Reciprocating external combustion engine
AssigneeThermal Systems Limited
InventorVictor H. Fischer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein energy is transferred to air acting as a working gas by injection into the air of liquid water at a high temperature and pressure. The liquid water is injected either directly into the cylinder or into a preliminary mixing chamber. The water acts as a heat-transfer medium for heating the air. Spontaneous vaporization of the liquid water on injection increases the pressure of the air which drives the piston before being exhausted. The exhaust water is recovered and recycled. The cylinder is scavenged and refilled with a fresh charge of air.
Claims25
A method of operating a reciprocating external combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston therein defining a working end space, wherein energy is transferred to a working gas from a heated vaporizable liquid heat transfer medium, which comprises
- (1) inducting working gas into the end space;
- (2) generating externally of the cylinder heated heat-transfer medium under a pressure such as to maintain the medium in the liquid state;
- (3) after induction, injecting heated liquid medium into the working gas and allowing at least part of the liquid medium to vaporize, so as to raise the internal energy of the gas;
- (4) in an expansion stroke of the piston, allowing the wet gas containing the heat-transfer medium to expand thereby driving the piston;
- (5) exhausting wet gas from the end space near the end of the expansion stroke;
- (6) separating liquid heat-transfer medium from wet exhaust gas containing heat-transfer medium vapor;
- and
- (7) recycling the separated liquid medium to stage (2) above.
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein energy is transferred to a working gas from a heated vaporizable liquid heat-transfer medium, which comprises
- a cylinder, a piston within the cylinder and reciprocatable therein, a working end space being defined by the cylinder and piston;
- a heat exchanger for heating the heat-transfer medium externally of the cylinder under a pressure such as to maintain the medium in the liquid state, the heat exchanger having an inlet for receiving heat-transfer medium and an outlet for delivering heated liquid heat-transfer medium;
- induction means connected to the cylinder for inducting gas into the working end space;
- an injector connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger and arranged to inject the heated pressurized liquid medium into the gas before expansion of the gas in the working end space, the injector being mounted on the cylinder, whereby at least part of the injected liquid vaporizes on injection;
- an outlet from the cylinder which is controlled to exhaust heat transfer medium and working gas from the working end space near the end of an expansion stroke of the piston;
- a trap connected to the outlet from the cylinder for recovering liquid heat-transfer medium from wet exhaust gas containing heat-transfer medium vapor;
- and
- a high pressure pump connected to feed said medium under pressure in the liquid state to the heat exchanger by recycling from the trap.
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein heat energy is transferred to air acting as a working gas by means of pressurized liquid water at a temperature greater than the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure, which comprises
- a cylinder, a piston within the cylinder and reciprocatable therein, a working end space being defined by the cylinder and piston;
- a heat exchanger for heating the liquid water externally of the working space to a temperature above the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure, the heat exchanger having
- (1) an inlet for receiving liquid water and an outlet for delivering heated water,
- (2) at least one tube for containing said liquid water, and a fuel-burner disposed for heating the liquid water in said at least one tube;
- pressurizing means connected to said at least one tube of the heat exchanger for maintaining said heated water in the liquid state;
- induction means connected to the cylinder for inducting air into the working end space near the beginning of a compression stroke of the piston;
- an injector mounted on said cylinder and connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger for receiving heated pressurized liquid water;
- control means for controlling the injector to inject said heated pressurized liquid water into the working end space near the end of the compression stroke of the piston, at least part of the liquid water spontaneously vaporizing on injection;
- an outlet from the cylinder for exhausting cooled water and air from the working end space near the end of an expansion stroke of the piston, the majority of said cooled water being exhausted in the liquid state;
- and
- a trap connected to the outlet from the cylinder for recovering liquid water from wet exhaust gas containing water vapor, and connected to the pressurizing means for recycling liquid water to the heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.