Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PRODUCING ELECTRICAL ENERGY
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[001] This is a continuation of pending application 17/175,248, filed February
12, 2021, which
application is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 16/997,557, filed
on August 19, 2020,
now Patent No. 10,951,136, which application claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Application
No. 62/889,506, filed August 20, 2019. In addition, this application claims
priority from U.S.
Provisional Application No. 63/009,856, filed April 14, 2020. All applications
are incorporated
herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[002] Generation of electrical energy is a fundamental technique for our
society's energy needs.
Conversion of the thermal energy contained in a plasma flame, such as a
cylinder in an internal
combustion engine, is an example of the utilization of thermal energy to
provide for its conversion
into mechanical energy. If thermal energy is available, a complicated and
expensive device, such
as a Carnot engine or Stirling cycle engine, is used to convert the heat
energy from a hot sink and a
cold sink into mechanical energy. The limitations to such devices are the
temperature differentials
between the two heat sources must be substantial. Efficiencies in the range of
15 to 30% are typical
for the larger engines. Small temperature differences, such as a few degrees
Celsius, are of little
practical value. Other methods such as direct thermoelectric conversion using
devices, such as a
thermocouple, suffer the same lack of practical utility when the temperature
differences are small.
A convenient and direct method for the conversion of thermal energy to
electrical energy is a much
needed and desirable method for generating electrical power.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[003] FIG. 1 is an example Carver Voltaic Effect (CVE) circuit used for
generating electrical
energy.
[004] FIG. 2 illustrates a generic embodiment for a circuit for generating
electrical energy using
the CVE circuit of FIG. 1.
[005] FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a CVE circuit for generating
electrical energy.
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[006] FIG. 4 shows an example etalon having fluid being pumped through a
cavity therein.
[007] FIG. 5 is a circuit according to another embodiment for generating
electrical energy.
[008] FIG. 6 is a flowchart according to another embodiment for generating
electrical energy.
[009] FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram according to another embodiment for
generating electrical
energy.
[010] FIG. 8 is another embodiment of a CVE circuit.
[011] FIG. 9 is an exemplary application of the CVE circuit.
[012] FIG. 10 is an exemplary application of the CVE circuit used in
conjunction with a
photovoltaic surface.
[013] FIG. 11 is an exemplary application of the CVE circuit used in
conjunction with multiple
different heat sources.
[014] FIG. 12 is an exemplary application of the CVE circuit used in
conjunction with a nuclear
reactor pile.
[015] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an embodiment for using the CVE circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[016] A method and system are disclosed for the generation of electrical
energy for use in
numerous applications. The method is general in its applications and can be
applied to many
electrically powered devices, such as portable tools, sensors, optical
devices, lighting, heating,
cooling, breathing apparatus, medical devices, timing devices, portable
computers, cell phones,
powered cooling or heating devices as well as other similar and larger
stationary applications where
a convenient and powerful supply of electrical energy is needed. The need for
such a device and
method is well documented. More specifically, there is a need to have a more
general and better
converter of mechanical, electrical, solar, electromagnetic, and other
energies from one form to
electrical energy. A converter that has better input tolerance to different
energy forms, if it be DC,
AC, heat, EM radiation, or other sources of energy with variable frequencies,
periods, and
intensities, with the capabilities to be able to output different voltages,
waveforms, and currents to
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the application loads they are connected and having the commonality of a
single simple electrical
output, is very much needed. Additionally, the converter should work with very
low temperature
differences between the ambient temperature and the heat source. As such it
should be termed a
"waste heat converter".
[017] The Carver Voltaic Effect (CVE) is a kinetic physical effect that can be
used to provide
significant electrical power. The CVE can be described as the minute transient
increase in the
power of a single power transmission transient in electrical conductors or in
energy transfers in
materials through space. The term "kinetic" is used to describe the transitory
nature of the effect.
It can be detected during transitory events, such as fast voltage changes and
some other phase and
state changes in materials. Embodiments of the devices described herein are
constructed to take
advantage of this phenomena (i.e., the CVE) by the conversion of thermal
energy to electrical
energy. The magnitude of the CVE is associated with large dVidt values
(changes in voltage with
respect to time).
[018] Understanding the operation and manufacture of the device includes the
recognition of the
presence of an etalon in the output circuit and methods for the implementation
and manufacture of
the etalon are disclosed.
[019] FIG. 1 is a CVE circuit 100 for converting thermal energy into
electrical energy. A square
wave generator 105 generates a square wave pulse train (continuous pulses)
that enters a primary
side of a coupled inductor 110. The coupled inductor's secondary side is
connected to a nonlinear
resistive device, or as is sometimes called, a negative resistance device 112,
such as a thyristor.
The negative resistance is optional and not used in many cases. The negative
resistance device 112
serves as a device to limit the current from the secondary side to a certain
value determined by its
internal construction based upon the input voltage. It will not conduct
meaningful current until the
voltage exceeds a certain amount in the positive direction and will not
conduct in the negative
voltage range until the voltage is more negative than a certain amount. For
example, the two
voltages may be +25V and -25V. Because of this voltage characteristic, the
output of the
secondary side of the coupled inductor is always certain to exceed +25V and
¨25 Volts provided
sufficient power is available to overcome parasitic losses.
[020] The negative resistance device can be any device that can provide this
type of action.
Example devices include, but are not limited to, the following:
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1. Gas discharge lamps
2. Spark gaps
3. Zener diodes
4. Thyristors
5. Triacs
6. Gunn diodes
7. Diodes (all kinds)
8. Silicon controlled rectifiers (SCR)
9. Switching devices controlled by a logic circuit
[021] As the driving electronics for the transformer (or coupled inductor)
cause the output of the
secondary to swing from positive to negative, very fast transitions from the
>25V to more negative
than -25V will take place. These high dVidt transients are then utilized to
produce fast voltage
swings desired for the CVE to be utilized. Thus, the larger the dVidt (higher
voltage, less time), the
more pronounced the CVE. The square wave in combination with the negative
resistance device
112 help to achieve this goal. In this example, the capacitor Cl 114 and the
inductor 116 form an
oscillatory circuit that further amplifies the effects of the current with its
voltage swings to produce
a useful output at C2 118. The C2 capacitor 118 is in turn connected to one or
more rectification
diodes, shown generally at 120 to produce both a positive and negative voltage
output, V+ and V-,
respectively. The oscillatory circuit formed by the capacitor 114 and inductor
116 can generate a
signal oscillating at a frequency greater than the frequency of the square
wave input signal.
[022] A thermal exchanger 130 provides a thermal conduction path for the
materials to have a
continual influx of thermal energy for conversion to electrical energy. The
thermal exchanger can
be any device used to receive heat into the circuit. In one example, a tube
(e.g., a conductive tube
or non-conductive tube) is used that is filled with material having a desired
permittivity and
permeability. Potential materials include air, water, methanol, ethanol, and
acetamide (or a solution
in liquids such as water or ethanol). Ferrite slurries can also be used. The
material can be pumped
or circulated through the tube using an external pump, not shown.
Alternatively, the solid materials
can be immobilized within the resonant cavity. Subsequently liquids can be
pumped through the
tube to provide heat exchange to the materials and the tube itself. The tube
can be any desired
length. For example, the tube can be 1 ft to 5 ft in length. The tube can be
any desired shape in
cross-section such as round, square, rectangular, elliptical, a flat-sided
oval, or a custom shape.
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Any geometric shape can be used (e.g., an N-sided polygon or a folded shape).
Whatever the cross-
section, the tube can be elongated with a cavity therein through which fluid
can pass. The tube can
be an etalon as described herein. The tube can be made of conductive material
and can be a solid
conductor.
[023] FIG. 2 shows a generic version of the circuit 200. An optional driver
210 can be a
continuous pulse generator that supplies a continuous stream of pulses with
high dV/dt. This
provides the starting impulse to the device. It can serve as the on/off switch
to run the device and it
can help control the frequency at which the device is operated.
[024] A dV/dt device 220 is shown. FIG. 1 showed the dV/dt device as a
transformer or a
coupled inductor 110 to indicate at least one way of generating a high dV/dt
pulse or series of
pulses. Alternatives to this could be a capacitor or capacitor array, a
mechanical switch, or other
spinning or rotation devices that bring an electrical (charge) or magnetic
field (magnet) in
proximity to another coil, capacitor, inductor, or another magnet or magnetic
field. The CVE device
may have one or more significant active devices incorporated within it.
Examples are the negative
resistance devices, such as a thyristor or Zener diode.
[025] The CVE emitter 230 is shown coupled to a thermal exchanger 240. The
thermal exchanger
can, in turn, be coupled to a CVE receiver 250. The rapid formation of a dV/dt
charge on the
emitter 230 leads to the production of a "wave" of energy from the emitter. In
this antenna-like
mode, the emitter may be in contact with a material other than a vacuum or
air. The material may
have the properties of having a different dielectric constant or magnetic
permeability characterized
by its relative permittivity or permeability. It may also be in contact with a
conductive material.
The emitter 230 and receiver 250 can be a wide variety of materials (e.g.,
copper, brass, bronze,
stainless steel, graphene) that create impedance changes at the ends of the
etalon chamber. Indeed,
anything can be used, so long as it changes the permittivity, permeability, or
both with respect to
the material between the emitter and receiver. Thus, the emitter 230 couples
the circuit to the
thermal exchanger 240 (which can be an etalon) and transmits a signal to the
thermal exchanger.
The receiver 250 receives the signal once it passes through the thermal
exchanger.
[026] The thermal exchanger 240 is shown as being between the CVE emitter and
the CVE
receiver. It may, in fact, be surrounding the emitter and the receiver. For
example, where the
thermal exchanger is a tube (e.g., an etalon) having a cavity therein, the
emitter 230 and receiver
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250 can be mounted in respective ends of the tube. The thermal exchanger
provides the needed
thermal conduction path for the materials to have a continual influx of
thermal energy for
conversion to electrical energy. The materials may also be electrically
conductive. The thermal
exchanger can be any device used to inject heat into the circuit. In one
example, a tube (e.g., a
conductive tube or non-conductive tube) is used that is filled with material
having a desired
permittivity and permeability. Potential materials include air, water,
methanol, ethanol, and
acetamide (or a solution in liquids such as water or ethanol). Ferrite
slurries can also be used. The
material can be pumped or circulated through the thermal exchanger using an
external pump, not
shown. Alternatively, the solid materials can be immobilized within the
resonant cavity.
Subsequently liquids can be pumped through the cavity to provide heat exchange
to the materials
and the cavity itself. Thus, the material can have a dual purpose of acting as
a medium between the
CVE emitter and CVE receiver and acting as a thermal exchanger having an
external source that is
circulated through the thermal exchanger. Electronic waves can be transmitted
between the CVE
emitter and CVE receiver and the permittivity and permeability of the
materials contained therein
can impact the resonant frequency.
[027] The CVE receiver 250 is shown coupled to the thermal exchanger. It may
or may not be in
contact (e.g., air gapped or spaced) with the thermal exchanger 240. The
receiver 250, by electrical
induction from the wave, electrical contact with the thermal exchanger, or by
electrical contact with
the emitter 230 has the increased energy provided by the CVE. The receiver
harvests the converted
heat into an electrical conduction path to either be utilized directly by a
load 260 or to be
conditioned by a conditioning circuit 270. The load 260 can be any desired
load and can have a
resistive component (e.g., a light bulb). The conditioning circuit 270 are
shown connected to the
CVE receiver 250. This circuit 270 is typically a circuit to convert the AC
signal (or pulsed DC)
into another frequency range or convert to a DC voltage or voltages. An
example conditioning
circuit can be a full bridge rectifier and capacitor.
[028] An electrical load 280 receives an output of the conditioning circuits
270. The load may be
anything that uses electrical energy. It is similar to the direct use of the
electrical energy load 260
but it may require conditioning from module 270. Module 260 is the direct use
of the output of the
CVE receiver 250. This output has typical AC signal characteristics. Resistive
loads would be
acceptable for this type of electrical characteristic as either square or
sinusoidal waves.
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[029] FIG. 3 is a circuit 300 in which the negative resistance device 345 is
used in conjunction
with the emission of the dV/dt wave as shown by connection to component 320.
As previously
stated, the negative resistance device is optional. A pulse generator 310 is
coupled to an inductor or
transformer 312. The output of the secondary of the coupled inductor or
transformer 312 is
referenced to a voltage indicated by V 340. The negative resistance device 345
is coupled to the
inductor. The emission of the wave from component 320 can be coupled to the
receiving
component 350. The receiving component 350 can also be connected to a load
360. The
connection between the receiving component 320 and the receiving component 350
is shown by a
dashed bidirectional arrow and can be a vacuum, air, or other dielectric
materials either
homogeneous or heterogenous. Conductive materials can also be used.
[030] FIG. 4 is a circuit 400 using an etalon for amplification. The dV/dT
device 410 can be any
pulse generator. Alternatively, as shown above, the dV/dT device can be a
transformer coupled to a
negative resistance device, as is shown in FIG. 3. The combination of elements
420, 430 comprise
a resonance cavity similar to an etalon or Fabry-Perot interferometer. It can
be similar to the
description of the thermal exchanger 130. It is shown without a load. It may
be utilized without an
attached load by either emission of electrically induced waves or by simply
being a higher voltage
source reference for reference applications. With a load (e.g. resistive), the
etalon can produce
amplified power from the dV/dt device by capturing the thermal energy between
the emitter and the
receiver and the coupling component itself, particularly but not exclusively,
when resonance
occurs.
[031] Activation frequencies can be used that are much lower than optical
frequencies. In most
cases, the lowest fundamental wavelength in the resonance cavity is very long
compared to the
relative sizes of the other components. In order to reduce the size of the
resonance cavity, higher
relative permittivity or permeability materials can be used to significantly
reduce the length of the
etalon involved. This area of the device is shown by the dotted double-headed
arrow between
components 420 and 430.
[032] In the case of a high permittivity capacitors, relative permittivity in
the ranges of 3 to
>20,000 are not uncommon. Higher permittivity materials are known. These
materials provide for
a highly decreased etalon length by similar factors such as the square root of
the inverse of the
relative permittivity multiplied by the relative permeability.
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[033] An etalon 440 is shown between the components 420, 430. The etalon (wave
resonant
cavity) chamber can be considered as one (or more) of the oscillator
components. This particular
etalon differs from a purely electrical conductivity element by involving
emitted electrical waves
rather than electrical current oscillation in a conductor. A hollow etalon
also provides the ability to
fill the resonance cavity with a material that has a permittivity (and/or a
magnetic permeability) that
is greater than vacuum or air. This increased permittivity/permeability
decreases the fundamental
oscillation length. Folding (or coiling) the length helps reduce the overall
size. The etalon cavity
may be where most of the heat conversion to electrical energy will take place.
Fluid can be moved
through the etalon's cavity. The fluid will be constantly cooled by the
resonance of the dV/dt
waves while the movement of the etalon fluid provides a way to effectively get
heat into the
resonance volume by carrying the heat from an external source. Or, simple heat
conduction/convection into the resonance cavity volume can be used to provide
the heat from an
external heat source, possibly using a second fluid (e.g. water) or heat pipe.
[034] The etalon 440 is shown as a cylindrical tube, in this embodiment, with
a cavity extending
therethrough. A pump 450 is used to pump fluid through the etalon 440. A heat
sink 460 is used
to extract heat from the ambient environment and pass the heat to the fluid.
The etalon can then
convert the heat to electrical energy. The etalon can be filled with materials
that have different
permittivities and permeabilities, such as air, water, methanol, ethanol, and
acetamide (e.g. in a
solution of water or ethanol). Higher permittivity materials allow a lower
drive frequency to be
used and still be at resonance. The etalon can have a dual purpose of acting
as an electrical
coupling between the component 420 and the component 430 and also acting as a
thermal
exchanger.
[035] The emitter 420 and receiver 430 can be a wide variety of materials
(e.g., copper, brass,
bronze, stainless steel, graphene) that create impedance changes at the ends
of the etalon chamber.
Different electrical elements can also be used as the emitter 420 and receiver
430, such as inductors
and capacitors. Indeed, anything can be used, as long as it changes the
permittivity, permeability,
or both with respect to the material between the emitter and receiver. The
load should be selected
so as to have proper impedance matching with the source, as is well known in
the laser,
transmission, and antenna fields.
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[036] FIG. 5 is a circuit 500 that is an additional schematic representation
of the material 510 in
between the etalon's reflective surfaces, 520 and 530. The thermal energy
material 510 is in the
transmissive path and/or reflective path of the wave coming from the emitter
or the reflected wave
from the receiver. Due to the CVE, the power in the wave is augmented by each
traverse of the
wave between the surfaces. In this way the material 510 is cooled, since the
energy required for the
increase in energy in the wave is obtained from the thermal energy contained
in the material itself
due to the law of conservation of energy.
[037] To achieve resonance in a given cavity, the cavity's shape must be taken
into account.
Square or round shapes may be used as well as oval, elliptical, polygonal, and
other geometrical
shapes. Also, the material filling a resonance cavity plays a part in
determining the frequency of
resonance. Increasing the permittivity or permeability of the material filling
a given cavity changes
its resonance to a lower frequency. In the case of the frequency of electrical
waves, the resonant
frequency of the cavity is related to the square root of the inverse of the
relative permittivity
multiplied by the relative permeability of the material vs a pure vacuum.
Thus, higher permeability
and higher permittivity materials can lead to reduced physical sizes of the
etalon cavity.
[038] Higher permittivity materials (Thermal Energy Material) may be used to
provide an etalon
cavity that is substantially shorter (thereby smaller) than that with vacuum
or air-filled cavity.
Additionally, the material 510 may be thermally conductive to facilitate
thermal transfer into the
cavity from the environment or heat source. Liquid materials are attractive in
that they can be
circulated to facilitate heat transfer. Materials that can be used are those
that are transmissive to the
wave itself. Some materials (or mixtures, suspensions, or slurries thereof)
that may be used but are
not the limitation for use are as follows:
1. Barium titanate
2. Other Perovskite mixed metal titanates
3. Ferrite
4. Inorganic Oxides
5. Air
6. Organic alcohols
7. Organic materials that may be transmissive to the wave
8. Conductive metals
9. Semiconductive materials
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10. Species of carbon (e.g. graphite, graphene, Fullerenes)
11. Materials which themselves re-resonate at other frequencies (e.g.
phosphors,
rhodamine) via harmonic generation
12. Water or water with dissolved salts, liquids, or other species
suspended or
homogeneous.
[039] Materials can be used to partially fill or fully fill the cavity to
provide a pathway for thermal
conduction to the etalon cavity. The load 540 can be any desired electrical
load, such as a load
having a resistive component. The dV/dt device 550 is similar to those
described above.
[040] As an example of the device, the following set of components can be
used.
1. Transformer (coupled inductor), 10:1 ratio, 2A current rating, 700 uH
secondary
inductance
2. 0.01 uF, 1000 V ceramic capacitor
3. 254 uH ferrite single inductor, 10A inductor
4. Copper tube (5/8" OD X1/2" ID X 24 inches length)
5. Powdered ferrite (125 mesh)
6. Resistive load (110 Ohm, 100W metal film resistor)
7. 2 pc Copper wire (10 AWG X 1" long)
8. Zener Diode (1N5388)
[041] Using the schematic shown in FIG. 1, the copper tube is first packed
with the ferrite
powder. One piece each of the copper wire is inserted into each end of the
tube and used to make
connection to the remainder of the circuit. The transformer is driven by means
of a pulsed current
source at a frequency of 1 Hz to several GigaHertz. The exact frequency
required can be tuned by
maximizing the ratio of power produced to the power necessary to drive the
transformer's primary.
The secondary of the transformer is attached to one piece of the copper wire
in the copper tube.
The other end of the copper tube with the remaining wire is attached to a
negative resistance device
such as a Zener diode. The other end of the diode is attached to an inductor.
The remaining
connection is led back to the secondary of the transformer's output.
Electrical energy can be
obtained by attachment of a capacitor to almost any portion of the above
secondary circuit as a tap
to the voltage produced in the resonance circuit. The remaining lead on the
capacitor can
optionally connect to a rectifier circuit for further conversion to an AC,
pulsed DC, or smoothed
DC output by conventional means.
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[042] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for generating power according to an embodiment.
In process block
610, a continuous stream of pulses is generated, such as by a pulse generator.
The pulse generator
can generate pulses having a dV/dt of 100V/ us or even 10,000 to 100,000 \Ups
or higher. Specific
use cases have used between 3 to 10V/us. In some cases, 1V/us can be used. In
process block 620,
the continuous stream of pulses is applied to a tube having a cavity extending
therethrough. The
tube can be conductive and have fluid continuously pumping through the cavity
(process block
630). The fluid can be warmed by a heat sink or other heating element. The
fluid can be cooled as
it passes through the tube due to the CVE. At process block 640, an electrical
signal can be output
from the tube having a greater power than was output by the pulse generator
due to conversion of
thermal energy of the fluid to electrical energy. In some embodiments, an
oscillator can be used to
generate pulses at a greater frequency than the pulse generator.
[043] FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a CVE circuit 700. The circuit 700
includes an
oscillator 702, which includes a capacitor 704 and an inductor 706 to form an
LC or tank circuit.
Although the capacitor 704 and inductor 706 are shown coupled in series on
opposite sides of an
electrical element 708, they can be coupled in series and positioned together
on one side of the
electrical element. The circuit 700 further comprises a heat sink 720, which
provides additional
surface area that can allow for the absorption of additional heat 722 from a
heat source, or from
multiple different heat sources. The heat sink 720 can be thermally coupled to
the electrical
element 708 so as to allow heat transfer therebetween (e.g., direct contact).
The heat source can
include any source which is warmer than the electrical element 708 including
ambient air in which
the heat sink resides. The circuit 700 can operate similar to the circuits
described above, wherein a
pulse generator 730 can generate either a single electrical pulse, or a series
of electrical pulses
having a high dV/dt ratio. The oscillator 702 can generate an oscillating
signal in response to each
pulse and the electrical element 708 can convert thermal energy into
electrical energy by cooling
off and increasing the power of the electrical pulses output by the pulse
generator 730. The heat
sink 720 can absorb the heat 722 to provide the electrical element 708 with a
constant source of
thermal energy that can be converted to electrical energy. Accordingly, the
electrical power
provided to a load 740 is greater than the electrical power produced by the
pulse generator 730.
[044] Further advantages that the CVE transformer are the ease of accepting
practically any
electrical input form (AC, DC, etc.) with virtually any frequency or mixture
of frequencies. It also
has the benefit of its electrical output being a consistently known AC
waveform relatively easily
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transformed to a broad array of electrical formats. Even in the cases where
the desired electrical
output waveform and voltage is the same as the input, the CVE transformer can
provide value in
removing and "cleaning" the input waveform into a more consistent specified
output. Removal of
spurious AC signals, DC offsets, and other forms of unspecified contamination
of the power can be
obtained. In addition, the frequency range of the input waveform can be both
higher and lower than
that of the output without having to modify the circuit in any way to use both
the high frequencies
and the low frequency components of the input simultaneously. Thus, the full
energy content of the
input can be more readily utilized. This is especially useful for input power
that has frequencies
above several hundred kHz where simple rectification of the electrical signal
can be very
inefficient.
[045] Applications that can benefit from the CVE transformer include, but are
not limited to,
suppression of electrical noise in mass electric transportation due to
lighting strikes, electric energy
impulses from nuclear explosions, chemical weapons, sun related phenomena, and
other high
energy events that may impact electronics and electrical supplies. Other
applications that may need
to supplement one or more of the electrical inputs along with additional
energy from the conversion
of other heat or energy sources to an electrical output are also good uses.
[046] Other forms of energy beside electrical energy may be input into the
"CVE transformer".
The energy inputs are either heat or an energy source that can be converted to
heat. Examples are
kinetic energy (flywheel), acoustic, optical, electromagnetic radiation,
magnetic, chemical, nuclear
(atomic), and gravity potential. All of these energy sources can ultimately
lead to the production of
heat energy.
[047] FIG. 8 is another example of a CVE circuit 800 including a CVE drive 802
(shown in
dashed lines) that can be used. In this example, a voltage supply 810 can be
used to supply a
stream of pulses in conjunction with a switch 812. The switch 812 can be
controlled by a
microprocessor (not shown). The switch 812 is coupled to a first winding 820
of an inductor 822.
A second winding 824 of the inductor 822 is coupled to a capacitor 830 and an
inductor 832
coupled in series and used as a secondary oscillator. An etalon 840 can be
used as an electrical
element and provides the energy transformation of heat to electrical energy
using the cooling effect
of the pulses generated by the voltage supply 810 and switch 812, in
conjunction with the
secondary oscillator formed by the capacitor 830 and the inductor 832. Due to
the injection of heat
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into the etalon 840, increased energy can be supplied to a load circuit 850
than is supplied by the
voltage supply 810.
[048] FIG. 9 shows the CVE drive 910 (which can be any CVE circuit described
above) coupled
to a copper wire 920, which functions as an etalon. The CVE drive can also be
coupled to an
electrical load 930. The copper wire 920 can be wound around an insulator and
placed into a heat-
absorbing system 940. The heat-absorbing system 940 can be a metal heat sink
having a surface
area and weight greater than the copper wire 920. Alternatively, the heat-
absorbing system 940 can
be liquid-based, such as the copper wire submerged in water such that the
water has a greater
surface area than the copper wire. Thus, a wide variety of different heat-
absorbing systems can be
used.
[049] Other forms of energy beside electrical energy may be input into the CVE
drive. The energy
inputs are either heat or an energy source that can be converted to heat.
Examples are kinetic
energy (flywheel), acoustic, optical, electromagnetic radiation, magnetic,
chemical, nuclear
(atomic), and gravity potential. All of these energy sources can ultimately
lead to the production of
heat energy.
[050] There can be many sources of heat energy that are allowed to contact the
wire 920. Any
number of the thermal energy sources are all homogenized into thermal energy
contained within the
heat-absorbing system 940. The source and characteristics of the heat energy
are not important as
any heat can be converted into electrical energy. The circuit is advantageous
when the sources of
the thermal energy are normally difficult to transform by known methods into
other forms of
electrical energy. Examples include multigigahertz microwaves, low frequency
AC, low voltage
DC and AC, unreferenced AC and DC potentials, and extremely high voltage AC
and DC.
Energies can be converted to heat and then to electrical energy, such as in
the case of
electromagnetic waves in the region of infrared, visible, ultraviolet, and
higher frequencies.
Additionally, low-grade waste heat can be transformed into useful electrical
output.
[051] Further advantages that the CVE circuit includes the ability to accept
practically any
electrical input form (AC, DC, etc.) with virtually any frequency or mixture
of frequencies. It also
has the benefit of its electrical output being a consistently known AC
waveform relatively easily
transformed to a broad array of electrical formats. Even in the cases where
the desired electrical
output waveform and voltage is the same as the input, the CVE circuit can
provide value in
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removing and "cleaning" the input waveform into a more consistent specified
output. Removal of
spurious AC signals, DC offsets, and other forms of unspecified contamination
of the power can be
obtained. In addition, the frequency range of the input waveform can be both
higher and lower than
that of the output without having to modify the circuit in any way to use both
the high frequencies
and the low frequency components of the input simultaneously. Thus, the full
energy content of the
input can be more readily utilized. This can be useful for input power that
has frequencies above
several hundred kHz where simple rectification of the electrical signal can be
very inefficient.
110521 Applications that can benefit from the CVE circuit include, but are not
limited to,
suppression of electrical noise in mass electric transportation due to
lighting strikes, electric energy
impulses from nuclear explosions, chemical weapons, sun related phenomena, and
other high
energy events that may impact electronics and electrical supplies. Other
applications that
supplement one or more of the electrical inputs along with additional energy
from the conversion of
other heat or energy sources to an electrical output can also be used.
110531 FIG. 10 shows that the CVE drive 1010 can be applied solar panel
overheating. This
electrical circuit has the capabilities of providing an electrical switched
pulse to a plane of
conductive material 1020, such as a copper plane, mounted behind the
photovoltaic surface 1030.
The conductive material 1020 can be mounted on a mounting surface 1032. The
conductive
material 1020 cools in response to the CVE drive 1010 being driven with
pulses. The conductor
1020 absorbs low-grade waste heat from the photovoltaic surface 1030 while
producing an AC
voltage at the circuit's output 1040. The mounting surface 1032 can protect
the conductor 1020
from inadvertent contact and also provide a thermal barrier to the outside
environment.
110541 FIG. 11 shows another embodiment that can convert practically any
voltage source at
practically any frequency or any other potential heat source into a single
controlled AC voltage
output. At the device's inputs, the device absorbs electrical energy of AC,
DC, pulsed DC, or
mixture thereof, over a wide range of voltages, currents, and frequencies,
heat energy directly, or
by electromagnetic absorption. The device is capable of absorbing the input
electrical energy,
converting that energy to thermal energy, and then converting the heat energy
to the form of
electrical energy as its output in a single electrical energy format no matter
what mixture of
electrical, electromagnetic, or thermal energy was provided at its input.
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110551 Circuits for further transforming the electrical energy output of the
CVE drive 1110 may
optionally be connected to convert the electrical energy into other electrical
specifications. The AC
output of the CVE drive 1110 is particularly well suited to be converted from
its 0 to 600 VAC at 6
to 300kHz form to almost any DC or AC voltage and current in normal use.
Voltages such as
120 VAC at 60Hz or 240V at 50Hz could be easily added to its output. DC
voltages such as 3.3, 5,
9, 12, 24, 48, 96, 200, 400 VDC can be easily added at its output as well.
110561 A heat-absorbing system 1120 can be a thermally isolated box to contain
the thermal
elements or simply a box to prevent accidental contact, or it may not be used
at all. Multiple
resistors R1-RN are shown inside the heat-absorbing system for input of
electrical energy sources.
The number of inputs can range from 0 to N, where N is any integer value. If
there are multiple
voltage and current sources, the inputs may be comprised of several different
resistors that are
independently connected to the return lines of their various sources as
represented by the "Returns"
label symbol. The multiple returns may be necessary to prevent "cross-talk"
from one
voltage/current source to the other. The value of the resistors is governed by
the power required
from the input source and its voltage and current characteristics. Typically,
the resistive heating
elements are made such that they are enclosed in a thermally conductive but
electrically non-
conductive housing for safety. Electrical signals fed into the typical
resistive input are converted to
heat. The interior of the electrically non-conductive housing of heat-
absorbing system 1120 may
then be in thermal contact with the conductor 1130 coupled to the CVE drive
1110, or, as an
alternative, the resistive elements may be mounted directly on the conductor
1130. The resistive
elements are comprised of simple resistance elements such as carbon
composition resistors to
convert the electrical signals by Joule heating into thermal energy.
Alternatively, the resistive
elements may be actively controlled electronic elements such as transistors
that may have variable
resistance. Other variable resistive elements can be used. The wattage of the
resistors may be from
microwatts to several kilowatts and larger.
110571 The conductor 1130 is cooled in response to the CVE drive 1110 and may
also be in contact
with other heat sources that are not electrical, such as heated air, liquids,
and/or solids that may
have thermal characteristics suitable for interface to the cooling module. As
examples, simple
direct contact with the heat-absorbing system 1120 may be performed by
mounting a heat source
directly in thermal conductive contact with conductor 1130. Or a more
complicated method of
using a pumped liquid to transfer heat from the resistive elements to the
conductor 1130 can be
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used. Additionally, the area 1120 may be heated by electromagnetic radiation,
induced magnetic
warming, or other sources of thermal energy.
[058] The output may have a connected load which may be a rectifier circuit to
convert the AC
(alternating current) electrical output of the CVE drive 1110 to a pulsed DC
(direct current), DC, or
other waveshape that may be desired. The device is capable of absorbing
electrical energy of
virtually any voltage and waveshape or AC/DC/pulsed DC form. Inputs for the
heat energy from 0
to 50 GHz can be easily utilized. Furthermore, other sources of heat energy
can be added to
enhance the power of the output of the CVE drive 1110. Application of photonic
energy into the
heat-absorbing system 1120 can also be implemented as an additional thermal
source. As an
example, if a side of the heat-absorbing system was optically clear to the EM
radiation, the
conductor 1130 can be directly used to absorb and convert the radiation into
thermal energy and
then to electrical output. Because the CVE drive 1110 can work with very low
temperature
differential, it is usually unnecessary to have high temperature materials in
contact with the
conductor 1130 itself. In this context, heat from sources not usually
considered as anything but
waste heat can be used as good supplies of thermal energy.
[059] FIG. 12 shows another application of using a CVE drive 1210. The CVE
drive 1210 can
cool a conductor 1220 within a heat-absorbing system 1222. A nuclear reactor
pile 1230 can be
adjacent to the heat-absorbing system 1220. The cooling effect of the
conductor 1120 can be used
to absorb waste heat from the nuclear reactor pile 1230 and the heat energy
can be converted by the
CVE drive 1210 to electrical energy to transmit on the output. The CVE drive
not only converts
waste heat to electrical energy, but also increases the safety of the energy
producing device. The
elimination of the circulators for the heat transferring components from the
nuclear pile allows the
device to be a solid-state nuclear reactor that can function at a much lower
temperature level. The
nuclear reactor pile can be a container of radioactive materials that decays
and produces heat for the
conductor 1220 in the heat-absorbing system 1222. Active nuclear reactions by
an actively
controlled chain process may not be desirable or necessary. A sealed container
radioactive heat
source could be used to enormously simplify the source of the heat.
[060] The radioactive waste materials from the reactor itself can also serve
as a source of low-
level heat for this converter, circumventing the need for high temperature
steam to run a turbine. In
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this case a low temperature nuclear reactor could be used, thereby increasing
the physical safety
around the reactor itself as well as the overall density of neutrons.
[061] This method of pairing a nuclear heat source to the CVE drive 1210 can
also be used to
provide electrical power for a spacecraft. The fuel needed by a spacecraft can
be nuclear
radioactive materials, but the reactor itself could run at a much lower
temperature due to the
efficiency of the CVE drive at low temperatures. For this reason, the need for
heavier shielding and
containment is lessened and the longevity of power is prolonged.
[062] The direct (unmodified standard) electrical output from the CVE drive
1210 can be a
medium frequency AC signal in the range of 10Hz to 750MHz, although the exact
frequency may
lie outside of these bounds. The exact frequency is determined by the shape,
lengths, and materials
of the conductor 1220. This standard output can be used directly by a number
of different "loads"
for any application that can use it. Applications that could use the direct
output of the device
include resistive heating elements, inductive coils, and AC rectifying
elements. The inductive and
rectifying elements may include further circuits for transforming the direct
output (AC) of the CVE
drive 1210 into other electrical energy waveforms.
[063] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a method according to one embodiment. In
process block 1310, a
continuous stream of pulses is generated. For example, in FIG. 1, the pulse
generator 105 can
generate a stream of pulses into the inductor 110. As further examples, the
pulse generator 310 of
FIG. 3 or the pulse generator 730 of FIG. 7 can be used. Still further, the
voltage supply 810 in
conjunction with the switch 812 can be used to generate a continuous stream of
pulses. In process
block 1320, the continuous stream of pulses is applied to a conductor that
receives heat from a heat
source. The conductor can be an etalon, as shown at 440 in FIG. 4.
Alternatively, the conductor
can be a wire. The heat source can be any of multiple different types of heat
sources. For example,
the heat source can be associated with solar power, as shown in FIG. 10, or a
nuclear reactor pile,
as shown in FIG. 12. Virtually any source of heat or multiple combinations of
heat sources can be
used. In process block 1330, an electrical signal can be output from the
conductor and supplied to
an output load, such as load 740 in FIG. 7. The output electrical signal can
be boosted by
converting heat from one or more of the heat sources to electrical energy.
[064] The following numbered paragraphs summarize the embodiments herein:
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[065] Paragraph 1. A circuit for generating electrical energy, comprising:
a pulse generator for generating a continuous stream of pulses;
a conductor coupled to the pulse generator that is configured to cool in
response to the
continuous stream of pulses;
a heat source placed adjacent to the conductor; and
an output for receiving an electrical output emitted from the conductor.
[066] Paragraph 2. The circuit of paragraph 1, wherein the conductor is a
tube.
[067] Paragraph 3. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1 or 2, wherein the tube
is filled with material
having a predetermined permittivity or permeability larger than a vacuum.
[068] Paragraph 4. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1-3, further including a
pump for pumping
fluid through the tube.
[069] Paragraph 5. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the fluid
exchanges heat with
the tube and the heat source supplies heat to the fluid.
[070] Paragraph 6. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1-5, wherein the conductor
is a tube having a
cavity therein with a semiconductor or metal at least partially filling the
cavity.
[071] Paragraph 7. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the heat
source receives heat
from a photovoltaic surface.
[072] Paragraph 8. The circuit of any of paragraphs 1-7, wherein the heat
source receives heat
from a nuclear reactor pile.
[073] Paragraph 9. A method for generating electrical energy, comprising:
generating a continuous input stream of pulses;
applying the input stream of pulses to a conductor that receives heat from a
heat source,
wherein the input stream of pulses cools the conductor; and
outputting an electrical signal from the conductor.
[074] Paragraph 10. The method of paragraph 9, further including transmitting
the continuous
input stream of pulses through a negative resistance.
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[075] Paragraph 11. The method of paragraphs 9-10, wherein the conductor is a
tube having a
cavity therein.
[076] Paragraph 12. The method of paragraphs claim 9-11, wherein the heat
source is a
photovoltaic surface.
[077] Paragraph 13. The method of paragraphs 9-12, wherein the heat source is
a nuclear reactor
pile.
[078] Paragraph 14. The method of paragraphs 9-13, wherein the continuous
stream of pulses is
at a first frequency and further including generating a signal at a second
frequency greater than the
first frequency using an oscillator circuit coupled to the conductor.
[079] Paragraph 15. The method of paragraphs 9-14, wherein the conductor is a
tube, which has
fluid pumped therethrough and the fluid receives the heat from the heat
source.
[080] Paragraph 16. An apparatus for generating electrical energy, comprising:
a pulse generator to generate a continuous stream of electrical pulses having
a first power;
and
a conductor coupled to the pulse generator, the conductor for providing
electrical energy to
a load, wherein the conductor is configured to receive heat from a heat
source, and wherein the
conductor is configured to cool in response to the continuous stream of
electrical pulses.
[081] Paragraph 17. The apparatus of paragraph 16, wherein the conductor is a
tube is configured
to receive the heat and convert the heat into electrical energy.
[082] Paragraph 18. The apparatus of paragraphs 16-17, further including an
oscillator coupled in
series with the tube, wherein the electrical pulses are at a first frequency
and the oscillator generates
pulses at a second frequency, greater than the first frequency.
[083] Paragraph 19. The apparatus of paragraphs 16-18, further including a
thyristor coupled in
series with the oscillator.
[084] Paragraph 20. The apparatus of paragraphs 16-19, wherein the continuous
stream of
electrical pulses is at a first frequency and further including generating a
signal at a second
frequency greater than the first frequency using an oscillator circuit coupled
to the conductor.
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110851 In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the
disclosed
invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated
embodiments are only
preferred examples of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the
scope of the invention.
Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims. We
therefore claim as our
invention all that comes within the scope of these claims.
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