Patent ID: 8051655

Claim:
An apparatus for power generation, comprising: a housing enclosing a chamber filled with a fluid, the chamber receiving heat energy from a power source; a first zone in the chamber coupled to receive the heat energy; a second zone in the chamber dissipating heat away from the chamber, such that during operation a temperature difference is created between the first zone and the second zone; and a rotor that produces output power, the rotor having a portion in the chamber which is put into non-oscillating motion by fluid expansion, fluid contraction or fluid motion; wherein the portion includes a first blade having a section outside the second zone that creates torque and a second blade separated from the first blade such that the fluid flows on the portion within at least two different channels as the fluid moves into the first zone, through the first zone, out of the first zone to the second zone, into the second zone and through the second zone, wherein the portion has a rotational speed close to that of the fluid as the fluid moves from the first zone into the second zone, wherein the fluid maintains the same phase between the first zone and the second zone, wherein the fluid creates a force that acts on the portion of the rotor for at least a time period that overlaps with fluid movement between the second zone and the first zone, and wherein the rotor potion closest to or within the first zone and at least a portion of the fluid within the first zone rotate in the same direction.