Hydrodynamic lubrication system for piston devices particularly Stirling engines

Claim 2

An improved Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and a power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, said improvement being for hydrodynamically lubricating said pistons and comprising: (a) means for spinning a first one of said pistons about its axis; and (b) means for drivingly linking said first piston to said second piston to apply a torque to and spin said second piston.

Claim 3

An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said drivingly linking means comprises a fluid coupling means.

Claim 4

An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said fluid coupling means comprises an axially aligned shaft extending from one of said pistons through a bore formed in the other of said pistons with a sufficiently small clearance to exert a shear force across the interface between said shaft and said bore to apply a torque to said second piston.

Claim 5

An apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein said linking means comprises a fluid pump connected to said first piston and a fluid motor in fluid communication therewith connected to said second piston.

Claim 6

An apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said fluid pump comprises a radial outflow pump and said motor comprises a radial inflow turbine.

Claim 7

An apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said Stirling engine has a regenerative displacer in fluid communication with said radial inflow turbine.

Claim 8

In a Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, hydrodynamic lubrication means comprising: (a) a plurality of turbine surfaces formed on and arranged around at least a first one of said pistons; and (b) a reservoir having an inlet for receiving a portion of said fluid and having at least one outlet positioned and formed to direct a flowing stream of said fluid to impinge upon said turbine surfaces to impart an average torque upon said first piston for causing said piston to rotate about its axis and entrain some of said fluid about its outer surface.

Claim 9

In a Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, hydrodynamic lubrication means comprising: (a) a plurality of turbine surfaces formed on and arranged around at least a first one of said pistons; and (b) a reservoir having an inlet for receiving a portion of said fluid and having at least one outlet positioned and formed to direct a flowing stream of said fluid to impinge upon said turbine surfaces to impart an average torque upon said first piston for causing said piston to rotate about its axis and entrain some of said fluid about its outer surface.

Claim 10

An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 said inlet has a check valve which admits fluid at a pressure above a selected level.

Claim 11

An apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein said inlet has a fluid pump for pumping fluid into said reservoir.

Claim 14

An apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein said drag means comprises a centrifugal brake.

Claim 15

An apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein said drag means comprises a fluid impeller formed at an end of said piston.

Claim 16

In an expansible chamber device of the type having at least one cylinder with a piston mounted therein to permit its reciprocation and rotation about its axis, a fluid which at times flows into a portion of said cylinder and at times flows out of said cylinder, and fluid port means for intake and exhaust of said fluid, a plurality of turbine surfaces formed on and arranged around said piston; and at least one fluid port of said port means opening into said cylinder and positioned and formed to direct a flowing stream of said fluid to impinge upon said surfaces to impart an average torque upon said piston for causing said piston to rotate about its axis and entrain some of said fluid about its outer surface for hydrodynamic lubrication, the improvement comprising: a port means having a bifurcated port comprisinhg spaced intercommunicating openings, a first one of said openings formed in the wall of said cylinder in a position for periodically being blocked by a portion of said piston during an interval of its stroke, the second one of said spaced openings being said port which directs said flowing stream of fluid upon said turbine surfaces and positioned to direct said stream when said first opening is blocked.

Claim 17

In an expansible chamber device of the type having at least one cylinder with a piston mounted therein to permit its reciprocation and rotation about its axis, a fluid which at times flows into a portion of said cylinder and at times flows out of said cylinder, and fluid port means for intake and exhaust of said fluid, a plurality of turbine surfaces formed on and arranged around said piston; and at least one fluid port of said port means opening into said cylinder and positioned and formed to direct a flowing stream of said fluid to impinge upon said surfaces to impart an average torque upon said piston for causing said piston to rotate about its axis and entrain some of said fluid about its outer surface for hydrodynamic lubrication, the improvement comprising: a port means having a bifurcated port comprisinhg spaced intercommunicating openings, a first one of said openings formed in the wall of said cylinder in a position for periodically being blocked by a portion of said piston during an interval of its stroke, the second one of said spaced openings being said port which directs said flowing stream of fluid upon said turbine surfaces and positioned to direct said stream when said first opening is blocked.

Claim 20

A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein said torque is applied by impinging a flowing stream of said working fluid upon said piston to create a turbine effect.

Claim 21

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein said stream is a portion of the working fluid in transit between the hot space and the cold space of said engine.

Claim 22

A method in accordance with claim 15 wherein some of said working gas is compressed into a chamber from and during a high pressure portion of the engine cycle and is subsequently released to form said impinging stream.

Claim 23

An improved Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and a power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, wherein the improvement comprises a rotating motor drivingly linked to at least one of said pistons to apply a torque force to said piston causing it to spin sufficiently to entrain and drag along its outer surface some of said fluid to separate its outer surface from the wall of its cooperating cylinder.

Claim 24

An improved Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and a power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, wherein the improvement comprises a rotating motor drivingly linked to at least one of said pistons to apply a torque force to said piston causing it to spin sufficiently to entrain and drag along its outer surface some of said fluid to separate its outer surface from the wall of its cooperating cylinder.

Claim 25

An apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said motor comprises a motor of the rotating electromagnetic field type.

Claim 26

An improved Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and a power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, wherein the improvement comprises at least one fluidic diode mounted to at least one of said pistons and extending into a fluid flow path within one of said cylinders for applying a torque force to at least one of the pistons causing it to spin sufficiently to entrain and drag along its outer surface some of said fluid to separate its outer surface from the wall of said cylinder.

Claim 27

An improved Stirling engine of the type having a displacer piston and a power piston which reciprocate in cooperating cylinders confining a working fluid, wherein the improvement comprises at least one fluidic diode mounted to at least one of said pistons and extending into a fluid flow path within one of said cylinders for applying a torque force to at least one of the pistons causing it to spin sufficiently to entrain and drag along its outer surface some of said fluid to separate its outer surface from the wall of said cylinder.

Claim 28

An improved Stirling engine in accordance with claim 9 wherein a plurality of fluidic diodes are annularly spaced around an end of said piston.