Patent ID: 8459391

Claim:
A power generation unit comprising: a first vessel holding a quantity of a first pressurized gaseous working fluid that is gaseous at ambient temperature at a pressure substantially greater than ambient pressure; a second vessel holding a quantity of a second working fluid that is in a liquid state at ambient temperature; a controllable heater in controllable communication with at least said second vessel for heating at least said second working fluid; an engine in controllable communication with said heater and said first vessel, such that said engine can receive said first pressurized gaseous working fluid and/or receive said second working fluid, having been heated by said heater to be vaporized and form a second pressurized gaseous working fluid, said first and/or second pressurized gaseous working fluids being supplied to at least one chamber in said engine where said pressurized gaseous working fluids can expand, causing said engine to produce power; a liquid recovery device for condensing said second pressurized gaseous working fluid following expansion in and exhaust from said engine, and separating said first and second working fluids and supplying at least said second working fluid back to said second vessel; and a controller responsive to an operator's commands to determine the power required to be provided by said engine, and for controlling heating of said at least second working fluid in said heater, and flow of said first and second working fluids from the respective vessels to the heater and to said at least one chamber of the engine responsive to the amount of power required; and wherein in response to detection of a sudden increase in the amount of power required by said operator to be provided by said engine, said controller immediately increases flow of said first working fluid from said first vessel to said at least one chamber of the engine.