Pump for Energy and Volatile Substances

Abstract

A novel pump design for energy and volatile substances exhibits a high level of reliability and durability with minimal amount of wear on parts constituting the novel pump design. In one embodiment of the invention, a volatile substance is transformed from a solid state or a liquid state to a gaseous (i.e. vaporized) state using a thermal transfer method at a vaporizer, and transformed back to the solid state or the liquid state at a condenser after traveling through an energy conduit (e.g. a continuous cavity). Physical properties of matter such as pressure differences, diffusion, forward, and reverse thermal transfer methods are utilized for operation of a pump according to an embodiment of the invention. A heating mechanism which maintains the interior of the energy conduit above a threshold temperature of the volatile substance can be utilized for a greater pump efficiency.

1 . A pump for energy and a volatile substance, the pump comprising:
 a vaporizer configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the vaporizer is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state;   an energy conduit operatively connected to the vaporizer, wherein the energy conduit is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the vaporizer to a condenser, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the vaporizer;   the condenser configured to receive the volatile substance from the energy conduit, wherein the condenser is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the condenser has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and   a conduit heater or a conduit-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the energy conduit to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.   
     
     
         2 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , wherein the conduit heater or the conduit-heating mechanism utilizes a solar reflector and/or a photosensitive material to gather sufficient energy for heating the interior surface of the energy conduit. 
     
     
         3 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising a heater or a heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the vaporizer, wherein the heater or the heating mechanism is capable of heating the volatile substance contained in the vaporizer beyond a temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance. 
     
     
         4 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , wherein the conduit heater or the conduit-heating mechanism is based on a combustion-heated pad, an electric heater, or another heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the interior surface of the energy conduit. 
     
     
         5 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink and/or another cooling mechanism operatively contacting or connected to the condenser to condense the volatile substance to the liquid state or the solid state. 
     
     
         6 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising an unpumped reservoir operatively connected to the entry hole of the vaporizer, wherein the unpumped reservoir contains the volatile substance in a liquid state or a solid state and causes a movement of the volatile substance into the vaporizer if the pump is activated. 
     
     
         7 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising a pumped reservoir operatively connected to the exit hole of the condenser, wherein the pumped reservoir is able to receive and contain the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state from the exit hole of the condenser. 
     
     
         8 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising a thermally-insulating layer surrounding the interior surface of the energy conduit, wherein the thermally-insulating layer is a vacuum layer or an insulation layer which prevents any significant heat transfer between an external environment and the interior surface of the energy conduit. 
     
     
         9 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , wherein the vaporizer, the condenser, and/or the energy conduit are largely made of glass, metal, stone, wood, plastic, cloth, and/or any other natural or synthetic materials. 
     
     
         10 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , wherein the volatile substance may be water, another liquid, or a solid material. 
     
     
         11 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 1 , further comprising an in-line generator positioned between the energy conduit and the condenser, or between the energy conduit and the vaporizer for generation of electricity using a turbine or another electricity-generating device. 
     
     
         12 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 11 , further comprising a substance return conduit positioned between the condenser and the vaporizer, wherein the substance return conduit circulates the volatile substance back to the vaporizer after vapors from the volatile substance travel through the in-line generator. 
     
     
         13 . A pump for energy and a volatile substance, the pump comprising:
 a source region configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the source region is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state;   a transport region operatively connected to the source region, wherein the transport region is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the source region to a destination region, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the source region;   the destination region configured to receive the volatile substance from the transport region, wherein the destination region is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the destination region has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and   a transport-region heater or a transport region-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the transport region to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.   
     
     
         14 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , wherein the transport-region heater or the transport region-heating mechanism utilizes a solar reflector and/or a photosensitive material to gather sufficient energy for heating the interior surface of the transport region. 
     
     
         15 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising a heater or a heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the source region, wherein the heater or the heating mechanism is capable of heating the volatile substance contained in the source region beyond a temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance. 
     
     
         16 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising a heat sink and/or another cooling mechanism operatively contacting or connected to the destination region to condense the volatile substance to the liquid state or the solid state. 
     
     
         17 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising an unpumped reservoir operatively connected to the entry hole of the source region, wherein the unpumped reservoir contains the volatile substance in a liquid state or a solid state and causes a movement of the volatile substance into the source region if the pump is activated. 
     
     
         18 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising a pumped reservoir operatively connected to the exit hole of the destination region, wherein the pumped reservoir is able to receive and contain the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state from the exit hole of the destination region. 
     
     
         19 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising a thermally-insulating layer surrounding the interior surface of the transport region, wherein the thermally-insulating layer is a vacuum layer or an insulation layer which prevents any significant heat transfer between an external environment and the interior surface of the transport region. 
     
     
         20 . The pump for energy and the volatile substance of  claim 13 , further comprising an in-line generator positioned between the transport region and the destination region, or between the transport region and the source region for generation of electricity using a turbine or another electricity-generating device.