Sperry Rand Corporation

Active Power, Inc.

Kenneth E Nichols

Joseph F Pinkerton

David B Clifton

William D Batton

Michael D Forsha

James E Dillard

A continuous power system provides a continuous supply of power to a load in the event that primary power fails or is degraded. The continuous power system includes an electrical machine, a turbine and a flywheel coupled to a shaft. When utility power is present, the machine operates as a motor to drive the shaft. During outages, the electrical machine operates as a generator to provide power to the load. Kinetic energy stored in the flywheel drives the shaft during initial power interruptions. During further short-term interruptions, a thermal energy supply (or thermal storage device) is used to provide vaporized liquid to the turbine so that the turbine drives the shaft. If the power loss or failure is extended, the turbine is driven by vapor produced by an evaporator heated from an external fuel supply. Numerous methods and apparatus are also described for reducing system losses and improving overall performance.

Method and apparatus for providing a continuous supply of electric power

A geothermal energy transfer and utilization system extracts thermal energy stored in hot solute-bearing well water to generate super-heated steam from an injected flow of clean water; the super-heated steam is then used for driving a turbine-driven pump at the well bottom for pumping the hot solute-bearing water at high pressure and always in liquid state to the earth's surface, where it is used by transfer of its heat content to a closed-loop vapor generator-turbine-alternator combination for the generation of electrical or other power. Cooled, clean water is regenerated by the surface-located system for re-injection into the deep well and the residual concentrated solute-bearing water is pumped back into the earth. The invention features heat exchanger apparatus located adjacent the turbine-driven pump for permitting steam exhausted by the turbine to cool that part of the re-injected water used as a hydraulic bearing lubricant.

Geothermal energy system heat exchanger and control apparatus

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Arvada, CO, United States of America

Kenneth E Nichols