Reciprocating heat engine
AssigneeThermal Systems Limited
InventorVictor H. Fischer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein energy is supplied to a working end space of the engine by direct injection into the cylinder of liquid water at a high temperature and pressure. The water acts as a heat-transfer medium. Some of the liquid water spontaneously vaporizes on injection, driving the piston. Liquid water is exhausted from the cylinder and recycled to an external heat exchanger for reheating prior to reinjection. The engine is capable of a thermal efficiency greater than that of the Rankine cycle.
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 supplied to the working end space by means of a vaporizable heat-transfer medium, which comprises
- (1) in a compression stroke of the piston, compressing vapor heat-transfer medium present in 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) injecting into the compressed vapor heat-transfer medium in the working space said pressurized heated liquid medium, whereby part of the liquid medium spontaneously vaporizes, the remainder remaining as liquid, and raises the internal energy of the working space;
- (4) in an expansion stroke of the piston, allowing the volume of the end space to expand thereby driving the piston, and allowing some recondensation of vaporized medium to occur;
- (5) exhausting a mixture of liquid and gaseous heat-transfer medium from the end space and leaving in the end space residual gaseous heat-transfer medium;
- (6) receiving said exhausted mixture of liquid and gaseous heat-transfer medium in a trap;
- and
- (7) recycling heat-transfer medium in the liquid state from the trap to step (2) for the generation of further pressurized heated liquid heat-transfer medium.
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein energy is supplied to a working end space of the engine by means of a vaporizable heat-transfer medium, which comprises
- a cylinder, a piston within the cylinder, a working end space being defined by the piston and the cylinder, the piston being reciprocable in the cylinder so as to perform a compression stroke and an expansion stroke;
- a heat exchanger for heating externally of the cylinder the heat-transfer medium 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 pressurized liquid heat-transfer medium;
- a high pressure pump connected to said heat exchanger inlet for feeding liquid heat-transfer medium to the heat exchanger;
- an injector connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger, control means for controlling the injector to inject the heated pressurized liquid medium into the working space near the end of the compression stroke of the piston, whereby part of the liquid medium spontaneously vaporizes in the working space, the remainder remaining as liquid;
- an outlet from the cylinder for exhausting heat transfer medium from the working end space near the end of the expansion stroke of the piston;
- a trap connected to the outlet from the cylinder for receiving a mixture of liquid and gaseous heat-transfer medium exhausted from the cylinder;
- and
- recycle means connected to the trap for recycling therefrom heat-transfer medium in the liquid state to the high pressure pump.
A reciprocating external combustion engine wherein heat energy is supplied to a working end space of the engine by means of heated pressurized liquid water at a temperature greater than the boiling point
- a cylinder, a piston within the cylinder, a working end space defined by said piston and said cylinder, the piston being reciprocatable in the cylinder so as to perform a compression stroke and an expansion stroke;
- 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
- (3) 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;
- 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 heated pressurized liquid water into the working end space near the end of the compression stroke of the piston, part of said water spontaneously vaporizing, the remainder remaining as liquid;
- and
- an outlet from the cylinder for exhausting cooled water from the working end space near the end of the expansion stroke of the piston, the majority of said cooled water being exhausted in the liquid state.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.