A method and system for an external combustion engine operable using at least two different working fluids to be supplied to an engine to cause it to do mechanical work. The engine is started by providing a compressed gaseous working fluid at a sufficient pressure to the engine. At the same time the
A method and system for an external combustion engine operable using at least two different working fluids to be supplied to an engine to cause it to do mechanical work. The engine is started by providing a compressed gaseous working fluid at a sufficient pressure to the engine. At the same time the compressed gaseous working fluid is provided to the engine, a second working fluid that is liquid at ambient temperatures is provided to a heater to be heated. The second working fluid is heated to its boiling point and converted to pressurized gas form. Once the pressure is increased to a sufficient level, the second working fluid is injected into the engine to generate power, and the supply of the first working fluid may be stopped. After expansion in the engine, the working fluids are is exhausted from the engine, and the second working fluid may be condensed for separation from the first working fluid. The initial compressed fluid is recompressed for later use. Control circuitry controls the admission of the first and second working fluids responsive to monitoring the load on the engine.
대표청구항▼
1. 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 stat
1. 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; anda 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; andwherein 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. 2. The power generation unit of claim 1, wherein when an operator requests that said engine produce power at a time when said second working fluid is not heated sufficiently to form a second pressurized gaseous working fluid capable of being expanded in said at least one chamber of said engine to produce the amount of power required, said controller controls flow of said first pressurized working fluid from said first vessel to said at least one chamber of said engine, causing said engine to produce power, and also causes said heater to heat said second working fluid to be vaporized to form a second pressurized gaseous working fluid, and after said second pressurized gaseous working fluid has been formed by vaporizing said second working fluid, controls supply of said second pressurized gaseous working fluid to said at least one chamber of said engine, partially or wholly in lieu of the first pressurized gaseous working fluid, to cause said engine to produce power in response to the operator's request. 3. The power generation unit of claim 1 further comprising a compressor recompressing said first working fluid back to said pressure substantially greater than ambient pressure following exhaust from said engine. 4. The power generation unit of claim 1 wherein said heater comprises a heating element and a boiler element. 5. The power generation unit of claim 4 wherein the boiler element is a flash boiler. 6. A method for operating an engine responsive to selective supply of two different pressurized gaseous working fluids to at least one chamber of said engine wherein the pressurized gaseous working fluids can expand, causing said engine to produce power, comprising the steps of: providing a supply of a first pressurized working fluid which is gaseous at ambient temperature;providing a supply of a second working fluid that is liquid at ambient temperature, and which can be heated to form a supply of a second pressurized gaseous working fluid;providing a controller which monitors the amount of power that an operator requests be produced by the engine, and performs the following steps in response to an operator's request that the engine produce power:if said engine has not been started, starting said engine by supplying said first pressurized gaseous working fluid to said at least one chamber of said engine, causing said engine to produce power;supplying said second working fluid to a boiler in liquid form;applying heat to said boiler to convert said liquid second working fluid to a second pressurized gaseous working fluid; andwhen said second pressurized gaseous working fluid is available, providing said second pressurized gaseous working fluid from said boiler to said at least one chamber of said engine wholly or partially in lieu of said first pressurized gaseous working fluid, causing said engine to produce power; and during operation of the engine, monitoring the operator's request for power and determining the appropriate amounts of the first and second working fluids to be supplied to said engine; andwherein when during operation of the engine the controller detects a sudden increase in the operator's request for power from the engine, the controller immediately increases the amount of the first working fluid supplied to the engine. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said step of providing said first pressurized gaseous working fluid to said engine further comprises the steps of: providing said first pressurized gaseous working fluid to said boiler, further pressurizing said first gaseous working fluid, andproviding said further pressurized first gaseous working fluid to said engine from said boiler. 8. The method of claim 6, comprising the further steps of: collecting said first pressurized gaseous working fluid upon exhaust from said engine andrecompressing said first pressurized gaseous working fluid. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said first and second pressurized gaseous working fluids are exhausted from said engine at a pressure and temperature lower than the pressure and temperature at which they are admitted to the engine; and comprising the further step of: condensing said second pressurized gaseous working fluid such that it is returned to the liquid state. 10. A vehicle power system comprising: a first fluid storage tank storing a first working fluid which is gaseous at ambient temperature in a gaseous state under a pressure substantially greater than ambient pressure;a second fluid storage tank storing a second working fluid which is in a liquid state at ambient temperature;a heater coupled to at least said second fluid storage tank, and configured to heat said second working fluid to a temperature above a vaporization temperature of said second working fluid, forming a second gaseous working fluid;an engine configured to controllably receive said first gaseous working fluid from said first fluid storage tank and to controllably receive said second gaseous working fluid from said heater, whereby said first and second gaseous working fluids expand in at least one chamber of said engine, causing said engine to produce power; anda controller responsive to an operator request 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,whereby said controller repeatedly monitors the operator's request for production of power by said engine, and determines the relative amounts of first and second working fluids to be supplied to the engine responsive thereto; andwherein when during operation of the engine the controller detects a sudden increase in the operator's request for power from the engine, the controller immediately increases the amount of the first working fluid supplied to the engine. 11. The vehicle power system of claim 10, wherein when an operator requests that said engine produce power at a time when said second working fluid is not heated sufficiently to form a second gaseous working fluid capable of being expanded in said engine to produce power sufficient to satisfy the operator's request, said controller controls flow of said first gaseous working fluid from said first vessel to said at least one chamber of said engine, causing said engine to produce power, and also causes said heater to heat said second working fluid to be vaporized to form a second gaseous working fluid, and after said second gaseous working fluid has been formed by vaporizing said second working fluid, controls supply of said second gaseous working fluid to said at least one chamber of said engine, partially or wholly in lieu of the first gaseous working fluid, to cause said engine to produce power in response to the operator's request. 12. The vehicle power system of claim 10 wherein the heater comprises: a heating element; anda boiler, said boiler configured to hold at least said second working fluid until said second working fluid is vaporized and reaches a pressure at which said second working fluid is capable of causing said engine to produce power. 13. The vehicle power system of claim 10, wherein said engine is a piston engine. 14. The vehicle power system of claim 10, further comprising an air compressor adapted to recover the kinetic energy of the vehicle when the vehicle is in motion and the operator indicates that negative power is required. 15. The vehicle power system of claim 14, wherein said compressor is driven by a drive shaft by which power is transferred to the wheels of said vehicle by said engine, and wherein a clutch controlled by said controller is adapted to disconnect said engine from said wheels while said compressor is being operated. 16. The vehicle power system of claim 10, further comprising a cooling system receiving said first and said second working fluids after exhaust from said engine, and comprising a condenser to condense said second working fluid from said gaseous state to said liquid state and separate said first working fluid from said second working fluid. 17. The vehicle power system of claim 16, wherein after separation said first working fluid is supplied to said heater for pressurization and supply to said engine. 18. The vehicle power system of claim 16, wherein after separation said second working fluid is supplied to said second fluid storage tank.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (17)
Brookman, Michael Jeffrey, Air start steam engine.
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