Heat engine

Abstract

A heat engine has a first heat exchanger which is configured as a heater, has a second heat exchanger which is configured as a cooler, has a turbine which is arranged between the first and the second heat exchanger, and has a line system which has a working medium, is configured as a circuit and connects the components to one another in a fluidically conducting manner. If the first heat exchanger, the turbine and the second heat exchanger are arranged so as to follow one another in the vertical direction in the installed position, the heat engine can be designed as a particularly compact structural unit.

1 . Heat engine having a first heat exchanger ( 120 ) configured as a heater, having a second heat exchanger ( 140 ) configured as a cooler, having a turbine ( 130 ) disposed between the first and the second heat exchanger, and having a piping system ( 160 ) having a gaseous working medium and configured as a circuit ( 170 ), which system connects the components ( 120 ,  130 ,  140 ,  190 ,  200 ) with one another in fluidically conductive manner,
 wherein   in the installation position ( 180 ), the first heat exchanger ( 120 ), the turbine ( 130 ), and the second heat exchanger ( 140 ) are preferably disposed in a sequence in the vertical direction ( 110 ).   
     
     
         2 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the heat exchangers ( 120 ,  140 ,  200 ) are configured as an integral unit with the turbine ( 130 ) and/or wherein the turbine ( 130 ) has a generator with which it is configured as an integral unit.   
     
     
         3 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the turbine ( 130 ) is configured as a radial turbine and has an adaptation for the speed of rotation, if applicable.   
     
     
         4 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a blower ( 190 ) or diffuser ( 190 ) is disposed in the piping system ( 160 ), between the second heat exchanger ( 140 ) and the first heat exchanger ( 120 ).   
     
     
         5 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a third, preferably regulatable heat exchanger ( 200 ), particularly configured as a cooler, is provided in the piping system ( 160 ), which exchanger is disposed vertically following the second heat exchanger ( 140 ), in the case of vertical installation, in the installation position ( 180 ).   
     
     
         6 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein air, helium, neon, argon, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide or any desired mixture of the aforementioned gases is used as the gaseous working medium, and/or wherein a constant excess pressure of 3-20 bar is set in the circuit ( 170 ).   
     
     
         7 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a temperature gradient (ΔT) of maximally 70° C. occurs between a hot region ( 220 , T 2 ) of the circuit ( 170 ), directly ahead of the turbine ( 130 ), in the case of vertical installation in the vertical direction ( 110 ), and a cold region ( 210 , T 1 ) of the circuit ( 170 ) having a vertical direction ( 110 ), directly after the last heat exchanger ( 140 ,  200 ), configured as a cooler.   
     
     
         8 . Cascade composed of at least two heat engines ( 100 ′,  100 ″,  100 ′″) according to  claim 1 , wherein the discharged thermal energy (q) of the heat exchanger(s) ( 140 ,  200 ) configured as (a) cooler(s), of a preceding heat engine ( 100 ′  100 ″), in the cascade direction ( 240 ), is passed, at least in part, to the first heat exchanger ( 120 ), configured as a heater, of a heat engine ( 100 ″,  100 ′″) that follows in the cascade direction ( 240 ). 
     
     
         9 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a heat recovery unit ( 250 ) is provided between a turbine forward flow and a turbine return flow of the working medium.   
     
     
         10 . Use of a heat engine according to  claim 1 , having at least one of the following heat sources:
 a fluid of a district heating system,   a fluid of a home heating system,   a fluid of a solar heating system,   a fluid of an internal combustion engine,   a fluid of a fuel cell,   a heat source of a chemical reactor,   a fluid in the steel industry,   a fluid of a heat storage unit.   
     
     
         11 . Heat engine according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the heat exchanger ( 120 ,  140 ,  200 ) is configured as a spiral-shaped pipe system ( 304 ), which has a connection pipe ( 305 ) in its center, which pipe connects an outgoing spiral ( 302 ) with an incoming spiral ( 301 ).   
     
     
         12 . Heat engine according to  claim 11 , wherein the pipe system ( 304 ) is configured as a double pipe having an inner pipe ( 312 ) as well as an outer pipe ( 313 ), wherein the gaseous working medium flows through the inner pipe ( 312 ) and a liquid medium flows through the outer pipe ( 313 ), and wherein a gas displacer ( 315 ) is provided in the inner pipe ( 312 ), which displacer artificially narrows the pipe cross-section of the inner pipe ( 312 ).