Coolant penetrating cold-end pressure vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10001079-B2
Application number	US-201514874941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 5, 2015
Priority date	Feb 10, 2003
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

An improvement is provided to a pressurized close-cycle machine that has a cold-end pressure vessel and is of the type having a piston undergoing reciprocating linear motion within a cylinder containing a working fluid heated by conduction through a heater head by heat from an external thermal source. The improvement includes a heat exchanger for cooling the working fluid, where the heat exchanger is disposed within the cold-end pressure vessel. The heater head may be directly coupled to the cold-end pressure vessel by welding or other methods. A coolant tube is used to convey coolant through the heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger for cooling a working fluid in an external combustion engine, the external combustion engine including a pressure vessel with a working space and a charge section, the heat exchanger comprising:
a cooler body located inside the pressure vessel, the cooler body separating the working space from the charge section, the working space filled with a working fluid and the cooler body defining a cooler working space portion in the working space, and
a continuous length of metal coolant tubing, the coolant tubing conveying a coolant through the heat exchanger and across a wall of the pressure vessel wherein a first section of the coolant tubing is located in the cooler working space, the cooler body directing a flow of the working fluid across the first section of the coolant tubing.

2. A heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat sink cast over the section of the metal coolant tubing.

3. A heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein the heat sink comprising a working fluid contact surface comprising a plurality of extended heat transfer surfaces.

4. A heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a flow constricting counter surface for confining the flow of the working fluid to a specified proximity of the section of coolant tubing.

5. A heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein a second section of the coolant tubing passes through the charge section.

6. A heat exchanger according to claim 5 , further comprising extended surfaces on the second section of the coolant tubing.

7. In a closed-cycle thermal engine, of the type contained within a pressure vessel with a working space and a charge section and having a piston undergoing reciprocating linear motion within a cylinder and a working fluid heated by conduction through a heater head, the working fluid being cooled by a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising:
a cooler body located in the pressure vessel and separating the working space from the charge section, the working space filled with the working fluid and the cooler body defining a cooler working space portion in the working space; and
a continuous length of metal coolant tubing, the coolant tubing conveying a coolant through the heat exchanger and across a wall of the pressure vessel wherein a first section of the coolant tubing is located in the cooler working space, the cooler body directing a flow of the working fluid across the first section of the coolant tubing.

8. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the heater head is directly coupled to the pressure vessel.

9. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the heater head further comprising a flange for transferring a mechanical load from the heater head to the pressure vessel.

10. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the first section of the coolant tubing contained within the heat exchanger comprises a single continuous section of tubing.

11. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the coolant tubing comprises a single continuous piece of tubing.

12. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein an outside diameter of the coolant tubing passes through the pressure vessel and is sealed to the pressure vessel.

13. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the first section of the coolant tubing comprising a plurality of extended heat transfer surfaces.

14. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , further comprising at least one spacing element to direct a flow of the working fluid to a specified proximity of the first section of coolant tubing.

15. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the heat exchanger further comprising an annular heat sink surrounding the first section of the coolant tubing wherein a flow of the working fluid in the cooler working space is directed along at least one surface of the annular heat sink.

16. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the first section of the coolant tubing is wrapped around an interior wall of the heat exchanger.

17. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 7 , wherein the charge section comprising a charge fluid, the pressurized closed-cycle thermal engine further comprising a second section of the coolant tubing disposed within the pressure vessel in a manner adapted for cooling the charge fluid.

18. A closed-cycle thermal engine according to claim 17 , further comprising a fan for circulating the charge fluid.

19. A heat exchanger according to claim 17 , further comprising extended surfaces on the second section of the coolant tubing.

20. A heat exchanger according to claim 17 , wherein the second section of the coolant tubing is a single piece of tubing.

Assignees

• New Power Concepts Llc
• Deka Products Lp

Inventors

• Strimling Jonathan
• Bouchard Clement D
• Gurski Thomas Q
• Lagenfeld Christopher C
• Norris Michael G
• Larocque Ryan K

Classifications

• F02G1/057

  Regenerators · CPC title

• F02G2256/00

  Coolers · CPC title

• Y10T29/49391

  Tube making or reforming · CPC title

• F28F1/42

  the means being both outside and inside the tubular element · CPC title

• F02G2243/04

  Crank-connecting-rod drives · CPC title