US 12,467,404 B2
Plant for high-efficiency fuel to mechanical energy conversion
Francesco Gamberi, Florence (IT); Simone Amidei, Florence (IT); Lorenzo Cosi, Florence (IT); and Antonio Seminara, Florence (IT)
Assigned to Nuovo Pignone Technologie—SRL, Florence (IT)
Appl. No. 18/557,531
Filed by NUOVO PIGNONE TECNOLOGIE—SRL, Florence (IT)
PCT Filed Apr. 22, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/025171
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 26, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/228722, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 3, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 102021000010490 (IT), filed on Apr. 26, 2021; and application No. 102022000000071 (IT), filed on Jan. 4, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0218827 A1, Jul. 4, 2024
Int. Cl. F02C 3/34 (2006.01); F02C 3/20 (2006.01); F02C 6/02 (2006.01)
CPC F02C 3/34 (2013.01) [F02C 3/20 (2013.01); F02C 6/02 (2013.01); F05D 2220/76 (2013.01); F05D 2240/35 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An energy conversion plant, comprising:
a fluid feedback line to supply a fluid;
a compression and pumping unit to compress and increase the pressure of the fluid feedback line to produce a compressed fluid in the fluid feedback line;
driving units, each driving unit connected to a respective load, each driving unit being capable of driving the respective load by expanding heated fluid;
heat exchange recuperators, each heat exchange recuperator associated with a respective driving unit of the driving units, each heat exchange recuperator connected between the fluid feedback line and the respective driving unit and connected between the respective driving unit and the compression and pumping unit,
wherein the heat exchange recuperators are arranged to receive and heat the compressed fluid supplied by the fluid feedback line and feed the heated fluid into the respective driving units, the heat exchange recuperators configured to heat the compressed fluid by exchanging the heat of the expanded fluid discharged from the respective driving units with the compressed fluid.