Seatrec, Inc.

California Institute of Technology

United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Yi Chao

Jack A Jones

Michael Martin Zedelmair

Robin Edward Willis

David M Fratantoni

Thomas I Valdez

Robert Scott Leland

An apparatus for fabricating an internally finned pressure vessel includes a plurality of positioning discs, each of the positioning discs defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced slots extending radially into the positioning disc from a perimeter thereof, and one or more rods extending through the plurality of positioning discs, the plurality of positioning discs being held in axial alignment by the one or more rods. A method of fabricating the internally finned pressure vessel includes providing the apparatus, loading a plurality of fins into the slots of the positioning discs, inserting the apparatus containing the plurality of fins into a pressure vessel, attaching the plurality of fins to the pressure vessel by a brazing process, and removing the apparatus from the pressure vessel.

Apparatus and method for making internally finned pressure vessel

A method of electricity production using water thermal energy includes compressing an enclosed working fluid at a first vertical position relative to a surface of a body of water to cause the fluid to move to a second vertical position relative to the surface and subsequently move to the first position in a closed loop, an external environment at the second position having a greater temperature than an external environment at the first position such that the fluid transitions between a liquid phase at the first position and a vapor phase at the second position, the compressing using power from a battery, and expanding the fluid at the second position to generate electricity to charge the battery. The first and second positions may be two depths of the body of water or a height of an atmosphere above the body of water and a depth of the body of water.

Environmental thermal energy conversion

An energy producing device, for example a submersible vehicle for descending or ascending to different depths within water or ocean, is disclosed. The vehicle comprises a temperature-responsive material to which a hydraulic fluid is associated. A pressurized storage compartment stores the fluid as soon as the temperature-responsive material changes density. The storage compartment is connected with a hydraulic motor, and a valve allows fluid passage from the storage compartment to the hydraulic motor. An energy storage component, e.g. a battery, is connected with the hydraulic motor and is charged by the hydraulic motor when the hydraulic fluid passes through the hydraulic motor. Upon passage in the hydraulic motor, the fluid is stored in a further storage compartment and is then sent back to the area of the temperature-responsive material.

Phase change material thermal power generator

A power generation system includes a plurality of submerged mechanical devices. Each device includes a pump that can be powered, in operation, by mechanical energy to output a pressurized output liquid flow in a conduit. Main output conduits are connected with the device conduits to combine pressurized output flows output from the submerged mechanical devices into a lower number of pressurized flows. These flows are delivered to a location remote of the submerged mechanical devices for power generation.

Power generation systems and methods

An underwater vehicle includes a shaft with a propeller disposed thereon; a generator/motor having a stator and a rotor, the rotor being operable to rotate with the propeller; at least one energy storage device connected to the generator/motor; and a controller for setting the generator/motor in a charge mode, a propulsion mode and an idle mode.

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Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Yi Chao