Patent ID: 8739541

Claim:
A Rankine cycle system, comprising: an evaporator configured to receive heat from a heat source and circulate a working fluid to remove heat from the heat source; an expander in flow communication with the evaporator and configured to expand the working fluid fed from the evaporator; a condenser in flow communication with the expander and configured to condense the working fluid fed from the expander; a pump in flow communication with the condenser and configured to pump the working fluid fed from the condenser, a first conduit for feeding a first portion of the working fluid from the pump to the evaporator; and a second conduit for feeding a second portion of the working fluid from the pump directly to the expander, wherein the second portion of the working fluid is fed to at least one location in the expander, and wherein the expander comprises a multi-stage expander and the at least one location comprises a location in-between two stages of the multi-stage expander.