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US 10,890,138 B2Granted
Closed cycle regenerative heat engines
AssigneeStirling Works Global Ltd
InventorMichael James Dann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed cycle regenerative heat engine has a housing (12) defining a chamber (14). A displacer (18) is housed in the chamber. A shaft (24) is connected with the displacer and extends from the chamber. A power piston (30) is housed in the chamber. The displacer (18) is secured to the housing (12) and is resiliently deformable from a rest condition in response to movement of the shaft (24) to displace the working fluid in the chamber.
Claims20
A closed cycle regenerative heat engine comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber;
- a resiliently deformable displacer housed in said chamber;
- a shaft connected with said resiliently deformable displacer;
- and
- a movable member housed in said chamber,
- wherein said resiliently deformable displacer comprises an elongate resilient strip that has a first end connected with said shaft, a second end connected with said housing and winds around said shaft;
- wherein said resiliently deformable displacer is deformable in response to movement of said shaft to displace a working fluid between respective heating and cooling locations in said chamber at which heat is input to said working fluid and said working fluid is cooled, and
- said movable member is in sealing engagement with said housing and movable in response to pressure changes of said working fluid caused by said heating and cooling of said working fluid to provide a mechanical power output.
5 more elements
A method of operating a closed cycle regenerative heat engine that comprises:
- a chamber in which a resiliently deformable displacer displaces a working fluid between a first position in which heat from an external heat source is applied to said working fluid and a second position in which heat is rejected from said working fluid to an external cold zone;
- and
- a frequency adjustor disposed externally of said deformable displacer, wherein said method comprises operating said frequency adjustor to act on said resiliently deformable displacer to tune the resiliently deformable displacer so that the resiliently deformable displacer has a natural frequency at least substantially corresponding to a drive speed of the engine.
A closed cycle regenerative heat engine comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber;
- a resiliently deformable displacer housed in said chamber;
- and
- a movable member housed in said chamber,
- wherein said displacer is movable in said chamber to displace a working fluid between respective heating and cooling locations in said chamber at which heat is input to said working fluid and said working fluid is cooled,
- said displacer comprises a first body member, a second body member and a thermally insulating member intermediate said first and second body members and configured such that when said displacer moves to displace said working fluid into said cooling location, said first body member moves into said heating location and when said displacer moves to displace said working fluid into said heating location, said second body member moves into said cooling location, and
- said movable member is in sealing engagement with said housing and movable in response to pressure changes of said working fluid caused by said heating and cooling of said working fluid to provide a mechanical power output.
4 more elements
A closed cycle regenerative heat engine comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber;
- a resiliently deformable displacer housed in said chamber;
- and
- a movable member housed in said chamber,
- wherein said displacer is movable in said chamber to displace a working fluid between respective heating and cooling locations in said chamber at which heat is input to said working fluid and said working fluid is cooled,
- said displacer defines an internal through-passage such that, in use, when said displacer moves to displace said working fluid between said heating and cooling locations, said working fluid passes through said displacer, and
- said movable member is in sealing engagement with said housing and movable in response to pressure changes of said working fluid caused by said heating and cooling of said working fluid to provide a mechanical power output.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.