A heat machine for realizing a heat cycle, the heat machine operating with a thermal fluid and configured to function with a combined heat cycle using hot air and aqueous vapour, featuring unidirectional continuous motion of the thermal fluid, the heat machine comprising:
- a drive unit comprising:
- a casing delimiting therein an annular chamber and having dimensioned inlet or discharge openings in fluid communication with conduits external to the annular chamber, wherein each inlet or discharge opening is angularly spaced from the adjacent inlet and discharge openings so as to define an expansion/compression path for a working fluid in the annular chamber;
- a first rotor and a second rotor rotatably installed in said casing;
- wherein each one of the two rotors has three pistons that are slidable in the annular chamber;
- wherein the pistons of one of the rotors are angularly alternated with the pistons of the other rotor;
- wherein angularly adjacent pistons delimit six variable-volume chambers;
- a primary shaft operatively connected to said first and second rotor;
- a transmission that is operatively interposed between said first and second rotor and the primary shaft and configured to convert the rotational motion with respective first and second periodically variable angular velocities of said first and second rotor that are offset relative to each other into a rotational motion having a constant angular velocity of the primary shaft;
- wherein the transmission is configured to confer, on the periodically variable angular velocity of each of the rotors, six periods of variation for each complete revolution of the primary shaft;
- wherein said drive unit is a rotary volumetric expander operating with said thermal fluid;
- a first section of the drive unit, where, following the movement of the two pistons away from each other, the thermal fluid, passing through the inlet opening, is suctioned into the chamber;
- a second section of said drive unit, where, following the movement of the two pistons towards each other, the previously suctioned thermal fluid is compressed in the chamber and then, on passing through the discharge opening, a pipe and a check valve, it is conveyed into a compensation tank;
- a compensation tank configured to accumulate the compressed thermal fluid to make it available, via pipes and the check valve, for subsequent use thereof, in a continuous mode;
- a regenerator, in fluid communication via pipes with said drive unit and configured to preheat the thermal fluid prior to its entry in a heater;
- a heater configured to superheat the thermal fluid circulating in a serpentine coil, using the thermal energy produced by a burner;
- a burner with a combustion chamber attached thereto, said burner being apt for operating with various types of fuel and being capable of supplying the necessary thermal energy to the heater;
- a third section of said drive unit, in fluid communication with said heater, via pipes, and capable of receiving, via the inlet openings, the thermal fluid heated to a high temperature under pressure in the heater so as to have it expand in the chambers, which are delimited by the pistons, respectively, for the purpose of having said pistons rotate and produce work;
- a fourth section of said drive unit, in fluid communication with the regenerator through the discharge openings and pipes, and wherein, due to the reduction in volume of the two chambers brought about by the movement of the two pairs of pistons towards each other, the exhausted thermal fluid is forcedly expelled;
- wherein said regenerator, in fluid communication with said drive unit, is further configured to acquire heat-energy from the exhausted thermal fluid and to use it to preheat the thermal fluid to be sent to the heater.