Patent ID: 8087247
Filing Date: 2012-01-03
Classification: F01D,F01K,F04D

Abstract:
1. A device comprising a working fluid contained in said device, a first compressor, a first expander to produce power from the working fluid flow, a unidirectional flow traveling all the way from said first compressor to said first expander, said unidirectional flow being continuous and at substantially constant speed at most, if not all, reference points, during several cycles of device operation when the device is operating substantially at constant speed in the preferred operating range of speed, said reference points being stationary with respect to the engine, said unidirectional flow traveling in a first fluid connection to carry said first unidirectional flow, which connection communicates between the output of said first compressor and the input of said first expander, a second unidirectional flow traveling all the way from an expander to said first compressor, said second unidirectional flow being continuous and at substantially constant speed at most, if not all, reference points, during several cycles of device operation when the device is operating substantially at constant speed in the preferred operating range of speed, said reference points being stationary with respect to the engine, said second unidirectional flow traveling in a second fluid connection to carry said second unidirectional flow, which connection communicates between the output of this expander and the input of said first compressor, said working fluid being thus free to travel from said an expander to said first compressor and then from said first compressor to said first expander without being able to leave the said device, said unidirectional flows being operative substantially all of the time during long operational periods each period being sufficient to circulate the same atoms of working fluid to pass through said first fluid connection many times, a means located along said first fluid connection to exchange heat in a first direction of heat flow between said working fluid and some system outside of said working fluid while said working fluid is flowing in said first connection, a means located along said second fluid connection to exchange heat in the opposite direction to said first direction of heat flow between said working fluid and some system outside of said working fluid while said working fluid is flowing in said second connection, said working fluid being contained in said device, so that, except for minor leaks, none of the fluid escapes from the device during device running times, the temperature of said working fluid during the optimum operational range being cycled such that the temperature change from input to output of the said first compressor and the temperature change from input to output of the said first expander are both significantly larger in magnitude than both the magnitude of the temperature change of the working fluid while traveling in said first fluid connection and the magnitude of the temperature change of the working fluid while traveling in said second fluid connection, thus making it unnecessary to use a regenerator connected to either of said fluid connections.