Heat exchanger in the burner cup of a heat engine
AssigneeFantom Technologies Inc.
InventorWayne Ernest Conrad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat engine is constructed from sheet metal and the like. The heat engine has an outer container and inner container which contains a displacer and a power piston. A plurality of positioning members are provided to dimensionally stabilize the inner and outer containers. By providing positioning members that extend between the inner and the outer containers, a sandwiched construction is obtained which allows the inner and outer containers to reinforce each other thus permitting the use of thin walled containers and improving the thermal efficiency of the heat engine and decreasing the weight of the heat engine.
Claims35
A heat engine body for a heat engine comprising:
- (a) inner and outer spaced apart longitudinally extending walls, each wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, the inner wall surrounding a cavity, each of the inner and outer wall having longitudinally spaced apart first and second ends, the first end is at a different temperature than the second end when the heat engine is in use, the first and second ends in fluid flow communication via a passageway, the first and second ends and the passageway defining a sealed region within which a working fluid travels when the engine is in use;
- (b) a combustion chamber housing having a wall and positioned to provide heat to the first end;
- and,
- (c) at least one fin mounted on the wall of the combustion chamber, the at least one fin having first and second opposed sides and openings whereby combustion gas flows through the openings between the first opposed side and the second opposed side to enhance heat transfer between the combustion gas and the combustion chamber housing.
A heat engine body for a heat engine comprising:
- (a) a container defining a sealed region within which a working fluid is circulated when the heat engine is in use, the sealed region having first and second portions, the first portion is at a different temperature than the second portion when the heat engine is in use, the first and second portions being in fluid flow communication via a working fluid passageway;
- (b) a combustion chamber housing positioned to provide heat to one of the first and second portions of the sealed region;
- and,
- (c) a heat exchanger positioned in the combustion chamber housing comprising a plurality of fin portions having first and second opposed sides and constructed to permit combustion gas to flow through the fin portions to enhance heat transfer between the combustion gas and the fin portions.
A heat engine within which a working fluid is circulated, the heat engine comprising:
- (a) container means defining a sealed region within which a working fluid is circulated when the heat engine is in use, the sealed region having first and second portions, the first portion is at a different temperature than the second portion when the heat engine is in use;
- (b) combustion means for providing combustion gas for heating the first portion;
- and,
- (c) fin means having wall portions with openings therethrough mounted in the combustion means for contacting the combustion gas and assisting in transferring heat from the combustion gas to the working fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.