Stirling cycle thermal devices

Claim 2

A Stirling cycle thermal device comprising, a multiplicity of cylinders adapted to contain a working gas; a gas displacement member disposed in each said cylinder and free to oscillate in an axial direction in said each cylinder in response to pressure changes in the working gas therein, said gas displacement member being without a solid mechanism connectable thereto to derive power therefrom and interconnect the oscillatory movements of the gas displacement member with that of the other gas displacement members; a variable volume heat-absorbing chamber defined in each said cylinder between one end of the gas displacement member therein and the respective end of the cylinder; a variable volume heat-rejecting chamber defined in each said cylinder between the other end of the gas displacement member therein and the respective end of the cylinder; and regenerator duct means for flow of the working gas therethrough and disposed so as to interconnect the cylinders in series relationship, each said regenerator duct means being connected at one end to a heat-absorbing chamber of a cylinder and at the other end to a heat-rejecting chamber of an adjacent cylinder to form a system adapted to operate with gas displacement and phase relationship on a Stirling cycle, said device further comprising heating means for heating to a predetermined temperature the heat-absorbing chamber of at least one said system, with at least one further said system having a heat-absorbing chamber unheated by said heating means, so that in operation of the device, the at least one said system having the heat-absorbing chamber thereof heated by said heating means operates as a Stirling cycle heat engine and drives the at least one further said system having the heat-absorbing chamber thereof unheated by said heating means as a Stirling cycle heat pump.

Claim 3

A device as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising power output means arranged to be responsive to the pressure fluctuations of the working gas as said gas flows between adjacent cylinders and adapted to provide a reciprocating output from said pressure fluctuations, said adjacent cylinders having heat-absorbing chambers arranged to be heated by the heating means.

Claim 4

A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the power output means, comprises a cavity open to the working gas, a resilient disc sealingly attached to the sides of the cavity such that it presents a side exposed to the gas pressure, and means for connecting the other side of the disc to a power absorbing means.

Claim 5

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the heat-absorbing chambers, not heated to said predetermined temperature is adapted to absorb heat from a source at ambient temperature.

Claim 6

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein means are provided for absorbing the heat rejected at all the heat-rejecting chambers and are adapted to provide a heat input for a heating system.

Claim 7

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the device comprises three cylinders.

Claim 8

A device comprising a whole multiple of devices as claimed in claim 6, the regenerator means being arranged to interconnect the devices in series relationship to form a single interacting device.

Claim 9

A device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the device comprises four cylinders.

Claim 10

A device comprising a whole multiple of devices as claimed in claim 8, the regenerator means being arranged to interconnect the devices in series relationship to form a single interacting device.

Claim 11

A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein two of the heat-absorbing chambers are adapted to absorb heat at ambient temperature.

Claim 12

A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat-absorbing chamber and the heat-rejecting chamber of a system are arranged to be maintained substantially at a temperature at which heat is rejected at the heat rejecting chambers in adjacent systems, thereby to introduce a predetermined phase shift in the operation of the device.

Claim 13

A Stirling cycle heat engine and heat pump comprising, three or more cylinders adapted to contain a working gas; a piston member disposed in each said cylinder and slidable therein so as to oscillate axially to cause gas displacement and define a variable volume heat-absorbing chamber at one end of each said cylinder and a variable volume heat-rejecting chamber at the other end of each said cylinder, the piston members being free floating in the cylinders so as to be capable of oscillating independently of one another without an interconnecting mechanism; sealing means provided between the side of each piston member and the inside surface of the respective cylinder to hermetically separate the heat-absorbing and heat-rejecting chambers in said respective cylinder without introducing to any substantial extent a restraining force on the oscillatory movement of the piston member; and regenerator duct means for flow of gas therethrough connecting the heat-absorbing chambers of the cylinders to the heat-rejecting chambers of adjacent cylinders so that the cylinders are interconnected in series by the regenerator duct means; heating means adapted for heating to a predetermined temperature at least one of the heat-absorbing chambers; each of the other heat-absorbing chambers being adapted to absorb heat from a source at a lower temperature than the heat-rejecting chamber to which said each other heat-absorbing chamber is interconnected; and heat-absorbing means adapted to absorb heat rejected at all the heat-rejecting chambers and provide a heat input for a heating system; said at least one heat-absorbing chamber and interconnected heat-rejecting chamber thereof operating as a Stirling cycle heat engine and driving each of said other heat-absorbing chambers and interconnected heat-rejecting chamber thereof as Stirling cycle heat pumps.

Claim 14

A Stirling cycle heat engine and heat pump comprising, three or more cylinders adapted to contain a working gas; a piston member disposed in each said cylinder and slidable therein so as to oscillate axially to cause gas displacement and define a variable volume heat-absorbing chamber at one end of each said cylinder and a variable volume heat-rejecting chamber at the other end of each said cylinder, the piston members being free floating in the cylinders so as to be capable of oscillating independently of one another without an interconnecting mechanism; sealing means provided between the side of each piston member and the inside surface of the respective cylinder to hermetically separate the heat-absorbing and heat-rejecting chambers in said respective cylinder without introducing to any substantial extent a restraining force on the oscillatory movement of the piston member; and regenerator duct means for flow of gas therethrough connecting the heat-absorbing chambers of the cylinders to the heat-rejecting chambers of adjacent cylinders so that the cylinders are interconnected in series by the regenerator duct means; heating means adapted for heating to a predetermined temperature at least one of the heat-absorbing chambers; each of the other heat-absorbing chambers being adapted to absorb heat from a source at a lower temperature than the heat-rejecting chamber to which said each other heat-absorbing chamber is interconnected; and heat-absorbing means adapted to absorb heat rejected at all the heat-rejecting chambers and provide a heat input for a heating system; said at least one heat-absorbing chamber and interconnected heat-rejecting chamber thereof operating as a Stirling cycle heat engine and driving each of said other heat-absorbing chambers and interconnected heat-rejecting chamber thereof as Stirling cycle heat pumps.

Claim 15

A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sealing means comprises a pair of sealing devices disposed co-axially one behind the other, each sealing device comprising, a plurality and an odd number of annular-shaped metal plates stacked one behind the other, each plate being made from a metal which is resiliently flexible but of sufficient stiffness to be at least self-supporting and having a bore greater than the adjacent diameter of the piston member; outer annular members of elastomeric material bonded to adjacent plates throughout the stack in an alternate manner at their outer peripheries; and inner annular members of elastomeric material bonded to adjacent plates throughout the stack at their inner peripheries in an alternate manner and in staggered relationship to the outer annular members; the sealing devices being arranged so that the inner annular members are adjacent and are bonded to the piston member at one end thereof, and the outer annular members at the other end of the sealing devices are bonded to the cylinder.

Claim 16

A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plates are substantially of frusto-conical form and are disposed in pairs with their cavities adjacent.

Claim 17

A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein elastomeric material is disposed between adjacent plates so as to fill the internal volume unswept between said adjacent plates during the oscillatory movement of the piston member.

Claim 18

A device as claimed in claim 13, wherein a portion of the cylindrical surface of the piston member near the heat-absorbing chamber is of an enlarged diameter so as to provide a heat shield between the heat absorbing chamber and the sealing means, the cylinder being shaped to accomodate said enlarged portion of the piston member.

Claim 19

A device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sealing means comprises several bands of magnetic fluid, the same number of circumferential serrations on the inside surface of the cylinder, and a magnet means circumferentially disposed around the cylinder and positioned to locate the bands to the serrations by magnetic attraction.