US 5,509,382 AGranted

Tandem-differential-piston cursive-constant-volume internal-combustion engine

OwnerRonald D. Nolandinventor

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Abstract

An internal-combustion engine having a main cylinder, a crosshead motor piston mounted on a piston rod, and a charger piston, which reciprocates below the motor piston and has a hole for the piston rod to slide through, is shown in full section in FIG. 1. The piston rod is connected through a motor connecting rod to a short-throw motor crankpin that separates a pair of long-throw charger crankpins that follow it by eight degrees and are connected through a pair of charger connecting rods to the charger piston. The pistons separate as they descend thereby opening a charger cavity wherein a fuel-air charge is drawn via intake ports through the main-cylinder wall. As the pistons rise, the intake ports are blocked; the charge is compressed and forced upward past the motor piston into a hot combustion chamber through transfer channels along the main-cylinder wall that remain blocked by the motor piston until it approaches its zenith. The charge is ignited and burns cursively while entering the hot combustion chamber. Charging is completed when the top of the charger piston contacts the bottom of the motor piston while the transfer channels are being closed by the motor piston as it descends. A piston valve, operated by a link rod attached to the motor connecting rod, opens and closes exhaust ports and primary intake ports. Insulated refractory materials are used for the head plate, motor-piston crown, and valve crown to conserve heat for ultra thermal efficiency.

Claims20

Dependent claims

In a two-stroke cycle reciprocating engine, which inducts and compresses working fluid including air and supplies it under pressure materially above atmospheric to a combustion chamber for a main cylinder with means for exhaust closed, and which has means for attachment of a device for introducing fuel into the working fluid, and which has means for ignition, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) a crosshead type motor piston, which fits the main cylinder for reciprocation therein, having a lower surface that is closed and suitable to be approached;
(b) a piston rod that is attached to the motor piston;
(c) a charger piston, which fits the main cylinder for reciprocation therein, located below the lower surface of the motor piston, having an upper surface shaped for approaching the lower surface of the motor piston and having a central hole through which the piston rod slides;
(d) a motor connecting rod that is pivotally attached to the piston rod;
(e) a pair of charger connecting rods that are pivotally attached to the charger piston;
(f) a crankshaft having a motor crankpin on which the motor connecting rod is rotatively attached and having a pair of charger crankpins on which the charger connecting rods are rotatively attached, the crank radius of the charger crankpins being larger than the crank radius of the motor crankpin while the crank angle between the motor crankpin and the charger crankpins is proximally phased to bring the charger piston to the zenith of its travel while the motor piston is near the zenith of its travel;
and
(g) the main cylinder having a length sufficient for a charger cavity to be opened between the lower surface of the motor piston and the upper surface of the charger piston when each is near the nadir of its travel and having a plurality of intake ports through its wall into the charger cavity for induction of working fluid and also having a plurality of transfer channels whose lower ends are uncovered by the motor piston when nearing the zenith of its travel while the channels extend upward past the motor-piston crown to the combustion chamber, so that as the crank rotates the pistons reciprocate in concert, creating a charger cavity between the pistons that expands and contracts once in the cycle from differential motion of the pistons while the cavity is brought to its minimum volume when the motor piston is near its zenith so that the working fluid, which is drawn into the charger cavity when the pistons are in the lower part of their strokes, is compressed and forced through the transfer channels past the motor piston into the combustion chamber where heat is added by internal-combustion and mechanical energy is extracted while it expands against the motor piston as it moves downward.

5 more elements

In a two-stroke cycle reciprocating engine in which a charge of working fluid is inducted, compressed and forcibly transferred, which means for exhaust is closed, into an expansion chamber, which is enclosed above a motor piston traversing the upper half of reciprocation in a main cylinder, where it is subsequently heated and expanded for the extraction of mechanical energy, wherein the improvement comprises:

(a) the motor piston, which fits the main cylinder for reciprocation therein, having a lower surface that is closed and suitable to be approached;
(b) a charger piston, which is located below the lower surface of the motor piston, having an upper surface shaped for approaching the lower surface of the motor piston;
(c) means for obturation between the charger piston and the wall of the main cylinder;
and
(d) means for reciprocation of the motor piston and the charger piston in concert with a phase angle that creates a charger cavity between the pistons that expands and contracts once in the cycle so that induction and expulsion of working fluid may be effected by differential motion of the pistons.

2 more elements

In a two-stroke pump-compression cycle internal-combustion reciprocating engine in which a charge of working fluid including air is inducted, compressed and forcibly transferred, while means for exhaust is closed, into an expansion chamber, which is enclosed above a motor piston traversing the upper half of reciprocation in a main cylinder, where it is subsequently heated by internal-combustion of fuel and employed to force the motor piston downward in the main cylinder for the extraction of mechanical energy, characterized in that:

(a) the motor piston, which fits the main cylinder for reciprocation therein, has a lower surface that is closed and suitable to be approached;
(b) a charger piston is located below the lower surface of the motor piston and has an upper surface shaped for approaching the lower surface of the motor piston;
(c) means for obturation prevents the flow of working fluid between the charger piston and the wall of the main cylinder;
(d) means for reciprocation of the motor piston and the charger piston in concert with a phase angle that creates a charger cavity between the pistons that expands and contracts once in the cycle effects induction and expulsion of working fluid by differential motion of the pistons;
(e) means for induction of working fluid conveys it into the charger cavity;
and
(f) means for transferring working fluid conducts it from the charger cavity to the expansion chamber.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.