An engine is provided that utilizes an active heat exchanger such as a heat pump to transfer heat into and remove heat from a low boiling point liquid that is disposed in a pair of diametrically opposed containers. The addition of heat into the low-boiling point liquid causes the liquid to move vert
An engine is provided that utilizes an active heat exchanger such as a heat pump to transfer heat into and remove heat from a low boiling point liquid that is disposed in a pair of diametrically opposed containers. The addition of heat into the low-boiling point liquid causes the liquid to move vertically from a bottom container to a top container, transforming the transferred heat energy into potential energy. The top container is allowed to fall under the weight of the transferred liquid, transforming the potential energy to kinetic energy which is used to perform the desired work. The expanding low-boiling point liquid can also be used to advance a magnetic back and forth through a wire coiling to produce an electric current, converting the transferred heat energy into electrical energy. The use of an active heat exchanger such as a heat pump permits the use of one unit of electrical energy to transfer 3 to 5 units of heat energy.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. An engine comprising: two containers arranged as a diametrically opposed pair; at least one connecting tube in communication with each container such that the diametrically opposed pair is in fluid communication through the attached connecting tube; a volume of a low boiling
What is claimed is: 1. An engine comprising: two containers arranged as a diametrically opposed pair; at least one connecting tube in communication with each container such that the diametrically opposed pair is in fluid communication through the attached connecting tube; a volume of a low boiling point liquid disposed in the diametrically opposed pair of containers and capable of moving between the containers through the connecting tube; and at least one active heat exchanger comprising a heat pump in communication with each container and capable of alternately transferring heat to and removing heat from each one of the containers, the active heat exchanger consuming one unit of electrical energy to transfer at least three units of heat energy. 2. The engine of claim 1, further comprising two active heat exchangers, one active heat exchanger in communication with each container. 3. The engine of claim 1, wherein the active heat exchanger comprises a controller portion comprising: at least one compressor; at least one valve; and control electronics; the controller portion capable of directing the active heat exchanger to either transfer heat to or to extract heat from each one of the containers. 4. The engine of claim 1, wherein the active heat exchanger comprises two heat exchanger portions, one heat exchanger portion disposed in each one of the containers. 5. The engine of claim 4, wherein the active heat exchanger further comprises at least one additional heat exchanger portion arranged to exchange heat with an ambient environment. 6. The engine of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of containers arranged in a plurality of diametrically opposed pairs; a plurality of connecting tubes attached to the containers such that each diametrically opposed pair is in fluid communication through at least one of the connecting tubes; a volume of a low boiling point liquid disposed in each one of the diametrically opposed pairs. 7. The engine of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of active heat exchangers, at least one active heat exchanger in communication with each one of the diametrically opposed pairs of containers. 8. The engine of claim 7, wherein the plurality of active heat exchangers comprises a plurality of heat pumps. 9. The engine of claim 1 ,wherein the low boiling point liquid comprises chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, liquid ammonia, propane, carbon dioxide or butane. 10. The engine of claim 1, further comprising: an arm attached to both containers in the pair such that each container in the pair is disposed on either end of the arm; and a rotatable shaft in contact with the arm at a point along the arm between the two containers; the arm shaped to engage the shaft to impart rotational motion from the arm to the shaft during at least a portion of each rotation of the arm around the shaft. 11. The engine of claim 1, further comprising a heat source comprising at least one polyvalent metal salt. 12. An engine comprising: a rotatable shaft having a given length; a plurality of containers associated in a plurality of diametrically opposed pairs, each pair in communication with and rotatable about the shaft in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the shaft and each pair capable of imparting rotational motion to the shaft, wherein each pair rotates about the shaft independent of the other pairs and the planes in which the pairs rotate are spaced along a length of the shaft; a plurality of connecting tubes, each connecting tube attached to a given pair of containers such that the containers in the pair are in fluid communication through the attached connecting tube; a volume of a low boiling point liquid disposed in each pair and capable of moving between the containers in that pair through the attached connecting tube when exposed to a temperature differential; and at least one active heat exchanger comprising a heat pump in communication with each pair of containers and capable of transferring heat to or removing heat from the containers in each pair of containers, the active heat exchanger consuming one unit of electrical energy to transfer at least three units of heat energy. 13. The engine of claim 12, further comprising a flywheel in communication with the shaft to derive rotational motion therefrom. 14. The engine of claim 12, further comprising a transmission in communication with the shaft and capable of modifying at least one of a rotational speed and a torque received from the shaft. 15. The engine of claim 12, wherein each pair of containers further comprises an arm attached to both containers in the pair such that each container in the pair is disposed on either end of the arm, each arm in rotatable contact with the shaft at a point along the arm between the two containers and shaped to engage the shaft to impart rotational motion from the arm to the shaft as the arm rotates about the shaft. 16. The engine of claim 15, wherein each arm is shaped to engage the shaft during only a portion of the rotation of the arm about the shaft. 17. The engine of claim 12, wherein the planes in which each pair of containers rotates are substantially vertical, and the containers in each pair oscillate between an uppermost position and a lowermost position, such that when moving from the uppermost position to the lower most position, each container is capable of free falling at least a portion of the distance between the uppermost position and the lowermost position. 18. The engine of claim 12, further comprising a control mechanism to control the rotation of the pairs of containers about the shaft. 19. The engine of claim 18, wherein the planes in which each pair of containers rotates are substantially vertical, and the containers can oscillate between an uppermost position and a lowermost position, such that when moving from the uppermost position to the lower most position, each container is capable of free falling at least a portion of the distance between the uppermost position and the lowermost position and the control mechanism times when a given container can begin a free fall from its uppermost position to its lowermost position. 20. An engine comprising: two containers arranged as a diametrically opposed pair in a vertical alignment having a top container and a bottom container; a connecting arm in communication with each container, the connecting arm comprising a central hollow bore and the diametrically opposed pair in fluid communication through the hollow bore of the connecting arm; a volume of a low boiling point liquid disposed in the bottom container; a wire coil wrapped around the connecting arm between the two containers; a flotation collar disposed in the hollow bore; a permanent magnet disposed in the flotation collar; and an active heat exchanger comprising a heat pump in communication with the bottom container and capable of transferring heat to and removing heat from the bottom container, the active heat exchanger consuming one unit of electrical energy to transfer at least three units of heat energy. 21. The engine of claim 20, wherein the active heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchanger portion in communication with the liquid disposed in the bottom container and a second active heat exchanger portion disposed in the bottom container in a gas space above the liquid. 22. The engine of claim 20, wherein the active heat exchanger comprises a controller portion in communication with the first and second heat exchanger portions, the controller portion comprising at least one compressor, at least one valve and control electronics, the controller portion capable of directing the active heat exchanger to either transfer heat to or to extract heat from the bottom container. 23. The engine of claim 22, wherein the active heat exchanger further comprises at least one additional heat exchanger portion in communication with the controller portion and arranged to exchange heat with an ambient environment. 24. The engine of claim 20, wherein the low boiling point liquid comprises chlorofluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, liquid ammonia, propane, carbon dioxide or butane. 25. The engine of claim 20, wherein the top container comprises a first volume and the bottom container comprises a second volume, the first volume greater than the second volume.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (8)
White Dowell (Pasadena TX) Craig Daniel L. (Houston TX) Duke Jack L. (Houston TX) Laurie Donald H. (Porter TX), Apparatus and method for converting thermal energy to mechanical energy.
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