1. A method for heat dissipation using a hygroscopic working fluid comprising:
removing heat from a process heat exchanger to absorb thermal energy for dissipation using the hygroscopic working fluid;
enabling combined heat dissipation from the hygroscopic working fluid to the ambient atmosphere and a gas having either less water vapor or more water vapor than the ambient atmosphere using a fluid-air contactor;
enabling a bidirectional moisture mass transfer between the hygroscopic working fluid and the atmosphere and at least a portion of the gas having either less water vapor or more water vapor than the ambient atmosphere using a working fluid-air contactor; and
maintaining the hygroscopic fluid liquid preventing crystallization of the desiccant from the desiccant-based hygroscopic fluid.
2. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the hygroscopic working fluid comprises an aqueous solution including at least one of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), magnesium chloride (MgCl2), lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium bromide (LiBr), zinc chloride (ZnCl2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), potassium chloride (KCl), calcium nitrate (CaNO32), potassium carbonate (K2CO3), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and any combination thereof.
3. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the gas comprises at least one of a gas flow containing sufficient moisture vapor such as ambient air into which water has been evaporated either by misting or spraying, an exhaust stream from a drying process, an exhaust stream of high-humidity air displaced during ventilation of conditioned indoor spaces, an exhaust stream from a wet evaporative cooling tower, and a flue gas stream from a combustion source and the associated flue gas treatment systems.
4. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the process heat exchanger comprises one of a condenser of a thermodynamic power production or a refrigeration cycle.
5. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the fluid-air contactor operates in at least one relative motion including countercurrent, cocurrent, or crossflow operation.
6. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the fluid-air contactor is enhanced by at least one of the forced or induced draft of ambient air by a powered fan, the natural convection airflow generated from buoyancy differences between heated and cooled air, and the induced flow of air generated by the momentum transfer of sprayed working fluid into the air.
7. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein said ambient airstream is supplemented with additional humidity from at least one of a spray, mist, or fog of water directly into the airstream, an exhaust gas stream from a drying process, an exhaust gas stream consisting of high-humidity rejected air displaced during the ventilation of conditioned indoor spaces, an exhaust airstream from a wet evaporative cooling tower, and an exhaust flue gas stream from a combustion source and any associated flue gas treatment equipment.
8. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the overall heat-transfer performance is enhanced by addition of moisture to the hygroscopic working fluid using at least one of:
direct addition of liquid water to the hygroscopic working fluid;
absorption of relatively pure water directly into the hygroscopic fluid through the forward osmosis membrane of a forward osmosis water extraction cell;
absorption of vapor-phase moisture by the working fluid from a moisture-containing gas stream outside of the process air contactor where the moisture-containing gas stream including at least one of ambient air into which water has been evaporated by spraying or misting flue gas from a combustion source and its associated flue gas treatment equipment;
exhaust gas from a drying process;
rejected high-humidity air displaced during ventilation of conditioned indoor air; and
an exhaust airstream from a wet evaporative cooling tower.
9. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 1, wherein the process heat exchanger is cooled by a flowing film of said hygroscopic working fluid enabling both sensible and latent heat transfer to occur during thermal energy absorption from the process fluid.
10. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 9, wherein the process heat exchanger is placed at the inlet to said air contactor for raising inlet airflow humidity levels.
11. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 9, wherein the process heat exchanger is placed at the outlet of said air contactor for receiving air dehumidified with respect to the ambient air atmosphere.
12. A heat dissipation method comprising:
removing heat from a process heat exchanger absorbing thermal energy using a low-volatility hygroscopic working fluid;
enabling combined heat dissipation from the low-volatility hygroscopic working fluid to the air using a fluid-air contactor and another gas;
enabling a bidirectional moisture mass transfer between the low-volatility hygroscopic working fluid and the air and another gas using the working fluid-air contactor; and
maintaining the hygroscopic fluid liquid preventing crystallization of the desiccant from the desiccant-based hygroscopic fluid.
13. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the hygroscopic working fluid comprises an aqueous solution including at least one of sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2), magnesium chloride (MgCl2), lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium bromide (LiBr), zinc chloride (ZnCl2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), potassium chloride (KCl), calcium nitrate (CaNO32), potassium carbonate (K2CO3), ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, and any combination thereof.
14. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the process heat exchanger comprises one of a condenser of a thermodynamic power production or a refrigeration cycle.
15. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the fluid-air contactor operates in at least one relative motion including countercurrent, cocurrent, or crossflow operation.
16. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the fluid-air contactor is enhanced by at least one of the forced or induced draft of ambient air by a powered fan, the natural convection airflow generated from buoyancy differences between heated and cooled air, and the induced flow of air generated by the momentum transfer of sprayed working fluid into the air.
17. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein said gas includes at least one of a gas having additional humidity from at least one of a spray, mist, or fog of water directly into the gas, an exhaust gas stream from a drying process, an exhaust gas stream consisting of high-humidity rejected air displaced during the ventilation of conditioned indoor spaces, an exhaust airstream from a wet evaporative cooling tower, and an exhaust flue gas stream from a combustion source and any associated flue gas treatment equipment.
18. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the overall heat-transfer performance is enhanced by addition of moisture to the hygroscopic working fluid using at least one of:
direct addition of liquid water to the hygroscopic working fluid;
absorption of relatively pure water directly into the hygroscopic fluid through the forward osmosis membrane of a forward osmosis water extraction cell; and
absorption of vapor-phase moisture by the working fluid from a moisture-containing gas stream outside of the process air contactor, where the moisture-containing gas stream comprises at least one of ambient air into which water has been evaporated by at least one of spraying or misting, flue gas from a combustion source and its associated flue gas treatment equipment, exhaust gas from a drying process, rejected high-humidity air displaced during ventilation of conditioned indoor air, and an exhaust airstream from a wet evaporative cooling tower.
19. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein the process heat exchanger is cooled by a flowing film of said hygroscopic working fluid enabling both sensible and latent heat transfer to occur during thermal energy absorption from the process fluid.
20. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 19, wherein the process heat exchanger is placed at the inlet to said air contactor for raising inlet airflow humidity levels.
21. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 19, wherein the process heat exchanger is placed at the outlet of said air contactor for receiving air dehumidified with respect to the ambient air atmosphere.
22. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein enabling a bidirectional moisture mass transfer between the low-volatility hygroscopic working fluid and the air and another gas includes using a working fluid-air contactor and a vacuum evaporator.
23. The method for heat dissipation according to claim 12, wherein enabling a bidirectional moisture mass transfer between the low-volatility hygroscopic working fluid and the air and another gas includes the use of a forward osmosis membrane of a forward osmosis water extraction cell.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-6. (canceled)
7. A hearing aid, comprising:
a housing for accommodating the hearing aid; and
a display device for displaying status information related to operating the hearing aid, wherein the display device is an electrophoretic display.
8. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 7, wherein the display device is glued to the housing.
9. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 7, wherein the display device is applied to the housing using a coating technique.
10. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 7, wherein the hearing aid is an In-The-Ear hearing aid.
11. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 10, wherein the hearing aid is a CIC hearing aid.
12. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 7, wherein the hearing aid is a child’s hearing aid.
13. The hearing aid in accordance with claim 7, wherein the status information includes an element chosen from the group consisting of an activation status, a battery charging state, a hearing program selection and a volume setting, of the hearing aid.