Thermocompressor utilizing a free piston coasting between rebound chambers

Claim 2

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston moves in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed outside of the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet conduit, said inlet conduit communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, a cold bypass port defined in said cold end of the cylinder, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port defined in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first portion of the ocillatory cycle while the piston is moving in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to augment passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port and said inlet conduit for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end with a greater piston kinetic energy at the end of the hot rebound cycle portion than the kinetic energy of the piston at the beginning of the hot rebound cycle portion; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end, said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the diameter of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further augmented, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first portion of the cycle.

Claim 3

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said distance between said heating chamber inlet port and said hot bypass port is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 4

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston moves in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means including a regenerator in the bypass for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed beyond the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, said regenerator, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port defined in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is moving in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end; said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first portion of the cycle.

Claim 5

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston moves in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means including a regenerator in the bypass for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed beyond the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, said regenerator, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port defined in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is moving in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end; said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first portion of the cycle.

Claim 6

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 7

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 3 wherein: said distance is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 8

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston coasts in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means including a regenerator in the bypass for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed beyond the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, said regenerator, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port defined in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first coasting portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is coasting in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first coasting portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end; said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first coasting portion of the cycle.

Claim 9

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston coasts in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means including a regenerator in the bypass for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed beyond the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, said regenerator, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port defined in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first coasting portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is coasting in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first coasting portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end; said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first coasting portion of the cycle.

Claim 10

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: the piston at its hot end has a hot face facing the hot end of the cylinder, said hot face being concavely shaped to facilitate said blocking of the hot bypass port without substantially contacting said heating chamber inlet port during normal operation of the thermocompressor.

Claim 11

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: the piston is substantially cup-shaped with the open end of the cup facing the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 12

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said cylinder has a hot end-wall at the hot end of the cylinder, said hot end-wall including a nipple protruding in a direction toward the piston, said heating chamber inlet port being defined in an outer surface of said nipple at a location proximate said hot bypass port.

Claim 13

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said heating chamber inlet port and said hot bypass conduit are disposed and oriented such that said hot bypass conduit has a mean flow axis which passes approximately through the center of said inlet port.

Claim 14

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said cooling means includes a cooling chamber disposed in said bypass between said regenerator and said cold end of said cylinder.

Claim 15

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said bypass conduit is angled, with respect to a plane perpendicular to the cylinder axis, so that the fluid flowing from the hot end of the bypass into the cylinder via the hot bypass port has a substantial velocity component parallel to the axis of the cylinder and extending in a direction from the cold cylinder end to the hot cylinder end.

Claim 16

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said heating chamber is configured so as to substantially continuously heat fluid within said heating chamber during said hot rebound cycle portion, said continuous heating resulting in a greater piston kinetic energy at the end of the hot rebound cycle portion than the kinetic energy of the piston at the beginning of the hot rebound cycle portion, said continuous heating providing sufficient heat energy to sustain the piston oscillation.

Claim 17

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said compressible fluid may be a gas or a liquid-gas mixture and, substantially independently of the choice of fluid, said positioning and aligning means facilitates, during said first coasting portion of the cycle, heating by said heating chamber of substantially all of the fluid flowing out of the hot bypass port into the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 18

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 19

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said distance is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 20

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: the piston at its hot end has a thin-walled piston segment which passes between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port and accomplishes said blocking of said hot bypass port during said hot rebound cycle portion.

Claim 21

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 17 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately equal to the wall thickness of said piston segment.

Claim 22

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 17 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately 1-2 times the wall thickness of said piston segment.

Claim 23

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: the cylinder has a hot end-wall at the hot end of the cylinder, said hot end-wall including a nipple protruding in a direction toward the piston, said heating chamber inlet port being defined in a substantially cylindrically shaped outer surface of said nipple at a location proximate said hot bypass port, said piston at its hot end having a substantially cylindrically shaped thin-walled segment which passes as a sleeve over said outer nipple surface during said hot rebound portion of the cycle.

Claim 24

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 20 further comprising: a groove in said outer surface of said nipple.

Claim 25

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: said heating chamber further communicates with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber outlet port defined in the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 26

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 22 wherein: said outlet port is defined in a surface of said nipple approximately facing a central portion of said piston.

Claim 27

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 22 wherein: said outlet port is positioned and said piston is shaped such that said further communication is maintained during at least a substantial portion of said hot rebound cycle portion.

Claim 28

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 6 wherein: the piston at its hot end has a hot face facing the hot end of the cylinder, said hot face being concavely shaped so as to form a piston cavity at the piston hot end, and said heating chamber inlet port being located such that, during said hot rebound cycle portion, the moving volume defined by said piston cavity moves sufficiently far in a direction from said cold cylinder end toward said hot cylinder end so as to contain said heating chamber inlet port within said moving volume.

Claim 29

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 25 wherein: said heating chamber further communicates with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber outlet port, wherein said moving volume also contains said outlet port during a fraction of the oscillatory cycle.

Claim 30

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston coasts in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed outside of the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet conduit, said inlet conduit communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, a cold bypass port in said cold end of the cylinder, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first coasting portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is coasting in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port and said inlet conduit for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first coasting portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end with a greater piston kinetic energy at the end of the hot rebound cycle portion than the kinetic energy of the piston at the beginning of the hot rebound cycle portion; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end, said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the diameter of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first coasting portion of the cycle.

Claim 31

A thermocompressor comprising: a cylinder fitted with a free piston sized to form a sliding seal with the cylinder as the piston oscillates between and separates hot and cold ends of the cylinder; a cylinder bypass bypassing a portion of the cylinder so as to allow a compressible fluid to alternately flow back and forth between said hot and cold ends of the cylinder as the piston coasts in alternate directions between said cylinder ends; means for cooling the fluid flowing into the cold cylinder end and for heating the fluid flowing into the hot cylinder end thereby producing a cyclical fluid pressure variation utilizable for driving a load; said heating means including a heating chamber disposed outside of the bypass and communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet conduit, said inlet conduit communicating with the hot end of the cylinder via a heating chamber inlet port in the hot end of the cylinder; said bypass including, in seriatim, a cold bypass port in said cold end of the cylinder, a hot bypass conduit, and a hot bypass port in the sidewall of the cylinder in said hot end of the cylinder, whereby the fluid exiting the hot end of the bypass via said hot bypass port flows into the hot end of the cylinder in a substantially defined stream during a first coasting portion of the oscillatory cycle while the piston is coasting in the bypass region of the cylinder toward the cold end of the cylinder; means for positioning and aligning said hot bypass conduit and said heating chamber inlet port with respect to each other and with respect to the hot end of the cylinder so as to facilitate passage of said fluid in said stream into said heating chamber via said inlet port and said inlet conduit for heating fluid in the heating chamber during said first coasting portion of the cycle; said piston during a hot rebound portion of the oscillatory cycle blocking said hot bypass port and compressing and forcing fluid from the hot end of the cylinder into said heating chamber for heating therein for expanding and driving said piston toward the cold cylinder end with a greater piston kinetic energy at the end of the hot rebound cycle portion than the kinetic energy of the piston at the beginning of the hot rebound cycle portion; and means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end, said positioning and aligning means including means for positioning the heating chamber inlet port within the hot end of the cylinder at a location such that its distance from the hot bypass port is a small fraction of the diameter of the cylinder, whereby said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber is further facilitated, thereby augmenting said heating of fluid during said first coasting portion of the cycle.

Claim 32

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said heating chamber inlet port is slightly larger than said hot bypass port.

Claim 33

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 34

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately one order of magnitude smaller than the diameter of the cylinder.

Claim 35

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said bypass conduit is angled with respect to a perpendicular to the cylinder axis so that the fluid flowing from the hot end of the bypass into the cylinder via the hot bypass port has a substantial velocity component parallel to the axis of the cylinder and extending in a direction from the cold cylinder end to the hot cylinder end.

Claim 36

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said compressible fluid may be a gas or a liquid-gas mixture and, substantially independently of the choice of fluid, said positioning and aligning means facilitates, during said first coasting portion of the cycle, heating by said heating chamber of most of the fluid flowing out of the hot bypass port into the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 37

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said compressible fluid may be a gas or a liquid-gas mixture and, substantially independently of the choice of fluid, said positioning and aligning means facilitates, during said first coasting portion of the cycle, heating by said heating chamber of substantially all of the fluid flowing out of the hot bypass port into the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 38

A thermocompressor as in claim 27, wherein said bypass contains a thermal regenerator interposed between said cold bypass port and said hot bypass conduit, wherein said heating means and said cooling means each include said regenerator, said regenerator improving the efficiency of the thermocompressor.

Claim 39

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said cooling means comprises means for connecting the cold end of the cylinder to a cooled load.

Claim 40

A thermocompressor as in claim 27, wherein said cooling means comprises a cooling chamber disposed in said bypass proximate the cold end of said cylinder.

Claim 41

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said means for reversing the piston motion at the cold cylinder end includes a gaseous spring action of fluid compressed by the piston in the cold end of the cylinder after said first coasting portion of the cycle.

Claim 42

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately one order of magnitude smaller than the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 43

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein the piston at its hot end has a hot face facing the hot end of the cylinder, said hot face being concavely shaped to form a piston cavity at the piston hot end and said heating chamber inlet port being located such that, during said hot rebound cycle portion, the moving volume defined by said piston cavity moves sufficiently far in a direction from said cold cylinder end toward said hot cylinder end so as to contain said heating chamber inlet port within said moving volume.

Claim 44

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said heating chamber is designed to substantially continuously heat fluid within said heating chamber during said hot rebound cycle portion, said continuous heating providing sufficient heat energy to sustain the piston oscillation.

Claim 45

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 27 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 46

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 27 wherein: the piston at its hot end has a thin-walled piston segment which passes between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port and accomplishes said blocking of said hot bypass port during said hot rebound cycle portion.

Claim 47

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 42, wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 48

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said heating means further includes a heating chamber outlet conduit communicating with said hot end of said cylinder.

Claim 49

A thermocompressor as in claim 44 wherein said heating chamber outlet conduit communicates with said hot end of said cylinder via two ports in said hot end of said cylinder.

Claim 50

A thermocompressor as in claim 27, wherein said cold bypass port is disposed in the sidewall of the cylinder in the cold end of the cylinder.

Claim 51

A thermocompressor as in claim 46, further including a load port in the cylinder sidewall, said load port being disposed at approximately the same longitudinal position along the length of the cylinder as is said cold bypass port.

Claim 52

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said heating chamber further communicates with said hot end of said cylinder via a heating chamber outlet port means.

Claim 53

A thermocompressor as in claim 48 wherein said outlet port means includes a port in said cylinder sidewall in said hot end of said cylinder.

Claim 54

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein the piston at its hot end has a hot face facing the hot end of the cylinder, said hot face being concavely shaped so that it does not substantially contact said heating chamber inlet port or inlet conduit during normal operation of the thermocompressor.

Claim 55

A thermocompressor as in claim 50 wherein the piston is substantially cup-shaped with the open end of the cup facing the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 56

A thermocompressor as in claim 50 wherein the hot end of the piston has a thin-walled segment which, during said hot rebound portion of the cycle, passes between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port.

Claim 57

A thermocompressor as in claim 52 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately equal to the wall thickness of said piston segment.

Claim 58

A thermocompressor as in claim 52 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately 1-2 times the wall thickness of said piston segment.

Claim 59

A thermocompressor as in claim 52 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is approximately 2-3 times the wall thickness of said piston segment.

Claim 60

A thermocompressor as in claim 52 wherein said cylinder has a hot end-wall at the hot end of the cylinder, said hot end-wall including a nipple protruding in a direction toward the hot face of the piston, said heating chamber inlet conduit extending into said nipple such that said heating chamber inlet port is disposed in an outer surface of said nipple at a location proximate said hot bypass port.

Claim 61

A thermocompressor as in claim 56 wherein said thin-walled piston segment is substantially cylindrically-shaped and said outer surface of said nipple is substantially cylindrically-shaped, said piston segment passing as a sleeve over said outer nipple surface during said hot rebound portion of the cycle.

Claim 62

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 57 wherein: the wall thickness of said piston segment is a very small fraction of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 63

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 58 wherein: said wall thickness is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 64

A thermocompressor as in claim 57 wherein the wall thickness of said piston segment is approximately equal to the thickness of the annular region between said outer nipple surface and the inner surface of the cylinder sidewall.

Claim 65

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 60 wherein: said wall thickness is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 66

A thermocompressor as in claim 60 wherein said wall thickness is a very small fraction of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 67

A thermocompressor as in claim 57 wherein said heating chamber inlet port is disposed in said cylindrical outer surface of said nipple, said hot bypass conduit having a mean flow axis which passes approximately through the center of said inlet port.

Claim 68

A thermocompressor as in claim 63, wherein a portion of said heating chamber inlet conduit proximate said inlet port has a mean flow axis which is approximately aligned with said mean flow axis of said hot bypass conduit.

Claim 69

A thermocompressor as in claim 57, wherein said heating means further includes a heating chamber outlet conduit extending into said nipple and communicating with said hot end of said cylinder for still further facilitating said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber.

Claim 70

A thermocompressor as in claim 65 wherein said heating chamber outlet conduit communicates with said hot end of said cylinder via two separate ports in said nipple.

Claim 71

A thermocompressor as in claim 66 wherein one of said separate ports is in said cylindrical outer surface of said nipple and the other of said separate ports is in a surface of said nipple approximately facing a central portion of said piston.

Claim 72

A thermocompressor as in claim 56 wherein said heating means further includes a heating chamber outlet conduit extending into said nipple and communicating with said hot end of said cylinder for still further facilitating said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber.

Claim 73

A thermocompressor as in claim 68 wherein said heating chamber inlet and outlet conduits are separate from each other in said nipple.

Claim 74

A thermocompressor as in claim 69 wherein said outlet conduit communicates with said hot cylinder end via a port in a surface of the nipple approximately facing a central portion of the piston.

Claim 75

A thermocompressor as in claim 69 wherein said outlet conduit communicates with the hot end of the cylinder via two separate ports in the hot end of the cylinder.

Claim 76

A thermocompressor as in claim 71 wherein said two separate ports are in outer surfaces of said nipple.

Claim 77

A thermocompressor as in claim 27 wherein said cylinder has a hot end-wall at the hot end of the cylinder, said hot end-wall including a nipple protruding in a direction toward the hot face of the piston, said heating chamber inlet conduit extending into said nipple such that said heating chamber inlet port is disposed in an outer surface of said nipple at a location proximate said hot bypass port.

Claim 78

A thermocompressor as set forth in claim 73 wherein: said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is less than one-tenth of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 79

A thermocompressor as in claim 73 wherein said distance between said hot bypass port and said heating chamber inlet port is a small fraction of the radius of the cylinder.

Claim 80

A thermocompressor as in claim 73 wherein said heating means further includes a heating chamber outlet conduit extending into said nipple and communicating with said hot end of said cylinder for still further facilitating said passage of fluid in said stream into said heating chamber.

Claim 81

A thermocompressor as in claim 76 further including a groove in said outer surface of said nipple.

Claim 82

A thermocompressor as in claim 76 wherein said heating chamber outlet conduit communicates with said hot end of said cylinder via two separate ports.

Claim 83

A thermocompressor as in claim 78 wherein one port of said two separate ports is disposed in said nipple.

Claim 84

A thermocompressor as in claim 79 wherein said one port is disposed in another outer surface of said nipple, said another surface approximately facing a central portion of said piston.

Claim 85

A thermocompressor as in claim 79 wherein the second of said two separate ports is in said cylinder sidewall in said hot end of said cylinder.