Abstract: A process for transmitting or storing energy in which a gasseous working fluid is compressed and cooled, relative to isentropic compression, by a coolant. The energy used to perform the compression is recovered by expansion, while heat from the coolant is used to reheat the working fluid, thus maximizing efficiency.

Abstract: A rotary power device of modular construction is disclosed in which one or more pistons are reciprocably received in a cylinder sleeve, and the sleeve is rotatably supported in a bore within a housing. A cam and follower mechanism acting between the housing and piston governs reciprocating motion of the piston(s) within the sleeve. Rotary power can be extracted from the sleeve, or reciprocating power can be extracted from the piston(s). The rotating cylinder functions as a sleeve valve and permits, depending on the porting, use of the device as a gas-expansion engine (e.g. steam or compressed air) or pump, or as a two-stroke or four stroke internal combustion engines using spark or compression ignition. Engines built according to the invention are simples, compact, and can be perfectly balanced, and multiple engine modules may be coupled together in various configurations to form power plants of various sizes.

Abstract: Combustion engines have opposed pistons in one or more cylinders, with the piston motion determined by cams. Ports, for intake and exhaust, are at one end of the cylinder, opened or closed by one piston, with the combustion chamber at the other end, and the engine being well suited to the optional use of a combustion chamber separate from the cylinder and with the communicating passages controlled by the other piston. That arrangement makes the engine particularly suitable for using heavy or unconventional fuels. The cam profile provides for a four-stroke cycle; one piston moves during the intake and exhaust strokes, while the second piston moves for compression and power strokes. Thus the advantages of a four-stroke engine are obtained while retaining the simplicity of a two-stroke engine. The cam profile may be tailored to the burning characteristics of the fuel, as by providing a period of dwell between the end of the compression stroke and the beginning of the power stroke.

Abstract: The structure is material such as a ceramic in the form of a bundle of open cells, a "honeycomb", with the shape of the cells corresponding to the shape of the openings desired in the grid. The cathode is formed in the cells, rather than adding the grid to a ready-made cathode. The grid is formed by coating the end of the cell walls with a conducting material (metal and/or carbon). The surface of the cathode is suitably recessed from the grid.