Heat engine

Details Heat engine Heat engine

2000-05-16

2001-09-11

Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3748)

Power plants

Motor operated by expansion and/or contraction of a unit of...

Unit of mass is a gas which is heated or cooled in one of a...

C060S523000, C060S524000, C060S526000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06286310

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a heat engine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The heat engine is an alternate engine to the internal combustion engine. Various designs for heat engines have been developed in the past. Despite its potential for greater thermodynamic efficiency compared to internal combustion engines, heat engines have been used in only limited applications in the past due to several factors including the complexity of the designs, the weight of the engine per unit of horse power output as well as the difficulty in starting a heat engine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the instant invention, an improved design for a heat engine is disclosed. In one embodiment, the heat engine is made from lightweight sheet metal. By using a plurality of cylindrical containers, one nested inside the other for the displacer, the combustion and cooling chambers as well as to create an air flow path between the heating and cooling chambers, a rugged durable lightweight construction is achieved.
In another embodiment, the heat engine utilizes a power piston which is biased to a first position. By biasing the piston, several advantages are obtained. First, the heat engine may be self starting provided the power piston is biased so as to be initially positioned in the cooling chamber. A further advantage is that by using an electrical means (eg. a solenoid, an electromagnet or the like) and preferably a magnetic drive member (eg. an electromagnet) to move the displacer, preferably in response to the position of the power piston, a complicated mechanical linkage between the power piston and the displacer is not required thus simplifying the design. Further, by using an electrical linkage, the phase angle between the displacer and the power piston may be adjusted.
The heat engine of the instant invention may be combined with a fuel source (eg. butane), a linear generator and an electrically operated light emitting means to create a flashlight or other portable light source. It will be appreciated that due to the simplicity of the design of the instant invention, the heat engine as well as the linear generator are each adapted to be scaled up or down so as to produce greater or lessor amounts of power. Accordingly, in another embodiment, the heat engine together with a linear generator and a fuel source may be used as a generator. It will further be appreciated that by connecting a linear generator to a source of electricity (eg. standard electrical outlet) the electricity from a power grid may be used to run the linear generator as a motor whereby the power piston effectively drives the displacer. In such a case, the heat engine may be used as a refrigerator or a cryogenic cooler. In such an embodiment, the heating and cooling chambers of the heat engine are effectively reversed and no combustion chamber is required.
In accordance with one aspect of the instant invention, there is provided an apparatus 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 a first chamber and a second chamber, the first and second chambers being in fluid flow communication via a working fluid passageway;
(b) a heat transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;
(c) a displacer movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a displacer cycle profile;
(d) a piston movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a piston cycle profile; and,
(e) at least one magnetic drive member drivingly connected to one of the displacer and the piston.
The at least one magnetic drive member may be drivingly connected to the displacer, the piston or both the piston and the displacer. In this latter embodiment, the at least one magnetic drive member comprises a first magnetic drive member drivingly connected to the displacer and a second magnetic drive member drivingly connected to the piston. Preferably, the first and second magnetic drive members are independently controllable.
In one embodiment, the at least one magnetic drive member comprises a magnet positioned on the displacer and a drive magnet positioned and arranged to interact with the magnet positioned on the displacer and position the displacer in the sealed region whereby the displacer is held in position by repulsive magnetic fields as it travels between its first and second positions. It will be appreciated that the drive magnet may be provided at any position where it will provide the requisite magnetic field to act on the displacer. Preferably, the drive magnet is positioned exterior to the sealed region. For example, the container preferably has a longitudinally extending wall and further comprises a longitudinally extending outer wall spaced apart from the longitudinally extending wall of the container, and the drive magnet is mounted exterior to the outer wall.
In another embodiment, the at least one magnetic drive member comprises a magnet positioned on the displacer, a biasing member to bias the displacer to one of the first and second positions and a drive magnet having a variable magnetic field output whereby the magnet having the variable magnetic field output and the biasing member cooperate to move the displacer between the first and second positions. Preferably, the biasing member comprises a positioning magnet and the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are positioned and arranged to define the normal operating range of the displacer as it moves between its first and second positions.
In another embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a signal generating magnet and a signal generating coil and one of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil is positioned on the piston for movement relative to the other of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil wherein the movement of the piston generates a signal that is sent to the drive magnet and the drive magnet is responsive to the signal to alter its magnetic field and thereby drive the displacer.
In another embodiment, the apparatus further comprise an adjustable signal generator for modulating a signal sent to the drive magnet to adjust the cycle profile of the displacer.
In another embodiment, the apparatus further comprise an electric generator drivenly connected to the piston and a signal modulator for modulating a signal sent to the magnet having a variable magnetic field output and the displacer cycle profile includes the frequency of the displacer as it moves between its first and second positions whereby the frequency of the displacer is variable. In such a case, if the electric generator is a linear generator and the piston is part of the linear generator, then preferably, the piston and the signal modulator comprise the adjustable signal generator.
In another embodiment, the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are positioned exterior to the sealed region. Preferably, the container has a longitudinally extending wall and further comprises a longitudinally extending outer wall spaced apart from the longitudinally extending wall of the container, and the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are mounted exterior to the outer wall.
A similar arrangement may be used for the piston. It will be appreciated that magnetic drive members may be used on only one of the piston and the displacer but are preferably used for both the piston and the displacer. Thus, in accordance with another aspect of the instant invention, there is provided an apparatus 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 a first chamber and a second chamber, the first and second chambers being in fluid flow communication via a working fluid passageway;
(b) a heat transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;
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