The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 05, 1989
Filed:
May. 10, 1988
Algerd Basiulis, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A thermal engine is disclosed which is operable as a heat pump, refrigerator, or air conditioner. Vaporized working fluid from a first evaporator, which extracts heat from elements desired to be cooled, is fed to a first region of an osmotic pump which also has a second region containing a solution of the working fluid and a preselected solute, the second region being separated from the first region by a membrane permeable to the vaporized working fluid but not to the solute. A second evaporator, which may be driven by waste heat, is operatively coupled to the second region of the osmotic pump by means of a counterflow heat exchanger having a first path for conveying relatively dilute solution from the second region of the osmotic pump to the second evaporator and a second path for conveying relatively concentrated solution from the second evaporator to the second region of the osmotic pump. Output heat from the thermal engine is obtained from a condenser which condenses vaporized working fluid from the second evaporator. The condensed working fluid undergoes constant enthalpy expansion, after which it is returned to the first evaporator.