Heat engine
OwnerStanley J. Mikinainventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat engine which the steady burning of liquid or gaseous fuel in a combustion chamber, external to the engine cylinders, is converted to mechanical work by means of expansion of the combustion gases in the engine cylinders. A pair of series inlet poppet valves is provided per engine cylinder so phased to provide a short interval period of gas admission to each cylinder for making the expansion ratio substantially equal to the compression ratio for maximum efficiency. The poppet valves, whose angular interval when they are both open are varied by an amount inversely proportional to the combustor pressure. The gas pressure forces acting on the poppet valves are counterbalanced to permit their actuation by conventional cams and valve gear without excessive cam loads and wear.
Claims12
A hot gas engine based on the classical Joule cycle and comprising the combination of an air compressor, an external combustor for continuously burning a fluid fuel with the compressed air, a plurality of engine cylinders for expansion of the products of combustion, and a pair of series inlet poppet valves and actuating cams having separate cam shafts per engine cylinder so phased as to provide a short interval period of gas admission to each engine cylinder at different times for making the expansion ratio substantially equal to the compression ratio for maximum thermal efficiency.
A hot gas engine based on the classical Joule cycle and comprising the combination of an air compressor, an external combustor for continuously burning a fluid fuel with the compressed air, a plurality of engine cylinders for expansion of the products of combustion, a pair of series inlet cam actuated poppet valves per engine cylinder, a first inlet valve controlling the flow of burned combustion gases into a passage leading to a second inlet valve, said first inlet valve actuated by a cam that is advanced in time and angular phase with respect to an actuating cam for said second inlet valve, the second inlet valve opening after the first inlet valve opens and closing after the first inlet valve closes, the combustion gases admitted to the engine cylinders only when both series inlet valves are open, and means for substantially balancing and equilibrating the gas pressure forces acting on each series inlet valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.