Controlled Power Integrated Combustion Heat Recovery Engine
OwnerJon Mark Larsoninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Generally a power unit including an internal combustion engine and a Stirling engine engaged through a common power transmission system to offset applied load. Specifically, a Stirling engine which uses the heat discharged by an internal combustion engine as heat source with the engine speed of the Stirling engine controlled by a combination of regulation of fuel consumption of and application of an exhaust brake to the internal combustion engine to transfer a compressive load of the internal combustion engine to the Stirling engine through the common power transmission system.
Claims23
A power unit, comprising:
- an internal combustion engine having one or more pistons each correspondingly reciprocally engaged in one or more cylinders in which an air-fuel mixture combusts to generate rotation of an internal combustion engine crankshaft and which generates a combustion gas exhausted through an exhaust system;
- a Stirling engine having a heat transfer element coupled to said exhaust system to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said Stirling engine to generate rotation of a Stirling engine crankshaft;
- a power transmission system which couples an operational speed of said internal combustion engine crankshaft to a operational speed of said Stirling engine crankshaft;
- and
- an exhaust brake coupled to said exhaust system through which said combustion gas flows, said exhaust brake operable to control an amount of back pressure in said one or more cylinders to control said operational speed of said Stirling engine.
A method of producing a power unit, comprising:
- obtaining an internal combustion engine having one or more pistons each correspondingly reciprocally engaged in one or more cylinders in which an air-fuel mixture combusts to generate rotation of a combustion engine crankshaft and which generates a combustion gas exhausted through an exhaust system;
- coupling a Stirling engine having a heat transfer element coupled to said exhaust system to transfer heat from said combustion gas to said Stirling engine to generate rotation of a Stirling engine crankshaft;
- coupling a rotational speed of said internal combustion engine crankshaft and a rotational speed of said Stirling engine crankshaft through a power transmission system;
- and
- coupling an exhaust brake to said exhaust system through which said combustion gas flows, said exhaust brake operable to control an amount of back pressure in said one or more cylinders to control said rotational speed of said Stirling engine crankshaft.
A method of controlling rotational speed of a Stirling engine crankshaft, comprising:
- operating an exhaust brake coupled to an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine having one or more pistons each correspondingly reciprocally engaged in one or more cylinders in which an air-fuel mixture combusts to generate rotation of an internal combustion engine crankshaft coupled to a power transmission system which couples a rotational speed of said internal combustion engine crankshaft of said internal combustion engine to a rotational speed of a Stirling engine crankshaft of a Stirling engine;
- and
- controlling said rotational speed of said Stirling engine crankshaft by operation of said exhaust brake to generate an amount of back pressure in said one or more cylinders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.