1. A heat transfer system defining a closed loop that contains a working fluid that is circulated through the closed loop, the heat transfer system comprising:
an electrochemical compressor including one or more electrochemical cells electrically connected to each other through a power supply, each electrochemical cell comprising a gas pervious anode, a gas pervious cathode, and an electrolytic membrane disposed between and in intimate electrical contact with the cathode and the anode; and
a tubular system that receives at least one electrochemically-active component of the working fluid from an output of the electrochemical compressor and, if present, other components of the working fluid that bypass the electrochemical compressor, wherein the tubular system has a geometry that enables at least a portion of the received working fluid to be imparted with a gain in kinetic energy as it moves through the tubular system.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular system is configured to prevent the working fluid portion from flowing back into the electrochemical compressor.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer system comprises:
a first heat transfer device that transfers heat from a first heat reservoir to the working fluid; and
a second heat transfer device that transfers heat from the working fluid to a second heat reservoir.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first heat reservoir is at a lower temperature than the second heat reservoir.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the electrochemical compressor is between the first and second heat transfer devices.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the first heat transfer device includes an evaporator and the second heat transfer device includes a condenser.
7. The system of claim 3, further comprising an expansion valve between the first and second heat transfer devices and configured to reduce a pressure of the working fluid.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the electrochemical compressor output is a cathode output that receives the electrochemically-active component after it has been pressurized.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the electrochemical compressor includes an anode at which the other working fluid components exit the electrochemical compressor without being pressurized.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the tubular system is configured to mix the un-pressured working fluid components with the pressurized electrochemically-active component.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the tubular system is configured to transfer kinetic energy from the pressurized electrochemically-active component to the un-pressured working fluid components.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the other working fluid components include a condensable refrigerant component that bypasses the electrochemical process.
13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a heat sink in thermal contact with the tubular system.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular system includes a venturi tube.
15. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular system includes a vortex tube.
16. The system of claim 1, wherein the tubular system is configured to receive all of the components of the working fluid from the electrochemical compressor.
17. A method of transferring heat using a working fluid that is circulated through and contained within a closed loop, the method comprising:
increasing a pressure of at least one electrochemically-active component of the working fluid by circulating the electrochemically-active component through an electrochemical compressor and outputting the pressurized electrochemically-active component;
outputting the working fluid including the pressurized electrochemically-active component and, if present, other components of the working fluid that bypass the electrochemical compressor; and
imparting a gain in kinetic energy to at least a portion of the outputted working fluid by directing the outputted working fluid through a body of revolution.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein increasing the pressure of the electrochemically-active working fluid component comprises:
electrochemically ionizing the electrochemically-active component by stripping charged particles from the electrochemically-active component,
enabling the ionized electrochemically-active component to pass through an electrolytic membrane,
pumping the charged particles to create an electric potential gradient across the electrolytic membrane,
pumping the ionized electrochemically-active component across the electrolytic membrane using the electric potential gradient,
electrochemically de-ionizing the electrochemically-active component by combining the pumped charged particles with the ionized electrochemically-active component, and
pressuring the de-ionized electrochemically-active component.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising dissociating the electrochemically-active component from a condensable refrigerant component within the working fluid to enable the condensable refrigerant component to bypass the electrochemical compressor.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising conveying heat from a first heat reservoir at a relatively low temperature to a second heat reservoir at relatively high temperature by circulating the working fluid through a closed loop that is thermally coupled to the first heat reservoir at a first portion and is thermally coupled to the second heat reservoir at a second portion.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein conveying the heat comprises:
transferring heat from the working fluid at the second loop portion to the second heat reservoir including liquefying at least some of the working fluid;
reducing a pressure of the at least partially liquefied working fluid by expanding the working fluid at a substantially constant enthalpy; and
transferring heat from the first heat reservoir to the working fluid at the first loop portion including vaporizing at least some of the working fluid.
22. The method of claim 17, wherein, if other working component components that bypass the electrochemical compressor are present, then the method comprises re-associating the pressurized electrochemically-active component with the condensable refrigerant component by imparting the gain in kinetic energy to the outputted working fluid portion to form a pressurized working fluid.
23. The method of claim 17, wherein imparting the gain in kinetic energy to the outputted working fluid portion comprises reducing an amount of working fluid from flowing back into the electrochemical compressor.
24. The method of claim 17, further comprising, if other components of the working fluid that bypass the electrochemical compressor are present, then mixing the pressurized electrochemically-active component with the other components.
25. The method of claim 17, wherein, if other components of the working fluid that bypass the electrochemical compressor are present, then kinetic energy is imparted to the outputted working fluid portion by transferring kinetic energy from the pressurized electrochemically-active component to the other components.
26. The method of claim 17, wherein imparting the gain in kinetic energy includes directing the outputted working fluid through a Venturi tube.
27. The method of claim 17, wherein imparting the gain in kinetic energy includes directing the outputted working fluid through a vortex tube.
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. A RF tag comprising a resonant circuit structure and a RF device, the resonant circuit structure comprising:
a first conducting layer;
a second conducting layer spaced apart from the first conducting layer; and
two conducting base portions respectively connecting two ends of the first conducting layers and two ends of the second conducting layers;
wherein: a slit is formed on the first conducting layer and the RF device is electrically coupled to the first conducting layer and disposed over the slit; and
at least an additional slit is formed on the first conducting layer and configured for transmitting electromagnetic waves with a polarization different from the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the other slit.
2. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the first conducting layer is parallel with the second conducting layer.
3. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising a layer of dielectric material disposed between the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer.
4. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the RF device comprises a UHF RFID chip.
5. The RF tag of claim 4, wherein the UHF RFID chip comprises two signal outputs.
6. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the RF device is directly electrically connected with the first conducting layer.
7. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising at least an additional RF device, wherein the at least one addition RF device is disposed over the at least one additional slit.
8. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising an internal conducting layer disposed between the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer.
9. The RF tag of claim 8, wherein the internal conducting layer is electrically connected with the second conducting layer by a plurality of conducting portions.
10. The RF tag of claim 9, wherein a slit is formed on the internal conducting layer.
11. The RF tag of claim 8 further comprising more than one internal conducting layer disposed between the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer.
12. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the two conducting base portions are parallel with each other.
13. The RF tag of claim 12, wherein the slit is parallel with the conducting base portions.
14. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising a discrete component connected to the first conducting layer, wherein the discrete component is a capacitor or an inductor.
15. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising a metallic housing, wherein the metallic housing comprises a plurality of protuberances and the protuberances are aligned at a direction different from the RF tag’s polarization direction.
16. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein an intrinsic inductor or an intrinsic capacitor is formed on the first conducting layer.
17. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the longest dimensions of the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer are smaller than the longest dimensions of the conducting base portions.
18. The RF tag of claim 1, wherein the first conducting layer is divided by the slit into at least two islands spaced apart from each other.
19. The RF tag of claim 1 further comprising a layer of magnetic material disposed between the first conducting layer and the second conducting layer.
20. A resonant circuit structure for transmitting electromagnetic waves to a RF device, the resonant circuit structure comprising:
a first conducting layer;
a second conducting layer spaced apart from the first conducting layer; and
two conducting base portions respectively connecting two ends of the first conducting layers and two ends of the second conducting layers;
wherein: a slit is formed on the first conducting layer and configured to support the RF device;
the first conducting layer is configured to electrically couple the RF device; and
at least an additional slit is formed on the first conducting layer and configured for transmitting electromagnetic waves with a polarization different from the electromagnetic waves transmitted through the other slit.