Diaphragm displacer Stirling engine powered alternator-compressor

A Stirling engine-powered device, comprising:

• a working vessel defining therein a working space, adapted to contain a working fluid, said vessel having a first section and a second section;
• means for heating said fluid at said first section;
• means for cooling said fluid at said second section;
• a displacer member having a first end facing said first section and second end facing said second section, and being slidably disposed in said vessel for shuttling working fluid between said first section and said second section, said displacer member being free of all mechanical connections through said vessel;
• a gas flow path between said first section and said second section;
• a regenerator in said gas flow path;
• an engine output member actuated by pressure changes of said working fluid in said working space;
• a displacer diaphragm operatively connected between said vessel and said displacer with said diaphragm having an inner surface connected to said vessel second section and an outer surface connected to said displacer;
• said displacer diaphragm reducing the effective area of said displacer second end below the area of said displacer first end thereby producing a force differential that is effective to supply the energy dissipated by said displacer in shuttling working fluid between said first and second sections, thus sustaining displacer motion.

A Stirling engine, including a working space having hot and cold variable volume chambers intercommunicating through a regenerator and a cooler;

• a displacer for displacing working gas between the chambers in a reciprocating manner;
• a closed vessel enclosing said chambers and containing said displacer;
• and a fluid actuated member located independently of said displacer so as to be free of frictional sliding movement relative thereto;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a displacer diaphragm having an outer surface connected to said displacer and an inner surface connected to a stationary structure within said vessel, and disposed to absorb energy from said displacer when displacing gas in one direction, and return energy to said displacer when displacing gas in the other direction;
• a hydraulic chamber bounded by at least one face of said fluid actuated member;
• a flexible engine diaphragm between said hydraulic chamber and said working space;
• said one face of said fluid actuated member being in hydraulic fluid communication with one side of said engine diaphragm, and the other side of said engine diaphragm being in pneumatic communication with said working space;
• whereby gas pressure changes in said working space as said working gas cycles through said hot and cold chambers are transmitted through said engine diaphragm to said fluid actuated member by way of hydraulic fluid, and energy to return said dispacer to said hot chamber is stored in said displacer diaphragm when said displacer moves in said one direction and released when said displacer moves in the other direction.

A Stirling cycle heat engine, comprising:

• a vessel enclosing a working space having a hot chamber at one end of the engine and a cold chamber at the other end of the engine, each of the hot and cold chambers being of variable volume;
• a closed, working gas flow path for establishing gas flow communication between said hot chamber and said cold chamber;
• a regenerator and a cooler disposed in said gas flow path;
• a displacer movable in said working space for displacing working gas through said gas flow path between said chambers;
• a fluid actuated oscillating mass member having a reciprocating movement including a power stroke powered by working gas pressure in one direction to produce output work, and means providing a return stroke in the other direction;
• said displacer being entirely free of mechanical and frictional coupling with said fluid actuated oscillating mass member;
• a displacer diaphragm for supporting and sustaining the oscillating movement of said displacer, said displacer diaphragm having an outer portion secured to said displacer and an inner portion secured to a stationary support secured to said vessel for causing a working gas pressure imbalance on said displacer to exist at one position of said displacer causing a net force tending to move said displacer to one end of said working space, said displacer diaphragm storing energy during said displacer movement toward said one end, which energy is available to return said displacer toward the other end of said working space;
• and
• said displacer diaphragm being mechanically and frictionally independent of said work output member.