Pressure control system for a closed-cycle engine
AssigneeHyliion Holdings Corp.
InventorsAlex William Ariapad, Michael Robert Notarnicola, Joshua Tyler Mook
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of pressurizing a closed-cycle engine includes performing a non-steady state operation in which a working fluid flows to or from a pressurized tank: i) to or from a plurality of sumps defined by respective ones of a plurality of cylinder-piston assemblies of the closed-cycle engine; or ii) to or from one or more air bearings associated with each one of the plurality of the cylinder-piston assemblies; or iii) both and performing, before and/or after performing the non-steady state operation, a steady-state operation in which the working fluid flows through the plurality of sumps and the one or more air bearings along a steady-state loop that is fluidly decoupled from the pressurized tank.
Claims20
A method of pressurizing a closed-cycle engine, the method comprising:
- performing a non-steady state operation in which a working fluid flows to or from a pressurized tank:
- i) to or from a plurality of sumps defined by respective ones of a plurality of cylinder-piston assemblies of the closed-cycle engine;
- or ii) to or from one or more air bearings associated with each one of the plurality of the cylinder-piston assemblies;
- or iii) both;
- and
- performing, before and/or after performing the non-steady state operation, a steady-state operation in which the working fluid flows through the plurality of sumps and the one or more air bearings along a steady-state loop that is fluidly decoupled from the pressurized tank.
A pressure control system for a closed-cycle engine, the closed-cycle engine having a plurality of cylinder-piston assemblies, the pressure control system comprising:
- a network of fluid passageways;
- a plurality of valves in fluid communication with the network of fluid passageways;
- one or more air bearings associated with each of the plurality of cylinder-piston assemblies, the one or more air bearings in fluid communication with the network of fluid passageways;
- and
- a pressurized tank containing a working fluid, the pressurized tank being selectively fluidly coupled with the plurality of cylinder-piston assemblies and the one or more air bearings via the network of fluid passageways and the plurality of valves;
- and
- a pressure control module for controlling the plurality of valves for regulating flow of the working fluid to and from the pressurized tank to provide a plurality of operational states for the closed-cycle engine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.