Heat engine

• US 6,226,990 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2000
• Issued: 05/08/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dongguan Zonglin Electronic Products Factory
• Original Assignee: Fantom Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG M
• Application Number:
  US09/571,687
• Time in Patent Office: 357 Days
• Field of Search: 60/517, 60/518, 60/520, 60/522, 60/523, 60/524, 60/526, 60/508, 60/515
• US Class Current: 60/520
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/0435 the engine being of the free piston type
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/0445 Engine plants with combined cycles, e.g. Vuilleumier
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/055 Heaters or coolers
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 1/057 Regenerators
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 2243/02 having pistons and displacers in the same cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F02G 2255/20 Heater fins
• CPC Class Codes: F05C 2225/08 Thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 9/14 characterised by the cycle used, e.g. Stirling cycle
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 7/103 consisting of more than two coaxial conduits or modules of more than two coaxial conduits
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/105 the means being corrugated elements extending around the tubular elements
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 1/24 and extending transversely F28F1/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 35/02 with moving magnets and stationary coil systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1884 structurally associated with free piston engines

Abstract

An apparatus for providing cooling has a heat engine in which the cycle profile of at least one of the displacer and the piston is variable for to provide efficient cooling at various temperature differences.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing cooling comprising:

(a) a container defining a sealed region within which a working fluid is circulated when the heat engine is in use, the sealed region having a first chamber and a second chamber, the first and second chambers being in fluid flow communication via a working fluid passageway;

(b) a heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber whereby the heat sink provides heat to the working fluid;

(c) a displacer movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a displacer cycle profile and the cycle profile describes the velocity of the displacer as it moves between the first and second positions and the dwell time of the displacer when it is in each of the first and second positions;

(d) a piston movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a piston cycle profile and the cycle profile describes the velocity of the piston as it moves between the first and second positions and the dwell time of the piston when it is in each of the first and second positions;

(e) at least one heat dissipation member thermally connected to the second chamber; and

,

(f) at least one drive member drivingly connected to the displacer and the piston to produce a displacer cycle profile and a piston cycle profile which causes the working fluid to undergo differing rates of expansion and compression in the first chamber than in the second chamber whereby the movement of the working fluid transfers heat from the heat sink to the working fluid in the first chamber and then from the second chamber to the heat dissipation members.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member is operated to cause the working fluid to undergo a slower rate of expansion in the first chamber then the rate of compression of the working fluid in the first chamber and to undergo a slower rate of compression in the second chamber then the rate of expansion of the working fluid in the second chamber.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member comprises a first drive member drivingly connected to the displacer and a second drive member drivingly connected to the piston.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an electric motor drivingly connected to the piston.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the electric motor comprises a linear motor and the piston comprises a portion of the linear motor.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the movement of the piston produces a signal that is sent to the first drive member, whereby the signal causes the first drive member to move the displacer.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 further comprising an adjustable signal generator for modulating the signal provided to the first drive member to adjust the cycle profile of the displacer.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member is adjustable to vary at least one of the displacer cycle and the piston cycle profile.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member is adjustable to vary the displacer cycle and the piston cycle profile.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein displacer cycle profile and the piston cycle profile causes the working fluid to have residence time in the first chamber that is at least about 20% greater than its residence time in the second chamber.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member is adjustable to vary the cycle profile of at least one of the displacer and the piston and the apparatus further comprises a manual adjustment member for adjusting the cycle profile of the at least one of the displacer and the piston.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one drive member is adjustable to vary the cycle profile of at least one of the displacer and the piston and the apparatus further comprises an adjustable signal generator for modulating a signal provided to the at least one drive member to adjust the cycle profile of the at least one of the displacer and the piston.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of the first and second drive members is adjustable to vary the cycle profile of the displacer and the piston and the apparatus further comprises a manual adjustment members for independently adjusting the cycle profile of each of the displacer and the piston.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein each of the first and second drive members is adjustable to vary the cycle profile of the displacer and the piston and the apparatus further comprises a first adjustable signal generator for modulating a signal provided to the first drive member to adjust the cycle profile of the displacer and a second adjustable signal generator for modulating the cycle profile of the piston.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 further comprising an electric motor drivingly connected to the piston and the second adjustable signal generator comprises a control member for controlling the electric motor.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the electric motor comprises a linear motor and the piston comprises a portion of the linear motor.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the adjustable signal generator comprises a signal modulator and the piston whereby the movement of the piston generates a signal that is sent to the signal modulator.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the piston moves at a phase angle with respect to the displacer and the adjustable signal generator modulates the signal provided to the at least one drive member to also adjust the phase angle.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first drive member comprises a solenoid or an electromagnet.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus has a cooling efficiency that varies under varying cooling load conditions and the at least one drive member is responsive to the cooling load to modulate at least one of the displacer cycle profile and the piston cycle profile to maintain the cooling efficiency of the apparatus in a preset range.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a first adjustable signal generator for modulating a signal provided to the first drive member to adjust the cycle profile of the displacer and a second adjustable signal generator for modulating the cycle profile of the piston and the apparatus has a cooling efficiency that varies under varying cooling load conditions and at least one of the first and second adjustable signal generators is responsive to the cooling load to modulate the cyde profile of at least one of the displacer and the piston to maintain the cooling efficiency of the apparatus in a preset range.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the heat sink has a variable cooling demand and the apparatus further comprises a feedback member responsive to the variable cooling demand from the apparatus by the heat sink to modulate the amount of heat removed by the apparatus from the heat sink.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22 wherein the feedback member comprises a controller.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the heat dissipation member comprises at least one cooling fin positioned exterior of the second chamber.