • 2013-05-28 WO PCT/CA2013/050411 patent/WO2013177706A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2013-05-28 US US14/404,606 patent/US20150143819A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-05-28 CA CA2875173A patent/CA2875173C/fr active Active

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