Rotary Stirling cycle engine
OwnerBennie D. Macomberinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary Stirling cycle engine which has a pair of hollow chambers (20) each having an elliptical rotor (30) positioned inside and rotatably sealed to the chambers inner walls. A crankshaft (40) connects the rotors in tandem to transmit rotational energy when the rotors revolve around the chambers. A cooling and a heating heat exchanger (44) and (48) are each connected through ports (26) and (28) in the chambers sidewalls one to the other. Working fluid (60) is present at a constant volume within the chambers and heat exchangers, revolving the rotors as the volume in each chamber changes due to the cyclic expansion and contraction of the working fluid as it sweeps around the chambers through the ports while being alternately heated and cooled by the heat exchangers.
Claims22
A rotary Stirling cycle heat engine comprising:
- a) at least a pair of hollow chambers oriented in parallel relationship, each having sidewalls and endwalls also a first port and a second port penetrating said sidewalls,
- b) an elliptical rotor disposed within each chamber in constant rotatable contact against the chambers having movable orientation means integral therewith, for coordination position of the rotor in the chamber,
- c) a crankshaft, connecting the rotors together in tandem at an opposed offset orientation, having stationary orientation means thereon interfacing with said movable orientation means for synchronizing the rotors in opposed concert,
- d) a cooling heat exchanger connected between the first ports of each chamber for heat extraction,
- e) a heating heat exchanger connected between the second ports of each chamber for adding heat to actuate the cycle, and
- f) working fluid sealably contained at a constant volume within said chambers and heat exchangers providing the operational potential to rotate each rotor when the volume of one chamber in communication with the first ports is at a maximum condition on one side and the volume of another chamber in communication with both second ports is minimum on an opposed side with heat from the heating heat exchanger expanding the fluid and the heat extracted from the cooling heat exchanger contracting the fluid creating a volumetric divergence hence a pressure differential applying pressure on one side of the rotor which applies force to an offset portion of the crankshaft causing torque on the crankshaft producing work while sweeping the fluid around the chambers through the ports.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.