Patent ID: 11879409
Assignee: ICE THERMAL HARVESTING, LLC
Field: Engines, pumps, turbines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  Y | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A system to generate electrical power, the system comprising:
one or more heat exchanger valves positioned to divert a flow of compressed gas when flowing through an associated supply pipeline;
one or more heat exchanger inlet temperature sensors positioned on a portion of the associated supply pipeline upstream of the flow of compressed gas to an associated heat exchanger valve and to provide a gas inlet temperature;
one or more heat exchangers connected to one of the one or more heat exchanger valves, each of the one or more heat exchangers including: (a) a first fluid path to accept the flow of compressed gas via one of the one or more heat exchanger valves and output the flow of compressed gas, and (b) a second fluid path to output a flow of an intermediate working fluid;
one or more heat exchanger outlet temperature sensors associated with one of the one or more heat exchangers and to provide a gas outlet temperature;
one or more gas bypass valves positioned to divert a portion of flow of the compressed gas from one of the one or more heat exchangers based on gas inlet temperature and gas outlet temperature; and
a power generation unit including a generator, a gas expander, an internal heat exchanger, and a loop for the flow of main working fluid, and a first fluid path of an internal heat exchanger positioned internal to the power generation unit and separate from the one or more heat exchangers, the internal heat exchanger also including a second fluid path to connect to the one or more heat exchangers and the intermediate working fluid flowing therethrough, the internal heat exchanger positioned to transfer heat indirectly from the intermediate working fluid to the main working fluid, thereby to cause the main working fluid to change phases from a liquid to a vapor so that the vapor causes the generator to generate electrical power via rotation of the gas expander.