Compound internal-combustion hot-gas engines

An improved compound internal-combustion hot-gas engine having a housing;

• a crankshaft mounted so as to rotate about its central rotational axis within said housing thus providing an output shaft;
• an internal-combustion means for combustion of a fuel-air mixture as a source of motivating thermal energy in an open thermodynamic cycle, for delivering a net positive torque to said crankshaft, and for expelling hot exhaust gases as a product of said combustion;
• the internal-combustion means possessing a set of hollow cylinders, totaling N.sub.ic in number, fixed in said housing, where N.sub.ic is any one of the integers in the infinite progression 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc.;
• a set of reciprocating pistons, totaling N.sub.ic in number, with one each of said set of N.sub.ic pistons within each of said set of N.sub.ic cylinders therewith defining N.sub.ic cyclically variable expansible chambers wherein the fuel-air mixture undergoes combustion;
• a set of connecting-rod journals, totaling N.sub.ic in number, integral to said crankshaft with said connecting-rod journals circularly orbiting the central rotational axis of said crankshaft as said crankshaft rotates;
• a set of connecting-rod means for mechanically coupling one each of said N.sub.ic pistons to one each of said N.sub.ic connecting-rod journals, for cyclically and nonlinearly synchronizing the reciprocative positions of said N.sub.ic pistons to the orbital angular positions of said N.sub.ic connecting-rod journals, for driving said crankshaft about its central rotational axis when each of said N.sub.ic pistons moves downward in said N.sub.ic cylinders, and for driving each of said N.sub.ic pistons upward in said N.sub.ic cylinders;
• at least one recuperator means for receiving the hot exhaust gases expelled from said internal-combustion means, for extracting thermal energy from the hot gases as they flow therethrough, and for conductively and convectively transporting said extracted thermal energy;
• a hot-gas means for receiving said extracted thermal energy transported by said recuperator means, for utilizing said extracted thermal energy as a source of motivating thermal energy in a closed thermodynamic cycle, and for delivering additional net positive torque to said crankshaft;
• a liquid coolant for circulating in hollow convection ways within said housing thus removing temperature degraded thermal energy from said internal-combustion means and said hot-gas means;
• and a radiator for receiving said liquid coolant and wherein said temperature degraded thermal energy is removed from said liquid coolant and is then transported by thermal processes of conduction, convection, and radiation to the ambient atmosphere;
• wherein said hot gas means further comprising:
• at least one set of hollow cylinders totaling N.sub.hg in number fixed in said housing, wheren N.sub.hg is any one of the integers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.;
• at least one set of reciprocating double-acting pistons totaling N.sub.hg in number, with said double-acting pistons within said N.sub.hg cylinders therewith defining an expansible hot expansion space of cyclically variable volume V.sub.e above each of said N.sub.hg double-acting pistons and an expansible cool compression space of cyclically variable volume V.sub.c below each of said N.sub.hg double-action pistons;
• at least one set of connecting-rod journals totaling N.sub.hg in number and integral to said crankshaft, and with said set of N.sub.hg connecting-rod journals circularly orbiting the central rotational axis of said crankshaft as said crankshaft rotates:
• at least one set of connecting-rod means totaling N.sub.hg in number for mechanically coupling one each of said N.sub.hg double-acting pistons to one each of said N.sub.hg connecting-rod journals, for cyclically and nonlinearly synchronizing the reciprocative positions of said N.sub.hg double-acting pistons to the orbital angular positions of said N.sub.hg connecting-rod journals, and for driving said crankshaft about its central rotational axis as said N.sub.hg double-acting pistons move in said N.sub.hg cylinders;
• at least one set of regenerator means totaling N.sub.hg in numbers, with a duct through each of said regenerator means for interconnecting one each of said expansible cool compression spaces of cyclically variable volume V.sub.c below said double-acting pistons to one each of said expansible hot expansion spaces of cyclically variable volume V.sub.e above said double-acting pistons;
• and
• a gaseous working medium enclosed in said expansible cool compression spaces of cyclically variable volume V.sub.c and said expansible hot expansion spaces of cyclically variable volume V.sub.e and communicating therebetween via said ducts through said regenerator means.