Reciprocating engine

Details Reciprocating engine Reciprocating engine

1995-04-21

1997-03-25

Nguyen, Hoang

Motors: expansible chamber type

Working member position responsive motive fluid control

Exhaust control

91442, 91452, 417395, F15B 1304, F04B 4306

Patent

active

056134207

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to reciprocating engines, and especially, though not exclusively to low-head, water-powered reciprocating engines which can be used to pump liquid, such as water, at higher pressure than the pressure of the liquid used for driving the engine.
By low-head, it is meant that the liquid falls only a relatively short distance from the supply level to the operating level of the engine. The relatively short distance can be from a few meters to as little as a few centimeters.


BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention provides an engine comprising: passes; to said outlet; chamber and movable from a first position to a second position in which the volume of the primary chamber is larger than when said wall is in said first position; position wherein liquid is allowed to accelerate through said primary chamber from said inlet and through said outlet, said valve means being adapted to close when liquid force thereon from said accelerating flow exceeds said mechanical bias, whereupon liquid impact in said chamber causes said wall to move from its first position to its second position, the liquid in said primary chamber then relaxing to allow said mechanical bias to open said valve means; and position.
In a preferred embodiment, the valve means opens the outlet when the pressure of the liquid in the housing falls below a predetermined level.
The valve means preferably comprises a flap which opens and closes said outlet and biasing means acting to open the flap, the biasing force of the biasing means being sufficient to open the flap against the decreased pressure of the liquid in the housing, but insufficient to prevent closing of the flap when the force provided by the liquid accelerating from the the inlet to the outlet rises above a particular level.
In one alternative embodiment, the valve means could be a timer-activated valve and be automatically opened and closed according to a predetermined timing pattern.
Preferably, said return means comprises means for biasing the wall towards the first position. The biasing force of the means for biasing the wall is preferably sufficient to overcome the decreased pressure of the liquid in the chamber so that said wall moves back to the first position, but is insufficient to prevent said wall being moved towards the second position by the increased pressure of the liquid in the chamber.
In a preferred embodiment, the housing at least partly defines and encloses said chamber.
In an alternative embodiment, the chamber is in fluid connection with the housing between said inlet and said outlet.
In one embodiment, the wall comprises a diaphragm. Preferably a piston is coupled to the diaphragm to provide the reciprocating motion for coupling to an attachment to the engine. Alternatively, the wall could itself form part of a piston arrangement, a bellows arrangement or a concertina arrangement, with a piston being coupled thereto.
The piston could be directly coupled to the wall, or could be coupled thereto via return springs, which absorb energy from the movement of the wall towards the second position and transfer the energy to the piston when the wall moves towards the first position.
In an embodiment, the housing at least partly defines a second chamber provided with an inlet and an outlet and the wall at least partly defines the second chamber, the outlet of the second chamber being openable and closable out of phase with that of the first-mentioned chamber so that the wall is moved from the first position to the second position by the liquid in the first chamber decelerating and providing an increased pressure on one side of the wall and is moved from the second position to the first position by liquid in the second chamber decelerating and producing an increased pressure on the other side of the wall when there is decreased pressure on the one side of the wall.
In one preferred embodiment, the wall is coupled to a reciprocating piston movable within a cylinder of a fluid pump arrangement to pump fluid, the

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patent: 5279325 (1994-01-01), Kaspers
Abstract of SU-720196. (Water Resources Use). Mar. 08, 1980. 1 page.
Abstract of SE 7908270. (Hesselmar). May 11, 1981. 1 page.
Abstract of SU 1242653. (Kovalenko). Jul. 07, 1986. 1 page.
Abstract of SU 1742525-A1. (Kartashev). Jun. 23, 1992. 1 page.

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