US 9,500,158 B1 · Thermal engine for operation with noncombustible fuels

Abstract

A thermal engine includes a cylinder and piston and an insulated thermal battery including at least a thermal mass such as the engine block itself for storing and retaining heat to enhance or cause fluid expansion within the cylinder and drive the piston, the thermal battery optionally including an electrolyte chamber containing a thermal electrolyte for functioning as an electric thermal battery. Heat is stored in the thermal battery such as by activating electric resistance heating elements in the thermal mass. The stored heat either causes expansion of a non-combustible expansion fluid such as water or enhances the expansion of a combustible expansion fluid such as gasoline. Where the thermal battery is an electric thermal battery containing an electrolyte, the storage of heat also stores electricity which can be used to power an electric motor.

A thermal engine, comprising:

an expansion fluid tank;
a thermal battery in fluid communication with said expansion fluid tank;
engine block means;
a cylinder mounted to and closed at one end by said engine block means;
a piston having a piston head and a piston rod, said piston head being slidably and sealingly retained within said cylinder to form a variable volume cylinder expansion chamber between said piston head and said engine block means, said piston rod being connected to a piston crank;
an engine valve block means sealingly mounted to said engine block means;
an engine valve block means cover sealingly mated to said engine valve block defining an intake chamber sealingly mated to an oil sump, said engine valve block means having intake valve means with an intake valve and having an exhaust valve means with an exhaust valve;
said intake valve means fluidly being connected to said intake chamber and receiving expanded fluid from said thermal battery, and said exhaust valve means fluidly connected to said exhaust chamber for removal of exhausted expanded fluid;
a crankshaft mechanically linked to said piston head opposite said engine valve block means by the piston rod;
a valve operating means comprising a cam shaft and cams mounted thereon, said cam shaft driven by the torque of a drive shaft;
engine starting means connected to said drive shaft;
the thermal battery consisting of a contiguous thermal battery case divided into first and second separate fluid chambers by a thermal mass for storing heat energy, said first chamber comprising a thermal battery expansion chamber in fluid communication with said intake chamber and said expansion fluid tank;
an expansion fluid pump for delivering expansion fluid from said expansion fluid tank into said thermal battery, and comprising of a hermetically sealed thermal battery vacuum chamber surrounding at least part of said thermal mass, said thermal battery expansion chamber comprising at least one thermal mass expansion fluid passageway within said thermal mass for accepting expansion fluid from said expansion fluid tank to uniformly heat and expand the expansion fluid from the liquid phase to an expanded fluid in the vapor phase within said thermal mass, said thermal mass expansion fluid passageways to accumulate pressurized expanded fluid vapor into the thermal battery expansion chamber for delivery into said intake chamber;
such that when said engine starting means turns said drive shaft, said expansion fluid pump delivers a quantity of expansion fluid from the fluid tank into said thermal mass expansion fluid passageways causing expansion fluid to expand into a vapor and become expanded fluid, and when the piston head is at top dead center of the cylinder chamber the cam opens the intake valve means and expanded fluid vapor is passed through the intake valve means into said cylinder expansion chamber to generate pressure and drive the piston head from top dead center to bottom dead center, the piston head motion generating a force transmitted by said piston crank to turn said crankshaft and generate mechanical power using the thermodynamic potential of the expanded fluid vapor, and such that when said piston head is at bottom dead center the drive force generated on said drive shaft causes the cam to close said intake valve means and the cam to open the exhaust valve means and cause expanded fluid vapor to exit through said exhaust valve means into said exhaust chamber for removal of exhaust expanded fluid as such piston head rises to top dead center passing expanded fluid vapor into a radiator to cool and condense the expanded fluid vapor back into expansion fluid and to advantageously generate a negative vapor pressure to assist and pull the piston head back to top dead center to repeat the cycle;
the expansion fluid tank receiving condensed expansion fluid from the radiator, and the expansion fluid pump pumping expansion fluid from the expansion fluid tank back into the thermal mass expansion fluid passageways to repeat the process.

12 more elements

Thermal engine for operation with noncombustible fuels

Life of this patent

Thermal engine for operation with noncombustible fuels

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims43