US 2012/0067040 A1Published application

Maximized Thermal Efficiency Engines

OwnerAdolf P. Pintoinventor

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Abstract

This disclosure provides a method for efficiently converting heat energy to readily usable energy with maximized thermal efficiency. Maximized thermal efficiency is obtained by the use of heat regeneration and working gas processing steps that optimize the heat regeneration, so that any heat that is supplied to the working gas from the external heat sourse is supplied at the maximum temperature, and any heat that is rejected from the working gas to an external heat sinks is rejected at the minimum temperature, given the constraints of the the heat source and heat sink temperatures. Two basic designs of engines are proposed. One of the basic designs uses pairs of heat regenerators, and would be suitable for stationary power generation applications. The other basic design uses single heat regenerators and would be suited for motive power applications. Both piston cylinder and turbocompressor driven engine applications can be used in each of the two basic designs of engines.

Claims7

Dependent claims

In a first aspect, the disclosure provides a method for efficiently converting heat energy to readily usable energy in an engine comprising a heat regenerator, the heat regenerator having a first end and a second end, the first end of the heat regenerator being fluid seal connected to a heat rejection means, the second end of the heat regenerator being fluid seal connected to a heat addition means and a pressure variation means, the heat regenerator and components fluid seal connected to the heat regenerator confining a working gas, the heat regenerator being provided with heat regenerating material capable of transferring heat to and from the working gas that surrounds the heat regenerating material, the heat rejection means being capable of rejecting heat from the working gas to a heat sink at or around a temperature TMIN, the heat addition means being capable of adding heat to the working gas at or around a temperature TMAX, where TMAX is greater than TMIN, the pressure variation means being capable of interacting with the working gas while the pressure of the working gas confined in the heat regenerator and the components fluid seal connected to the heat regenerator varies between PMAX and PMIN, where PMAX is greater than PMIN, the interaction of the pressure variation means with the working gas comprising of the capability of the pressure variation means to receive the readily usable energy generated by the working gas during its expansion, the pressure variation means utilizing the readily usable energy for keeping the engine running and satisfying the engine load, and causing the flow of working gas into the heat regenerator to effect the compression of the working gas, wherein the method comprises:

(a) flowing working gas out of the second end of the heat regenerator, the working gas flow resulting in the expansion of the working gas in the heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMAX to PMIN, the flow and expansion of the working gas occuring simultaneously with the addition of heat to the working gas in the heat regenerator and the addition of heat to the working gas flowing out of the second end of the heat regenerator, the pressure variation means interacting with the flowing and expanding working gas to receive the readily usable energy generated by the expanding working gas,
(b) utilizing the pressure variation means to cause the flow of working gas into the second end of the heat regenerator, the flow of working gas into the heat regenerator resulting in the compression of the working gas in the heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure of PMIN to PMAX, the flow and compression of the working gas in the heat regenerator occurring simultaneously with the rejection of heat from the working gas in the heat regenerator and its heat rejection means, (
c) repeating steps (a) and (b).

In a second aspect, the disclosure provides a method for efficiently converting heat energy to readily usable energy in an engine comprising a first heat regenerator, a second heat regenerator, each heat regenerator having a first end and a second end, the first end of each heat regenerator being fluid seal connected to a heat rejection means, the second end of each heat regenerator being fluid seal connected to each other through a heat addition means and a pressure variation means, the heat regenerators and components fluid seal connected to the heat regenerators confining a working gas, each heat regenerator being provided with heat regenerating material capable of transferring heat to and from the working gas that surrounds the heat regenerating material, each heat rejection means being capable of rejecting heat from the working gas to an external heat sink at or around a temperature TMIN, the heat addition means being capable of adding heat to the working gas at or around a temperature TMAX, where TMAX is greater than TMIN, the working gas being designed to flow cyclically back and forth from one heat regnerator to the other, the heat regenerator from which the working gas is flowing out of being referred to as the sending heat regenerator, and the heat regenerator the working gas is flowing into being referred to as the receiving heat regenerator, the flow of working gas from one heat regenerator to the other heat regenerator resulting in the expansion of the working gas in the sending heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMAX to RMIN, where PMAX is greater than PMIN, the expansion of the working gas in the sending heat regenerator occurring along with the simultaneous addition of heat from the heat regenerating material into the expanding woking gas in the sending heat regenerator and with the addition of heat by the heat addition means to the expanding working gas exiting the second end of the sending heat regenerator, the flow of working gas from one heat regenerator to the other heat regenerator also resulting in the compression of the working gas in the receiving heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure of PMIN to PMAX, the compression of the working gas occurring along with the simultaneous rejection of heat from the compressing working gas to the heat regenerating material in the receiving heat regenerator and the rejection of heat from the compressing working gas in the heat rejection means of the receiving heat regenerator to the external heat sink, the pressure variation means being capable of interacting with the working gas flowing from one heat regenerator to the other, the interaction of the pressure variation means with the working gas flowing from one heat regenerator to the other comprising receiving the net positive readily usable energy generated during that portion of the cycle when the readily usable energy generated by the expanding working gas in the sending heat regenerator is greater than the work that has to be performed on the compressing working gas in the receiving heat regenerator, the pressure variation means effecting the working gas flow from one heat regenerator to the other during that portion of the cycle when the readily usable energy generated by the expanding working gas in the sending heat regenerator is smaller than the work that has to be performed on the compressing working gas in the receiving heat regenerator, wherein the method comprises:

(a) flowing working gas out of the second end of the first heat regenerator through the heat addition means and the pressure variation means into the second end of the second heat regenerator, the flow of the working gas resulting in the expansion of the working gas in the first heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMAX to PEQ, and the compression of the working gas in the second heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMIN to PEQ, where PEQ is between PMAX and PMIN,
(b) utilizing the pressure variation means to cause the flow of working gas from the second end of the first heat regenerator through the heat addition means and the pressure variation means into the second end of the second heat regenerator to continue, the continuing flow of the working gas resulting in the further expansion of the working gas in the first heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PAVG to PMIN, and the further compression of the working gas in the second heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PEQ to PMAX,
(c) flowing working gas out of the second end of the second heat regenerator through the heat addition means and the pressure variation means into the second end of the first heat regenerator, the flow of the working gas resulting in the expansion of the working gas in the second heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMAX to PEQ, and the compression of the working gas in the first heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PMIN to PEQ,
(d) utilizing the pressure variation means to cause the flow of working gas from the second end of the second heat regenerator through the heat addition means and the pressure variation means into the second end of the first heat regenerator to continue, the continuing flow of the working gas resulting in the further expansion of the working gas in the second heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PEQ to PMIN, and the further compression of the working gas in the first heat regenerator and its heat rejection means from a pressure PEQ to PMAX,
(e) repeating steps (a)-(b)-(c)-(d).

2 more elements

In a fifth aspect, the disclosure provides an engine for efficiently converting heat energy to readily usable energy as described in the second aspect, wherein the heat addition means comprise a fossil fuel burner, the pressure variation means comprise a magnetohydrodynamic generator, the working gas comprises products of combustion from the fossil fuel burner, wherein the heat rejection means fluid seal connected to the first end of the first heat regenerator and the heat rejection means fluid seal connected to the first end of the second heat regenerator are each provided with a fluid sealed pathway to a energy recovery device, wherein the method additionally comprises:

(a) adding hot products of combustion from the fossil fuel burner into the expanding working gas flowing out of the second end of the first heat regenerator during the flow of working gas from the second end of the first heat regenerator through the pressure variation means into the second end of the second heat regenerator, the added hot products of combustion mixing with, adding heat to the working gas, and becoming additional working gas;
bleeding working gas from the heat rejection means attached to the first end of the second heat regenerator through the fluid sealed pathway from its heat rejection means to the energy recovery device, the bleeding of the working gas occurring towards the end of the working gas flow from the first heat regenerator to the second heat regenerator, the mass of working gas bled being approximately equal to the mass of the products of combustion that were added into the expanding working gas exiting the second end of the first heat regenerator, the mass of bled working gas being equal to the mass of products of combustion added when averaged over successive cycles, the bled working gas from which energy has been recovered in the energy recovery device being discharged to the atmosphere, the energy recovery device taking in fresh atmospheric air and utilizing the recovered energy to compress the fresh atmospheric air for use as combustion air in the fossil fuel burner,
(b) adding hot products of combustion from the fossil fuel burner into expanding working gas flowing out of the second end of the second heat regenerator during the flow of working gas from the second end of the second heat regenerator through the pressure variation means into the second end of the first heat regenerator, the added hot products of combustion mixing with, adding heat to the working gas, and becoming additional working gas;
bleeding working gas from the heat rejection means attached to the first end of the first heat regenerator through the fluid sealed pathway from its heat rejection means to the energy recovery device, the bleeding of the working gas occurring towards the end of the working gas flow from the second heat regenerator to the first heat regenerator, the mass of working gas bled being approximately equal to the mass of the products of combustion that were added into the expanding working gas exiting the second end of the second heat regenerator, the mass of bled working gas being equal to the mass of products of combustion added when averaged over successive cycles, the bled working gas from which energy has been recovered in the energy recovery device being discharged to the atmosphere, the energy recovery device taking in fresh atmospheric air and utilizing the recovered energy to compress the fresh atmospheric air for use as combustion air in the fossil fuel burner,
(c) Repeating steps (a)-(b).

2 more elements

In a sixth aspect, the disclosure provides an engine for efficiently converting heat energy to readily usable energy as described in the first aspect, wherein the heat addition means comprises a fossil fuel burner, the fossil fuel burner comprises an internal combustion engine, the pressure variation means comprises a piston reciprocating in a cylinder, the working gas comprises products of combustion from the internal combustion engine, wherein the heat rejection means fluid seal connected to the first end of the heat regenerator is provided with a fluid sealed pathway to an energy recovery device, wherein the method additionally comprises adding hot products of combustion from the internal combustion engine into the expanding working gas flowing out of the second end of the heat regenerator as the pressure variation piston descends from its top dead center (TDC) position to its bottom dead center (BDC) position, the added hot products of combustion mixing with, adding heat to the working gas, and becoming additional working gas;

bleeding working gas from the heat rejection means attached to the first end of the heat regenerator through the fluid sealed pathway from the heat rejection means to the energy recovery device, the bleeding of the working gas occurring during the travel of the pressure variation piston from its BDC to its TDC position, the mass of working gas bled being approximately equal to the mass of the products of combustion that were added into the expanding working gas exiting the second end of the heat regenerator, the mass of bled working gas being equal to the mass of products of combustion added when averaged over successive cycles, the bled working gas from which energy has been recovered in the energy recovery device being discharged to the atmosphere, the energy recovery device taking in fresh atmospheric air and utilizing the recovered energy to compress the fresh atmospheric air for use as combustion air in the internal combustion engine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.