Compound internal-combustion hot-gas engines

Patent · Tue Oct 24 04:00:00 EDT 1978

OSTI ID:6519872

Querry, M R; Reinschmidt, W G

The present invention is a compound internal-combustion hot-gas engine comprising a housing wherein there are internal-combustion means and hot-gas means which are coupled mechanically by a single crankshaft, coupled thermally by a thermal energy recuperator transfer unit, and also coupled thermally by a circulating liquid cooling system. The compound engine has a plurality of cylinders and reciprocating pistons. The cylinders are grouped in either a linear, vee, or flat planar geometrical distribution. Preferred embodiments include a compound engine possessing three cylinders and progress continuously to engines possessing an arbitrarily large number of cylinders. The compound engine is particularly useful as a prime mover for automobiles, trucks, buses, locomotives, maritime vessels, farm implements, and stationary power sources, but is not limited to such uses.

• Assignee: Automotive Propulsion Labs., Ltd.
• Patent Number(s): US 4121423
• OSTI ID: 6519872
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330101* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Spark-Ignition
330201 -- External Combustion Engines-- Stirling Cycle
42 ENGINEERING
425003 -- Engineering-- Power Cycles-- Stirling-- (1980-)
DESIGN
ENGINES
HEAT ENGINES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
STIRLING ENGINES