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US 8,061,140 B2Granted
High efficiency multicycle internal combustion engine with waste heat recovery
AssigneeThermal Power Recovery LLC
InventorJames V. Harmon, Sr.
Life of this patent
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AssigneeThermal Power Recovery LLC
InventorJames V. Harmon, Sr.
Estimating the term…
A high efficiency combined cycle internal combustion and steam engine includes a cylinder and a piston with an internal combustion chamber outward of the piston, a fixed cylinder cap and a steam expansion chamber inside the piston. The cylinder cap can be heated to reduce condensation of steam entering from a steam generator fired by waste combustion heat. Following exhaust, residual steam can be recompressed prior to admitting the next charge of steam. A wrist pin connected to an inner end of the piston skirt inwardly of the cylinder cap is coupled to a connecting rod secured to a crankshaft. One valve or a pair of steam inlet valves are connected to communicate in series within the cylinder cap inside the piston. The steam mass admitted is regulated to reduce fuel consumption. Coolant can be superheated in the combustion exhaust manifold.
A combination internal combustion steam engine comprising, at least one cylinder with a piston that is operatively connected to a crankshaft and is mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder between an outer combustion chamber and inner steam expansion chamber, a fixed cylinder cap sealingly and slidably mounted within the piston and having at least one steam admission valve therein, a steam exhaust valve communicating with the steam expansion chamber, a wrist pin connected to an outer end of a connecting rod and the wrist pin having ends connected to an inner end of the piston, the cylinder cap has at least one supporting member and an opening traverses the cylinder to permit reciprocation of the wrist pin therethrough, a combustion chamber cooling jacket to supply coolant for the combustion chamber including an outlet duct connected to transfer heated coolant from the combustion chamber cooling jacket to supply energy to an internal combustion exhaust fired steam generator having a steam outlet connected to supply steam to the steam expansion chamber through the steam admission valve and said steam expansion chamber having an exhaust outlet connected to a steam condenser.
An apparatus for recovering waste combustion heat from a combustion chamber of an engine comprising,
A combined cycle engine comprising at least one cylinder having a combustion piston slidably mounted therein between a combustion chamber and a steam expansion chamber wherein the combustion chamber is outward of the piston and the steam expansion chamber is located inside the piston between the piston and a fixed cylinder cap that is slidably and sealingly mounted inside the piston, connectors located on opposing sides of a skirt of the piston are positioned inward of a surface of the cylinder cap which comprises a wall of the steam expansion chamber such that the connectors are both located on an opposite side of the cylinder cap from the expansion chamber, a wrist pin is secured between the connectors and is connected to an outer end of a connecting rod, the cylinder cap has a support with at least one opening to accommodate reciprocation of the wrist pin therethrough, a steam supply heated by waste combustion heat is connected to power the engine by supplying steam to the steam expansion chamber through at least one steam inlet valve connected in communication with the expansion chamber through the cylinder cap, a steam exhaust valve that remains closed after top dead center for recompressing residual steam during each inward stroke of the piston and a crankshaft is connected to an inner end of the connecting rod.
A combined cycle engine comprising, at least one cylinder having a combustion piston slidably and sealingly mounted therein between a combustion chamber and a steam expansion chamber, the piston including a piston skirt, the combustion chamber being outward of the piston and including a combustion intake valve and a combustion exhaust valve, the steam expansion chamber being located in the cylinder inward of the piston, at least one steam inlet valve enclosed by the piston and connected to be operated in timed relationship to piston movement for admitting steam produced by waste combustion heat into the steam expansion chamber through a fixed cylinder cap having a part thereof that is sealingly and slidably mounted within the piston, at least one port for communicating with the expansion chamber to exhaust steam therefrom, the piston having at least one connector element at an inner part of the piston skirt which is located inwardly beyond the part of the cylinder cap that is sealingly associated with the piston such that the connector element is on an opposite side of the cylinder cap from the steam expansion chamber, a connecting rod that is moveable along a central longitudinal axis of the cylinder is coupled at an outer end thereof to the connector element and a crankshaft is located inwardly of the piston and is connected to an inner end of the connecting rod.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.