Abstract: A Stirling engine having a configuration which allow spatial separation of the heaters and coolers. The engine includes four cylinders with passageways connecting the cylinders such that a direct fluid connection is formed between each cylinder and every other cylinder. The configuration of the passageways and arrangement of the cylinders is such that heat energy is not wasted. The spatial separation of the heaters and coolers allows the heaters and coolers to be located in separate environments. The pistons within each cylinder are connected to one or two crankshafts through a connecting device which generates no side thrust on the cylinder walls. Preferably, the connecting device used is a hydraulic connecting rod.

Abstract: A common heat acceptor is provided between opposed displacers in a Stirling cycle machine. It includes two sets of open channels in separate fluid communications with the expansion spaces of the receptive cyclinders. The channels confine movement of working fluid in separate paths that extend between the expansion space of one cylinder and the compression space of the other. The method for operating the machine involves alternatively directing working fluid from the expansion space of each cylinder in a fluid path leading to the compression space of the other cylinder and from the compression space of each cylinder in a fluid path leading to the expansion space of the other cylinder.

Abstract: A cogeneration system is disclosed using a Stirling cycle engine in which the waste heat from the engine and a generator driven by the engine is used for space heating or producing hot water and the generator used to produce electricity. A Stirling engine has numerous advantages over a reciprocating internal combustion engine in cogeneration systems in that the Stirling engine has a longer life, less maintenance cost, less noise and vibration and fewer emissions. With cogeneration, the added energy and fuel required over and above that required to produce a comparable amount of heat allowed to produce the same amount of heat with a conventional furnace or boiler is often less than the amount of electric energy produced from the system thereby resulting in a efficiency greater than 100% in the production of electricity.

Abstract: A combustion engine comprising of a piston and cylinder assembly wherein the cylinder receives hot gasses emitted from a combustion chamber, the hot gasses being generated from the combustion of any of a variety of combustible material included but not limited to wood, coal, dry vegetation, and sawdust. The hot gasses, once received in the cylinder, are subjected to a compression stroke during which water is injected therein to create steam from the compression of the hot gasses and injected water whereby the resulting energy of expansion of the steam within a greatly reduced volume will result in a power stroke of the piston causing efficient work to be delivered to a power takeoff structure such as a crank shaft or the like.

Abstract: A shade control arrangement comprises a shade panel having inner and outer edges with an attachment clamp or attachment clips at the inner edge and additional clips at the outer edge. The outer clips can be used to hold the edge of a gelatin sheet or a perforated sheet to stretch the sheet across a source of light to which a pair of panels is connected using the inner clips or clamp. The clamp comprises inner and outer jaws which form a pocket that can be closed with a screw, at least one of the jaws being pivotally connected between the legs of a U-shaped fork that is detachably connected to the shade panel near the inner edge thereof. A flexible shaft is detachably connected to the clamp. A similarly structured clamp can be used to capture the edge of a flexible sheet that contains a plurality of parallel bend troughs so that the sheet can be bent into a variety of shapes.

Abstract: An actuator (1) in particular for proportionally influencing the fluid flow in hydraulic and/or pneumatic devices, including a cylindrical housing (2) with an elongated actuating element (3) movably supported therein, elements (11, 12, 13) of memory metal, engaging said actuating element (3), the housing (2) and the actuating element (3) movable relative to one another by activation of the elements (11, 12, 13) of memory metal, if necessary against the force exerted by an element (15) of permanent resilient material. The housing (2) is provided at one end (8) with an opening (9) through which the actuating element (3) protrudes longitudinally upon relative movement. Bringing about the intended proportional operation, the actuator (1) includes locking means (16, 17, 19), engaging the actuating element (3), for mutually locking the actuating element (3) and their housing (2) in one or more positions.

Abstract: With this illumination device for the illumination of a transport system, such as escalators and passenger walkways, light sources are provided in the balustrade skirting. The light of the light source is reflected by lenses upon intermediate legs of a support device which carries the handrail of the transport system. By ascribing a suitable configuration and surface properties to the intermediate legs the light is deflected in a desired direction. This illumination device serves not only for illumination purposes but also for the decorative or aesthetic appearance of escalators and passenger walkways.

Abstract: A control system for Stirling engines includes a feedback control from a sensor for detecting oxygen levels in the exhaust from the combustion system of the Stirling engine. The sensor generates a feedback signal which is converted for inputting into a microprocessor control system. The input signal is compared with a reference signal to readjust the air-fuel mixture set by control apparatus responsive to at least one engine operating condition such as working fluid temperature. The microprocessor control system generates control signals for both an electronic pressure regulator and a combustion blower so that both as pressure and air flow are adjusted according to engine operating requirements. Either a universal or a lean exhaust gas oxygen sensor is preferably employed in the feedback control.

Abstract: A steam plant which includes a steam driven turbine, and a condenser in which the steam exhausted from the turbine is condensed, the condenser being at least 200 meters above the level of the turbine and preferably several kilometers above the turbine level. The turbine is connected to the condenser by a vacuum tight shaft adapted to convey the spent steam upwardly to the condenser at vapor speeds up to 0.75 of the speed of sound in that vapor. The condensate is continually withdrawn from the condenser both to maintain the vacuum and to stimulate continued mass transfer upwardly of the spent steam at high speed.

Abstract: The present invention provides a pneumatically powered actuator having hydraulic control for both locking and controlling the velocity of an output rod without any sponginess. The invention includes a double-acting pneumatic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore, and a control rod connected to the piston. The double-acting pneumatic actuator is mounted to a frame. A first double-acting hydraulic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore,and a follower rod mounted to the piston is mounted to the frame such that the follower rod is fixedly connected to the control rod. The maximum translation of the piston within the bore of the first double-acting hydraulic actuator provides a volumetric displacement V.sub.1. The present invention also includes a second double-acting hydraulic actuator having a bore, a piston slidably engaged within the bore, and an output rod mounted to the piston.

Abstract: A heat sensitive actuator including a casing; a thermal expansion fluid contained in the casing; a piston rod inserted from an opening of the casing into the fluid and adapted to be moved outside the casing by thermal expansion of the fluid; a shoulder formed on an inner circumference of the casing at an opening portion thereof, which shoulder has a conical shape tapering inward of the casing; a plug formed of an elastic material such as rubber for sealing the fluid, which plug has a through-hole for allowing insertion of the piston rod; and an intermediate ring inserted in a part of the through-hole of the plug and interposed between an inner circumference of the plug and the outer circumference of the piston rod. The plug is forced into the shoulder to be elastically compressed and thereby radially urge an outer circumference of the piston rod. A contact area between the plug and the piston rod can be reduced by providing the intermediate ring to thereby reduce a frictional resistance of the piston rod.

Abstract: The lamp/reflector unit comprises a reflector (1) having a neck-shaped portion (3) in which a metal centering member (9) is present. The centering member (9) has a transverse wall (10) with an opening (11) in which the seal (6) of an electric lamp (4) is accommodated, secured with cement (12). Recesses (13) extend from the opening (11) into the transverse wall (10). Fracture of the seal (6) is thus prevented.

Abstract: An open-cycle internal-combustion Stirling engine having two pistons coupled by a rhombic drive which define a combustion chamber and a compression chamber, within either a single cylinder or two cylinders, and a manifold enabling flow of the working fluid between the compression chamber and the combustion chamber with a plurality of engine valves controlling such flow, the dead space of the manifold being minimized and provision of the working fluid (i.e., air) being provided by an intake valve and an exhaust valve with corresponding manifolds for providing the open-cycle characteristics of the engine while approximating an ideal thermo-dynamic system.

Abstract: A pressurized combustion of slurries of low-cost, unbeneficiated solid fuels in the presence of steam and alkali in which sulfur oxide emissions are inherently low, emissions of nitrogen oxides controlled by the injection of a scavenging agent and emissions of particulates prevented by condensing steam on and around them. The combustion has applications to steam boilers, combined cycles and gas turbines, including steam injected (STIG) and intercooled steam injected (ISTIG) versions. Turbine blade and nozzle erosion and deposits are avoided by the effective wet separation of ash particles before reheating and expansion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling the reciprocal movement of a free piston, gas-driven displacer in a cooling engine are disclosed. A bi-directional magnetic "detent" is established for the displacer at both the top dead center and bottom dead center portions of the cooling cycle. Each bi-directional magnetic "detent" provides a magnetic snubbing force to limit overshooting of the displacer in one direction and a magnetic retention force to hold the displacer from moving in the other direction until a pre-determined pressure differential is established across the displacer's drive piston. The magnetic "detents" are formed by means of a three pole double magnet with a single core or alternatively, by a two pole single magnet with a double core. The magnetic snubbing and retention forces can be made equal or unequal in magnitude either through the selection of permanent magnet(s) or core configuration(s) or by controlling the field strength of electro-magnets.

Abstract: The disclosed system overlaps the control operation for throttle and governor valves to shorten a steam chest warmup period by fully opening a pilot valve and closing down the governor valve to maintain rolling speed when the steam chest needs wraming and the throttle valve - governor valve transfer speed has not been reached. The system also sets a minimum rate of acceleration for vibration run through periods and allows speed changes at designated periodic speed change windows as long as stress is within an allowable range. The system further eliminates vibration transients during a speed change operation by providing a smoothed trend preventing speed holds from increasing unnecessarily.

Abstract: In plants for generating steam using waste heat, the heat in the hot waste gases flowing through the steam generator must be utilized with maximum efficiency. To this end, the feed water is branched into two streams, one of which flows into the high-pressure heating surfaces and the other into the heating surfaces of the medium-pressure evaporator. The division of the two streams is controlled as a function of the quality of the steam, so that the steam in the heating surfaces of the intermediate superheater is heated to the same temperature as the steam in the heating surfaces of the high-pressure superheater. The invention is particularly useful in combined gas and steam turbine power plants.

Abstract: Air is separated into oxygen and nitrogen in rectification columns 28 and 30. A stream of nitrogen is withdrawn from the top of the column 30 through an outlet 54, is warmed to about ambient temperature by passage through heat exchangers 34, 46 and 24, and is then heated at a pressure in the range 2 to 7 atmospheres absolute by heat exchange in heat exchanger 56 with a hot stream of fluid initially at a temperature of less than 600.degree. C. without said fluid undergoing a change of phase. The resulting hot nitrogen is then expanded in turbine 58 with the performance of external work, e.g. the generation of electricity.

Abstract: An improved actuator of the type in which a piston is translatable in a piston housing in response to an expandable working fluid in fluid communication with one end of the piston. An improved sealing assembly prevents leakage of working fluid from the piston housing.

Abstract: A steam generator having a fluidized bed combustion system that includes a fluidized bed combustor and at least one hot separator, includes a superheater and a reheater with at least first and second or final stages disposed in a flue gas pass with the superheater upstream of the final stage reheater has a cold steam bypass system for controlling the temperature of the second or final stage reheater by dividing reheat steam into selective first and second portions and directing the first portion to the first stage reheater and recombining said first and second portions and directing them through the second or final stage reheater.