Method for extracting thermal energy from a medium

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a highly energy-efficient method and associated device for extracting thermal energy (heat) from a first medium (such as air or water) and transferring it to a second medium, using two different solutions circulating in separate circuits. The core of the system involves a semi-permeable membrane and specialized heat exchangers. One solution absorbs heat from the first medium and then releases it into the second medium, utilizing osmotic and vapor pressure differences to drive the energy transfer with minimal mechanical energy input. Unlike conventional refrigeration, this system does not require high-energy compressors, instead relying on the movement of solvent molecules through a membrane and/or gas phase between differently concentrated solutions.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Air conditioning systems for buildings or vehicles that require efficient cooling
• Refrigerators and freezers with improved energy efficiency
• Heat pump systems for residential or industrial heating and cooling
• Thermal management in data centers or electronic equipment
• Process cooling and heating in chemical or pharmaceutical industries
• Renewable energy storage where heat needs to be shifted or managed
• Geothermal energy applications, transferring ground heat for space heating

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly improved energy efficiency compared to conventional compressor-based systems
• Reduction or elimination of high-energy, high-maintenance compressors
• Lower operational costs due to decreased electrical energy consumption
• Flexibility in choice of working fluids and salts for optimization for specific applications
• Reduced environmental impact by potentially enabling the use of environmentally safe fluids (e.g., water, certain ionic liquids)
• Scalability for a wide range of applications from small appliances to industrial systems
• Potential to achieve higher Energy Efficiency Ratios (EER values), enabling more cost-effective and sustainable cooling and heating solutions

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The method involves absorbing solvent from a solution in a region. The solution is cooled and heated by the solution, where thermal energy is withdrawn from first medium by the solution over a heat exchanger (24) and transferred by another solution over another heat exchanger (26) to second medium. The heat exchangers are independently arranged from each other, and a high pressure abuts on a side of a membrane (13), which is contacted by the former solution with higher osmotic pressure than the latter solution at the predetermined temperature. An independent claim is also included for a device to perform a method for withdrawing thermal energy from medium and transferring thermal energy to the medium.