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US 11,530,668 B2Granted
Closed cycle regenerative heat engines
AssigneeStirling Works Global Ltd
InventorsMichael Dann, Graham Nicholson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed cycle regenerative heat engine has a housing defining a chamber. A displacer is housed in the chamber. A power piston is housed in the chamber. The displacer is resiliently deformable from a rest condition in response to displace the working fluid in the chamber. The displacer may be a multi-start volute spring. The displacer may be provided with a heat storage reservoir to store heat received from a working fluid as the working fluid is displaced from a heating location in the chamber to a cooling location in the chamber and reject heat to the working fluid when the working fluid is displaced from the cooling location to the heating location. The resiliently deformable displacer may comprise two components with an air space defined between the two components.
Claims20
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 configured to resiliently deform 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 resiliently deformable body portion and a second resiliently deformable body portion disposed opposite said first body portion, each said body portion having a periphery that is secured relative to said housing and being configured such that when said displacer resiliently deforms to displace said working fluid into said cooling location, said first resiliently deformable body portion resiliently deforms into said heating location and when said displacer resiliently deforms to displace said working fluid into said heating location, said second resiliently deformable body portion resiliently deforms into said cooling location,
- wherein an air gap is defined between said first and second body portions to at least reduce heat conduction between said first and second body portions, 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 closed cycle regenerative heat engine, comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber;
- a 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 portion and a second body portion disposed in opposite said first body portion and configured such that when said displacer moves to displace said working fluid into said cooling location, said first body portion moves into said heating location and when said displacer moves to displace said working fluid into said heating location, said second body portion moves into said cooling location,
- wherein a gap is defined between said first and second body portions to at least reduce heat conduction between said first and second body portions and at least one of said first and second body portions comprises a multi-start volute spring, and
- wherein 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 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 resiliently deformable 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 resiliently deformable displacer defines at least one 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 resiliently deformable displacer,
- a heat storage reservoir mounted on said resiliently deformable displacer to, in use, store heat received from said working fluid when said working fluid is displaced from said heating location to said cooling location via said at least one internal through-passage and reject said stored heat to said working fluid when said working fluid is displaced from said cooling location to said heating location via said at least one internal through-passage, 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 closed cycle regenerative heat engine comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber;
- a 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,
- said displacer further comprises a heat storage reservoir mounted on said thermally insulating member to, in use, store heat received from said working fluid when said working fluid is displaced from said heating location to said cooling location and reject said stored heat to said working fluid when said working fluid is displaced from said cooling location to said heating 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.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.