Steam enhanced double piston cycle engine

Abstract

A steam enhanced dual piston cycle engine utilizes a unique dual piston apparatus that includes: a first cylinder housing a first piston therein, wherein the first piston performs only intake and compression strokes; a second cylinder housing an inner power piston that forms an inner internal chamber of the second cylinder, and either a ring-shaped outer power piston surrounding the inner power piston, wherein the outer power piston forms an outer internal chamber of the second cylinder and is configured to convert engine heat into additional work, and / or an outer boiler which is configured to produce steam to be converted into additional work.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 406,160 filed Apr. 18, 2006, which is a continuation-in-part application of a commonly owned U.S. patent application entitled DOUBLE PISTON CYCLE ENGINE (DACE), U.S. application Ser. No. 11 / 371,827, filed on Mar. 9, 2006, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein, and which claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 661,195 entitled DOUBLE PISTON CYCLE ENGINE (DPCE), filed on Mar. 11, 2005, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein, and to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 672,421 entitled STEAM ENHANCED DOUBLE PISTON CYCLE ENGINE (SE-DPCE), filed on Apr. 18, 2005, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more specifically, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The SE-DPCE significantly improves fuel efficiency by reducing cooling requirements, lowering compression energy needs, and increasing heat regeneration, while minimizing emissions and external heat losses, thereby enhancing engine performance.

Problems solved by technology

The main problem with a conventional internal combustion engine is low fuel efficiency.

It is estimated that more than one half of the potential fuel thermal energy created by conventional engines dissipates through the engine structure without adding any useful mechanical work.

Another problem with conventional internal combustion engines is their inability to increase efficiencies while using heat regeneration or recycling methods to provide higher combustion temperatures.

Another reason why conventional engines suffer from efficiency problems is that the high-temperature in the cylinder during the intake and compression strokes makes the piston work harder and, hence, less efficient during these strokes.

Another disadvantage associated with existing internal combustion engines is their inability to further increase combustion temperatures and compression ratios; although raising chamber temperatures during the power stroke and increasing compression ratios would improve efficiencies.

Another problem with conventional engines is their incomplete chemical combustion process causing harmful exhaust emissions.

While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as efficient as the proposed SE-DPCE that utilizes temperature differentiated dual cylinders that divide the conventional four strokes of a piston into two low temperature strokes (intake and compression) and two high temperature strokes (power and exhaust), performed by each of the respective dual pistons, while further utilizing the heat generated by the high temperature strokes to generate steam, which is used to convert additional thermal energy to mechanical energy.

However, these references fail to disclose how to differentiate cylinder temperatures to effectively isolate the firing (power) cylinders from the compression cylinders and from the surrounding environment.

The references further fail to disclose how to minimize mutual temperature influence between the cylinders and the surrounding environment.

In addition, the references fail to disclose engine improvements that further raise the temperature of the firing cylinder and lower the temperature of the compression cylinder beyond that of conventional combustion engine cylinders to enhance engine efficiency and performance.

Additionally, none of these prior art references discussed above teach an opposed or “V” cylinder and crankshaft configuration that minimizes dead space between cylinders while isolating the cylinders to maintain an improved temperature differential between the cylinders.

Finally, none of these prior art references disclose splitting the combustion / power chamber into two separate chambers and utilizing steam energy in an outer chamber for additional engine efficiency and work.

Additionally, none of the prior art references disclose or suggest a secondary system, enveloping the primary combustion chamber, that converts the excessive thermal energy produced by the hot chamber into additional kinetic energy.

Clarke also fails to disclose forming a separate chamber for utilizing additional energy (e.g., heated air or steam) generated by excess engine heat.

However, elevated temperatures in the entire Thomas engine reside not only throughout the combustion and exhaust strokes, but also during part of the compression stroke.

Further, Thomas fails to disclose a method of isolating the engine cylinders in an opposed or “V” configuration to permit improved temperature differentiation and discloses an engine containing substantial dead space in the air intake port connecting the cylinders.

Finally, Thomas fails to disclose forming a separate chamber for utilizing additional energy (e.g., heated air or steam) generated by excess engine heat.

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