A single
piston (1), rotary displacer (2), heat cycle / transfer engine, using a fixed volume of
working fluid, in a single L shape tubular chambered (10), three zone (7)(8)(9), sealed housing (3). The rotary displacer (2) consists of a displacer
cam (4) and a
crank shaft (5) supported by a
variable number of rotary bearings (6), the number and type of which depends on the size and rotational speed of the completed unit. The sealed housing (3), consisting of three zones, where one faces a heat source side (7), one acts an insulating barrier (8) and one acts as a
heat sink (9). Movement of the rotary displacer (2) transports the contained
working fluid to the exposed surfaces of the heat source side (7) and the
heat sink (9) sequentially, while the incorporated
crank shaft (5) drives the single
piston (1), via a connecting rod (11), which allows for the manipulation of the corresponding expansion and contraction of the
working fluid. The engine can use the transfer of heat, the Carnot Heat Cycle, to generate rotational (or linear) power or act as a
heat pump /
refrigeration unit. When used to produce rotational power, the initial
rotational energy may be provided by a loop of Nitinol (12) or similar
shape memory alloy to avoid a stall caused by the working fluid being exposed to the heat source side and
heat sink side equally. The Nitinol loop (12) may ride on a second
shape memory alloy ring (14), which allows it to disengage at higher temperatures and rotational speeds, effectively acting as a clutching mechanism. The invention is scalable to include nano-devices and micro electromechanical systems (MEMS), through large scale heat
recovery systems.