Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02778327 2012-05-28
Drawings
= Figure 1
= Figure 2
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Background Of The Invention
The Stirling engine (or Stirling's air engine as it was known at the time) was
invented and patented by Robert Stirling in 1816. It was probably the first
engine to be put to practical use when in 1818 an engine built by Stirling
was employed pumping water in a quarry. The main subject of Stirling's
original patent was a heat exchanger which he called an "economizer" for its
enhancement of fuel economy in a variety of applications. The patent also
described in detail the employment of one form of the economizer in his
unique closed-cycle air engine design in which application it is now generally
known as a "regenerator". Subsequent development by Robert Stirling and
his brother James, an engineer, resulted in patents for various improved
configurations of the original engine including pressurization which had by
1843 sufficiently increased power output to drive all the machinery at a
Dundee iron foundry.
Applications of the Stirling engine range from heating and cooling to
underwater power systems. A Stirling engine can function in reverse as a
heat pump for heating or cooling. Other uses include: combined heat and
power, solar power generation, Stirling cryocoolers, heat pump, marine
engines, and low temperature difference engines.
At the present time the Stirling engine is of very limited use, yet it is
still
being manufactured by some companies in Europe and New Zealand. Also in
North America, in California there have been already built many electric
power generators with the Stirling engines which use solar energy
concentrated on hot engine cylinder by parabolic mirror for the Stirling
engine activation.
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Manufactured in Europe and New Zealand electric power and heat energy
generators activated by the Stirling engines with water cooling are used as
autonomous sources of electric power and heat and utilize natural gas as a
fuel.
For example device manufactured in Germany has a size of kitchen
dishwasher and produces 9 kilo-watt of electric and 26 kilo-watt of heat
energy.
Electric heating element is also used in the Stirling engines as a device for
decreasing the start-up time for the Stirling engine (Patent CA 1, 066,899).
Summary Of The Invention
The invention pertains to a method of use of electric power, produced by
electric power generator with the Stirling engine of any type for heating of
electric heating element, installed inside or outside the hot chamber which
starts up the Stirling engine without using external source of heat produced
as a result of burning of raw hydrocarbons.
In the drawings, which form a part of this specification,
Fig.1 is a Stirling engine with electric heating element installed outside of
the
hot chamber, whereas:
Element 1 is a Stirling engine;
Element 2 is an electric power generator;
Element 3 is an electric heating element;
Element 4 is a hot chamber;
Element 5 is electric cables;
Element 6 is an off-on switch;
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Element 7 is a heat source.
Fig.2 is a Stirling engine with electric heating element installed inside of
the
hot chamber, whereas:
Element 1 is a Stirling engine;
Element 2 is an electric power generator;
Element 3 is an electric heating element;
Element 4 is a hot chamber;
Element 5 is electric cables;
Element 6 is an off-on switch;
Element 7 is a heat source.
Detailed Description Of The Invention
How it works.
1) Any heat source 7 (for example: wood, gas or fuel) is used to start up
the Stirling engine 1;
2) After the Stirling engine 1 with the electric power generator 2 has
reached working RPM, bring the off-on switch 6 to position "on" to use
electric power, produced by the electric power generator 2 to power
the electric heating element 3.
3) In 10-15 seconds turn off the heat source 7.
4) The Stirling engine 1 runs fuelless using approximately 50% of electric
power produced by the electric power generator 2.
Use of the invention.
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a) The rest of electric energy and heat energy (if the Stirling engine 1
got a water cooling system) can be used.
b) If electric power generator 2 is smaller and produces amount of
electric power which is sufficient just to keep the Stirling engine 1
running, the rest of mechanical power produced by the Stirling
engine 1 can be used.
c) If the Stirling engine 1 and electric power generator 2 have power
which is sufficient only to keep each other running, the system
simply turns into a water heating unit (for example, home furnace).
