# US 4,395,885 A · Unitary steam engine > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 4,395,885 A - Document ID: US4395885A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 06/309,707 - Filed: 1981-10-08 - Granted: 1983-08-02 - Earliest claimed: 1981-10-08 - Assignees: Cozby Enterprises, Inc. - Inventors: John A. Cozby - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4395885A ## CPC - F01K 11/00: Plants characterised by the engines being structurally combined with boilers or condensers - Y02B 30/52: Heat recovery pumps, i.e. heat pump based systems or units able to transfer the thermal energy from one area of the premises or part of the facilities to a different one, improving the overall efficiency - F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D) - Y02B: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO BUILDINGS, e.g. HOUSING, HOUSE APPLIANCES OR RELATED END-USER APPLICATIONS ## Abstract Disclosed herein is a steam engine suitably constructed to serve as a prime mover. The device includes a furnace in which a liquid can be heated so as to change its phase, the thus formed gas directed to an engine whereupon its expansion within piston/cylinder arrangements provides useful work. The exhausted steam, still endowed with extractable energy, is passed through various regenerative pump mechanisms and the like for very efficient utilization of much of the inherent energy. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A unitary steam engine comprising, in combination, a casing having an interior, a source of fuel in said casing, an enclosure including a furnace of circular cross-sectional shape disposed within said casing interior, said enclosure having an axially extending central passage and including a plurality of coaxially arranged tubular partitions disposed in surrounding relationship with said furnace, said tubular partitions defining a plurality of radially spaced annular chambers, an axially extending drive shaft rotatably mounted in said enclosure central passage and having an end portion extending outwardly of said casing, a plurality of annularly arranged boiler tubes disposed within said furnace, a source of water in said casing, means for circulating water from said source through said boiler tubes, means in said furnace for generating hot gases from said fuel, means for circulating said hot gases over said boiler tubes in heat transfer relationship therewith to generate steam, a plurality of cylinder/piston assemblies mounted in said casing, means for drivably connecting said pistons to said drive shaft, means including a throttle and a plurality of slide valve means each operatively associated with a respective one of said cylinder/piston assemblies for conducting said generated steam to said cylinder/piston assemblies for reciprocating said pistons to rotate said drive shaft, cam means mounted on said drive shaft for actuating said slide valve means, means including a condenser for converting steam exhausted from said cylinder/piston assemblies to condensate and means for returning said condensate to said source of water. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of cylinder/piston assemblies are arranged in a plurality of stages for operation at varying pressure levels and means for conducting steam sequentially through said plurality of stages for operating each of said stages at descending pressure levels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A steam engine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said plurality of stages include a high pressure stage, an intermediate pressure stage and a low pressure stage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 including an annularly arranged superheater tube in one of said annular chambers and means for conducting steam from said boiler tube to said superheater tube to superheat said steam. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A steam engine in accordance with claim 4 wherein said means for conducting steam from said boiler tubes to said superheater tubes include means for controlling the flow of water from said source to said boiler tubes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for generating said hot gases comprise a combustion chamber in said furnace adjacent said boiler tubes, a fuel injection nozzle for injecting fuel from said source of fuel into said combustion chamber for burning said fuel, means for conducting said fuel from said fuel source to said injection nozzle and means including a damper for introducing combustion air into said combustion chamber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3 including first reheater tubes disposed in a second one of said annular chambers, means for conducting exhaust steam from said cylinder/piston assemblies in said high pressure stage to said first reheater tubes, means for conducting hot combustion gases from said combustion chamber to said second one of said annular chambers in heat transfer relationship with said first reheater tubes and means for conducting steam from said first reheater tube to said cylinder/piston assemblies in said intermediate pressure stage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A steam engine in accordance with claim 7 including a second reheater tube disposed in a third one of said annular chamber, means for conducting exhaust steam from said cylinder/piston assemblies in said intermediate pressure stage to said second reheater tube, means for conducting hot combustion gases from said combustion chamber to said third one of said annular chambers in heat transfer relationship with said second reheater tube and means for conducting steam from said second reheater tube to said third cylinder/piston assemblies in said low pressure stage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A steam engine in accordance with claim 8 including an annularly arranged preheater tube disposed in one of said annular chambers in a helical configuration for preheating the water circulated between said source of water and said boiler tubes and means for conducting combustion gases from said combustion chamber to said one annular chamber to heat the water flowing in said preheater tube. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) A steam engine in accordance with claim 7 including first regenerative pump means, means for drivably connecting first regenerative pump means to said drive shaft and means for conducting steam from said first stage exhaust to said regenerative pump means. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A steam engine in accordance with claim 10 including an economizer, means for pumping water from said source of water to said economizer, means for conducting steam compressed from said first regenerative pump means to said economizer to heat the water pumped to said economizer and means for conducting said heated water from said economizer to said boiler tubes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A steam engine in accordance with claim 11 wherein said means for circulating water from said source through said boiler tubes include a steam separator including a plurality of first tubes for conducting water from said economizer to said boiler tubes and a plurality of second tubes communicating with said plurality of first tubes for conducting steam within said plurality of first tubes from said boiler tubes to said superheater tubes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A steam engine in accordance with claim 10 including second regenerative pump means, means for conducting exhaust steam from said intermediate stage exhaust to said second regenerative pump means and means for drivably connecting said second regenerative pump means to said drive shaft. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A steam engine in accordance with claim 13 including third regenerative pump means, means for conducting exhaust steam from said low pressure stage to said third regenerative pump means, means for drivably connecting said third regenerative pump means to said drive shaft and means for conducting compressed steam/liquid from said first, second and third regenerative pump means to said economizer. ### Claim 15 (depends on 2) A steam engine in accordance with claim 2 including a vacuum pump having an inlet communicating with a hot well for drawing air from said hot well said vacuum pump having an outlet for expelling said air and an inlet communicating with said steam conducting means for steam operation of said vacuum pump. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A steam engine in accordance with claim 15 wherein said steam conducting means for said vacuum pump include means for conducting exhaust steam from said intermediate pressure stage to said vacuum pump. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) A steam engine in accordance with claim 11 wherein said source of water comprises a hot well reservoir in said casing and wherein said pumping means comprises a water injector pump having an inlet communicating with said reservoir and an outlet communicating with said economizer and means for operatively connecting a controlling means to said water injector pump for controlling the pumping of water to said economizer by said pump. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A steam engine in accordance with claim 17 including an expansion chamber having an inlet communicating with said low pressure stage for receiving exhaust steam, said expansion chamber having an outlet communicating with said condenser for conducting exhaust steam expanded in said expansion chamber to said condenser. ### Claim 19 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3 including makeup feedwater means having an inlet and outlet, means for conducting exhaust steam from said low pressure stage to said makeup feedwater distillation means and means for conducting water vapor from said makeup feedwater means to said condenser. ### Claim 20 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3 wherein said intermediate stage includes first and second pressure stages. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) A steam engine in accordance with claim 18 wherein said expansion chamber includes means to regeneratively preheat the air, water and fuel. ### Claim 22 (depends on 9) A steam engine in accordance with claim 9 wherein said means for conducting combustion gases includes a plurality of baffles disposed in said furnace, said combustion gases meandering around said boiler and superheater tubes. ### Claim 23 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3 including brake means on said cam means for altering the timing of said slide valve means to provide a braking force on the engine. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) A steam engine in accordance with claim 23 including means for lubricating said cam means and said cylinder/piston assemblies provided with means for separating lubrication from the steam. ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) A steam engine in accordance with claim 16 including means for mitigating internal crankcase pressures comprising means whereby said crankcase is maintained in an evacuated state. ### Claim 26 (depends on 24) A steam engine in accordance with claim 24 including means for altering the timing of said engine while running on said cam means. ### Claim 27 (depends on 5) A steam engine in accordance with claim 5 wherein said means for controlling the flow of water from said source to said boiler tubes comprises a liquid storage means, sensing means operatively disposed in said storage means for sensing liquid level therein, a means for sensing the pressure head of the liquid in said storage means, said pressure head sensing means operatively connected to control said fuel burner, said liquid level sensing means controlling placement of water in said boiler tubes. ### Claim 28 (depends on 18) A steam engine in accordance with claim 18 including means for controlling air flow over said condenser surfaces. ### Claim 29 (depends on 5) A steam engine in accordance with claim 5 wherein fuel and water injector pump means are provided, operatively driven by said cylinder/piston assembly. ### Claim 30 (depends on 23) A steam engine in accordance with claim 23 wherein said regenerative pump means includes additional brake means and means to relieve engine of said regenerative pump load. ### Claim 31 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3 wherein said engine cylinders are provided with a means of heating by furnace exhaust means. ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein means are provided to prevent high internal pressures within said throttle and slide valve means from acting mechanically against relatively low ambient external pressures through their respective stem means. ### Claim 33 (depends on 3) A steam engine in accordance with claim 3, including means to increase engine power output by bypassing steam pressure around said high pressure stage. ### Claim 34 (depends on 27) A steam engine in accordance with claim 27 wherein said means for controlling includes furnace fuel supply means responsive thereto for altering furnace heat. ### Claim 35 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 including plural cylinder/piston assemblies with means to gang together said cylinder/piston assemblies and a means to support said ganging means, said support means including means to control motion of said ganging means. ### Claim 36 (depends on 25) A steam engine in accordance with claim 25 including insulating means to shield said crankcase and valve operator areas from said furnace exhaust heat and means to provide cooling air to said crankcase and valve operator areas. ### Claim 37 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 including means for controlling flow of combustion air and pre-heating said combustion air by said combustion gases. ### Claim 38 (depends on 17) A steam engine engine in accordance with claim 17 wherein said source of water includes means for deaerating said water. ### Claim 39 (depends on 29) A steam engine in accordance with claim 29 wherein said pump means includes fuel pressure responsive means to maintain fuel pressure. ### Claim 40 (depends on 1) A steam engine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said engine is formed as an integral structure comprised of engine components. ### Claim 41 (depends on 33) A steam engine in accordance with claim 33 including a pressure regulator means disposed between said bypass means and reheater means. ### Claim 42 (depends on 26) A steam engine in accordance with claim 26 including means to adjust engine power output by controlling means of adjusting first stage injection duration.