Thermal engine, especially piston engine

Claim 2

A thermal engine operating according to the Stirling process comprising: at least one hot gas section, at least one cold gas section, a gaseous working medium interchangeable between said sections by way of a regenerator means, means for directly heating the working medium on the side of the hot gas section by a supply and combustion of fuel, and means for replacing on the side of the cold gas section at least partially the combusted working medium by fresh working medium, the means for the exchange of the working medium associated with the cold gas section including supercharger means for precompressing the fresh working medium to be supplied to the cold gas section, an exhaust gas turbocharger menas being provided for supercharging the fresh working medium.

Claim 3

A thermal engine operating according to the Stirling process comprising: hot gas section means having a first variable volume working chamber, cold gas section means having a second variable volume working chamber, a gaseous working medium, regenerator means for communicating the working medium between the first and second chambers, said cold gas section means including means for reducing the volume of said second chamber to compress the working medium prior to the passage of said working medium from the second chamber to said first chamber by way of the regenerator means, combustion heating means fOr directly heating said medium while said medium is in said first chamber, said heating means including fuel supply means and fuel combustion means, said hot gas section means including means for forcing the heated medium back through the regenerator means, said regenerator means absorbing heat from the medium as it passes therethrough, and medium exchange means arranged in communication with the second chamber for effecting at least a partial exchange of the working medium that has been heated by the heating means and passed back through the regenerator means, said medium exchange means including means for replacing at least part of said working medium with fresh working medium and control means for effecting said partial exchange during the transition of said second chamber from the expansion condition to the compression condition, said control means including means for keeping said second chamber closed until near the end of the expansion condition so as to delay said at least partial exchange, said expansion condition occurring after the medium passes from the regenerator into the second chamber and said compression condition occurring before the medium is passed back through the regenerator for the next cycle.

Claim 4

A thermal engine operating according to the Stirling process comprising: hot gas section means having a first variable volume working chamber, cold gas section means having a second variable volume working chamber, a gaseous working medium, regenerator means for communicating the working medium between the first and second chambers, said cold gas section means including means for reducing the volume of said second chamber to compress the working medium prior to the passage of said working medium from the second chamber to said first chamber by way of the regenerator means, combustion heating means fOr directly heating said medium while said medium is in said first chamber, said heating means including fuel supply means and fuel combustion means, said hot gas section means including means for forcing the heated medium back through the regenerator means, said regenerator means absorbing heat from the medium as it passes therethrough, and medium exchange means arranged in communication with the second chamber for effecting at least a partial exchange of the working medium that has been heated by the heating means and passed back through the regenerator means, said medium exchange means including means for replacing at least part of said working medium with fresh working medium and control means for effecting said partial exchange during the transition of said second chamber from the expansion condition to the compression condition, said control means including means for keeping said second chamber closed until near the end of the expansion condition so as to delay said at least partial exchange, said expansion condition occurring after the medium passes from the regenerator into the second chamber and said compression condition occurring before the medium is passed back through the regenerator for the next cycle.

Claim 5

A thermal engine according to claim 2, characterized in that both the hot gas section means and the cold gas section means include reciprocating pistons, said pistons being slidably disposed in cylinder means which delimit the respective first and second working chambers.

Claim 6

A thermal engine according to claim 2, characterized in that positive coupling means are provided for coupling the hot and cold gas section means together with predetermined phase displacement.

Claim 7

A thermal engine according to claim 3, characterized in that the cylinder means of the hot gas section means is axially aligned with the cylinder means of the cold gas section means, the pistons of the hot and cold gas section means being arranged in said cylinder means mutually opposite one another with said regenerator means arranged between the ends of said pistons, said regenerator means being rigidly connected to said cylinder means to form a single engine unit with the respective hot and cold gas section means.

Claim 8

A thermal engine according to claim 5, characterized in that said control means includes slot means provided on the cylinder means associated with tbe cold gas section means, said slot means being arranged to permit entry and exhaust of working medium when the associated piston is in a predetermined position.

Claim 9

A thermal engine according to claim 6, characterized in that said slot means are arranged to be open only when said piston is near the dead center bottom position corresponding to the transition from expansion to compression of the second chamber.

Claim 10

A thermal engine according to claim 3, characterized in that said control means includes slot means provided on the cylinder means associated with the cold gas section means, said slot means being arranged to permit entry and exhaust of working medium when the associated piston is in a predetermined position.

Claim 11

A thermal engine according to claim 8, characterized in that said slot means are arranged to be open only when said piston is near the dead center bottom position corresponding to the transition from expansion to compression of the second chamber.

Claim 12

A thermal engine according to claim 6, characterized in that the means for the exchange of the working medium associated with the cold gas section means includes supercharger means for precompressing the fresh working medium to be supplied to the cold gas section means.

Claim 13

A thermal engine according to claim 8, characterized in that the means for the exchange of the working medium associated with the cold gas section means includes supercharger means for precompressing the fresh working medium to be supplied to the cold gas section means.

Claim 14

A thermal engine according to claim 2, characterized in that said hot gas section means includes a pOwer piston displaceably slidable in a first cylinder, said first chamber being formed by the end of said power piston and the walls of the first cylinder, said cold gas section means including an output piston displaceably slidable in a second cylinder, said second chamber being formed by the end of said output piston and the walls of the second cylinder, said first and second cylinders being axially aligned with the first and second chambers facing one another, said regenerator being positioned between said first and second chambers and being rigidly connected to said first and second cylinders.

Claim 15

A thermal engine according to claim 2, characterized in that said hot and cold gas section means are included as parts of a rotary piston engine.

Claim 16

A thermal engine according to claim 4, characterized in that said hot and cold gas section means are included as parts of a rotary piston engine.

Claim 17

A thermal engine according to claim 14, characterized in that the means for the exchange of the working medium associated with the cold gas section means includes supercharger means for precompressing the fresh working medium to be supplied to the output engine.

Claim 18

A thermal engine according to claim 15, characterized in that an exhaust gas turbo-charger means is provided for supercharging the fresh working medium.

Claim 19

A thermal engine according to claim 13, characterized in that said second chamber is formed in an engine housing with side walls delimiting the lateral edges of said second chamber, in that a rotating rotary piston effectively varies the volume of said second chamber, and in that said control means includes apertures in said side walls which are opened and closed with respect to said second chamber by said piston.

Claim 20

A thermal engine according to claim 17, characterized in that said engine comprises four spaced working chambers formed by said side walls and a circumferentially four-arc track, two of said working chambers forming respective hot and cold gas sections in communication with one another by a regenerator unit, the other two of said working chambers forming another respective hot and cold gas section in communication with one another by another regenerator unit, and in that said rotary piston is of three-arc structure with a trochoidal shape.

Claim 21

A thermal engine according to claim 17, characterized in that said apertures are so positioned with respect to said second chamber and said piston path that medium exchange is permitted only after a substantial portion of the expansion in the second chamber is completed.

Claim 22

A thermal engine according to claim 2, characterized in that the means for the exchange of the working medium associated with the cold gas section means includes supercharger means for precompressing the fresh working medium to be supplied to the cold gas section means.

Claim 23

A thermal engine according to claim 20, characterized in that the supercharger means is constructed as an exhaust gas turbo-charger means.

Claim 24

A thermal engine according to claim 21, characterized by positive coupling means for coupling the two gas sections together with predetermined phase displacement.