Heat engine
OwnerMichael R. Pierceinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The heart of a heat engine is a reciprocating expansion chamber, which converts heat from a hot fluid into mechanical work. The expansion chamber utilizes a refrigerant in a liquid state as an input, and heats and expands the refrigerant to move pistons and generate work. A high pressure injector injects the liquid refrigerant into the chamber under enough pressure to keep it in a liquid state until it is desirable to have it expand into a gas. A hot fluid is the heat source for the expansion chamber and cold fluid is an output. Another output is the refrigerant, now a hot, low pressure gas. A compressor pressurizes the refrigerant, forming a hot, high pressure gas, and a condenser generates liquid refrigerant and provides it to the pressure injector.
Claims20
A heat engine which utilizes a liquid refrigerant and a hot thermal fluid to convert heat into mechanical work, the heat engine comprising:
- an expansion chamber having a piston disposed to execute strokes within a cylinder and a thermal fluid jacket containing the hot thermal fluid and disposed around the cylinder, wherein the expansion chamber heats the liquid refrigerant via heat transfer from the hot thermal fluid in the thermal fluid jacket and allows the refrigerant to expand, the expansion causing the piston to execute strokes and thereby generate work;
- a dynamic throttling valve for injecting liquid refrigerant into the cylinder adjacent to the piston, wherein the valve injects a minimal flow of liquid refrigerant at the beginning of the piston stroke and a maximal flow as the piston stroke continues;
- a pressure injector for injecting the liquid refrigerant into dynamic throttling valve under pressure;
- a compressor for compressing the expanded gas refrigerant from the expansion chamber;
- and
- a condenser for returning the compressed gas refrigerant from the compressor to a liquid state for use by the pressure injector.
A dynamic throttling valve for use with a piston and cylinder comprising:
- an injector for injecting liquid refrigerant into the cylinder adjacent to an end of the piston, the injector having a tapered opening;
- a tapered pin at the end of the piston fitting into the tapered opening in the injector;
- and
- a concave area formed on the piston surrounding the pin for allowing a minimal flow of refrigerant at the beginning of a piston stroke;
- wherein the valve injects a minimal flow of liquid refrigerant at the beginning of the piston stroke and a maximal flow as the piston stroke continues.
A heat transfer system for use with a piston and cylinder comprising:
- a thermal fluid jacket containing a hot thermal fluid and disposed around the cylinder;
- heat transfer bars and heat transfer rings within the fluid jacket to increase turbulent flow of the thermal liquid;
- the heat transfer bars extending into the cylinder to conduct heat into the cylinder;
- and
- heat transfer fins extending from the fluid jacket into the cylinder to convect heat into the cylinder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.