Patent ID: 7010929

Claim:
A heat transfer engine for transferring heat energy between first and second heat transfer chambers through which first and second heat exchanging mediums flow, respectively, said heat transfer engine comprising: a housing; and a rotatable heat transfer structure rotatably supported within said housing about an axis of rotation and having a substantially symmetrical moment of inertia about said axis of rotation, said rotatable heat transfer structure having a first end portion, a second end portion, and an intermediate portion disposed between said first and second end portions, said rotatable heat transfer structure embodying a closed fluid circuit arranged about said axis of rotation, and having a return portion extending along the direction of said axis of rotation and at least a subportion of said return portion having a helical geometry, and an interior volume for containing a predetermined amount of a heat carrying medium contained within said closed fluid circuit which automatically circulates within said closed fluid circuit as said rotatable heat transfer structure is rotated about said axis of rotation in order to transfer heat energy between said first and second portions of said rotatable heat transfer structure.