Abstract:
A heat regenerative engine uses water as both the working fluid and the lubricant. In operation, water is pumped from a collection pan and through a coil around a cylinder exhaust port, causing the water to be preheated by steam exhausted from the cylinder. The preheated water then enters a steam generator and is heated by a combustion chamber to produce high pressure super heated steam. Air is preheated in a heat exchanger and is then mixed with fuel from a fuel atomizer. An igniter burns the atomized fuel as the flames and heat are directed in a centrifuge within the combustion chamber. The speed and torque of the engine are controlled by a rocker and cam arrangement which opens a needle-type valve to inject high pressure super heated steam into a cylinder having a reciprocating piston therein. The injected steam expands in an explosive action on the top of the piston at high pressure forcing the piston down and drivingly rotating a linked crank cam and crankshaft. Exhaust steam is directed through a centrifugal condenser having an arrangement of flat plates. Cooling air from blowers circulates through the flat plates to condense the steam to a liquid state. The water condensation is returned to the collection pan for subsequent use in steam generation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This application is a continuation application of Co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11/225,422 filed on Sep. 13, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,080,512, which claimed the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/609,725 filed on Sep. 14, 2004. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a steam engine and, more particularly, to a heat regenerative engine which uses water as the working fluid, as well as the lubricant, and wherein the engine is highly efficient, environmentally friendly and adapted for multi-fuel use. 
     DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART 
     Environmental concerns have prompted costly, complex technological proposals in engine design. For instance, fuel cell technology provides the benefit of running on clean burning hydrogen. However, the expense and size of fuel cell engines, as well as the cost of creating, storing, and delivering fuel grade hydrogen disproportionately offsets the environmental benefits. As a further example, clean running electric vehicles are limited to very short ranges, and must be regularly recharged by electricity generated from coal, diesel or nuclear fueled power plants. And, while gas turbines are clean, they operate at constant speed. In small sizes, gas turbines are costly to build, run and overhaul. Diesel and gas internal combustion engines are efficient, lightweight and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, but they produce a significant level of pollutants that are hazardous to the environment and the health of the general population and are fuel specific. 
     The original Rankin Cycle Steam Engine was invented by James Watt over 150 years ago. Present day Rankin Cycle Steam Engines use tubes to carry super heated steam to the engine and, thereafter, to a condenser. The single tubes used to pipe super heated steam to the engine have a significant exposed surface area, which limits pressure and temperature levels. The less desirable lower pressures and temperatures, at which water can easily change state between liquid and gas, requires a complicated control system. While Steam Engines are generally bulky and inefficient, they tend to be environmentally clean. Steam Engines have varied efficiency levels ranging from 5% on older model steam trains to as much as 45% in modern power plants. In contrast, two-stroke internal combustion engines operate at approximately 17% efficiency, while four-stroke internal combustion engines provide efficiency up to approximately 25%. Diesel combustion engines, on the other hand, provide as much as 35% engine efficiency. 
     OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an engine that which is compact and which operates at high efficiency. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compact and highly efficient engine which provides for heat regeneration and which operates at or near super critical pressure (3,200 lbs.) and high temperature (1,200 degrees Fahrenheit). 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a highly efficient and compact engine which is environmentally friendly, using external combustion, a cyclone burner and water lubrication. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a compact and highly efficient steam engine which has multi-fuel capacity, allowing the engine to burn any of a variety of fuel sources and combinations thereof. 
     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a compact and highly efficient steam engine which is lightweight, with no separate water cooling system and which produces no vibration and no exhaust noise. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a compact and highly efficient steam engine which requires no transmission. 
     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are more readily apparent with reference to the detailed description and accompanying drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a compact and highly efficient engine which uses water as the working fluid, as well as the lubricant. The engine consists primarily of a condenser, a steam generator and a main engine section having valves, cylinders, pistons, pushrods, a main bearing, cams and a camshaft. Ambient air is introduced into the condenser by intake blowers. The air temperature is increased in two phases before entering a cyclone furnace. In the first phase, air enters the condenser from the blowers. In the next phase, the air is directed from the condenser and through heat exchangers where the air is heated prior to entering the steam generator. In the steam generator, the preheated air is mixed with fuel from a fuel atomizer. The burner burns the fuel atomized in a centrifuge, causing the heavy fuel elements to move towards the outer sides of the furnace where they are consumed. The hotter, lighter gasses move through a small tube bundle. The cylinders of the engine are arranged in a radial configuration with the cylinder heads and valves extending into the cyclone furnace. Temperatures in the tube bundle are maintained at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The tube bundle, carrying the steam, is directed through the furnace and exposed to the high temperatures. In the furnace, the steam is super heated and maintained at a pressure up to approximately 3,200 lbs. 
     Exhaust steam is directed through a primary coil which also serves to preheat the water in the generator. The exhaust steam is then directed through a condenser, in a centrifugal system of compressive condensation, consisting of a stacked arrangement of flat plates. Cooling air circulates through the flat plates, is heated in an exhaust heat exchanger and exits into the furnace. This reheat cycle of air greatly adds to the efficiency and compactness of the engine. 
     The speed and torque of the engine are controlled by a rocker and cam design which serves to open and close a needle type valve in the engine head. When the valve is opened, high pressure, high temperature steam is injected into the cylinder and allowed to expand as an explosion on the top of the piston high pressure. Use of three or more pistons allows for self-starting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a general diagram illustrating air flow through the engine of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a general diagram illustrating water and steam flow through the engine; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view, shown in cross-section illustrating the principal components of the engine; 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view, in partial cross-section, taken along the plane of the line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view, in partial cross-section, taken along the plane of the line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is an isolated top plan view of a crank disk assembly; 
         FIG. 7  is an isolated cross-sectional view showing a compression relief valve assembly, injection valve assembly and cylinder head; 
         FIG. 8  is a power stroke diagram; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of a throttle control and engine timing control assembly engaged in a forward direction at low speed; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the throttle control and engine timing control assembly engaged in a forward direction at high speed; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the throttle control and engine timing control assembly engaged in a reverse direction; 
         FIG. 12  is a top plan view of a splitter valve; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the splitter valve taken along line  13 - 13  in a  FIG. 12  illustrating a flow control valve in the splitter; and 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view, in partial cut-away, showing a poly-phase primary pump and manifold for the lower and high pressure pump systems of the engine. 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention is directed to a radial steam engine and is generally indicated as  10  throughout the drawings. Referring initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the engine  10  includes a steam generator  20 , a condenser  30  and a main engine section  50  comprising cylinders  52 , valves  53 , pistons  54 , push-rods  74 , crank cam  61  and a crankshaft  60  extending axially through a center of the engine section. 
     In operation, ambient air is introduced into the condenser  30  by intake blowers  38 . The air temperature is increased in two phases before entering a cyclone furnace  22  (referred to hereafter as “combustion chamber”). The condenser  30  is a flat plate dynamic condenser with a stacked arrangement of flat plates  31  surrounding an inner core. This structural design of the dynamic condenser  30  allows for multiple passes of steam to enhance the condensing function. In a first phase, air enters the condenser  30  from the blowers  38  and is circulated over the condenser plates  31  to cool the outer surfaces of the plates and condense the exhaust steam circulating within the plates. More particularly, vapor exiting the exhaust ports  55  of the cylinders  52  passes through the pre-heating coils surrounding the cylinders. The vapor drops into the core of the condenser where centrifugal force from rotation of the crankshaft drives the vapor into the inner cavities of the condenser plates  31 . As the vapor changes phase into a liquid, it enters sealed ports on the periphery of the condenser plates. The condensed liquid drops through collection shafts and into the sump  34  at the base of the condenser. A high pressure pump  92  returns the liquid from the condenser sump  34  to the coils  24  in the combustion chamber, completing the fluid cycle of the engine. The stacked arrangement of the condenser plates  31  presents a large surface area for maximizing heat transfer within a relatively compact volume. The centrifugal force of the crankshaft impeller that repeatedly drives the condensing vapor into the cooling plates  31 , combined with the stacked plate design, provides a multi-pass system that is far more effective than conventional condensers of single-pass design. 
     The engine shrouding  12  is an insulated cover that encloses the combustion chamber and piston assembly. The shroud  12  incorporates air transfer ducts  32  that channel air from the condenser  30 , where it has been preheated, to the intake portion of air-to-air heat exchangers  42 , where the air is further heated. Exiting the heat exchangers  42 , this heated intake air enters the atomizer/igniter assemblies in the burner  40  where it is combusted in the combustion chamber. The shroud also includes return ducts that capture the combustion exhaust gases at the top center of the combustion chamber, and leads these gases back through the exhaust portion of the air-to-air heat exchangers  42 . The engine shrouding adds to the efficiency and compactness of the engine by conserving heat with its insulation, providing necessary ductwork for the airflow of the engine, and incorporating heat exchangers that harvest exhaust has heat. 
     Water in its delivery path from the condenser sump pump to the combustion chamber is pumped via through one or more main steam supply lines  21  for each cylinder. The main steam line  21  passes through a pre-heating coil  23  that is wound around each cylinder skirt adjacent to that cylinder&#39;s exhaust ports. The vapor exiting the exhaust ports gives up heat to this coil, which raises the temperature of the water being directed through the coil toward the combustion chamber. Reciprocally, in giving up heat to the preheating coils, the exhaust vapor begins the process of cooling on its path through these coils preparatory to entering the condenser. The positioning of these coils adjacent to the cylinder exhaust ports scavenges heat that would otherwise be lost to the system, thereby contributing to the overall efficiency of the engine. 
     In the next phase, the air is directed through heat exchangers  42  where the air is heated prior to entering the steam generator  20  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). In the steam generator  20 , the preheated air is mixed with fuel from a fuel atomizer  41  (See  FIG. 8 ). An igniter  43  burns the atomized fuel in a centrifuge, causing the heavy fuel elements to move towards the outer sides of the combustion chamber  22  where they are consumed. The combustion chamber  22  is arranged in the form of a cylinder which encloses a circularly wound coil of densely bundled tubes  24  forming a portion of the steam supply lines leading to the respective cylinders. The bundled tubes  24  are heated by the burning fuel of the combustion nozzle burner assembly  40  comprising the air blowers  38 , fuel atomizer  41 , and the igniter  43  (see  FIG. 4 ). The burners  40  are mounted on opposed sides of the circular combustion chamber wall and are aligned to direct their flames in a spiral direction. By spinning the flame front around the combustion chamber, the coil of tubes  24  is repetitively ‘washed’ by the heat of this combustion gas which circulates in a motion to the center of the tube bundle  24 . Temperatures in the tube bundle  24  are maintained at approximately 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit. The tube bundle  24  carries the steam and is exposed to the high temperatures of combustion, where the steam is superheated and maintained at a pressure of approximately 3,200 psi. The hot gas exits through an aperture located at the top center of the round roof of the cylindrical combustion chamber. The centrifugal motion of the combustion gases causes the heavier, unburned particles suspended in the gases to accumulate on the outer wall of the combustion chamber where they are incinerated, contributing to a cleaner exhaust. This cyclonic circulation of combustion gases within the combustion chamber creates higher efficiency in the engine. Specifically, multiple passes of the coil of tubes  24  allows for promoting greater heat saturation relative to the amount of fuel expended. Moreover, the shape of the circularly wound bundle of tubes permits greater lengths of tube to be enclosed within a combustion chamber of limited dimensions than within that of a conventional boiler. Furthermore, by dividing each cylinder&#39;s steam supply line into two or more lines at entry to the combustion chamber (i.e. in the tube bundle), a greater tube surface area is exposed to the combustion gases, promoting greater heat transfer so that the fluid can be heated to higher temperatures and pressures which further improves the efficiency of the engine. 
     As the water exits the single line  21  of each individual cylinder&#39;s pre-heating coil on its way to the combustion chamber, it branches into the two or more lines  28  per cylinder forming part of the tube bundle which consists of a coiled bundle  24  of all these branched lines  28  for all cylinders, as described above. As seen in  FIG. 3 , these multiple lines  28  are identical in cross sectional areas and lengths. While such equalization of volumes and capacities between the single ‘feeder’ line  21  and the branched lines  28  would be balanced under static conditions, under the dynamic conditions of super-critical high temperatures and high pressures, comparative flow in the branch lines can become unbalanced leading to potential overheating and possible wall failure in the pipe with lower flow. The splitter valve  26 , located at the juncture of the single line  21  to the multiple lines  28 , equalizes the flow between the branch lines (see  FIGS. 3 ,  12  and  13 ). The splitter valve  26  minimizes turbulence at the juncture by forming not a right angle ‘T’ intersection, but a ‘Y’ intersection with a narrow apex. The body of this ‘Y’ junction contains flow control valves  27  that allow unimpeded flow of fluid towards the steam generator  20  through each of the branch lines  28 , but permit any incremental over-pressure in one line to ‘bleed’ back to the over pressure valve (pressure regulator)  46  to prevent over-pressuring the system. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the cylinders  52  of the engine are arranged in a radial configuration with the cylinder heads  51  and valves  53  extending into the cyclone furnace. A cam  70  moves push-rods  74  (see  FIG. 5 ) to control opening of steam injection valves  53 . At higher engine speeds, the steam injection valves  53  are fully opened to inject steam into the cylinders  52 , causing piston heads  54  to be pushed radially inward. Movement of the piston heads  54  causes connecting rods  56  to move radially inward to rotate crank disk  61  and crankshaft  60 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , each connecting rod  56  connects to the crank disk  61 . More specifically, the inner circular surface of the connecting rod link is fitted with a bearing ring  59  for engagement about hub  63  on the crank disk  61 . In a preferred embodiment, the crank disk  61  is formed of a bearing material which surrounds the outer surface of the connecting rod link, thereby providing a double-backed bearing to carry the piston load. The connecting rods  56  are driven by this crank disk  61 . These rods are mounted at equal intervals around the periphery of this circular bearing. The lower portions of the double-backed bearings joining the piston connecting rods to the crank disk  61  are designed to limit the angular deflection of the connecting rods  56  so that clearance is maintained between all six connecting rods during one full rotation of the crankshaft  60 . The center of the crank disk  61  is yoked to a single crankshaft journal  62  that is offset from the central axis of the crankshaft  60 . While the bottom ends of the connecting rods  56  rotate in a circle about the crank disk  61 , the offset of the crank journal  62  on which the crank disk  61  rides creates a geometry that makes the resultant rotation of these rods travel about an elliptical path. This unique geometry confers two advantages to the operation of the engine. First, during the power stroke of each piston, its connecting rod is in vertical alignment with the motion of the driving piston thereby transferring the full force of the stroke. Second, the offset between the connecting rods  56  and the crank disk  61 , the offset between the crank disk and the crank journal  62 , and the offset of the crank journal  62  to the crankshaft  60  itself, combine to create a lever arm that amplifies the force of each individual power stroke without increasing the distance the piston travels. A diagram showing this unique power stroke is shown in  FIG. 8 . Accordingly, the mechanical efficiency is enhanced. This arrangement also provides increased time for steam admission and exhaust. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , at lower engine speeds the steam injection valves  53  are partially closed and a clearance volume compression release valve  46  is opened to release steam from the cylinders  52 . The clearance volume valves  46  are controlled by the engine RPM&#39;s. The clearance volume valve  46  is an innovation that improves the efficiency of the engine at both low and high speeds. Minimizing the clearance volume in a cylinder  52  is advantageous for efficiency as it lessens the amount of super-heated steam required to fill the volume, reduces the vapor contact area which absorbs heat that would otherwise be used in the explosive expansion of the power stroke, and, by creating higher compression in the smaller chamber, further raises the temperature of the admitted steam. However, the higher compression resulting from the smaller volume has the adverse effect at low engine RPM of creating back pressure against the incoming charge of super-heated steam. The purpose of the clearance volume valve  46  is to reduce the cylinder compression at lower engine RPMs, while maintaining higher compression at faster piston speeds where the back pressure effect is minimal. The clearance volume valve  46  controls the inlet to a tube  47  that extends from the cylinder into the combustion chamber  22 . It is hydraulically operated by a lower pressure pump system of engine-driven primary poly-phase water pump  90 . At lower RPM, the clearance volume valve  46  opens the tube  47 . By adding the incremental volume of this tube  47  to that of the cylinder  52 , the total clearance volume is increased with a consequent lowering of the compression. The vapor charge flowing into the tube is additionally heated by the combustion chamber  22  which surrounds the sealed tube  47 , vaporizing back into the cylinder  52  where it contributes to the total vapor expansion of the low speed power stroke. At higher RPM, the pump system of the engine-driven pump  90  that hydraulically actuates the clearance volume valve, develops the pressure to close the clearance volume valve  46  thereby, reducing the total clearance volume, and raising the cylinder compression for efficient higher speed operation of the engine. The clearance volume valves  46  contribute to the efficiency of the engine at both low and high speed operation. 
     Steam under super-critical pressure is admitted to the cylinders  52  of the engine by a mechanically linked throttle mechanism acting on the steam injection needle valve  53 . To withstand the 1,200° Fahrenheit temperatures, the needle valves  53  are water cooled at the bottom of their stems by water piped from and returned to the condenser  30  by a water lubrication pump  96 . Along the middle of the valve stems, a series of labyrinth seals, or grooves in the valve stem, in conjunction with packing rings and lower lip seals, create a seal between each valve stem and a bushing within which the valve moves. This seals and separates the coolant flowing past the top of the valve stem and the approximate 3,200 lbs. psi pressure that is encountered at the head and seat of each valve. Removal of this valve  53 , as well as adjustment for its seating clearance, can be made by threads machined in the upper body of the valve assembly. The needle valve  53  admitting the super-heated steam is positively closed by a spring  82  within each valve rocker arm  80  that is mounted to the periphery of the engine casing. Each spring  82  exerts enough pressure to keep the valve  53  closed during static conditions. 
     The motion to open each valve is initiated by a crankshaft-mounted cam ring  84 . A lobe  85  on the cam ring forces a throttle follower  76  to ‘bump’ a single pushrod  74  per cylinder  52 . Each pushrod  74  extends from near the center of the radially configured six cylinder engine outward to the needle valve rocker  80 . The force of the throttle follower  76  on the pushrod  74  overcomes the spring closure pressure and opens the valve  53 . Contact between the follower, the rocker arm  80 , and the pushrod  74  is determined by a threaded adjustment socket mounted on each needle valve rocker arm  80 . 
     Throttle control on the engine is achieved by varying the distance each pushrod  74  is extended, with further extension opening the needle valve a greater amount to admit more super-heated fluid. All six rods  74  pass through a throttle control ring  78  that rotates in an arc, displacing where the inner end of each pushrod  74  rests on the arm of each cam follower (see  FIG. 5 ). Unless the follower  76  is raised by the cam lobe  85 , all positions along the follower where the pushrod  74  rests are equally ‘closed’. As the arc of the throttle ring  78  is shifted, the resting point of the pushrod  74  shifts the lever arm further out and away from the fulcrum of the follower. When the follower  76  is bumped by the cam lobe  85 , the arc distance that the arm traverses is magnified, thereby driving the pushrod  74  further, and thus opening the needle valve  53  further. A single lever attached to the throttle ring  78  and extending to the outside of the engine casing is used to shift the arc of the throttle ring, and thus becomes the engine throttle. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9-11 , timing control of the engine is achieved by moving the cam ring  84 . Timing control advances the moment super-heated fluid is injected into each piston and shortens the duration of this injection as engine RPMs increase. ‘Upward’ movement of the cam ring  84  towards the crankshaft journal  62  alters the timing duration by exposing the follower  76  to a lower portion of the cam ring  84  where the profile of the lobe  85  of the cam is progressively reduced. Rotating this same cam ring  84  alters the timing of when the cam lobe triggers steam injection to the cylinder(s). Rotation of the cam ring is achieved by a sleeve cam pin  88  that is fixed to the cam sleeve  86 . The cam pin  88  extends through a curvilinear vertical slot in the cam ring  84 , so that as the cam ring  84  rises, by hydraulic pressure, a twisting action occurs between the cam ring  84  and cam sleeve piston  86  wherein the cam ring  84  and lobe  85  partially rotate. These two movements of the cam ring are actuated by the cam sleeve piston  86  that is sealed to and spins with the crankshaft  60 . More specifically, a crankshaft cam pin  87  that is fixed to the crankshaft  60  passes through an opening in the cam ring and a vertical slot on the cam sleeve piston. This allows vertical (i.e. longitudinal) movement of the cam ring  84  and the cam sleeve  86  relative to the crankshaft, but prevents relative rotation between the cam sleeve  86  and crankshaft  60  (due to the vertical slot), so that the cam sleeve  86  spins with the crankshaft. A crankshaft driven water pump system provides hydraulic pressure to extend this cam sleeve piston  86 . As engine RPMs increase, the hydraulic pressure rises. This extends the cam sleeve piston  86  and raises the cam ring  84 , thereby exposing the higher RPM profiles on the lobe  85  to the cam follower(s)  76 . Reduced engine speeds correspondingly reduce the hydraulic pressure on the cam sleeve piston  86 , and a sealed coil spring  100  retracts the cam sleeve piston  86  and the cam ring  84  itself. 
     The normal position for the throttle controller is forward slow speed. As the throttle ring  78  admits steam to the piston, the crank begins to rotate in a slow forward rotation. The long duration of the cam lobe  85  allows for steam admission into the cylinders  52  for a longer period of time. As previously described, the elliptical path of the connecting rods creates a high degree of torque, while the steam admission into the cylinder is for a longer period of time and over a longer lever arm, into the phase of the next cylinder, thereby allowing a self starting movement. 
     As the throttle ring  78  is advanced, more steam is admitted to the cylinder, allowing an increase in RPM. When the RPM increases, the pump  90  supplies hydraulic pressure to lift the cam ring  84  to high speed forward. The cam ring  84  moves in two phases, jacking up the cam to decrease the cam lobe duration and advance the cam timing. This occurs gradually as the RPM&#39;s are increased to a pre-determined position. The shift lever  102  is spring loaded on the shifting rod  104  to allow the sleeve  86  to lift the cam ring  84 . 
     To reverse the engine, it must be stopped by closing the throttle. Reversing the engine is not accomplished by selecting transmission gears, but is done by altering the timing. More specifically, reversing the engine is accomplished by pushing the shift rod  104  to lift the cam sleeve  86  up the crankshaft  60  as the sleeve cam pin  88  travels in a spiraling groove in the cam ring causing the crank to advance the cam past top dead center. The engine will now run in reverse as the piston pushes the crank disk at an angle relative to the crankshaft in the direction of reverse rotation. This shifting movement moves only the timing and not the duration of the cam lobe to valve opening. This will give full torque and self-starting in reverse. High speed is not necessary in reverse. 
     Exhaust steam is directed through a primary coil which also serves to preheat the water in the generator  20 . The exhaust steam is then directed through the condenser  30 , in a centrifugal system of compressive condensation. As described above, the cooling air circulates through the flat plates, is heated in an exhaust heat exchanger  42  and is directed into the burner  40 . This reheat cycle of air greatly adds to the efficiency and compactness of the engine. 
     The water delivery requirements of the engine are served by a poly-phase pump  90  that comprises three pressure pump systems. One is a high pressure pump system  92  mounted adjacently within the same housing. A medium pressure pump system  94  supplies the water pressure to activate the clearance volume valve and the water pressure to operate the cam timing mechanism. A lower pressure pump system  96  provides lubrication and cooling to the engine. The high pressure unit pumps water from the condenser sump  34  through six individual lines  21 , past the coils of the combustion chamber  22  to each of the six needle valves  53  that provide the super-heated fluid to the power head of the engine. This high pressure section of the poly-phase pump  90  contains radially arranged pistons that closely resemble the configuration of the larger power head of the engine. The water delivery line coming off each of the water pump pistons is connected by a manifold  98  that connects to a regulator shared by all six delivery lines that acts to equalize and regulate the water delivery pressure to the six pistons of the power head. All regulate the water delivery pressure to the six pistons of the power head. All pumping sub units within the poly-phase pump are driven by a central shaft. This pump drive shaft is connected to the main engine crankshaft  60  by a mechanical coupler. When the engine is stopped, an auxiliary electric motor pumps the water, maintaining the water pressure necessary to restarting the engine. 
     While the present invention has been shown and described in accordance with a preferred and practical embodiment thereof, it is recognized that departures from the instant disclosure are contemplated within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     LIST OF COMPONENTS 
     
         
           10 . Engine 
           12 . Engine Shroud 
           20 . Steam Generator 
           21 . Steam Supply Line (Feeder Line) 
           22 . Combustion Chamber/Cyclone Furnace 
           23 . Pre-Heating Coil Around Each Cylinder 
           24 . Tube Bundle (Coil of Tubes) Consisting Of Branch Lines For All Cylinders 
           26 . Splitter Valve 
           27 . Flow Control Valves 
           28 . Branch lines split from main feeder line 
           30 . Condenser 
           31 . Flat plates 
           32 . Air Intake Transfer Ducts 
           34 . Sump/Condensate Collection Pan 
           38 . Blowers 
           40 . Combustion Nozzle Fuel Burner 
           41 . Fuel Atomizer 
           42 . Heat Exchangers 
           43 . Igniter 
           46 . Compression Release Clearance Volume Valve 
           47 . Clearance Volume Tubes 
           50 . Main Engine Assembly 
           51 . Cylinder Heads 
           52 . Cylinders 
           53 . Steam Injection Valves 
           54 . Piston Heads 
           55 . Exhaust Ports On Cylinders 
           56 . Connecting Rods 
           59 . Bearing Ring on Inside of Connecting Rod Link 
           60 . Crankshaft 
           61 . Crank Disk 
           62 . Crankshaft Journal 
           63 . Hub on Crank Disk for Attaching Connecting Rod 
           70 . Cam 
           74 . Pushrods 
           76 . Throttle Follower 
           78 . Throttle Control Ring 
           80 . Rockers Arms 
           82 . Spring on Rocker Arms 
           84 . Cam Ring 
           85 . Lobe on Cam Ring 
           86 . Cam Sleeve Piston 
           87 . Crankshaft Cam Pin 
           88 . Sleeve Cam Pin 
           90 . Primary Poly-Phase Pump 
           92 . High Pressure Pump System 
           94 . Medium Pressure Pump System 
           96 . Low Pressure Pump System 
           98 . Pump Manifold 
           100 . Coil Spring to Retreat Cam Sleeve Piston 
           102 . Shift Lever 
           104 . Shifting Rod 
           106 . Shifting Collar