Patent ID: 7073331
Filing Date: 2006-07-11
Classification: F01K

Abstract:
1. A steam engine comprising: a fluid container in which a working fluid is filled; a heating device for heating the working fluid in the fluid container and vaporizing the working fluid; a cooling device for cooling down and liquidizing the steam vaporized by the heating device; an output device for producing a mechanical energy from self-excited fluid vibration of the working fluid generated by a repeated operation of vaporization of the working fluid by the heating device and liquefaction of the working fluid by the cooling device, the output device having a piston reciprocally held in the output device and the piston being operatively in contact with the working fluid so that the piston is reciprocally moved by the self-excited movement of the working fluid; the output device further having an electromagnetic coil, at which electromotive force is generated when the piston is reciprocally moved by the fluid vibration, and a piston control unit for controlling reciprocal movement of the piston before starting operation of the steam engine, by supplying electric current to the electromagnetic coil to generate an electromagnetic force and thereby to move the piston; wherein the heating device, the cooling device, and the output device are arranged in this order, and the piston is reciprocally moved for a certain time period before starting the operation of the steam engine by the piston control unit, so that working fluid can be moved up to an inside space of the heating device.