A monolithic heater body includes a combustor body and an eductor body. The combustor body has an annulus with an outward annular wall and an inward annular wall. The annulus defines a conditioning conduit between the outward annular wall and the inward annular wall, and a combustion chamber circumferentially surrounded by the inward annular wall. A distal portion of the conditioning conduit fluidly communicates with a distal portion of the combustion chamber. The eductor body defines a plurality of eductive pathway couplets circumferentially spaced about a perimeter of the annulus. Respective ones of the eductive pathway couplets have a motive pathway and an eduction pathway respectively oriented oblique to the annulus and fluidly communicating with the conditioning conduit. Respective ones of the plurality of motive pathways are configured to provide a jet of intake air from a corresponding plurality of intake air pathways to the conditioning conduit.

A monolithic combustor body may provide multi-stage combustion. A combustor body may include a combustion chamber body and a plurality of heating walls that include a heat sink. The combustion chamber body may be disposed annularly about a longitudinal axis and defining a combustion chamber. The plurality of heating walls may include heat sink. The plurality of heating walls may occupy a radially or concentrically outward position relative to the combustion chamber and may define a corresponding plurality of combustion-gas pathways fluidly communicating with at least a proximal portion of the combustion chamber. During operation, the combustor body may exhibit multi-stage combustion that includes a first combustion zone occupying a distal or medial position of the combustion chamber relative to the longitudinal axis, and a second combustion zone occupying a proximal position relative to the first combustion zone and a radially or concentrically outward position of the combustion chamber and/or a radially or concentrically inward position of the plurality of combustion-gas pathways.

A monolithic heater body may include a combustor body, a hot-side heat exchanger body, and an eductor body. The combustor body may define a combustion chamber and a conditioning conduit circumferentially surrounding the combustion chamber. The conditioning conduit may fluidly communicate with the combustion chamber at a distal portion of the combustion chamber. The hot-side heat exchanger body may define a hot-side heat exchanger that includes a heating fluid pathway fluidly communicating with a proximal portion of the combustion chamber. The eductor body may define an eduction pathway fluidly communicating with a downstream portion of the heating fluid pathway and a proximal portion of the conditioning conduit.

A monolithic heat exchanger body includes a plurality of heating walls and a plurality of combustion fins. The plurality of heating walls are configured and arranged in an array of spirals or spiral arcs relative to a longitudinal axis. Adjacent portions of the plurality of heating walls respectively define a corresponding plurality of heating fluid pathways therebetween. The plurality of combustion fins are circumferentially spaced about a perimeter of an inlet plenum. The inlet plenum includes or fluidly communicates with a combustion chamber. The plurality of heating fluid pathways fluidly communicate with the inlet plenum. The plurality of combustion fins occupy a radially or concentrically inward portion of the monolithic heat exchanger body. The plurality of heating fluid pathways have a heat transfer relationship with a heat sink disposed about a radially or concentrically outward portion of the monolithic heat exchanger body. A plurality of conduction breaks disposed radially or concentrically outward relative to the plurality of combustion fins at least partially inhibit heat conduction from the plurality of combustion fins to the plurality of heating walls.

A monolithic heat exchanger body includes a plurality of heating walls and a plurality of combustion fins. The plurality of heating walls are configured and arranged in an array of spirals or spiral arcs relative to a longitudinal axis. Adjacent portions of the plurality of heating walls respectively define a corresponding plurality of heating fluid pathways therebetween. The plurality of combustion fins are circumferentially spaced about a perimeter of an inlet plenum. The inlet plenum includes or fluidly communicates with a combustion chamber. The plurality of heating fluid pathways fluidly communicate with the inlet plenum. The plurality of combustion fins occupy a radially or concentrically inward portion of the monolithic heat exchanger body. The plurality of heating fluid pathways have a heat transfer relationship with a heat sink disposed about a radially or concentrically outward portion of the monolithic heat exchanger body. A plurality of conduction breaks disposed radially or concentrically outward relative to the plurality of combustion fins at least partially inhibit heat conduction from the plurality of combustion fins to the plurality of heating walls.

A burner for solid particle fuels such as shavings or pellets. The invention includes a helical piston to deliver fuel particles up an inclined tube into a cup having an oxygen delivery tube for combustion. The helical piston is axially extendable and retractable to first advance material up the tube without rotation, and then retract with rotation so as to screw itself into the next charge of material to be advanced. Combustion heat may be used to drive a Stirling engine or other mechanism for converting heat into other useful energy or power, such as using the burner as a component of a combined heat and power (CHP) system.

A burner-heat exchanger assembly (100) includes a burner (1) with a tubular diffuser wall (9), a combustion chamber (13) formed inside the diffuser wall (9), a heat exchanger (14) arranged in the combustion chamber (13) and having one or more heat exchange surfaces (31) exposed in the combustion chamber (13). A minimal diffuser-exchanger distance (C) between the diffuser wall (9) and the corresponding heat exchange surface (31) in the combustion chamber (13) ranges from 20 mm to 40 mm.

An internal combustion engine having an independent combustion chamber comprises a combustion chamber (1), an air inlet system (2), a material feeding system (3), and a working system (4). The air inlet system (2) and the combustion chamber (1) are connected together and configured to transport a compressed air to the combustion chamber (1). The material feeding system (3) and the combustion chamber (1) are connected together and configured to transport a fuel to the combustion chamber (1). The combustion chamber (1) has a fixed volume and has no movable wall such as a piston. The fuel continues to be burned in the combustion chamber (1) to generate a high-temperature and high-pressure gas, and chemical energy of the fuel is converted into internal energy of the high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The working system (4) and the combustion chamber (1) are connected together. The piston (21) of the working system (4) works to convert the internal energy of the gas into a mechanical energy.

A monolithic heat exchanger body for inputting heat to a closed-cycle engine includes heating walls and heat sink, such as heat transfer regions. The heating walls are configured and arranged in an array of spirals or spiral arcs relative to a longitudinal axis of an inlet plenum. Adjacent portions of the heating walls respectively define corresponding heating fluid pathways fluidly communicating with the inlet plenum. At least a portion of the heat sink is disposed about at least a portion of the monolithic heat exchanger body. The heat sink includes working-fluid bodies including working-fluid pathways that have a heat transfer relationship with the heating fluid pathways. Respective ones of the heat transfer regions have a heat transfer relationship with a corresponding semiannular portion of the heating fluid pathways. Respective ones of the heat transfer regions include working-fluid pathways fluidly communicating between a heat input region and a heat extraction region.

A system for conversion of energy in a residual gas generated in an industrial process. The system includes a combustion chamber having a fuel inlet configured to receive a flow of residual gas for combustion in the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber further includes an air inlet. The system also includes a Stirling engine configured to convert heat from the combustion chamber into mechanical energy, the Stirling engine having a heat exchanger, wherein at least a portion of the heat exchanger extends into the combustion chamber. The system further includes a residual gas duct arranged for transporting the residual gas at atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure and an air duct arranged for transporting air at atmospheric or near atmospheric pressure. The system further includes a gas diffusion chamber including a residual gas inlet through which the residual gas enters the gas diffusion chamber from the residual gas duct, and a residual gas outlet in fluid communication with the fuel inlet of the combustion chamber, wherein the residual gas is transported in a diffusion direction from the residual gas inlet to the residual gas outlet. The gas diffusion chamber has such a shape that the flow of residual gas at the fuel inlet is substantially laminar and has a symmetric velocity profile.