GB2128258A

GB2128258A - Gravity actuated thermal motor

Info

Publication number: GB2128258A
Application number: GB08325696A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Salah Djelouah
Original assignee: Sorelec
Current assignee: Sorelec
Priority date: 1982-10-06
Filing date: 1983-09-26
Publication date: 1984-04-26
Also published as: PT77437B; JPS5987281A; GB8325696D0; DE3336406A1; IT1194417B; IT8323123A0; CH654877A5; ES526238A0; FR2534321B1; IT8323123A1; MA19922A1; DE3336406C2; BR8305518A; FR2534321A1; PT77437A; ES8405897A1; AU1990583A; BE897859A

Abstract

The motor comprises a rotor carrying sealed chambers 2, 3 containing a fluid which vaporises and condenses successively when the chambers pass a hot zone SC and a cold zone SF. Within the chambers are deformable pockets 5, 6 interconnected by a tube 4 and containing a transmission liquid. The vaporisation pressure of the fluid in the chambers passing the hot zone compresses the pockets therein and forces some of the transmission liquid to pass into the pockets in the cold zone and thereby rotate the rotor about its shaft 7. Solar heat may be utilised. The chambers 2, 3 may be provided with blades (18), Fig. 2 (not shown), in order to obtain additional drive from hot and cold gas flows 13-16. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rotary motor This invention relates to a rotary thermodynamic fluid motor comprising a set of units which are integrally connected for rotation and each formed by two rigid constantvolume equidistant chambers containing a thermodynamic fluid which successively vaporizes and condenses depending on whether the chamber is subjected to the effect of the hot source or the cold source, the chambers being rigid constant-volume chambers.

The invention relates more particularly to a solar mill which converts thermodynamic energy into mechanical and electrical energy by means of a thermodynamic fluid in constant equilibrium (liquid vapour) and in a looped circuit, and a second fluid (water, oil, etc.) or a rocking member.

Solar systems of this kind are already known, wherein thermodynamic energy is converted into mechanical energy, either by the vaporization of a fluid or by way of a gas engine using the Carnot cycle.

These two types of installation which are at present available on the market are complex; gas engines require complex installations (collector, evaporator, condenser, expansion motor, reinjection pump, and so on).

Apart from the very high investments they require, these installations also need permanent technical assistance. Their efficiency is also mediocre. Some applications are in the form of gadgets, because they cannot be industrialized.

These gadgets are based on the following principle: A liquid which evaporates, the pressure of the reservoir being increased. This pressure causes a liquid to rise in an equilibrium system, causes the assembly to rock and returns to its initial position.

This is the principle applied in toys of the kind in which a bird repeatedly dips its beak into water.

The object of this invention is to provide a rotary motor of the above type adapted to deliver a relatively high power to drive a load, and the operation of which is not rapidly disturbed by the unbalance of the corresponding chambers.

To this end, the invention relates to a motor characterised in that each module comprises a sealed deformable chamber containing thermodynamic fluid and a heavy transmission means which immediately and integrally transmits any variation in the volume of one of the chambers to the other chamber, the transmission means thus assuming an unbalanced position which produces a torque which is transmitted to the motor shaft.

According to another feature, the transmission means is either a set of two pistons connected by a connecting means provided with a heavy weight, or a column of liquid. The two pistons may also comprise flexible partitions or pockets.

In the inoperative state, when the temperature of the cold source is the same as that of the hot source, the system is in equilibrium: The thermodynamic fluid masses contained in the two chambers are equal and the heavy transmission means is at equilibrium.

A torque is'applied to the motor output shaft only as a result of the unbalance resulting from the movement of the heavy transmission means in response to the pressure difference in the two chambers of the diametrically opposite modules of each unit.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of a motor according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line Il-Il in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on Ill-Ill in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of another embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a section through a central plane of the embodiment shown in Fig. 4.

Figs. 6 and 7 are diagrams of two embodiments of a tunnel.

Referring to Fig. 1 , the thermodynamic fluid rotary motor comprises a set of modules 1 each formed by two chambers 2, 3 interconnected, for example, by a diametric arm 4 which also forms a connecting tube.

Each chamber 2, 3 contains a pocket 5, 6; the two pockets of the corresponding two chambers communicate via the tube 4. The volume defined respectively between each chamber 2, 3 and the pocket 5, 6 is sealed off and contains a thermodynamic fluid, i.e., a fluid adapted to vaporize at the temperature of the hot source SC and condense at the temperature of the cold source SF. Since the temperatures of the hot and cold sources SC and SF respectively depend on the utilization conditions, the thermodynamic fluid is selected accordingly.

The assembly comprising the two pockets 5, 6 and the tube 4 forms a constant closed volume with two deformable parts formed by the pockets 5, 6. Any reduction in volume of one of the pockets 5, 6 has the effect of increasing the volume of the other pocket 6, 5, since the volume thus closed contains a non-compressible fluid, preferably a liquid, e.g. water, or a liquid of higher density.

All the movable units 2, 3 are integral with an output shaft 7. Since the torque exerted by each movable unit depends on the difference in weight between the two pockets 5, 6, the hot source SC acts on one vertical half of the system and the cold source SF acts on the other vertical half thereof.

In each plane, the shaft 7 contains as many movable units as the size of the chambers 2, 3 allows. A plurality of movable units can be juxtaposed on the same shaft.

According to one embodiment, the hot source SC comprises a toric passage of circular section corresponding to a hemi-torus. Passage 8 is a solar radiation absorber. The cold source SF also comprises a passage 9 of circular section and of toric shape corresponding to a hemi-torus. The cold source and hot source passages 8, 9 correspond to the same torus.

The hot source passage 8 comprises a jacket 10 which forms a heat absorber surrounded by a transparent jacket 11 giving a hothouse effect.

The cold source passage 9 has an outer wall 12, e.g. of felt, on to which water is dropped, said water drawing the heat by evaporation and enabling the passage and hence the chambers to be cooled as they pass through the passage.

The movement can also be accelerated by a chimney effect by the flow of the hot and cold gases in the two passages, with hot and cold air intakes 13, 14 and outlets 15, 16, e.g. Canadian wells which deliver hot or cold air depending upon whether the exterior is the hot or cold source and the Canadian well the cold or hot source.

Finally, the system may be associated with any other natural energy recovery device.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line Il-lI in Fig. 1 and shows the structure of the system at the hot source, whose passage operates by the hothouse effect. This section shows the outer transparent jacket 11 containing a layer of air, and then the absorbent material of the absorber 10 which defines the passage 8 in which the chambers 2, 3 move. The chambers 2, 3 of each unit, which are preferably spheres or quadrilaterals of a highly conductive material such as copper or aluminium, contain the deformable jacket 5, 6, which is preferably a poor conductor in order to limit the exchange of heat or cold to the incompressible fluid.

Fig. 3 shows the structure of the system of Fig.

2 at the cold source SF, showing the opaque liquid-absorbent jacket 12, e.g. felt, defining the passage 9 through which the chambers 2, 3 move.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, aprons 1 7 provide the seal between the tubes 4 carrying the chambers 2, 3 and the hot source and cold source passages 8, 9. The seal may be provided in some other way by replacing the radial tubes 4 by a rotor or at least by providing the outer part of the tubes 4 where they pass into the hot and cold source passages 8, 9 with a ring which provides a seal by sliding or rolling contact on counter-acting sealing means provided in the hot and cold source passages 8, 9.

To be able to utilize the rising flow of hot and cold gases in the hot and cold source passages it is advantageous to provide the chambers at least partially with blades 18 to improve the transmission of the movement.

Finally, the hot source may be replaced by a basin which heats up in response to solar radiation or which contains hot recuperation water and into which the chambers are successively immersed for heating, the cold source being formed by the exterior of the basin.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the motor comprises a stator 20 and a rotor 21.

The stator 20 is in the form of a toric tunnel (compare Figs. 6 and 7) comprising an insulating jacket 22 of, for example, rectangular, square or circular section, surrounding a chamber 23 in which a heat-vehicle fluid flows, and a chamber 24 in which a coolant fluid flows. Each chamber 23, 24 corresponds substantially to a semi-circle.

Rotor 21 rotates in the free space defined by the chambers 23, 24.

In a first embodiment (modules 25, 26), rotor 21 comprises a set of modules comprising a flexible partition 27 respectively defining chambers 28, 29 and 30,31.

Chambers 28, 30 contain a thermodynamic fluid adapted to vaporize and condense at the temperatures of the hot and cold sources of the motor.

The chambers 29, 31 are connected by a duct 32 and the whole of the volume thus defined contains a liquid whose boiling temperature is much higher than that of the hot source.

The liquid is thus delivered partially from the chamber (e.g. 29) on the hot source side to the chamber 31 on the cold source side, thus unbalancing the module and producing a driving torque which is applied to the motor output shaft.

Fig. 5 shows the deformation and position of the two partitions 27; in this example, the partitions are deformable but they could be replaced by a partition acting as a piston and enclosing a column of liquid.

According to another variant, which is not illustrated, for the purpose of increasing the motor possibilities the mass displaced during each cycle is increased. To this end, the two pistons can be connected by a piston rod which can be loaded by a weight if required.

Referring to Fig. 5, according to another embodiment, the module comprises two chambers 33, 34 each containing a deformable pocket 35 containing a thermodynamic fluid.

As before, the chambers 33, 34 are connected by a duct 36 via which they communicate. The volume thus defined contains a liquid which is inert at the installation operating temperatures, i.e.

it does not evaporate at the hot source temperature.

Vaporization of the thermodynamic liquid in the chamber 33 on the hot source side causes liquid to be delivered to chamber 34 on the cold source side and thus produces a driving torque.

Advantageously, to improve operation, the chambers of the different modules are insulated from one another.

The inlets and outlet of the heat-vehicle fluids of the hot and cold sources are denoted by references 37, 38; 39, 40.

Figs. 6 and 7 show two examples of tunnels for the hot and cold sources. The tunnels have a passage 41 for the ducts 32, 36 on the side facing the centre of the torus.

Finally, to prevent the partition 27 or pocket 35 from clogging the ducts 32, 36 the latter have a protective means 42 (Fig. 5).

The rotor 21 shown in Fig. 5 can also be applied to a hot source comprising the direct solar radiation. In that case the tunnel of the stator 20 is omitted at least in the part forming the hot source, or is replaced by a hothouse effect tunnel.

Claims

1. A rotary thermodynamic fluid motor, comprising a set of units which are connected for rotation and each formed by two rigid constantvolume modules situated diametrically opposite one another and containing a thermodynamic fluid which vaporizes and condenses successively depending on whether the module is subjected to the effect of the hot source or the cold source, the said motor being characterised in that each module comprises a sealed deformable chamber (6, 28, 30, 35) containing thermodynamic fluid and a heavy transmission means (4, 32, 36) which immediately and completely transmits any variation in the volume of one of the chambers (6, 28, 30, 35) to the other chamber, the transmission means thus assuming an unbalanced position which produces a torque which is transmitted to the motor shaft (7).

2. A motor according to claim 1, characterised in that the transmission means comprises a set of two pistons interconnected for movement and each piston forms the movable wall of each deformable chamber.

3. A motor according to claim 1, characterised in that the transmission means comprises a column (4) of liquid which is inert at the motor operating temperature and conditions, said column of liquid being contained between two pistons (5, 27, 35) defining the sealed variablevolume chambers each containing thermodynamic fluid.

4. A motor according to claim 3, characterised in that the pistons comprise deformable flexible partitions (27) or pockets (5, 35).

5. A motor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it comprises a stator (20) and a rotor (21), the stator (20) being in the form of a tunnel surrounded by a chamber (23) in which the heat-vehicle fluid of the hot source or of the cold source flows, said chamber in turn being enclosed by an insulating chamber (22) and the rotor (21) comprises different units formed by modules, the rotor moving in the chamber defined by the stator (20).

6. A motor according to claim 5, characterised in that the stator part corresponding to the hot source comprises a chamber which acts as a hothouse and the outer insulating chamber is omitted.

7. A motor according to claim 6, characterised in that the successive chambers of the different modules are thermally insulated from one another.