High efficiency multicycle internal combustion engine with waste heat recovery

• US 8,061,140 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermal Power Recovery LLC
• Original Assignee: Thermal Power Recovery LLC
• Inventors: Harmon, James V. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu; Thai Ba
• Application Number:
  US12/539,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20090293480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 60614-620, 605/17, 607/12, 60670-671, 606/59, 606/88, 60691-693, 606/98, 606/76, 606/78, 60642-643, 606/50, 60597-599, 912/42, 912/45, 914/71, 92/62, 92/65, 123/50.R, 123/73.F, 123/73.FA
• US Class Current: 60/670
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 17/04 Steam engines
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 21/02 the machines or engines being all of reciprocating-piston type
• CPC Class Codes: F01B 7/20 with two or more pistons reciprocating one within another, e.g. one piston forming cylinder of the other
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 41/00 Engines characterised by special means for improving conversion of heat or pressure energy into mechanical power
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 75/30 with one working piston sliding inside another
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A high efficiency combined cycle internal combustion and steam engine includes a cylinder and a piston with an internal combustion chamber outward of the piston, a fixed cylinder cap and a steam expansion chamber inside the piston. The cylinder cap can be heated to reduce condensation of steam entering from a steam generator fired by waste combustion heat. Following exhaust, residual steam can be recompressed prior to admitting the next charge of steam. A wrist pin connected to an inner end of the piston skirt inwardly of the cylinder cap is coupled to a connecting rod secured to a crankshaft. One valve or a pair of steam inlet valves are connected to communicate in series within the cylinder cap inside the piston. The steam mass admitted is regulated to reduce fuel consumption. Coolant can be superheated in the combustion exhaust manifold.

Claims

1. A combination internal combustion steam engine comprising, at least one cylinder with a piston that is operatively connected to a crankshaft and is mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder between an outer combustion chamber and inner steam expansion chamber, a fixed cylinder cap sealingly and slidably mounted within the piston and having at least one steam admission valve therein, a steam exhaust valve communicating with the steam expansion chamber, a wrist pin connected to an outer end of a connecting rod and the wrist pin having ends connected to an inner end of the piston, the cylinder cap has at least one supporting member and an opening traverses the cylinder to permit reciprocation of the wrist pin therethrough, a combustion chamber cooling jacket to supply coolant for the combustion chamber including an outlet duct connected to transfer heated coolant from the combustion chamber cooling jacket to supply energy to an internal combustion exhaust fired steam generator having a steam outlet connected to supply steam to the steam expansion chamber through the steam admission valve and said steam expansion chamber having an exhaust outlet connected to a steam condenser.

2. The engine of claim 1 wherein the cooling jacket has a steam outlet duct and the steam outlet duct is connected for transferring steam produced by evaporative cooling within the cooling jacket of the engine to the steam generator for heating the steam produced in the cooling jacket.

3. The engine of claim 1 wherein steam exhausted from the steam expansion chamber of the engine is connected in heat-exchange relationship with coolant passing out of the cooling jacket to the steam generator to transfer heat from the exhausted steam to the coolant that is supplied to the steam generator.

4. The engine of claim 1 wherein the engine is constructed and arranged for the piston to recompress residual steam throughout substantially an entire inward stroke of the piston.

5. The engine of claim 1 having a steam exhaust valve in the cylinder sidewall for enabling steam to be exhausted through the cylinder sidewall when the steam expansion chamber is expanded and thereafter an inward movement of the piston recompresses residual steam therein substantially to steam admission pressure.

6. The engine of claim 1 wherein the steam admission valve comprises a pair of separate and independently movable inwardly retractable poppet valves mounted in the cylinder cap to communicate in series, the cylinder cap being located within the piston and a control is connect to at least one steam admission valve for determining the steam mass supplied to the steam chamber during each outward stroke of the piston.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the piston has a skirt including a cylindrical liner sleeve secured therein that is in spaced relationship in places from an interior wall of the piston and the sleeve has an inner surface that is slidably and sealingly engaged over the fixed cylinder cap.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one such valve is a bump valve that is actuated by a bumping force applied thereto by movement of the piston.

8. An apparatus for recovering waste combustion heat from a combustion chamber of an engine comprising,

an internal combustion engine,

at least one cylinder with a piston slidably and sealingly mounted in the cylinder and operatively connected to a crankshaft,

a fixed cylinder head within the piston,

the piston having a cylindrical liner sleeve mounted within a skirt portion of the piston and the liner sleeve having an inner surface that is slidably and sealingly engaged over the fixed cylinder head for defining a steam expansion chamber between the cylinder head and the piston;

a heater for a working fluid connected to an exhaust pipe to receive combustion gas from the internal combustion engine for heating the working fluid to provide a pressurized vapor, and

a duct connected to the heater for injecting the pressurized vapor from the heater into the expansion chamber to power the piston for imparting rotation to the crankshaft.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the liner sleeve is secured within the piston and is spaced apart from at least a portion of an interior wall of the piston.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sleeve is spaced apart from the interior wall of the piston by a plurality of ribs that extend radially between the skirt and the sleeve.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ribs encircle the sleeve and have chambers therebetween.

12. A combined cycle engine comprising at least one cylinder having a combustion piston slidably mounted therein between a combustion chamber and a steam expansion chamber wherein the combustion chamber is outward of the piston and the steam expansion chamber is located inside the piston between the piston and a fixed cylinder cap that is slidably and sealingly mounted inside the piston, connectors located on opposing sides of a skirt of the piston are positioned inward of a surface of the cylinder cap which comprises a wall of the steam expansion chamber such that the connectors are both located on an opposite side of the cylinder cap from the expansion chamber, a wrist pin is secured between the connectors and is connected to an outer end of a connecting rod, the cylinder cap has a support with at least one opening to accommodate reciprocation of the wrist pin therethrough, a steam supply heated by waste combustion heat is connected to power the engine by supplying steam to the steam expansion chamber through at least one steam inlet valve connected in communication with the expansion chamber through the cylinder cap, a steam exhaust valve that remains closed after top dead center for recompressing residual steam during each inward stroke of the piston and a crankshaft is connected to an inner end of the connecting rod.

13. The engine of claim 12 including an auxiliary clearance chamber within the engine that is connected to the steam expansion chamber.

14. The engine of claim 12 wherein the at least one steam inlet valve comprises a pair of separate and independently movable inwardly retractable poppet valves connected to communicate in series for opening when moved inwardly and a phase control for regulating an overlapped opening thereof.

16. A combined cycle engine comprising, at least one cylinder having a combustion piston slidably and sealingly mounted therein between a combustion chamber and a steam expansion chamber, the piston including a piston skirt, the combustion chamber being outward of the piston and including a combustion intake valve and a combustion exhaust valve, the steam expansion chamber being located in the cylinder inward of the piston, at least one steam inlet valve enclosed by the piston and connected to be operated in timed relationship to piston movement for admitting steam produced by waste combustion heat into the steam expansion chamber through a fixed cylinder cap having a part thereof that is sealingly and slidably mounted within the piston, at least one port for communicating with the expansion chamber to exhaust steam therefrom, the piston having at least one connector element at an inner part of the piston skirt which is located inwardly beyond the part of the cylinder cap that is sealingly associated with the piston such that the connector element is on an opposite side of the cylinder cap from the steam expansion chamber, a connecting rod that is moveable along a central longitudinal axis of the cylinder is coupled at an outer end thereof to the connector element and a crankshaft is located inwardly of the piston and is connected to an inner end of the connecting rod.

17. The engine of claim 16 wherein there are a pair of connector elements and a wrist pin is connected between the connector elements and passes through an outer end of the connecting rod.

18. The engine of claim 16 wherein the steam inlet valve comprises a pair of separate and independently moveable poppet valves connected to communicate in series and having distal seats, and

wherein the poppet valves are retractable sequentially for opening when moved proximally within the piston to admit steam into the steam expansion chamber through an admission port in the cylinder cap.

19. The engine of claim 16 including a control operatively associated with the steam inlet valve to regulate the mass of steam introduced into the steam expansion chamber during each power stroke of the piston.

20. The combined cycle engine of claim 16 wherein the steam inlet valve comprises a pair of separate and independently moveable inwardly retractable poppet valves that are concentric to one another wherein one of the poppet valves has a central longitudinal bore and the other poppet valve is slidably mounted therein and a valve control is connected to regulate sequential operation thereof.

21. The engine of claim 16 wherein the engine is constructed and arranged for inward strokes of the piston to recompress residual steam remaining after steam is exhausted from the cylinder.

22. The engine of claim 21 including an auxiliary clearance chamber in the engine that is connected to the steam expansion chamber.

23. The engine of claim 16 that includes a steam exhaust valve having a port through a sidewall of the cylinder at a location in the cylinder sidewall that is outward of the cylinder cap for exhausting steam across an exposed surface of the cylinder cap when the piston is at a top center position.

24. The engine of claim 23 wherein the exhaust valve is an automatic valve comprising an exhaust opening in the piston skirt that enables steam to be exhausted through the piston at a top center position which locates the exhaust opening in alignment with the exhaust port outward of the cylinder cap.

25. The engine of claim 16 wherein the steam supply is connected to transfer steam directly to the steam inlet valve through a duct that maintains steam from the steam supply in heat transfer relationship with the cylinder cap substantially only at the steam inlet valve.

26. The engine of claim 16 wherein the cylinder cap has a cylindrical surface that is provided with a compression ring to produce a slidable seal with an inner cylindrical surface of the piston, a steam chamber is provided within the cylinder cap and the wrist pin is located inwardly of the steam chamber.

27. The engine of claim 16 including a combustion chamber cooling jacket that has a steam outlet and a steam outlet duct is connected to the steam outlet of the cooling jacket for transferring steam produced by evaporative cooling within the cooling jacket of the engine to the steam supply for heating the steam that was produced in the combustion chamber cooling jacket.

28. The engine of claim 16 wherein the cylinder cap has a steam chest positioned outward of the wrist pin for steam jacketing the cylinder cap.

29. The engine of claim 16 wherein said engine is mounted in a vehicle, the engine is connected to an electric generator to provide electric current to a storage unit comprising a battery or a capacitor and an electric motor is connected to the storage unit or generator to drive the wheels of the vehicle.

30. The engine of claim 16 wherein the steam outlet of the steam generator is coupled to the cylinder cap so as to control heat flux to the cylinder cap for heating of the cylinder cap at a rate that is less than that produced by jacketing the cylinder cap with the steam from the steam generator.

31. The engine of claim 16 wherein a combustion chamber cooling jacket is coupled in a steam supply circuit that is connected to power the engine, said circuit including a passage connected to transfer combustion chamber coolant from a combustion chamber cooling jacket to an internal combustion exhaust powered steam generator that has a steam outlet connected to supply steam to the steam expansion chamber, said expansion chamber having an exhaust outlet connected to a condenser that has a condensate outlet connected to recycle the coolant back to the cooling jacket in a closed loop.

32. The engine of claim 16 wherein the engine has a cooling jacket with a steam outlet and a steam duct is connected to the steam outlet of the cooling jacket for transferring steam produced by evaporative cooling within the engine cooling jacket to a heater for superheating steam from the cooling jacket by means of hot exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber.

33. The engine of claim 16 having a steam exhaust valve in the cylinder sidewall for enabling steam to be exhausted through the cylinder sidewall when the steam expansion chamber is fully expanded and is closed thereafter such that subsequent inward movement of the piston recompresses residual steam therein during each inward stroke of the piston.

34. The engine of claim 16 including a steam collection ring mounted within a groove in the cap that communicates with a steam transfer duct for capturing escaping blow-by steam before such blow-by steam is released within the engine.

35. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the piston has a skirt that includes a cylindrical liner sleeve secured therein within an interior wall of the piston and the sleeve has an inner surface that is slidably and sealingly engaged over the fixed cylinder cap.

36. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the inlet valve is a bump valve that is opened by a bumping force applied thereto by piston movement.