Stirling Thermal Motors, Inc.

Ernst J Meijer

Roelf J Meijer

Ted M Godett

Kaveh Khalili

A cogeneration system is disclosed using a Stirling cycle engine in which the waste heat from the engine and a generator driven by the engine is used for space heating or producing hot water and the generator used to produce electricity. A Stirling engine has numerous advantages over a reciprocating internal combustion engine in cogeneration systems in that the Stirling engine has a longer life, less maintenance cost, less noise and vibration and fewer emissions. With cogeneration, the added energy and fuel required over and above that required to produce a comparable amount of heat allowed to produce the same amount of heat with a conventional furnace or boiler is often less than the amount of electric energy produced from the system thereby resulting in a efficiency greater than 100% in the production of electricity.

Congeneration system with a Stirling engine

Stirling cycle heat engine adapted for use as space heating and/or air conditioners. One embodiment features a Stirling engine prime mover providing a hybrid Stirling machine. Another embodiment utilizes an electric drive motor as a prime mover and a final embodiment is an open drive Stirling thermal engine particularly adapted for automotive belt driven applications. Enhancements in performance are provided by using pressure ratios significantly lower than that ordinarily provided for Stirling cycle engines. Decreases in pressure ratios are provided by intentionally adding dead volume to the cycle and particularly adding this dead volume strategically in the regenerator of the device which has been found to provide performance benefits. The systems according to this invention can be used either as space heaters or air conditioners by appropriately directing heat absorbed and rejected from the heat exchangers of the device to the approrpriate environment.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

Ernst J Meijer