Power plants – Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-12
2001-03-27
Nguyen, Hoang (Department: 3743)
Power plants
Motive fluid energized by externally applied heat
C060S039600
Reexamination Certificate
active
06205788
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to, reciprocating, two stroke, external combustion engines with multiple heat exchanging chambers.
BACKGROUND—DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
The present inventor has patent applications that relate to this invention. They are: “Two Stroke Regenerative Engine” Ser. No. 09/354670 dated Jul. 16, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,222. “Two Stroke Engine with Displacer” Ser. No. 09/383605 dated Aug. 26, 1999, now allowed and Multiple Chamber Engine dated Apr. 12, 1999.
Existing designs of external combustion engines require that the heat be transferred to the working fluid through the walls of the pressure vessel. This is true of steam engines, gas turbines, and the Stirling cycle engines. The gas turbines have some schemes where the heat can be transferred into the engine through rotating regenerators, but these have a high pressure on one side and require sealing. This Multiple Heat Exchanging Chamber Engine is an external combustion engine that does not require the heat to be transferred into the engine through pressurized walls, or by means of a regenerator requiring seals. In addition the engine can be water injected; the compressed working fluid can be cooled; the pressure ratio of the engine can be different from the expansion ratio of the engine; the engine can be operated on a closed or an open cycle; and the engine can have two or more heat exchanging chambers. The more heat exchanging chambers the engine has, the longer the heat exchange time; therefore, the engine can have very long heat exchanging time. This also results in more time for water injection to be effective.
SUMMARY
This invention is a two stroke, external combustion, reciprocating engine. The preferred embodiment of the invention is an engine comprised of a power output shaft, a gear box, a compressor, a storage tank, a heat source, and a number of similar working units made up of a plurality of heat exchanging chambers, and an expander.
The compressor is any compressor that can compress a fluid such as air. It can be a piston type, rotary, etc. and it can be an isothermal compressor.
There can be any number of heat exchanging chambers. Each of the heat exchanging chambers contains a movable heat exchanger, a heating fluid inlet valve, a heating fluid exit valve, an expander transfer valve, and a compressor transfer valve. The movable heat exchangers and the heat exchanging chamber valves are moved by a low speed shaft driven through a gearbox from the expander. The speed of the low speed shaft and hence the gear ratio of the gear box is determined by the number of heat exchanging chambers. The ratio of the speed of the low speed shaft to the speed of the power output shaft is one divided by the number of heat exchanging chambers; therefore in an engine with two heat exchanging chambers, the low speed shaft would travel at one half the speed of the power output shaft, and likewise an engine with nine heat exchanging chambers would have a low speed shaft traveling at one ninth the speed of the power output shaft.
The expander is a cylinder that is closed at one end and contains: an exhaust valve, a power piston that is connected to a power output shaft, and a gearbox to drive the low speed shaft, the heat exchanging chamber valves, and the movable heat exchangers.
The heat source is anything that can provide a hot heating fluid. It provides a hot heating fluid to the heating fluid inlet valves of all heat exchanging chambers. Means are provided to permit and control the flow of heating fluid into and out of the heat exchanging chambers. At the appropriate time, both the heating fluid inlet valve and the heating fluid exit valve of one of the heat exchanging chambers open and the heating fluid flows through the heat exchanging chamber, and the movable heat exchanger. At the same time the movable heat exchanger moves toward or into the heating fluid flow, and the heating fluid gives up heat to the movable heat exchanger. When the movable heat exchanger reaches the heating fluid inlet valve end of the heat exchanging chamber, both the heating fluid inlet valve and the heating fluid exit valve close, the compressor transfer valve opens, and the compressed working fluid from a commercial storage tank (not shown) goes into the heat exchanging chamber. The compressor transfer valve closes, water is injected, the movable heat exchanger then travels away from the heating fluid inlet valve end of the heat exchanging chamber and gives up heat to the working fluid, heating up the working fluid and increasing the pressure in the heat exchanging chamber. When the movable heat exchanger reaches the heating fluid exit valve end of the heat exchanging chamber, the expander transfer valve opens and the high pressure hot working fluid is applied to the expander's power piston moving it toward the power output shaft, and transferring power out through the power output shaft. When the expander reaches the limit of its travel an exhaust valve opens and the expander is exhausted. When the expander starts exhausting, the cycle repeats with the next heat exchanging chamber.
Additional embodiments of this invention provide for the compressor and the expander to be housed in the same cylinder, and driven by the same connecting rod.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Several objects and advantages of the two stroke multiple heat exchanging chamber engine are:
a.) Heat is transferred into the engine without passing through any pressurized walls.
b.) The heat transfer time can be very long.
c.) The compressed working fluid can be cooled.
d.) The engine can be operated so that the charge is almost fully expanded.
e.) The heat for the engine can be supplied by solar, nuclear, garbage furnaces, or from waste heat from an industrial process.
f.) The engine can be water injected
g.) The injected water can be provided a long time to heat and vaporize.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description of the Multiple Heat Exchanging Chamber Engine when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 635095 (1899-10-01), Fessler
patent: 1849347 (1932-03-01), Dale
patent: 2151759 (1939-03-01), Hardensett
patent: 4696158 (1987-09-01), DeFrancisco
patent: 5109666 (1992-05-01), Eickmann
patent: 5551233 (1996-09-01), Tomoiu
patent: 6116222 (2000-09-01), Warren
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