Pump for Energy and Volatile Substances

Abstract

A novel pump design for energy and volatile substances exhibits a high level of reliability and durability with minimal amount of wear on parts constituting the novel pump design. In one embodiment of the invention, a volatile substance is transformed from a solid state or a liquid state to a gaseous (i.e. vaporized) state using a thermal transfer method at a vaporizer, and transformed back to the solid state or the liquid state at a condenser after traveling through an energy conduit (e.g. a continuous cavity). Physical properties of matter such as pressure differences, diffusion, forward, and reverse thermal transfer methods are utilized for operation of a pump according to an embodiment of the invention. A heating mechanism which maintains the interior of the energy conduit above a threshold temperature of the volatile substance can be utilized for a greater pump efficiency.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

As a continuation-in-part application, this patent application claims priority to a U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 12/462,355 filed on Aug. 3, 2009.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to transporting energy and/or one or more substances over short or long distances. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel design for a pump which can transport energy and volatile substances.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Devices which can transport substances and energy from one place to another have existed for many millenniums. A classical example of such a device is a mechanical water pump designed to transport liquids over near or long distances. A typical mechanical water pump requires some motion caused by the pump to the transported liquid for movement of the transported liquid. Examples of these designs include corkscrew pumps, piston pumps, diaphragm pumps, and rotary pumps. A conventional pump typically involves moving liquids by a motion within the conventional pump.

There are several disadvantages with conventional pump designs such as a mechanical water pump. One drawback is that parts constituting a mechanical pump are subject to wear and tear, thereby causing at least some parts to be replaced regularly. Moreover, lubrication used to minimize unwanted friction, wear, and tear can leak into a substance (e.g. liquid) pumped by the mechanical pump. Furthermore, although the mechanical efficiency of a mechanical pump can be quite high, the energy efficiency of a typical mechanical pump is substantially lower, which leaves some room for efficiency improvement using other pump designs.

In recent years, some new pump designs which do not use moving parts in their mechanisms of action have been created. These recent pump designs have relatively minimal wear on parts and exhibit a high level of durability. For example, pumps using capillary action, energy flow, electromagnetic properties of water, and other various physical properties can be designed to minimize physical wear, energy requirements, and construction costs.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,864 describes a pump which uses capillary action. The pump design disclosed in this patent utilizes both capillary action and liquid vaporization to move liquid, which involves transforming the liquid into a vapor state. The resulting vapor is then released from the pump, causing the capillary action to draw more vapor into the pump. One major drawback to this design is that the pump requires a significant energy input to the system, which is typically provided using an electrical heater. Moreover, the liquid moved by the pump may still include one or more non-volatile dissolved substances and/or particulate matters which are undesirable for the operation of the pump. Furthermore, a practical operating distance for this pump may be limited.

Another recent pump design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,001. A water pump design disclosed in this patent moves water by using electrostatic attraction of ions in the water. When the ions in the water are mobilized, they also mobilize water with them, thereby moving the water from one charged plate to another. This mechanism of mobilizing water using the ions exploits physical characteristics related to the natural viscosity of water and typically-ionized states of water contents inside a water pump. A drawback of this water pump design is that a significant amount of external energy (i.e. electrical energy) is required for the charged plates to function according to the intended design objectives of the water pump. Moreover, this design requires liquid inside the pump to contain charged ions, which means deionized water or other uncontaminated molecular liquid cannot be transported effectively using the disclosed design. Therefore, types of liquids which can be used with this pump design may be limited.

Yet another pump design utilizes solar still technology, such as one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,447. This pump design utilizes solar energy to cause evaporation of liquid inside the pump on one end of the pump and condensation on the other end of the pump to transport the liquid. This solar distillation technology is somewhat related to the present invention, but exhibits some major differences. First, the pump design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,447 utilizes a method of moving the vapor forcibly from an evaporator unit to a condenser unit, which increases the complexity of the pump design and adds a power draining requirement to the device, which effectively reduces the benefit of using solar energy. Another difference is that in the pump design of U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,447, a conduit of the pump is not actively heated. The lack of active heating to the conduit causes some vapors to condense within the conduit, and the condensed vapors do not reach an intended destination (e.g. the condenser unit). This inefficiency potentially limits an achievable flow rate of the device and may require more forcible method of moving the vapor.

The existing devices related to solar distillation technology are currently focused on the generation of heat or electrical power instead of the generation of motive force. Existing publications, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,804,962 and 6,797,124, are concerned with heating salty liquid and pooling steam generated by the salty liquid. These publications disclose designs which may be complicated in device construction and do not easily pump energy. Furthermore, the salty liquid pumping methods and apparatuses are generally incapable of moving other volatile compounds such as naphthalene or superheated sodium at high temperatures. Moreover, they cannot pump substances over long distances.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,954 describes a solar water pump capable of pumping water from a container at a lower elevation to another container at a higher elevation. This solar water pump uses solar energy to vaporize water, relocates the vapor through a pressure chamber to a condenser, and forces the vapor into a container at a higher elevation. The pump uses solar energy to create a high pressure which is the main motive force for the movement of water.

A variety of distillation technologies exist today, including some which do not utilize solar energy. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,734 discloses a vertical movement of vapor, which is achieved by a vertically-oriented pathway accommodating the vapor, or by using one or more long condensers with a slight declination over a long distance. One typical phenomenon that occurs in a distillation apparatus is reflux. This phenomenon is the condensation of the vapor in a distiller along a pathway from an evaporator to a condenser. The reflux may limit an amount of liquid transported to an intended destination. Typically, the reflux is characterized by a characteristic distance λ, which indicates the distance required for the reflux to reduce the amount of vapor by a factor of 1/e. If a vapor pathway has a distance of nλ, the amount of vapor decreases by a factor of 1/eⁿ.

Some devices, such as one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,805, suggest methods of reducing the effect of this characteristic distance, but this does not fully resolve problems associated with the reflux. As a result, the realistic transport distance for the vapor in a conventional distillation device is limited. If the volatile substance or other related components sublime, the volatile substance or the other related components do not reflux, but they can crystallize along the pathway of a distillation device. This crystallization may limit an optimized flow of substances to an intended destination and may completely clog the pathway to the intended destination at some point.

Currently, several patent disclosures exist for heated conduits. The devices disclosed by these patents generally utilize electric heaters within the conduits or externally-pumped fluids to heat the liquid inside the conduits. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,729,481 and 5,791,377 disclose conduits which use heating elements to transfer energy to the fluid within the conduits. However, both patents disclose uses with internal liquid fluids and have no provisions for entirely heating the interior of the conduit. As a result, these types of conduits are very unlikely to achieve reflux-free operation. Moreover, the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,729,481 and 5,791,377 are generally incapable of transporting materials and energy themselves, and additional components are necessary to achieve transportation of materials and energy.

It may be advantageous to devise a novel pump design which can transfer energy and substances without much limitation to a transportable distance (i.e. either a short distance or a long distance). In addition, it may also be beneficial to devise a novel pump which does not require an exorbitant amount of external energy. Furthermore, it may also be advantageous to devise a novel pump which is generally durable, easy to construct, and inexpensive to maintain.

SUMMARY

Summary and Abstract summarize some aspects of the present invention. Simplifications or omissions may have been made to avoid obscuring the purpose of the Summary or the Abstract. These simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, a pump for energy and a volatile substance is disclosed. This pump comprises a vaporizer configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the vaporizer is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state; an energy conduit operatively connected to the vaporizer, wherein the energy conduit is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the vaporizer to a condenser, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the vaporizer; the condenser configured to receive the volatile substance from the energy conduit, wherein the condenser is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the condenser has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and a conduit heater or a conduit-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the energy conduit to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

In another embodiment of the invention, another pump for energy and a volatile substance is also disclosed. This pump comprises a source region configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the source region is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state; a transport region operatively connected to the source region, wherein the transport region is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the source region to a destination region, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the source region; the destination region configured to receive the volatile substance from the transport region, wherein the destination region is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the destination region has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and a transport-region heater or a transport region-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the transport region to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with a heated energy conduit by solar energy, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with an in-line generator installed, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with an in-line generator and a substance return conduit which returns condensed materials from a condenser to a vaporizer, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures. Like elements in the various figures are denoted by like reference numerals for consistency.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description.

The detailed description is presented largely in terms of procedures, logic blocks, processing, and/or other symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble apparatuses and/or supports which are associated with or parts of a pump for energy and volatile substances. These process descriptions and representations are the means used by those experienced or skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.

Reference herein to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the Specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, separate or alternative embodiments are not necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments.

The present invention is conceived by Dr. Sanza T. Kazadi and Mr. Mark Webb, both United States Citizens residing in Alhambra and Santa Monica, Calif., respectively. The invention relates to a novel pump design capable of transporting energy and/or at least one substance. The present invention is also related to transporting a volatile substance under conditions of volatility, such as a temperature or pressure variation. For example, a volatile substance comprising metallic sodium may be “pumped” (i.e. transported) in the present invention above a specified temperature, while a lower temperature than the specified temperature do not result in transportation of this particular volatile substance.

Furthermore, one or more embodiments of the present invention are related to providing a novel pump design which is relatively simple to manufacture with fewer parts than many existing pump designs. In addition, one or more embodiments of the present invention are related to combining and separating energy and/or at least one substance during an operation of a novel pump disclosed herein. Moreover, one or more embodiments of the present invention are related to transforming thermal energy to another form, which may be mechanical, electrical, or another form of energy.

For the purpose of describing the invention, a term “volatile” is defined as thermally expandable and/or condensable, which can cause a state of matter change for a certain substance when a certain amount of heat energy is added or transferred out of the certain substance. Examples of states of matter include, but are not limited to, a solid state, a liquid state, and a gaseous (i.e. vapor) state.

For the purpose of describing the invention, a term “diffusion” is defined as a process in which particles or molecules of a substance are agitated to move from one region to another, sometimes due to a transfer of energy (e.g. an addition of heat, cooling, and/or other heat energy transfers).

One aspect of an embodiment of the invention is to transport energy and/or a substance using a novel pump which is durable and relatively simple to manufacture and maintain. Another aspect of an embodiment of the invention is to utilize an energy-efficient method to provide energy to the novel pump design which may assist transportation of energy and/or substances. Yet another aspect of an embodiment of the invention is to provide a highly-efficient pump which can also transport and/or transform energy and/or substances over a long distance.

The present invention discloses a novel pump which transports energy and/or volatile substances from one region to another region. In some embodiments of the invention, moving parts are not required for the operation of the pump as disclosed in the Specification. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, both regions are contained within an energy conduit, which is also called a “transport region” or a “continuous cavity”. One or more substances, which are transported by the pump, may be transformed from a solid state or a liquid state to a vapor state via absorption of related energy.

The present invention also discloses a method of transferring energy and one or more volatile substances at a high energy efficiency. High energy efficiencies can be more easily achieved if energy transfers occur at a molecular level rather than through bulk movements such as a piston movement or a diaphragm. Furthermore, the present invention discloses an efficient method of placing mechanical work directly on the one or more volatile substances without wasting much of the mechanical work on surrounding components or other parts of a pump.

In one embodiment of the invention, diffusion may cause the one or more substances in a vapor state to move through the energy conduit at a particular rate at least partly determined by temperature and pressure within the energy conduit. The one or more substances can transform back to the liquid state or the solid state via an energy transfer out of the energy conduit at a second region (i.e. a destination region for the one or more substances near a condenser), which may be substantially distant from a first region (i.e. a source region for the one or more substances near a vaporizer), wherein the one or more substances may be transformed into the vapor state in the first region.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more substances do not transform back into a liquid state or a solid state inside the energy conduit except at a designated location such as the second region (i.e. the destination region), because the interior wall of the energy conduit is heated to a temperature above a transition point (e.g. condensation point) from the vapor state of the one or more substances to another state of matter (e.g. the liquid state or the solid state). The energy and/or the one or more substances can be transferred to the second region (i.e. the destination region), which may be operatively connected to an external region to further transfer the energy and/or the one or more substances out of the pump embodied in the present invention.

This novel pump design can serve several main functions: efficient transfer of energy and substances from one region to another region and energy transformation capabilities (e.g. electrical power generation). Furthermore, the novel pump design disclosed in the present invention exhibits several advantages over conventional pump designs in numerous circumstances. For example, embodiments of the invention neither requires a high pressure nor a pressure chamber for proper operation of the pump. Embodiments of the invention can operate properly at high or low pressures in an energy conduit. In contrast, some conventional pumps require high pressure inside the pump to move substances over a long distance, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,954. In practice, the high pressure requirement inside the pump in some conventional designs can be prohibitive due to limitations related to gravitational forces or natural viscosity. Unlike these conventional designs, embodiments of the present invention does not place restrictions on distance. Furthermore, overcoming gravitational forces can be achieved by automatically calibrating the amount of absorbed energy during changes of physical states (e.g. condensation) to the distance between a source region and a destination region.

FIG. 1 shows a simplified diagram of a pump for energy and one or more volatile substances in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. This simplified diagram comprises one principle component separated into three principle regions:

(a) A vaporizer (11) (i.e. a source region)

(b) An energy conduit (12) (e.g. a transport region)

(c) A condenser (6) (i.e. a destination region)

In one embodiment of the invention, the pump for energy and volatile substances comprise an energy conduit (12) includes a heated interior surface (2) surrounded by a thermally-insulating layer (1). In the vaporizer (11) of the pump illustrated in FIG. 1, thermal energy is added to a volatile substance inserted through one or more entry holes. Then, the volatile substance is transformed into a vapor state by a heater or a heating mechanism (13). The vaporized volatile substance then moves through a cavity surrounded by the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) towards the condenser (6) via pressure differences and/or diffusion. The energy contained in the molecular carriers of the vaporized volatile substance is also transported to the condenser (6) and absorbed from the vaporized volatile substance by the condenser, which involves cooling or condensation of the volatile substance from its vaporized state to a liquid state or a solid state.

In this embodiment of the invention, the volatile substance travels from the vaporizer (11) to a cavity surrounded by the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) through a vaporizer-to-energy conduit connection (7, 8, 9), which may include one or more connection holes, hoses, and/or connection pipes. Likewise, once the volatile substance in a vaporized state is traveling within the cavity surrounded by heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) towards the condenser (6), an energy conduit-to-condenser connection (3, 4, 5), which comprises one or more connection holes, hoses, and/or connection pipes, accommodates collection of the volatile substance in the condenser (6). In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the condenser (6) cools and/or transforms the collected volatile substance in a vaporized state back to a liquid state or a solid state. Typically, a condensation process in the condenser (6) involves transferring heat out of the volatile substance.

Continuing with FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention, the vaporizer (11) contains or is operatively connected to a heater or a heating mechanism (13), which is capable of increasing the temperature of the volatile substance contained in the vaporizer (11) above a threshold temperature of vaporization for that particular volatile substance. In one embodiment of the invention, the heater or the heating mechanism (13) may be a combustion-heated pad, an electric heater, a solar energy-based heating mechanism, or another heating mechanism.

Furthermore, the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) is surrounded by a thermally-insulating layer (1), which may comprise an insulating material or an insulating vacuum. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the heated interior surface (2) contains or is operatively connected to one or more conduit heaters (10) or other conduit-heating mechanisms. In another embodiment of the invention, the one or more conduit heaters (10) or other conduit-heating mechanisms are alternatively called “transport-region heaters” or other “transport region-heating mechanisms.” The one or more conduit heaters (10) are designed to maintain the temperature of the heated interior surface (2) above the threshold temperature of vaporization for a particular volatile substance. The one or more conduit heaters (10) may be electric heaters, solar energy-based heating mechanisms, chemical combustion heaters, heat exchangers transferring heat generated remotely, or any other appropriate heating mechanism. It should be noted that maintenance of temperature above the threshold temperature of vaporization for the particular volatile substance within the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) keeps the pump highly efficient and minimizes any reflux during transport of the volatile substance.

Continuing with FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention, the condenser (6) contains or is operatively connected to a heat sink (14) and/or other appropriate cooling mechanism, which are capable of decreasing the temperature of the collected volatile substance to cause condensation of the volatile substance in a vapor state to a liquid state or a solid state in the condenser (6). In one embodiment of the invention, the condensation of the vapor in the condenser (6) generates a low pressure (i.e. a pressure gradient from a higher-pressure vaporizer (11) to a lower-pressure condenser (6)), which may further assist the movement of the vaporized volatile substance still in the energy conduit (12) and the production of more vapors in the vaporizer (11).

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the pump for energy and one or more volatile substances comprises the following principle components.

(a) An unpumped reservoir (22);

(b) A pumped reservoir (18);

(c) A vaporizer (11) (i.e. a source region)

(d) An energy conduit (12) (e.g. a continuous cavity)

(e) A condenser (6) (i.e. a destination region)

In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the unpumped reservoir (22) is a sealed chamber configured to contain a volatile substance before pumping. Likewise, the pumped reservoir (18) is also a sealed chamber configured to contain the volatile substance after transport (i.e. pumping) is complete. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, each reservoir is a sealed chamber capable of holding the volatile substance while being operatively connected to the energy conduit (12) (alternatively called a “continuous cavity” or a “transport region”) with hoses, pipes, and/or openings (19, 20, 21, 15, 16, 17). In particular, an unpumped reservoir-to-vaporizer connection (19, 20, 21) comprises a first set of one or more hoses, pipes, and/or openings, which form a pathway for the volatile substance from the unpumped reservoir (22) to the vaporizer (11), as illustrated in FIG. 2. An entry hole (19) is configured to receive the volatile substance from the unpumped reservoir (22) to the vaporizer. Likewise, a condenser-to-pumped reservoir connection (15, 16, 17) comprises a second set of one or more hoses, pipes, and/or openings, which form a pathway for the volatile substance from the condenser (6) to the pumped reservoir (18), as illustrated in FIG. 2. The exit hole (15) is configured to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump.

In one embodiment of the invention, the volatile substance is capable of flowing into the vaporizer (11) in a liquid state from the unpumped reservoir (22). In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the energy conduit (12) is a long cylindrical region operatively connected to the vaporizer (11) and the condenser (6). As shown in FIG. 2, in the vaporizer (11), energy is added to the volatile substance using a heater or a heating mechanism (13), which results in a state of matter change to a gaseous (i.e. vaporized state). The added energy is typically thermal energy for vaporization of the volatile substance. Pressure differences and/or diffusion cause the vaporized volatile substance to travel through a cavity surrounded by the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12). In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) may be thermally insulated from an external environment using a thermally-insulating layer (1) which surrounds the heated interior surface (2). Furthermore, the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) may also be heated above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance using one or more conduit heaters (10), so that not much energy loss, if any, occurs during the transport of the volatile substance within the pump.

Furthermore, in this embodiment of the invention, the volatile substance travels from the vaporizer (11) to the cavity surrounded by the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) through a vaporizer-to-energy conduit connection (7, 8, 9), which may include one or more connection holes, hoses, and/or connection pipes. These connection holes, hoses, and/or connection pipes may be thermally insulated from the external environment. Likewise, once the volatile substance in a vaporized state is traveling within the cavity surrounded by heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12) towards the condenser (6), an energy conduit-to-condenser connection (3, 4, 5), which comprises one or more connection holes, hoses, and/or connection pipes, accommodates collection of the volatile substance in the condenser (6). Once the vaporized volatile substance reaches the condenser (6), energy is transferred out of the volatile substance (e.g. via cooling), which results in a state of matter change back to a liquid state or a solid state at the condenser (6). Other elements labels in FIG. 2 are identical to labels and related descriptions in those of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with a heated energy conduit by solar energy, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The configuration of the diagram of FIG. 3 is similar to the diagram of FIG. 1, but the diagram of FIG. 3 adds solar panels, reflectors, and/or photosensitive materials (27), which can provide heating for the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12). In this particular embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 3, one or more conduit heaters (10) or conduit-heating mechanisms from FIG. 1 may be present or absent, depending on a particular configuration of the solar panels, reflectors, and/or photosensitive materials (27) relative to the heated interior surface (2) of the energy conduit (12). Other elements labels in FIG. 3 are identical to labels and related descriptions in those of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with an in-line generator (23) installed, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment of the invention, the in-line generator (23) is placed between the energy conduit (12) and the condenser (6). In another embodiment of the invention, the in-line generator (23) may be placed between the energy conduit (12) and the vaporizer (11). The in-line generator (23) utilizes the fast-moving vapors between the energy conduit (12) and the condenser (6) to activate a turbine or another power-generating device to generate power. Other elements labels in FIG. 4 are identical to labels and related descriptions in those of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 shows a diagram of a pump for energy and volatile substances with an in-line generator (23) and a substance return conduit (25) which returns a condensed volatile substance from a condenser (6) to a vaporizer (11). Similar to the diagram of FIG. 4, in this embodiment of the invention, the in-line generator (23) is placed between the energy conduit (12) and the condenser (6). In another embodiment of the invention, the in-line generator (23) may be placed between the energy conduit (12) and the vaporizer (11). The in-line generator (23) utilizes the fast-moving vapors between the energy conduit (12) and the condenser (6) to activate a turbine or another power-generating device to generate power, while the substance return conduit (25) circulates the volatile substance back to the vaporizer (11) through an exit hole (26) in the condenser (6) and an entry hole (24) in the vaporizer (11), once the volatile substance is condensed in the condenser (6). Other elements labels in FIG. 5 are identical to labels and related descriptions in those of FIG. 1 and FIG. 4.

In practice, a pump design based on an embodiment of the invention has recorded a high pump efficiency. Some technologists have estimated that the potentially-achievable theoretical efficiency may be even higher. It should be noted that transferring energy to the volatile substance in accordance with an embodiment of the invention has several advantages. First, molecular carriers moving energy from one point to another through an insulated energy conduit (i.e. interchangeably called a continuous cavity or a transport region) transfer little or no energy external to the pump, even if one takes account of potential energy loss sources including electromagnetic energy, thermal energy leak, or noise. The energy transfer mechanism as disclosed in the invention can generally remain safe even when the pump is malfunctioning, inoperable, or breaks down. Furthermore, any accidental and external release of such molecular carriers into the atmosphere will have relatively minimal environmental impact. In addition, the pump's energy transfer efficiencies can remain high when heat transfer, pressure differences, diffusion, and condensation are utilized for transport of a volatile substance, thereby making a long-distance pumping application particularly efficient over conventional pumps. Furthermore, the energy generated at one place (e.g. near a source region) may be transferred to another place (e.g. near a destination region) with minimal environmental impact and exhibit a high pump efficiency.

Other advantages of at least some embodiments of the invention include transforming solar energy to gravitational potential energy at a high energy efficiency. Once this energy is transformed to the gravitational potential energy, it is possible to transform it to electrical energy. Such a system can be a closed-loop system in which the molecular carrier returns to a first energy transfer region after using a turbine or another device to transform gravitational energy to electrical energy. This energy can further be transferred to a remote area without a need for conveying wires and associated electromagnetic signals, because simple tubes, aqueducts, pipes, and similar mechanisms may be used for the transport of energy.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, as the molecular carrier of a volatile substance is transported via pressure differences and/or diffusion through a heated energy conduit, thermal energy transfer to the energy conduit from the molecular carrier vapor is kept at a minimum because the energy conduit is heated above a threshold temperature of vaporization for that particular volatile substance. Therefore, the vaporized volatile substance can pass through the energy conduit without condensing or refluxing. As a result, the characteristic distance λ could be kept near infinite, which enables the transport of the vaporized volatile substance over a long distances (i.e. both vertically and horizontally) possible. As a result, this method can be used to transport liquids and solids vertically within skyscrapers, over mountainous regions, and over very long horizontal distances. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, the transport of the volatile substance can occur at a very high speed due to a high rate of diffusion of the vapors, which allows a rapid delivery compared to a molecular carrier of the same volatile substance in a liquid state.

Once this energy is transformed to the gravitational potential energy, it is possible to transform it to electrical energy. Moreover, such a system can be a closed loop system in which the molecular carrier returns to the first energy transfer region after using a turbine or other technology to transform gravitational energy to electrical energy. Finally, this energy could be transferred to a remote area without requiring wires, electromagnetic signals, and etc. Simple continuous cavity, energy conduits, aqueducts, and/or pipes may be used for transfer of energy. Another advantage is using little to no moving parts or specialized materials which may be expensive to manufacture, assemble, and/or maintain. The capital investment required for the initial manufacturing of the pump and subsequent maintenance work is relatively low in comparison to conventional pumps, which typically require frequent service and parts replacement.

The pump design disclosed by one or more embodiments of the invention may use glass, metal, stone, wood, plastic, cloth, and/or any other natural or synthetic materials for construction of the energy conduit, the thermal transfer regions (i.e. including a vaporizer and a condenser), and/or volatile substance reservoirs.

One additional advantage of the current invention not anticipated by conventional pumps is that the pump in accordance with the invention can automatically equilibrate to an internal condition of the pump, which allows output conditions (e.g. energy output of the pump and the pumping rate of the pump) to match input conditions. This means that the conditions within the pump can automatically calibrate to match the output energy with the input energy. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, a particular geometry of a condenser (i.e. a destination region) can make a contact between the second energy transfer region and an external region at a very high temperature. If an energy input comes from a light source (e.g. solar energy), the temperature of the second energy transfer region can be very high. Therefore, the present invention may also be used as an accumulator of light energy and deliver a high level of heat energy (i.e. at an elevated temperature) to a specific destination.

While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments can be devised which do not depart from the scope of the invention as disclosed herein. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A pump for energy and a volatile substance, the pump comprising:

a vaporizer configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the vaporizer is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state;

an energy conduit operatively connected to the vaporizer, wherein the energy conduit is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the vaporizer to a condenser, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the vaporizer;

the condenser configured to receive the volatile substance from the energy conduit, wherein the condenser is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the condenser has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and

a conduit heater or a conduit-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the energy conduit to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

2. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, wherein the conduit heater or the conduit-heating mechanism utilizes a solar reflector and/or a photosensitive material to gather sufficient energy for heating the interior surface of the energy conduit.

3. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising a heater or a heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the vaporizer, wherein the heater or the heating mechanism is capable of heating the volatile substance contained in the vaporizer beyond a temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

4. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, wherein the conduit heater or the conduit-heating mechanism is based on a combustion-heated pad, an electric heater, or another heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the interior surface of the energy conduit.

5. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink and/or another cooling mechanism operatively contacting or connected to the condenser to condense the volatile substance to the liquid state or the solid state.

6. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising an unpumped reservoir operatively connected to the entry hole of the vaporizer, wherein the unpumped reservoir contains the volatile substance in a liquid state or a solid state and causes a movement of the volatile substance into the vaporizer if the pump is activated.

7. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising a pumped reservoir operatively connected to the exit hole of the condenser, wherein the pumped reservoir is able to receive and contain the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state from the exit hole of the condenser.

8. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising a thermally-insulating layer surrounding the interior surface of the energy conduit, wherein the thermally-insulating layer is a vacuum layer or an insulation layer which prevents any significant heat transfer between an external environment and the interior surface of the energy conduit.

9. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, wherein the vaporizer, the condenser, and/or the energy conduit are largely made of glass, metal, stone, wood, plastic, cloth, and/or any other natural or synthetic materials.

10. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, wherein the volatile substance may be water, another liquid, or a solid material.

11. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 1, further comprising an in-line generator positioned between the energy conduit and the condenser, or between the energy conduit and the vaporizer for generation of electricity using a turbine or another electricity-generating device.

12. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 11, further comprising a substance return conduit positioned between the condenser and the vaporizer, wherein the substance return conduit circulates the volatile substance back to the vaporizer after vapors from the volatile substance travel through the in-line generator.

13. A pump for energy and a volatile substance, the pump comprising:

a source region configured to receive the volatile substance from an entry hole, wherein the source region is capable of adding heat energy to the volatile substance to transform the volatile substance to a vaporized state;

a transport region operatively connected to the source region, wherein the transport region is capable of transporting the volatile substance via pressure differences and/or diffusion from the source region to a destination region, if the volatile substance is transformed to the vaporized state in the source region;

the destination region configured to receive the volatile substance from the transport region, wherein the destination region is capable of transforming the vaporized state of the volatile substance back to a liquid state or a solid state by cooling or transferring the heat energy out of the volatile substance, and wherein the destination region has an exit hole to move the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state out of the pump; and

a transport-region heater or a transport region-heating mechanism capable of heating an interior surface of the transport region to maintain a temperature of the interior surface above a threshold temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

14. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, wherein the transport-region heater or the transport region-heating mechanism utilizes a solar reflector and/or a photosensitive material to gather sufficient energy for heating the interior surface of the transport region.

15. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising a heater or a heating mechanism operatively contacting, radiating, or connected to the source region, wherein the heater or the heating mechanism is capable of heating the volatile substance contained in the source region beyond a temperature of vaporization for the volatile substance.

16. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising a heat sink and/or another cooling mechanism operatively contacting or connected to the destination region to condense the volatile substance to the liquid state or the solid state.

17. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising an unpumped reservoir operatively connected to the entry hole of the source region, wherein the unpumped reservoir contains the volatile substance in a liquid state or a solid state and causes a movement of the volatile substance into the source region if the pump is activated.

18. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising a pumped reservoir operatively connected to the exit hole of the destination region, wherein the pumped reservoir is able to receive and contain the volatile substance in the liquid state or the solid state from the exit hole of the destination region.

19. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising a thermally-insulating layer surrounding the interior surface of the transport region, wherein the thermally-insulating layer is a vacuum layer or an insulation layer which prevents any significant heat transfer between an external environment and the interior surface of the transport region.

20. The pump for energy and the volatile substance of claim 13, further comprising an in-line generator positioned between the transport region and the destination region, or between the transport region and the source region for generation of electricity using a turbine or another electricity-generating device.