Abstract: An improved power system that recovers heat energy from the exhaust of internal combustion utilizing an internal combustion engine in combination with a Brayton bottoming system. Heat from a thermal battery drives the bottoming system to create electrical power that supplements the engine power. Sources of heat for the thermal battery include hot engine exhaust gasses, electrically generated heat, and residual heat from motor/generators.

Abstract: A screw engine for propelling a wheeled vehicle via a continuously variable transmission is characterized by a ceramic screw compressor and a ceramic screw expander mounted on a common shaft of the continuously variable transmission. The compressor compresses air and delivers it to a combustion chamber. The air is mixed with fuel in the chamber and ignited to produce combustion products. The combustion products are expanded by the expander to produce a work output for driving the continuously variable transmission and an exhaust output. A heat exchanger is connected with the expander to recover heat from the exhaust output.

Abstract: A screw-type compressor/expander including a housing having inlet and outlet ends and two matching profile rotors with male and female lobes helically wrapped to form endless screws is characterized by end plates having spaced ports arranged at each axial end of the rotors and valve gates slidable with respect to other end plates to select either compression mode ports or expansion mode parts. When the expansion mode ports are selected, the rotors and housing enclose spaces initially opening to the inlet end that have a volume that expands as the rotors are turned. When the compression mode ports are selected, the rotors and the housing enclose spaces initially opening at the inlet end and then closing such that the volume of the spaces contracts as the rotors are turned.

Abstract: An energy recovery system for wheeled vehicles is characterized by a compressor/expander which operates as an expander in the run mode to assist the engine in driving the vehcile and as a compressor in the braking mode to store braking energy. A heat exchanger, a boiler drum, and a flash chamber transfer heat from the vehicle exhaust to a working fluid for generating high and low pressure vapor. The boiler drum stores heated and vaporized liquid and supplies high-pressure vapor to the inlet port of the compressor/expander during the run mode. The flash chamber supplies low-pressure steam to the inlet port of the compressor/expander during the braking mode. Storage tanks are provided for storing and passing low-pressure vapor to the input of the compressor/expander during the run mode.