The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 28, 1988
Filed:
Feb. 11, 1987
Lennart N Johansson, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
William H Houtman, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Worth H Percival, Asheville, NC (US);
Stirling Power Systems Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Abstract
A heating system for improving the efficiency of a hot gas engine comprises a 'heat pipe' type evaporator and condenser configuration forming a closed system for a condensing medium, such as sodium. The sodium is heated in the evaporator and vaporized. It flows through a conduit to the condenser where it condenses onto tubes which carry the hot working as for the engine, thereby heating the working gas. The condensed liquid sodium flows back through the conduit into the evaporator where it is again vaporized. This is a continuous cycle whereby a thermal power flow from the evaporator to the condenser is continuously induced by the heating of the sodium in the evaporator. The condenser comprises an outer cylindrical walled tube surrounding tubes which carry the hot working gas. These latter tubes are S-shaped and arranged in a bundle. The evaporator comprises inner and outer shells cooperatively arranged to form an evaporating chamber space of upright annular cup-shape which contains a wicking material on the inner shell wall to enhance the spreading of the condensate for efficient evaporation. A further shell is nested within the inner shell to cooperatively define an annular cup-shape heating passage for heating the evaporating chamber space through the inner shell.