Abstract: A pug mill having a housing including a drive and bearings for rotatably mounting and driving a cantilevered shaft extending from one side of the housing. Associated with the housing and concentrically arranged about the shaft are, in seriatim, a vacuum chamber, a mixing chamber, an extruder and a reduction cone. A port about the shaft is positioned between the vacuum chamber and the mixing chamber. A source of vacuum maintains a vacuum within the vacuum chamber and creates a vacuum within the mixing chamber by air passing through the port. An auger associated with the shaft positioned within the extruder forces clay toward the reduction cone. This creates a seal for maintaining vacuum within the mixing chamber and extrudes cylindrical blocks of conditioned clay without significant air bubbles.

Abstract: A single fluid two-phase flow thermally activated heat pump is made to operate efficiently by incorporating rotating energy conversion components, principally a two-phase flow turbine. An efficient two-phase flow reaction turbine which powers a vapor compressor and a liquid pump is employed. The two-phase turbine extracts power from expanding two-phase flow which achieves low velocities. A rotating vapor compressor is positioned downstream of the turbine. The thermodynamic cycle is modified by utilizing full evaporation of the two-phase flow such that only dry vapor is pressurized in the compressor. The system is simpler and more efficient than most thermally activated heat pumps due to the integration of power producing and heat pumping thermodynamic cycles. The heat pump is contemplated for such applications as air conditioning, cooling, heating and industrial heat pumps.