Patent ID: 7971449

Claim:
A heat-activated heat-pump system, comprising a power cycle coupled to a vapor-compression refrigeration cycle both utilizing the same working fluid; the power cycle comprising a boiler that vaporizes and superheats the working fluid, an expander coupled to receive superheated vapor from the boiler and configured to produce work from the superheated vapor, a condenser coupled to receive working fluid from the expander and configured to condense the working fluid, a pump coupled to receive condensed working fluid from the condenser and to return the working fluid to the boiler, and a regenerator coupled to conduct a first stream of the working fluid from the pump to the boiler and to conduct a second stream of the working fluid from the expander to the condenser while transferring heat from the second stream to the first stream; the refrigeration cycle comprising the condenser, a pressure-reducing throttling valve, an evaporator coupled to receive reduced-pressure working fluid via the throttling valve from the condenser and configured to expand the working fluid sufficiently to cool the working fluid, and a compressor configured to compress the working fluid from the evaporator and to deliver the compressed working fluid to the condenser; and the expander and compressor being coupled together such that at least a portion of the work produced by the expander is utilized for running the compressor, the expander being configured to achieve expansion of the superheated vapor of the working fluid substantially adiabatically and substantially isentropically.