Patent ID: 11898578
Assignee: HAMFOP TECHNOLOGIES LLC
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  F  Y | IPC F

Claim 0:
1. A heat-activated multiphase fluid-operated pump, comprising:
a hot chamber containing a working fluid and receptive of externally applied heat to convert the working fluid into vapor;
a pressure-control safety valve coupled to an exit port of the hot chamber and maintaining the working fluid in the hot chamber at a set target pressure and allowing vaporized working fluid to escape through the exit port whenever the target pressure is exceeded;
a liquid-piston chamber coupled to the pressure-control safety valve to receive vaporized working fluid from the hot chamber at the target pressure, the vaporized working fluid expanding adiabatically and displacing liquid within the liquid-piston chamber, expelling it therefrom in a pumping stage of a thermodynamic cycle;
a unidirectional pump-exit check valve coupled to an exit port of the liquid-piston chamber to allow the displaced liquid to exit the liquid-piston chamber;
a unidirectional liquid suction-entry check valve coupled to a return port of the liquid-piston chamber;
a condenser coupled to the pump-exit and suction-entry check valves to receive displaced liquid and allow it to return to the liquid-piston chamber in a suction stage of the thermodynamic cycle; and
a unidirectional vapor-injector return check valve coupled to both an exit port of the liquid-piston chamber and to an input port of the hot chamber, wherein periodic pressure pulses from the liquid-piston chamber that temporarily exceed the pressure in the hot chamber facilitate jets of condensed fluid to return in successive brief spurts.