Internal combustion engine powerplant having high efficiency waste energy recovery and distribution

A powerplant comprising:

• an internal combustion engine including an engine crankshaft;
• a driveshaft operably coupling the engine crankshaft to a load;
• a vapor expander, the vapor expander comprising:
• a vapor expander crankshaft;
• a vapor expander cylinder;
• a vapor expander piston slidable on the vapor expander cylinder and operably coupled to the vapor expander crankshaft, the vapor expander receiving waste heat energy from the internal combustion engine;
• an electric generator having a plurality of stator coils and a rotor, the electric generator being operatively coupled with the vapor expander crankshaft;
• a clutch operatively coupling the engine driveshaft and the electric generator;
• and
• an electrical controller adapted to engage and disengage the clutch depending on operating conditions of the powerplant and,
• wherein a vapor expansion chamber of the vapor expander is disposed between the vapor expander piston and a vapor expander cylinder head, the vapor expander cylinder head being supported in a fixed position by an engine block of the internal combustion engine.

A powerplant comprising:

• an internal combustion engine including an engine crankshaft;
• a driveshaft operably coupling the engine crankshaft to a load;
• a vapor expander, the vapor expander comprising:
• a vapor expander crankshaft;
• a vapor expander cylinder;
• a vapor expander piston slidable on the vapor expander cylinder and operably coupled to the vapor expander crankshaft, the vapor expander receiving waste heat energy from the internal combustion engine;
• an electric generator having a plurality of stator coils and a rotor, the electric generator being operatively coupled with the vapor expander crankshaft;
• a clutch operatively coupling the engine driveshaft and the electric generator;
• and
• an electrical controller adapted to engage and disengage the clutch depending on operating conditions of the powerplant, wherein the powerplant vapor expander piston comprises a double-acting piston slidably disposed in an engine cylinder supported by an engine block of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber defined by the double acting piston and a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine, the vapor expander including a vapor expander cylinder head supported by the engine block, a vapor expansion chamber king disposed within the double-acting piston and defined by the vapor expander cylinder head and the vapor expander piston.

A vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle framework supported by at least two wheels;
• an internal combustion engine;
• a vapor expander having a vapor expander cylinder with a piston slidably mounted thereon and a vapor expansion chamber defined by the piston and the vapor expander cylinder, the vapor expansion chamber being connected to receive vapor heated by waste thermal energy from the internal combustion engine;
• a one-way clutch operatively coupling the vapor expander to drive at least one of the at least two wheels;
• a second clutch connected between the internal combustion engine and the at least one wheel;
• an electronic controller operatively connected to the internal combustion engine and to the vapor expander such that the controller regulates power supplied to the at least one wheel, whereby the vapor expander and the internal combustion engine simultaneously, as well as independently, drive the at least one wheel of the vehicle and;
• wherein the internal combustion engine has at least one inlet valve and at least one exhaust valve and,
• wherein the electronic controller is operatively connected to time independent operation of the combustion inlet and combustion exhaust valve and to deactivate operation of at least one of the internal combustion valves at selected times when the load on the internal combustion engine is reduced.

A vehicle comprising:

• a vehicle framework supported by at least two wheels;
• an internal combustion engine;
• a vapor expander having a vapor expander cylinder with a piston slidably mounted thereon and a vapor expansion chamber defined by the piston and the vapor expander cylinder, the vapor expansion chamber being connected to receive vapor heated by waste thermal energy from the internal combustion engine;
• a one-way clutch operatively coupling the vapor expander to drive at least one of the at least two wheels;
• a second clutch connected between the internal combustion engine and the at least one wheel;
• a power output controller operatively connected to at least one member selected from the group consisting of the internal combustion engine and the vapor expander such that the power output controller regulates power suppled to the at least one wheel, whereby the vapor expander and the internal combustion engine simultaneously, as well as independently, drive the at least one wheel of the vehicle,
• wherein the piston is operatively coupled to impart rotation to a generator and,
• wherein the vapor expander includes a vapor expander cylinder head having a pair of valves comprising a vapor inlet valve and a vapor exhaust valve communicating with the vapor expansion chamber, and further comprising at least one timing adjustment element to regulate the closing time of the vapor inlet valve relative to the location of the piston in the cylinder.

An energy generating and transfer apparatus for waste heat recovery to power an output shaft for imparting mechanical work to a load, the apparatus comprising:

• an internal combustion engine having an engine block supporting an engine cylinder, an engine piston slidably received in the engine cylinder, and a driveshaft;
• a vapor expander operatively associated for receiving waste heat energy from the internal combustion engine and to convert to the waste heat energy to mechanical work by imparting rotation to an output member, the vapor expander comprising a vapor expander cylinder with a vapor expander cylinder head at an outward end thereof, the vapor expander cylinder head being supported from the engine block, a vapor expander piston slidably received upon the vapor expander cylinder and the vapor expander cylinder head, the vapor expander piston defining a vapor expansion chamber, a vapor inlet valve and a vapor exhaust valve being supported within the vapor expander cylinder head, each such vapor inlet valve and vapor exhaust valve being biased during operation to a predetermined position, each vapor inlet valve and vapor exhaust valve having a valve actuator extending outwardly therefrom for sliding into a recess in the crown of the engine piston to thereby impart inward movement to actuate each vapor inlet valve and vapor exhaust valve by piston motion as the engine piston approaches a bottom dead center position.

An energy generating and transfer system for waste heat recovery, the system comprising:

• an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder with a piston slidably mounted therein that is connected to an engine crankshaft for applying torque to a load;
• a vapor expander operatively associated with the internal combustion engine to produce mechanical energy from waste heat recovered from the internal combustion engine, the vapor expander having a vapor expander cylinder and a vapor expander piston slidably mounted therein that is connected to a vapor expander crankshaft;
• an electric generator having a rotatable magnetic rotor connected to the vapor expander crankshaft, the generator having at least one stator coil;
• and
• a controller connected to operate a clutch for transmitting power from the vapor expander crankshaft to a rotatable driving element for applying torque to the load, the controller being arranged to open an electrical circuit through the stator coils of the generator when the clutch is engaged thereby cutting off the flow of current from the generator, whereby the vapor expander produces increased mechanical power through the clutch to drive the load during a rotation of the rotor.

An energy generating and transfer apparatus for waste heat recovery comprising:

• an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder with a double acting slidably mounted therein connected to drive a crankshaft, the cylinder having a combustion chamber on one side of the piston and an expansion chamber on the other side thereof powered by pressurized vapor heated by waste heat from the engine;
• an electric generator releasably connected to be driven by the crankshaft connected to the double acting piston;
• and
• a controller operatively associated with the engine to disable at least one combustion inlet valve and at least one combustion exhaust valve when the double acting piston crankshaft is connected to drive the electric generator, thereby reducing a drag force from the engine acting upon the motion of the double acting piston.

A powerplant comprising,

• an internal combustion engine with at least one cylinder,
• the cylinder having a double acting piston slidably mounted therein between a combustion chamber in the cylinder outward of the piston that is powered by the combustion of fuel and an inward vapor expansion chamber in the cylinder powered by pressurized vapor that is heated by waste combustion heat from the internal combustion engine,
• the piston being operatively connected to a rotatable engine crankshaft that is operatively associated for applying torque to a load,
• an inner cylinder head that is supported in a fixed position in the engine and is located within the double acting piston of the powerplant,
• a vapor inlet valve and a vapor exhaust valve in the inner cylinder head,
• at least one of said valves being biased outwardly from the inner cylinder head by an outward force applied to the at least one valve by the pressurized vapor conveyed within the inner cylinder head, the pressurized vapor in the inner cylinder head also being conveyed to the inlet valve to pressurize the vapor expansion chamber when the inlet valve is opened and,
• wherein at least one of the vapor inlet and vapor exhaust valves is actuated by an inward motion of the piston as the crankshaft rotates.