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 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 sealing structure for a Stirling cooler includes a bellows, a first connecting block disposed at an end of the bellows, and a second connecting block disposed at another end of the bellows. The sealing structure for a Stirling cooler can generate both off-axis movements and lateral movements so as to produce corresponding harmonic motions, such that vibrations can be isolated, excellent vacuum can be obtained, and superior sealing quality can be ensured. Thereupon, possible leakage for the Stirling cooler operated under a significant pressure difference can be substantially resolved.

The present disclosure provides a sealing ring assembly having a sealing ring and a reinforcement, configured to seal a high-pressure region from a lower pressure region of a piston and cylinder device. The sealing ring may be segmented, and a metal layer, wire, or other reinforcement may be affixed to the ring. The reinforcement is placed into tension against the sealing ring, which is correspondingly placed into compression. The composite structure of a relatively brittle sealing ring and reinforcement provides for reduced tensile loads in the sealing ring, thus extending life and reducing the likelihood of failure. The brittle portion of the sealing ring assembly may include a polymer or ceramic such as graphite, which is relatively less strong in tension than compression.

A main object of the present invention is to disclose a piston rod sealing unit that solves the problems that have been mentioned from the prior art disclosures. The invention is a piston rod sealing system (0) with a sealing unit (9), for preventing leakage, of gas from a high-pressure chamber (4) to a low-pressure volume (6), and preventing leakage of a lubricant from said low-pressure volume (6) to said high-pressure chamber (4), along a piston rod (1) extending through said chambers (4, 6) said sealing unit (9) comprising, a deformable gland (10,21,26) arranged for being pressed against said piston rod (1) by one or more compressing elements (15, 22, 27), a lubricant (F) between the piston rod (1) and the gland (10, 21, 26), said sealing unit (9) arranged between, a support structure (8) in the low-pressure volume (6) with a plane sliding surface (8a) facing towards said sealing unit (9), and a wall (7) of said high-pressure chamber (4), a plane seal (16) constituting a seal between the sealing unit (9) and said wall (7), said plane seal (16) arranged in a groove (13b, 24a, 26e) in said sealing unit (9), said groove open towards said wall (7), or said plane seal (16) arranged in a groove in the wall (7), said groove open towards said sealing unit (9) wherein, said sealing unit (9) having a surface area towards said wall (7) between said piston rod (1) and said plane seal (16) smaller than the sliding area between said sealing unit (9, 12b, 25a, 28a) and the plane sliding surface (8a), and said sealing unit (9) being supported by said plane sliding surface (8a) on the low-pressure side, and said sealing unit (9) being in sliding contact with said wall (7) surface (7a), the length (L) of said sealing unit (9) is less than the length (L) between the base structure (8) and the wall (7) allowing transverse movement of the sealing unit (9) along the sliding surfaces (7a, 8a).

A main object of the present invention is to disclose a piston rod sealing unit that solves the problems that have been mentioned from the prior art disclosures. The invention is a piston rod sealing system (0) with a sealing unit (9), for preventing leakage, of gas from a high-pressure chamber (4) to a low-pressure volume (6), and preventing leakage of a lubricant from said low-pressure volume (6) to said high-pressure chamber (4), along a piston rod (1) extending through said chambers (4, 6) said sealing unit (9) comprising, a deformable gland (10,21,26) arranged for being pressed against said piston rod (1) by one or more compressing elements (15, 22, 27), a lubricant (F) between the piston rod (1) and the gland (10, 21, 26), said sealing unit (9) arranged between, a support structure (8) in the low-pressure volume (6) with a plane sliding surface (8a) facing towards said sealing unit (9), and a wall (7) of said high-pressure chamber (4), a plane seal (16) constituting a seal between the sealing unit (9) and said wall (7), said plane seal (16) arranged in a groove (13b, 24a, 26e) in said sealing unit (9), said groove open towards said wall (7), or said plane seal (16) arranged in a groove in the wall (7), said groove open towards said sealing unit (9) wherein, said sealing unit (9) having a surface area towards said wall (7) between said piston rod (1) and said plane seal (16) smaller than the sliding area between said sealing unit (9, 12b, 25a, 28a) and the plane sliding surface (8a), and said sealing unit (9) being supported by said plane sliding surface (8a) on the low-pressure side, and said sealing unit (9) being in sliding contact with said wall (7) surface (7a), the length (L) of said sealing unit (9) is less than the length (L) between the base structure (8) and the wall (7) allowing transverse movement of the sealing unit (9) along the sliding surfaces (7a, 8a).

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.