A plant for producing mechanical energy from a carrier fluid under cryogenic conditions, including a cryogenic tank configured for storing the carrier fluid under cryogenic conditions and a capacitive tank. The plant further includes a supply circuit, arranged as a connection between the cryogenic tank and the capacitive tank and comprising a pump configured to increase the pressure of the carrier fluid. The plant provides an engine body, configured for producing mechanical energy and including at least one work chamber having an inlet port, arranged in fluid communication with the capacitive tank, and an outlet port connected to a discharge circuit for the spent carrier fluid, and a recirculation circuit designed to convey a portion of the spent carrier fluid into the capacitive tank.

A plant for producing mechanical energy from a carrier fluid under cryogenic conditions, includes a cryogenic tank for storing the fluid under cryogenic conditions and a capacitive tank. The plant includes a supply circuit, connecting the cryogenic tank and the capacitive tank. A pump increases the pressure of the fluid, and a main heat exchanger, arranged downstream of the pump promotes a thermal exchange between a thermal source and the fluid to increase the temperature of the fluid and evaporate the fluid. The plant provides an engine body for producing mechanical energy and including a work chamber having an inlet port, arranged in fluid communication with the capacitive tank, and an outlet port connected to a discharge circuit for the spent fluid, and a recirculation circuit to convey a portion of the spent fluid into the capacitive tank.

The present invention refers to the technical field of thermodynamic engines, and more specifically to a heat engine that operates with gas in closed loop in differential configuration which is characterized by performing a thermodynamic cycle eight transformations or otherwise explain, it performs two thermodynamic cycles simultaneously, each with four interdependent, additional transformations, two of these transformations isothermal and two adiabatic in mass transfer in phases of adiabatic processing to provide a new performance curve no longer dependent solely on temperature but the mass transfer rate which allows the construction of machines with high yields and low thermal differentials.

A radial crank external heated engine having multiple alignments of pistons radial to multiple collinear rotary valves, multiple crankshafts connected to alignments of pistons, and a common output shaft connected to the crankshafts. A heat conductive working fluid is cycled to the engine from a heat producing external energy source via a slotted channelled tube extended centrally through the rotary valves. The rotary valves have intake and exhaust sections that communicate with the channelled tube and provide means working fluid exchange with respective pistons at timed intervals. The pistons are reciprocally driven by the entry of pressurized work fluid in the cylinder, and the resulting motive power is transferred along the crankshafts to the output shaft where it can be harnessed.

An efficient stirling engine comprises an expansion chamber with a heater and a compression chamber with a cooler, wherein the two chambers are connected through a regenerator. A passage between the heater and the expansion chamber is provided with a first valve system, a passage between the cooler and the compression chamber is provided with a second valve system, the first valve system can close or open the passage between the heater and the expansion chamber, and the second valve system can close or open the passage between the cooler and the compression chamber. After adopting the structure above, when a heating end is heated to expand, a cooling end at the other end is closed, and on the contrary, when the cooling end is cooled to shrink, the heating end at the other end is closed, so that the heating energy is fully used, so as to increase the efficiency of the stirling engine.

A radiation thermal absorber based on characteristic absorption spectrum, a Stirling engine and an operation method thereof. The radiation thermal absorber allows working gas in the Stirling engine to absorb radiation heat quickly, and help the Stirling engine adopt assistant heating to ensure steady operation when solar power is not enough. The radiation thermal absorber includes a heater base, a radiation energy conversion device, heating tubes, a combustion chamber and valves of the heating tubes. The radiation energy conversion device converts the solar energy into radiation energy near a characteristic absorption peak of the working gas, and the working gas absorbs the radiation directly in depth.

Slide valve (1), in particular for a waste heat recovery system of a combustion engine, having a valve housing (4), wherein an inlet passage (5) and an outlet passage (6) are formed in the valve housing (4). A substantially cylindrical slide (3) is guided in a longitudinally movable manner in a guide bore (20) in the valve housing (4), wherein the guide bore (20) can be connected hydraulically to the inlet passage (5) and to the outlet passage (6). A closing body (35, 35a) is arranged on the slide (3), wherein a slide seat (75, 75a) is formed between the guide bore (20) and the closing body (35, 35a). The guide bore (20) and the sliding body (35, 35a) form a sliding pair, wherein the sliding pair has the material combination steel-graphite or the material combination ceramic-graphite.

The invention is a rotary engine comprised of at least one and usually a plurality of independent partial engines. Two different processes can be carried out in each independent partial engine both of which are used to operate the engines. The processes of the invention are basically two different and separate closed cycle processes that can both operate within the same geometric confinement, i.e. the same expansion chamber or expansion chambers, at the same time. The primary process performs the main function of converting heat to kinetic energy and is necessary in all engines of the invention. It is a unique process that uses the expansion of gases and also the contraction of the condensing gases after their expansion. The secondary process is needed for start-up and to provide additional power in case the engine might go into a stall. In most engines of the invention both processes are needed to operate the engine.

A multifuel closed-loop thermal cycle piston engine, system and method. An externally-fired continuous combustion piston-driven engine configured to employ water injection post combustion to maintain a temperature of exhaust gas at a set point to form a closed-loop thermal cycle. A multifuel closed-loop thermal cycle piston engine includes a drive stage, a compression stage separate from the drive stage, the compression stage including a pressure-operated exhaust valve of a compression cylinder, an externally-fired continuous combustion chamber configured to conduct continuous combustion of a nonselective fuel, the combustion chamber comprising a water injection stage succeeding the fuel burner chamber, the water injection stage configured to inject water into the combustion chamber post-combustion, and wherein a quantity of water injected post-combustion is configured to maintain engine exhaust at or below a temperature set point.

Disclosed herein is an apparatus for extracting thermal energy from thermal expansion of a working medium in the apparatus. The apparatus includes a thermal expander, a compressor for compressing the working medium after the expansion, and a force modulation unit connecting the thermal expander to the compressor. The force modulation unit consists of two conversion gears that are connected by a lever system. The lever system can be dynamically controlled so that the non-constant force from thermal expansion is modulated into a substantially constant output force of the apparatus.