Internal combustion engine

Patent · Tue Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:5576329

Williams, G J

A variable power internal combustion engine is described which consists of: a separate air compressor for receiving and compressing a flow of air to a given pressure, the compressor having an inlet valve introducing a flow of air into the compressor and an outlet valve for exhausting compressed air out of the compressor into a compressed air storage means, at least one expander having a cylinder, a cylinder head closing an end of the cylinder, a piston reciprocally mounted in the cylinder for movement away from the cylinder head in a power stroke from an initial position defining a combustion chamber within the cylinder between the cylinder head and the piston, the compressed air storage means receiving the pressurized flow of air from the compressor and being of a volume adequate to provide compressed air in the combustion chamber essentially at the given pressure essentially over the power output of the engine, means for introducing an amount of combustible fuel in the compressed charge to be present with compressed air in the combustion chamber and providing combustion of the amount of fuel in the cylinder with the inlet and exhaust valves closed, cam shaft means in contact with the piston for absorbing and storing the energy of the power stroke of the piston and controlling movement of the piston within the cylinder during the exhaust stroke; the means for varying the volume of the combustion chamber being controlled in accordance with power requirements to provide variable power output and improved efficiency of the engine at power outputs reduced relative to a given design power output of the engine by providing a variable expansion ratio of a minimum of at least about 30 to 1 at the given design power output and higher with reduced power output.

• Assignee: NOV; NOV-85-015145; EDB-86-127868
• Patent Number(s): US 4592309
• OSTI ID: 5576329
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 28 Sep 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
DESIGN
AIR FLOW
COMBUSTION CHAMBERS
COMPRESSED AIR
COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE
CYLINDERS
EXHAUST GASES
EXHAUST SYSTEMS
GAS COMPRESSORS
PISTONS
PRESSURE CONTROL
PRESSURIZING
SHAFTS
TIME DEPENDENCE
VALVES
AIR
COMPRESSED GASES
COMPRESSORS
CONTROL
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
ENERGY STORAGE
ENGINES
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GAS FLOW
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HEAT ENGINES
MACHINE PARTS
STORAGE
WASTES
330100* - Internal Combustion Engines