Low Energy Gasifier-Liquefier

Abstract

Disclosed are two related devices which can convert gas to and from liquid, or liquid to and from gas, with no expenditure of energy for heat of vaporization or for condensation. One device is designed for discrete units of fluid, the other for continuous flow. Both devices can be made fully enclosable. Both devices can compress an uncompressed vapor an arbitrary amount without additional energy. Applications include chemical separation, vapor compression, water purification, heat engines and power generation.

1 . This patent document discloses a pair of devices that can transform gas to liquid and back to gas phase, or liquid to gas and back to liquid phase. 
     
     
         2 . Devices cited in  claim 1  devices use a small fraction of what otherwise would be the energy to condense via conventional heat pump, and heat of vaporization through heat pump or direct heat source. 
     
     
         3 . Device A cited in  claim 1  can run in continuous flow. 
     
     
         4 . Device A cited in  claim 3  can work with a single fluid, or two separate bodies of fluid. 
     
     
         5 . Device A cited in  claim 4  can produce distilled water while generating power. 
     
     
         6 . Device B cited in  claim 1  is optimized for converting a discrete quantity of fluid. 
     
     
         7 . Device B cited in  claim 6  can compress vapors by a factor up to the ratio of the density of the liquid to the density of the uncompressed vapor. (For Nitrogen, by a factor of 600), with effectively no energy expended.) 
     
     
         8 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  can completely return the internal device system to its original state. 
     
     
         9 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  are enclosable and so do not depend on being in an atmosphere, or on external heat or cold sources. 
     
     
         10 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  can be insulated to operate in an adverse temperature environment. 
     
     
         11 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  can be operated in a vacuum, provided the fluids are not exposed to the vacuum. 
     
     
         12 . Neither device cited in  claim 1  are affected by outside pressure nor temperature (unless deliberately exposed for desired effect). 
     
     
         13 . Device cited in  claim 3  differs from prior Patents in that full target vapor enclosure is possible, and that a small heat pump is added to stabilize reservoir temperature. 
     
     
         14 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  require only sufficient energy to move the mass of the fluid, overcome mechanical resistance internal to the device, and operate a heat pump to correct for counter-flow heat exchanger efficiency, to the extent it is less than 100%. 
     
     
         15 . Both devices cited in  claim 1  can achieve compression of an arbitrary amount without additional energy for additional compression.