Patent ID: 7137251
Filing Date: 2006-11-21
Classification: F02G,F28D

Abstract:
1. A Stirling cycle based system for use with a heat source and a heat sink, the system comprising: a housing shaped to at least partially enclose an internal space from an external space, the internal space having a central longitudinal axis, the external space containing the heat source and the heat sink; a first heat exchanger no more than a first heat exchanger length along the central longitudinal axis, the first heat exchanger having a plurality of fins, each fin having a first end and a second end, the first end positioned closer to the central axis than the second end, the second end of each fin being thermally coupled to the housing, the fins spaced apart to form a plurality of channels therebetween, each channel of the plurality extending along the central axis for a majority of the first heat exchanger length, each channel configured to carry working fluid to transfer heat to the working fluid from the heat source through the housing; a second heat exchanger extending no more than a second heat exchanger length along the central longitudinal axis, the second heat exchanger having a plurality of fins, each fin having a first end and a second end, the first end positioned closer to the central axis than the second end, the second end of each fin being thermally coupled to the housing, the fins spaced apart to form a plurality of channels therebetween, each channel of the plurality extending along the central axis for a majority of the second heat exchanger length, each channel configured to carry working fluid to transfer heat from the working fluid to the heat sink through the housing; and a regenerator extending no more than a regenerator length along the central longitudinal axis, the regenerator having a plurality of fins spaced apart to form a plurality of channels therebetween, each channel of the plurality longitudinally extending along the central axis for a majority of the regenerator length, the regenerator positioned between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger along the central axis to couple the channels of first heat exchanger with the channels of the regenerator and to couple the channels of the regenerator with the channels of the second heat exchanger.