A Stirling cycle machine with a liquid fuel/gaseous fuel burner. The burner may include a preheater to capture the thermal energy of the exhaust. The burner directs the preheated air to each burner head, where it enters a prechamber. Each burner head includes a fuel nozzle that directs liquid or gaseous fuel into the prechamber. The prechamber is fluidically connected to a combustion chamber via a prechamber nozzle that has a smaller opening than the prechamber. The burner head ignites the fuel air mixture in the prechamber with an ignitor located above or within the prechamber. The flame is initially lit as a diffusion flame in the prechamber. The flame is pushed out of the prechamber into the combustion chamber by an increased air flow rate. The liquid fuel from the nozzle now evaporates in the prechamber and forms a prevaporized flame in the combustion chamber.

A rotary heat engine including a central crankshaft and a plurality of cylinder assemblies and a heat exchanger assembly. At least one of the plurality of cylinders, and preferably all of the plurality of cylinders includes a cylinder member, a piston member slidably positionable within the cylinder member, a connecting rod and a rolling diaphragm. The rolling diaphragm is positioned between the piston and the cylinder assembly to define a working volume which is in fluid communication with an opening that is in communication with the heat exchanger body.

A Stirling engine including a crosshead mechanism includes a low-pressure space and a high-pressure space. In the high-pressure space, a piston is driven by a heating/cooling cycle of a working fluid. The low-pressure space accommodates a crosshead portion connected to the piston via a piston rod, and a crank mechanism that rotates a crankshaft along with movement of the crosshead portion. A high-pressure gas seal in which a lip angle of a seal lip on the high-pressure side is smaller than that on the low-pressure side is provided around the piston rod at a partition between the low-pressure space and the high-pressure space.

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a heat engine. The heat engine includes a pipe that defines a continuous internal path. The pipe includes a first pipe section and a second pipe section. The heat engine includes a first piston disposed within the first pipe section. The heat engine includes a second piston disposed within the second pipe section. The first and second pistons are magnetically linked to travel along the continuous internal path of the pipe.

A rod seal assembly. The rod seal assembly includes a housing between two spaces configured to receive a reciprocating rod, the reciprocating rod disposed within a first space and a second space, a floating bushing configured to move axially and radially within the housing and disposed coaxially around the reciprocating rod, a rod seal configured to seal the outside diameter of the reciprocating rod relative to an inside surface of the floating bushing, and at least one stationary bushing fixed within the housing that may form a seal with the floating bushing to the axial flow of fluid in the presence of a pressure difference between the two spaces.

An external combustion engine including a burner element, a heater head, a piston cylinder containing a piston, a cooler and a crankcase. The crankcase includes a crankshaft, a piston rod connected to the piston, a drive mechanism for converting the linear motion of the piston rod to rotary motion of the crankshaft and a linear cross-head bearing that is connected rigidly to the piston rod at one end and to the drive mechanism at the other end. Also the external combustion engine includes a piston clearance seal and a piston rod seal unit that has floating rod seals. The piston includes a inner dome to reduce axial heat transfer via radiation and convection.

A split Stirling cryogenic refrigerator device may include a resonant pneumatic expander comprising a resonant displacer assembly supported by a spring and configured to slide back and forth along a longitudinal axis within a housing of the resonant pneumatic expander, the resonant displacer assembly comprising a tubular displacer containing a regenerator and coupled to a sealing piston, and a driving piston coupled to the sealing piston by an elongated radially compliant and axially rigid connecting member.

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 Stirling cycle machine with a liquid fuel/gaseous fuel burner. The burner may include a preheater to capture the thermal energy of the exhaust. The burner directs the preheated air to each burner head, where it enters a prechamber. Each burner head includes a fuel nozzle that directs liquid or gaseous fuel into the prechamber. The prechamber is fluidically connected to a combustion chamber via a prechamber nozzle that has a smaller opening than the prechamber. The burner head ignites the fuel air mixture in the prechamber with an ignitor located above or within the prechamber. The flame is initially lit as a diffusion flame in the prechamber. The flame is pushed out of the prechamber into the combustion chamber by an increased air flow rate. The liquid fuel from the nozzle now evaporates in the prechamber and forms a prevaporized flame in the combustion chamber.

A rod seal assembly for a machine includes a crosshead and a sealed oscillating piston rod. The rod seal assembly includes a seal housing, a rod seal, a bushing and a rod seal base, wherein the rod seal, bushing and the rod seal base are annular and can be laterally moved in relation to the seal housing the housing axially supports the rod seal base, the rod seal base is adapted to be arranged around the piston rod and is provided with a base portion, wherein the base portion includes a lower axial surface directed in a first axial direction an upper axial surface directed in a second axial direction, wherein the lower axial surface abut the housing and the upper axial surface is provided with a rod seal seat, the rod seal is adapted to be arranged around the piston rod, and has a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first end portion is arranged to connect to the rod seal base in the first axial direction, and the bushing is arranged to abut the rod seal in the first axial direction, and the rod seal base and the bushing are arranged to have an axial overlap.