Abstract: A Stirling engine having a modular construction including a drive case and a cylinder block with generally flat mounting surfaces that face each other. The cylinder block includes cylinder bores and cooler bores that are perpendicular to the cylinder block mounting surface. Piston rods extend through the plane defined by the cylinder block mounting surface and couple piston assemblies positioned within the cylinder bores to a drive shaft. Piston rod seals contain a working gas present within the cylinder block from leaking into the drive case. The same basic engine components may be used with either sliding contact rod seals or bellows or other types of hermetic sealing elements.

Abstract: A cooling system for a vehicle having a radiator disposed above an engine, and a muffler disposed in a region below the engine. This system includes an air intake guide for guiding cooling air to the radiator from outside, an exhaust guide for guiding a large part of the cooling air having flowed past the radiator, forwardly of the vehicle, a cooling fan for producing air currents flowing from the air intake guide past the radiator to the exhaust guide, and ducts provided for opposite sides of the exhaust guide for guiding part of the cooling air having flowed passed the radiator into a muffler cover enclosing the muffler. The ducts communicate with positions of the muffler cover to blow the cooling air toward connections between exhaust pipes of the engine and the muffler.

Abstract: Applicant's preferred embodiment utilizes municipal waste water effluent to replenish a depleted geothermal field. Condensate produced by expanding steam produced in the geothermal field through a steam turbine generator is pooled with cooked water collected from the field, and then directed through a penstock from a higher elevation to a lower elevation where further energy is extracted through a traditional hydroelectric generator. The cooked water and condensate may be treated to produce potable water and/or distributed for public consumption either before or after it is directed to the hydroelectric turbine generator. The effluent is pumped Up to the geothermal field during off-peak periods of electric consumption, and hydroelectric power generation is accomplished during periods of peak electric demand. A fraction of the effluent may be used as cooling water for the steam turbine and its associated condenser before injection into the geothermal field.

Abstract: A drive apparatus for reversible movements of an actuator is provided with a drive element made from a shape memory alloy with one-way effect. The drive element acts upon a lever rotatable about an axle in opposition to the force of a resetting element, wherein the lever can be used as a coupling member for converting a deformation of the drive element into a movement of the actuator. The drive element is a winding with a plurality of turns of a wire, wherein the turns are fixed and arranged mechanically parallel between an anchor point and the lever so that the lever is rotatable about the axle by means of a deformation of a turn, and the tractive force acting upon the lever by means of the drive element results from the individual forces of the turns of the winding acting mechanically parallel upon the lever. The diameter of the wire is advantageously approximately equal to the standardised diameter of the crystalline grain of the shape memory alloy in the austenitic state.

Abstract: An operator selects an operating characteristic, such as a degree of extension or force of an extension member (66) of a thermal actuator (16), with an input circuit (10). The input control circuit generates a reference signal. A feedback circuit (18) monitors a characteristic of the thermal actuator such as a temperature of its internal polymer, extension of the extension member, force, or the like, and generates a corresponding feedback signal. An error circuit (12) compares the reference and feedback signals and generates an error signal in accordance therewith. A dither circuit (30) generates an oscillating dither signal that is superimposed on one of the control and feedback signals before comparison by the error circuit. A power conversion circuit (14) adjusts an amount of electrical power supplied to a heating element (54) of the thermal actuator in accordance with the error signal.

Abstract: In a diesel particulate filter apparatus, the surface of the fiber of a ceramic fiber material 5 such as a silicon carbide fiber material is covered with a coating layer made up of a Ba.sub.2 In.sub.2 O.sub.5, Ba.sub.3 Y.sub.4 O.sub.9 or BaLa.sub.2 O.sub.4 compound having a brownmillerite-like structure having an NO.sub.x -reducing action, and a glass layer. A filter body is constituted of a nonwoven fabric which is the randomly laminated ceramic fiber material with the coating layer on the surface of the fiber thereof. Alternatively, the diesel particulate filter apparatus may be constituted of a filter body made of a nonwoven fabric which is a randomly laminated ceramic fiber material, and a porous sinter containing the above-mentioned compound, provided that the porous sinter is disposed on the downstream side of the filter body.

Abstract: For expanding highly pressurized natural gas, use is made of a turbo generator (13) having a heat exchanger (12) connected at its upstream side. Heat supply to the heat exchanger (12) is performed by at least one block-type thermal power station (16) comprising a gas-fired internal combustion engine and a generator. The heat exchanger preheats the gas to be expanded before the gas is supplied to the turbo generator for expansion. Both the block-type thermal power station (16) and the turbo generator (13) generate electric energy which is fed into the power supply network (18).