Heat engine

• US 6,286,310 B1
• Filed: 05/16/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dongguan Zonglin Electronic Products Factory
• Original Assignee: Fantom Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Conrad, Wayne Ernest
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOANG M
• Application Number:
  US09/571,690
• Time in Patent Office: 483 Days
• Field of Search: 605/17, 605/18, 605/20, 605/22, 605/23, 605/24, 605/26
• 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

A heat engine uses magnetic fields to hold at least one of the displacer and the piston in position and to move the at least one of the displacer and the piston.

Claims

1. An apparatus 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 transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;

(c) at least one of a piston and a displacer movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a cycle profile; and

,

(d) at least one magnetic drive member comprising at least one magnet positioned on the at least one of the piston and the displacer and at least one drive magnet positioned and arranged to interact with the at least one magnet positioned on the at least one of the piston and the displacer and position the at least one of the piston and the displacer in the sealed region whereby the at least one of the piston and the displacer is held in position by repulsive magnetic fields as it travels between its first and second positions.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises a piston and a displacer wherein the at least one magnetic drive member also comprises a second magnetic drive member drivingly connected to the other of the at least one of the piston and the displacer.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the magnetic drive members driving connected to the piston and to the displacer are independently controllable.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive magnet is positioned exterior to the sealed region.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container has a longitudinally extending wall and further comprises a longitudinally extending outer wall spaced apart from the longitudinally extending wall of the container, and the drive magnet is mounted exterior to the outer wall.

6. An apparatus 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 transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;

(c) a displacer movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a displacer cycle profile; and

,

(d) at least one magnet positioned on the displacer, at least one biasing member to bias the displacer to one of the first and second positions and at least one drive magnet having a variable magnetic field output whereby the magnet having the variable magnetic field output and the biasing member cooperate to move the displacer between the first and second positions.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the biasing member comprises a positioning magnet, the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are positioned and arranged to define the normal operating range of the displacer as it moves between its first and second positions.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 further comprising a piston movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a piston cycle profile, a signal generating magnet and a signal generating coil and one of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil is positioned on the piston for movement relative to the other of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil wherein the movement of the piston generates a signal that is sent to the drive magnet and the drive magnet is responsive to the signal to alter its magnetic field and thereby drive the displacer.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 further comprising an adjustable signal generator for modulating a signal sent to the drive magnet to adjust the cycle profile of the displacer.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 further comprising an electric generator drivenly connected to a piston and an signal modulator for modulating a signal sent to the magnet having a variable magnetic field output and the displacer cycle profile includes the frequency of the displacer as it moves between its first and second positions whereby the frequency of the displacer is variable.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are positioned exterior to the sealed region.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein the container has a longitudinally extending wall and further comprises a longitudinally extending outer wall spaced apart from the longitudinally extending wall of the container, and the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are mounted exterior to the outer wall.

13. An apparatus 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 transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;

(c) a piston movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a piston cycle and,

(d) at least one magnet positioned on the piston, at least one biasing member to bias the piston to one of the first and second positions and at least one drive magnet having a variable magnetic field output whereby the magnet having the variable magnetic field output and the biasing member cooperate to move the piston between the first and second positions.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the biasing member comprises a positioning magnet, the drive magnet and the positioning magnet are positioned and arranged to define the normal operating range of the piston as it moves between its first and second positions.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the drive magnet comprises at least one coil mounted on the apparatus and at least one driven magnet positioned on the piston for movement relative to the at least one coil, the at least one coil emitting a variable magnetic field in response to a signal wherein the variable magnetic field acts on the driven magnet to thereby drive the piston.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 further comprising an adjustable signal generator for modulating the signal sent to the at least one coil to adjust the cycle profile of the piston.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein at least two spaced apart positioning magnets are positioned and arranged to repel the magnet affixed to the at least one of the displacer and the piston whereby the at least one of the displacer and the piston is held in position by repulsive magnetic fields as it travels between its first and second positions.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein the positioning magnets are mounted exterior to the sealed region and positioned around the at least one of the displacer and the piston whereby the at least one of the displacer and the piston is held centrally in position in the sealed region.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein at least one of the positioning magnets has a variable magnetic field output and has an associated control member for modulating the variable magnetic field whereby the positioning magnets are drivingly connected to the at least one of the displacer and the piston.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the control member includes an adjustable signal generator for modulating the signal sent to the positioning magnet having the variable magnetic field to adjust the cycle profile.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the apparatus includes a piston and the apparatus further comprises an electric generator and the piston comprises a portion of the electric generator.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein the apparatus includes a piston and the apparatus further comprises a linear motor and the piston comprises a portion of the linear motor.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 further comprising a drive member drivingly connected to the displacer to move the displacer between its first and second positions and the displacer is held in position by the interaction of the plurality of magnets.

28. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein the apparatus includes a piston and a displacer and each of the piston and the displacer are held in position by the interaction of a plurality of magnets.

17. An apparatus 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 transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;

(c) a piston movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a piston cycle profile; and

,

(d) at least one magnet positioned on the piston and at least one drive magnet positioned and arranged to interact with the magnet positioned on the piston and position the piston in the sealed region whereby the piston is held in position by repulsive magnetic fields as it travels between its first and second positions.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the positioning magnet having a variable magnetic field output is an electromagnet and the control member comprises a controller.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the apparatus has a piston and a displacer and a magnet is affixed to the displacer and the spaced apart positioning magnets interact with the magnet affixed to the displacer and the apparatus further comprises a signal generating magnet and a signal generating coil and one of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil is positioned on the piston for movement relative to the other of the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil wherein the control member comprises the signal generating magnet and the signal generating coil and the movement of the piston generates a signal that is sent to the positioning magnet having the variable magnetic field thereby driving the displacer.

18. An apparatus 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 transfer member selected from the group consisting of a heat source or heat sink thermally connected to the first chamber;

(c) at least one of a piston and a displacer movably mounted in the sealed region between a first position and a second position to define a cycle profile; and

,

(d) a plurality of magnets, at least one of which is mounted on the at least one of the displacer and the piston and at least another of which is positioned and arranged to interact with the magnet affixed to the one of the displacer and the piston whereby the at least one of the displacer and the piston is held in position by magnetic fields as it travels between its first and second positions.