US 4,010,611 AGranted

Compression-expansion power device

OwnerJames E. Zacheryinventor

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Abstract

A power device or mechanism embodying cyclic compression and expansion of compressible fluids, such as various gases, in a unique manner hereinafter referred to as the "Zachery" cycle. The power device, as disclosed, includes a chamber, such as a cylinder, and movable components, such as opposed pistons, associated with the chamber for varying the volume of the chamber and varying the pressure of gases therein with the movable components being mechanically connected to crankshafts or other mechanisms to enable the highest pressures obtained during the compression-expansion cycle to occur at or near the maximum lever arm of a crankshaft or other mechanism thereby generating the maximum torque possible from the gas pressure available. The power device also exerts its maximum force when the pressure within the chamber is at a maximum. The movable components, such as the opposed pistons, utilize a common space within the chamber with the cyclic movement of the movable components having a substantial overlap of movement with the overlapping portions of the cycles of movement of each of the movable components being at different intervals in the compression-expansion cycle thereby enabling a substantial increase in thermal efficiency as compared to other variable volume devices.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A compression-expansion power device comprising a chamber of predetermined volume defined by an enclosing structure adapted to receive and exhaust a compressible fluid, said structure including opposed portions movable relative to each other and occupying common spaces over the entire space of the chamber at predetermined, non-simultaneous intervals thereby enabling predetermined changes in the volume of the chamber between the opposed portions at different relative positions thereof, said commonly occupied space in the chamber constituting a substantial portion of the volume defined by the enclosing structure, said chamber being defined by an open-ended cylinder and the opposed portions include a pair of pistions reciprocally disposed in said cylinder, and means reciprocating said pistons whereby a substantial portion of the inner portions of the piston strokes overlap with only one piston disposed in the overlapping portion of the strokes at any particular time, said means reciprocating said pistons including a crankshaft associated with each of the pistons, each of the crankshafts having a crank arm thereon defining a variable length lever arm connected with its respective piston by a connecting rod, said crankshafts being interconnected for rotation at a predetermined ratio for cyclic movement of the pistons in the cylinder to define an intake process, a compression process, an expansion process and an exhaust process, said crankshafts rotating at a ratio of 2:1 whereby one of the pistons reciprocates at twice the frequency of the other piston, said pistons and crankshafts being so phased that, at the beginning of the cycle, the slower moving piston is at its maximum penetration into the common cylinder while the faster moving piston is at its minimum penetration position in the common cylinder and during the compression process, the slower moving piston and crankshaft move from 0.degree. to 80.degree. while the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 0.degree. to 160.degree., during the expansion process, the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from 80.degree. to 180.degree. while the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 160.degree. to 360.degree., during the exhaust process, the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from 180.degree. to 280.degree. while the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 360.degree. to 560.degree. and during the intake process, the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from 280.degree. to 360.degree. while the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 560.degree. to 720.degree. thus completing the cycle, such arrangement being the nominal operation and phasing of the device.

A compression-expansion device comprising an open-ended cylinder adapted to receive and exhaust a compressible fluid, a pair of opposed pistons reciprocal in the cylinder, a crankshaft disposed outwardly of each end of the cylinder and being operatively connected to its respective piston by a connecting rod and crank arm defining a variable length lever arm during rotation of the crankshaft, means interconnecting the crankshafts so that the crankshafts will rotate at a predetermined ratio and phased so that one of the pistons is near its maximum penetration of the cylinder while the other of the pistons is near its minimum penetration of the cylinder at the beginning of a cycle of movement with the two pistons in the cylinder occupying a common space within the cylinder which constitutes a substantial portion of the volume of the cylinder with such common occupancy occurring at different intervals thereby preventing mechanical interference between the pistons, said shafts being rotatable at a ratio of 2:1 with the slower rotating shaft and its connected piston having maximum penetration into the cylinder at the beginning of the cycle and the faster crankshaft and piston having minimum penetration in the cylinder at the beginning of the cycle whereby compression of the fluid in the cylinder occurs as the slower piston moves outwardly to a crankshaft angle of approximately 80.degree. while the faster moving piston moves inwardly to an angular position of the crankshaft of approximately 160.degree. whereby peak pressure and torque is exerted on the slower moving piston and crankshaft at a maximum lever arm position thereof and maximum pressure and torque is exerted on the faster moving piston and crankshaft at a minimum lever arm position and expansion of the volume between the pistons occurring when the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from approximately 80.degree. to 180.degree. and the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from approximately 160.degree. to 360.degree. and exhaust of the volume between the pistons occurs when the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from 180.degree. to 280.degree. while the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 360.degree. to 560.degree. and intake into the volume occurring when the slower moving piston and crankshaft moves from 280.degree. to 360.degree. and the faster moving piston and crankshaft moves from 560.degree. to 720.degree. thereby completing the cycle.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.