Stirling Technology Company

Other

Carrier Corporation

Laurence B Penswick

Roberto O Pellizzari

Carl D Beckett

David Ray Gedeon

Burnell P Wimer

Ronald E Neely

Brad Ross

Ronald W Olan

Victor C Lauhala

Ray Erbeznik

Richard L Nelson

Raymond M Erbeznik

Darren C Ritter

Leon Montgomery

Ron Neely

Donald C Lewis

A displacer spring and displacer/spring assembly for use in an FPSE and with improved wear characteristics. One embodiment calls for the use of a single machined spring operating alternately in a tension mode and a compression mode and wherein the operating frequency of displacer movement can be controlled therewith to a desired resonant frequency. The machined spring of the present invention provides enhanced structural accuracy which, in turn, leads to the elimination of lateral and side loads as compared to prior art wire-wound helical springs.

Machine spring displacer for Stirling cycle machines

A pressure vessel for containing a mechanical device operable to convert heat to mechanical or electrical power, comprising: a high temperature section, the high temperature section having a first end and an open second end, a sealing flange, the sealing flange having a first end and a second threaded end, the first end bonded to the open second end of the high temperature section, and a low temperature section having an open threaded first end, the open first end in sealing engagement with the second threaded end of the sealing flange. Also provided are a Stirling engine and a method of hermetically sealing a pressure vessel of a Stirling engine.

Threaded sealing flange for use in an external combustion engine and method of sealing a pressure vessel

A burner assembly is taught for a heater head of an external combustion engine. Preferably, the external combustion engine is a Stirling cycle machine. The burner assembly includes a housing having a cavity sized to receive a heater head and a matrix burner element carried by the housing and configured to transfer heat to a received heater head. A fuel inlet also communicates with the housing for delivering fuel to the matrix burner element and an exhaust outlet communicates with the housing for delivering combustion gases from the matrix burner element to an exterior of the housing. According to another version, a burner and engine assembly are taught for generating power from a Stirling cycle machine. The burner/engine assembly includes a Stirling cycle power generator in combination with the above-recited burner assembly.

Burner assembly for heater head of a stirling cycle machine

Improved flexures and flexure assemblies are taught for use in thermal regenerative machines. In one aspect, the flexure is a flat spring formed from a flat metal sheet having kerfs forming axially movable arms across them, and at least one aperture communicating with and extending from an end portion of the kerf. One variation includes a flexure bearing assembly having such a flexure. In accordance with another aspect, a thermodynamic machine has a housing carried stator and a piston and linear moving element carried by a flexure bearing assembly. In accordance with yet another aspect, a piston and displacer assembly are configured to be movably supported together within a chamber in a housing of a thermal regenerative machine via a flexure assembly. In accordance with yet another aspect, an internally mounted flexure bearing assembly includes a body configured to carry a tubular member, with the tubular member further carrying a central moving axial member within the tubular member via a flexure assembly in the form of at least one flat spring. One variation includes a retaining member for retaining the flat springs in assembly.

Flexure bearing support assemblies, with particular application to

A heater head for use with a thermal regenerative machine has a heater shell formed from a single piece of material. The shell has a tubular body with a cap-shaped end portion provided at a distal end and an open mouth portion provided at a proximal end. The heater head also has a mounting flange with a receiving portion configured to mate in fixed assembly with the open mouth portion of the heater shell. The mounting flange is constructed and arranged to mount the shell assembly to a housing of the thermal regenerative machine. The shell assembly and housing are hermetically sealed there between. Furthermore, a heater head for use with a thermal regenerative machine typically has a heater shell and a heat exchanger portion. The heat exchanger portion is formed substantially from a corrugated piece of sheet metal. The heat exchanger portion is affixed to an inner portion of the heater shell. The heater shell and heat exchanger portion cooperate to form a plurality of working gas flow paths having a large thermally conductive surface area.

Heater head and regenerator assemblies for thermal regenerative machines

A displacer assembly for use with a thermal regenerative machine has a housing configured to receive a displacer therein. The displacer has a drive area formed by a rod portion of the displacer that extends through a hole in the housing to form a clearance seal therebetween. The housing and displacer form a sub-assembly that can be pre-assembled to provide a clearance seal prior to assembly with a linear drive motor. Another feature is provided by a fluid flow path extending centrally of the displacer rod, and in part along an outer peripheral surface of the rod adjacent a heat rejection region of the housing. Heat transference there along provides for a more efficient stirling thermodynamic cycle in response thereto.

Stirling cycle cryogenic cooler

A displacer assembly for use in a thermal regenerative machine has a housing with a displacer bore configured to carry a displacer in the displacer bore. A flexure bearing assembly is configured to carry the displacer in axial reciprocation within the displacer bore to form a clearance seal there between. A gas spring bore is formed within the displacer assembly and communicates with a gas spring volume defined by a volume forming member. A gas spring piston is carried within the gas spring bore and is configured to form a clearance seal there between. The gas spring piston and the gas spring bore cooperate with the volume forming member to form a gas spring there between. One of the gas spring bore and the gas spring piston is carried in fixed relation with the housing while the other of the gas spring bore and the gas spring piston is carried by the displacer for relative reciprocation there between. A thermal regenerative machine having the above-described displacer assembly is also taught.

Combination gas and flexure spring construction for free piston devices

The use of flexures in the form of flat spiral springs cut from sheet metal materials provides support for coaxial nonrotating linear reciprocating members in power conversion machinery, such as Stirling cycle engines or heat pumps. They permit operation with little or no rubbing contact or other wear mechanisms. The relatively movable members include one member having a hollow interior structure within which the flexures are located. The flexures permit limited axial movement between the interconnected members, but prevent adverse rotational movement and radial displacement from their desired coaxial positions.

Flexure bearing support, with particular application to stirling machines

The seal bellows of a Stirling cycle device is connected between the bottom of a reciprocating piston and a cylinder wall to form a buffer space between the cycle working space and the lubricated crankcase. The piston and cylinder wall form a noncontact clearance seal between the buffer space and the working space in which an expander piston has a vented clearance seal to reduce the thermal loss due to cold gas leaking along the clearance seal.

Growing community of inventors

Richland, WA, United States of America

Laurence B Penswick