Cooling system powered by thermal energy and related methods

Abstract

Cooling systems and methods with high efficiency and of compact design are disclosed. In an aspect, cooling systems and methods are disclosed that are capable of generating thermal energy that powers at least some of the components of the disclosed cooling systems. Such cooling systems and methods may utilize heat energy transfers into and out of an internal fluid that undergoes substantial changes in pressure states such that the changes in pressure states of the internal fluid generate mechanical power that may be converted into usable energy by other portions of the system. Such cooling systems and methods may be capable of removing unwanted heat from building interiors, various pieces of machinery, electrical components, and spaces proximal to industrial and commercial processes.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooling system configured to remove an amount of heat energy from a heat source, the cooling system comprising:
 an internal fluid;   at least one section of piping;   at least one heat exchange device configured to transfer heat energy from the heat source to the internal fluid;   at least one expanding device configured to adjust the pressure of the internal fluid from a first pressure state to a second pressure state;   at least one condenser device configured to facilitate dissipation of heat energy from the internal fluid; and   at least one compressor device configured to adjust the pressure of the internal fluid from the second pressure state to the first pressure state;   wherein the first pressure state is at least slightly higher than the second pressure state.   
     
     
         2 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , the cooling system further comprising:
 at least one heat pump configured to transfer heat energy either into our out of the internal fluid.   
     
     
         3 . The cooling system of  claim 2 , wherein the heat energy that the at least one heat pump transfers into the internal fluid originates from at least one of: heat energy removed from the internal fluid just prior to entering the compressor device and heat energy generated by the functioning of the cooling system itself. 
     
     
         4 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , the cooling system further comprising:
 a second section of piping; and   a regenerator device, wherein the regenerator device is a heat exchange device configured to transfer heat energy between internal fluid in the at least one section of piping and internal fluid in the second section of piping.   
     
     
         5 . The cooling system of  claim 4 , wherein the internal fluid in the at least one section of piping is at the first pressure state and the internal fluid in the second section of piping is at the second pressure state. 
     
     
         6 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the internal fluid is at least one of: a liquid, a gas, and a supercritical fluid. 
     
     
         7 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one expanding device is further configured to generate mechanical energy when the at least one expanding device adjusts the pressure of the internal fluid from the first pressure state to the second pressure state. 
     
     
         8 . The cooling system of  claim 7 , wherein at least a portion of the generated mechanical energy is converted to an energy form usable by the at least one compressor device, wherein the energy form usable by the at least one compressor device is either mechanical or electrical. 
     
     
         9 . The cooling system of  claim 8 , wherein the amount of mechanical energy generated by the at least one expanding device is greater than the amount of energy needed to power the at least one compressor device. 
     
     
         10 . The cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the heat source comprises at least one of: a piece of machinery; an electrical component; an external working medium; a building interior; and an open space adjacent to one or more processes. 
     
     
         11 . A method for removing an amount of heat energy from a heat source using a cooling system, the method comprising the steps of:
 capturing an amount of thermal energy generated by the cooling system; and   providing at least a portion of the captured amount of thermal energy to at least one component of the cooling system.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising the step of:
 converting the captured amount of thermal energy generated by the cooling system to a different energy form.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the different energy form comprises at least one of: mechanical energy and electric energy. 
     
     
         14 . A method for removing an amount of heat energy from a heat source, the method comprising the steps of:
 transferring heat energy from the heat source to an internal fluid contained within at least one section of piping via at least one heat exchange device;   adjusting the pressure of the internal fluid from a first pressure state to a second pressure state via at least one expanding device in order to generate mechanical energy;   converting the generated mechanical energy into a form of energy usable by at least one compressor device;   removing heat energy from the internal fluid by facilitating heat energy dissipation from the internal fluid using at least one condenser device; and   adjusting the pressure of the internal fluid from the second pressure state to the first pressure state via the at least one compressor device, wherein the at least one compressor device is at least partially powered by the converted generated mechanical energy from the at least one expanding device;   wherein the first pressure state of the internal fluid is at least slightly higher than the second pressure state.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , the method further comprising the steps of:
 adding heat energy to the internal fluid via at least one heat pump before the internal fluid enters the at least one expanding device; and   removing heat energy from the internal fluid via the at least one heat pump before the internal fluid enters the at least one compressor device.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the heat energy added to the internal fluid originates from at least one of: heat energy removed from the internal fluid just prior to entering the compressor device and heat energy generated by the functioning of the cooling system itself. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , the method further comprising the step of:
 transferring heat energy from the internal fluid contained within the at least one section of piping to internal fluid contained within a second section of piping via a regenerator device.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the internal fluid within the at least one section of piping is at the first pressure state and the internal fluid within the second section of piping is at the second pressure state. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the internal fluid is at least one of: a liquid, a gas, and a supercritical fluid. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the heat source comprises at least one of: a piece of machinery; an electrical component; an external working medium; a building interior; and an open space adjacent to one or more processes.