Method, apparatus and system for thermal regeneration

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus for generating energy. The method, system and apparatus can include the generation of exhaust gases in a first cylinder of an internal combustion engine and the transportation of the exhaust gases from the cylinder to a chamber. The method, system and apparatus may also have the steps of storing the exhaust gases in the chamber and transporting the exhaust gases from the chamber to a second cylinder. Further, the method, system and apparatus may allow for pushing, by pressure supplied by the exhaust gases transported to the second cylinder, a piston in the second cylinder to a bottom portion of the second cylinder and the generating of a vacuum through the cooling of the exhaust gases in the second cylinder. Additionally, the method, system and apparatus can have steps for pulling, by the vacuum, the piston to a top portion of the second cylinder and releasing the exhaust gases from the second cylinder.

Description

BACKGROUND

Modern reciprocating engines are cited as being inefficient in both their conversion of fuels into energy as well as their general reliance on fossil fuels. Currently the most advanced internal combustion engines have a mechanical efficiency of only 20%, whereas some hybrid engines, such as engines utilizing both mechanical and electrical power as in hybrid automobiles, only see efficiency of 37%.

The emissions of internal combustion engines, specifically those of automobiles and motorcycles, are a known problem and are widely regulated around the world. The emissions include carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, as well as other pollutants that are generated due to the incomplete combustion of the gasoline in the fuel-air mixture used in internal combustion engines.

Another form of emission that common internal combustion engines produce is thermal emission. The internal combustion engine is a thermal engine which therefore draws thermal energy from a pool of high thermal energy and generates exhaust into a pool of low thermal energy. The heat waste, thermal emissions or exhaust generated by internal combustions engines is typically exhausted into the surrounding environment. This harms the environment in a variety of manners and wastes the thermal heat energy. Additionally, the hotter the thermal waste, the less thermal energy that was transformed into kinetic energy, and the more thermal pollution that is pumped out into the surrounding environment.

SUMMARY

An exemplary embodiment describes a method of reducing emissions and increasing fuel economy in an internal combustion engine. The method can include generating exhaust gases in a first cylinder of an internal combustion engine and transporting the exhaust gases from the cylinder to a chamber. The method may also have the steps of storing the exhaust gases in the chamber and transporting the exhaust gases from the chamber to a second cylinder. Further, the method may allow for pushing, by pressure supplied by the exhaust gases transported to the second cylinder, a piston in the second cylinder to a bottom portion of the second cylinder and the generating of a vacuum through the cooling of the exhaust gases in the second cylinder. Additionally, the method can have steps for pulling, by the vacuum, the piston to a top portion of the second cylinder and releasing the exhaust gases from the second cylinder.

Another exemplary embodiment may describe a system for generating power. The system can include at least a first cylinder of an engine that operates in a four-stroke manner and generates exhaust gases and a chamber that receives and stores the exhaust gases generated by the at least first cylinder. The system may further have at least a second cylinder of the engine that receives the exhaust gases from the chamber and that has at least a first valve, at least a second valve and a piston, wherein the exhaust gases received from the chamber into the at least second cylinder push the piston down in the at least second cylinder and a vacuum generated as the exhaust gases cool in the at least second cylinder pulls the piston up in the at least second cylinder to generate rotational force on a crankshaft coupled to the at least second cylinder.

Yet another exemplary embodiment may be directed to a method of reducing and reusing thermal emissions. This method can include means for generating heated exhaust gases and means for storing the heated exhaust gases. Also, in some embodiments, the method may have means for transporting the heated exhaust gases to a cylinder in an internal combustion engine as well as means for rotating a crankshaft attached to a piston in the cylinder with the heated exhaust gases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary flowchart showing the generation of gases used in thermal emissions regeneration.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart showing the use of gases in thermal emissions regeneration.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram of an engine using thermal emissions regeneration.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram of a cylinder using thermal emissions regeneration.

FIG. 5 is another exemplary diagram of a cylinder using thermal emissions regeneration.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram of a valve that may be used with thermal emissions regeneration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the invention are disclosed in the following description and related drawings directed to specific embodiments of the invention. Alternate embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention. Further, to facilitate an understanding of the description, discussion of several terms used herein follows.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the term “embodiments of the invention” does not require that all embodiments of the invention include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

In one exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a system, method and apparatus for improving the efficiency of an internal combustion engine are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, in step 102, following the combustion stroke in a four-stroke, internal combustion engine, a gas or gases, such as exhaust gases may be forced out of a cylinder into a chamber, in step 104. The gases in the chamber may then be directed into another cylinder associated with the engine. However, the chamber may be repeatedly filled with gases for any desired amount of time, for example as long as an engine is running. Additionally, the generation of exhaust gases or any other type of gases in step 102 may also occur for any desired amount of time and may be generated by any desired amount of cylinders. As shown in exemplary FIG. 2, the generated gases may be used for any of a variety of reasons, for example moving the piston from a top position to a bottom position in the cylinder into which the gas is introduced. Thus, the gases in the chamber described with respect to step 104 above may, in step 202, be transferred to another cylinder associated with the engine following the opening of an intake valve in the cylinder. In step 204, the gases that are introduced to the cylinder in step 202 may act to push a piston downwards in the cylinder and, at a desired time, in step 206, an intake valve through which the gases entered the cylinder may be closed. In step 208 the gases in the cylinder may begin to cool and may generate a vacuum, which may result in the generation of a force that can pull the piston in the cylinder upwards. At a desired time when the piston is being pulled upwards, in step 210, an exhaust valve may also open to allow for the release of the cooled gases. Step 202 may then be repeated for any desired amount of time. As described in more detail herein, due to the introduction and subsequent cooling of the gases in the cylinder, a piston may be cycled through two strokes and may turn a crankshaft coupled with the piston. However, these strokes may not require the introduction of a fuel, compression and combustion to cause a piston to move from a top position to a bottom position to rotate a crankshaft due to the downward pressure exerted on the piston by the introduction of the hot air and the upward vacuum pressure on the piston after the gases in cylinder sufficiently cool.

In a further exemplary embodiment, the gases may be introduced, in step 202, to the cylinder via a valve, for example a valve disposed at a top portion of a cylinder. The valve that is used for the introduction of the gases may be a valve that is disposed at a top portion of a cylinder along with any other of a variety of valves, for example an exhaust valve, such as that described with respect to step 210. Further, the valve used for the introduction of the gases in step 202 may be disposed in any location as desired at the top portion of a cylinder provided it does not interfere with the functionality of any other valve or any other component in, for example, a cylinder head. Similarly the valve used for the exhaust of the gases in step 210 may be disposed in any location as desired at the top portion of a cylinder provided it does not interfere with the functionality of any other valve or any other component in, for example, a cylinder head.

In further examples of the embodiments described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, the process described above may be utilized with the use of one or more dedicated thermal regeneration cylinders. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, an engine may have any number of cylinders, such as four, five, six, eight, ten, twelve or sixteen. In these engines, a number of cylinders may be used to both supply power to the crankshaft of the engine and to supply gases to other cylinders for thermal emission regeneration.

In one exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a five cylinder engine may utilize thermal emission regeneration. The five cylinder engine 300 may be any type of engine, for example an inline five cylinder engine 300 having a single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder. Other exemplary embodiments may include any type of engine having multiple camshafts, for example dual overhead camshafts, and any number of valves per cylinder, for example three, four or five. On a typical single overhead camshaft engine, for example on an engine having two valves per cylinder, the rotation of the camshaft can actuate the two valves disposed on each cylinder head of each cylinder. However, in one exemplary embodiment, the camshaft could be formed so as to cause some the valves on one or more cylinders to operate in a two-stroke manner. For example, in an inline five cylinder engine, the valves of the first and fifth cylinders in the engine, for example cylinders 302 and 310, could be operated in a standard four-stroke manner by the camshaft. However, the lobes of the camshafts above cylinders two, three and four, for example cylinders 304, 306 and 308, could be formed so that these cylinders would be operating in a two-stroke cycle. However, it should be noted that in some other exemplary embodiments, the valves on cylinders 304, 306 and 308 may operate in a four-stroke manner. Cylinders 302 and 310 may be operating on a four-stroke cycle in order to allow for any initial expansion of gases in one of these cylinders. Additionally, cylinders 304, 306 and 308 may operate on a two-stroke cycle to account for any shortened intake duration or time before a valve may be closed to generate vacuum pressure. Additionally, it may be noted that each of cylinders 302-310 may include standard components of engine cylinders, such as pistons 314, 318, 322, 326 and 330, respectively, and connecting rods 316, 320, 324, 328 and 332, respectively.

In a further exemplary embodiment, expansion chamber 312 may be coupled to any or all of cylinders 302-310. Each of cylinders 302-310 may have at least one conduit, for example conduits or passages 334, 336, 338, 340 and 342, respectively. Conduits 334-342 may be formed in any of a variety of manners, for example formed in manners similar to engine valves. Further, in some exemplary embodiments, some cylinders may have more than one conduit that may connect the cylinder with the expansion chamber 312. Additionally, some cylinders may provide inputs to the expansion chamber 312 while other cylinders may accept inputs from the expansion chamber 312. For example, in one embodiment, cylinder 302 and cylinder 310 may generate exhaust gases that are inputted to expansion chamber 312 and cylinder 304, cylinder 306 and cylinder 308 may accept exhaust gases that may have been previously stored in expansion chamber 312.

In a further exemplary embodiment, one or more valves and valve seats may be machined so as to provide improved sealing and flowing capabilities. For example, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the orientation of valve seats may be reversed. Here, valves may be oriented so that any valve springs on cylinders utilizing thermal emission regeneration, for example cylinders 304, 306 and 308, may be capable of pushing a valve shut, rather than pulling a valve shut, for example, during an intake or exhaust stroke, or a physical stroke that is substantially equivalent. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, by having a valve spring 602 push a valve 604 closed, valve seat 606 may remain sealed at the top of a cylinder 608 and the valve 604 may be prevented from being drawn open prior to a desired time. For example, if gases 612 are supplied to a cylinder 608 utilizing thermal emissions regeneration via conduit 610, the vacuum created when the gases cool and draw the piston upwards may cause the valve 604 to also be pulled open in traditional four-stroke cylinder orientations. However, with a valve spring 602 that is positioned to push the valve 604 closed instead of pulling it closed, the valve 604 may remain closed until the it is desired to be opened again, for example during an intake stroke. Additionally, valve seat 606 may be oriented or finished in such as manner as to provide a seal with cylinder 608 in a downward fashion, as opposed to traditional valve seats which may be oriented or finished in such a manner as to provide a seal with a cylinder in an upward fashion.

In yet a further exemplary embodiment, one or more cylinders in a presently existing engine may be converted into one or more cylinders that may utilize thermal emissions regeneration. Here, an existing cylinder, for example cylinder 304, as shown in FIGS. 3-5 in an existing engine may have one intake valve 402 and one exhaust valve 404. The intake valve 402 and the exhaust valve 404 may be formed in any known manner, for example similar to standard valves for a cylinder on an internal combustion engine. Also, in some exemplary embodiments, the exhaust valve 404 may be a modified intake valve on a prior art engine and the intake valve 402 may be a modified exhaust valve from a prior art engine; however other exemplary embodiments may utilize valves in any desired or known manner. These valves may be coupled with the one or more exhaust valves on a cylinder generating the gases that may be used in thermal emissions regeneration through the use of expansion chamber 312. The gases may be fed from the cylinder that generates the hot air or gas, through a conduit, for example conduit 334 and into expansion chamber 312, where the gases may be held. Upon the opening of a valve, for example intake valve 402 on cylinder 304, the gases may be fed into the cylinder 304 via conduit 336 and the piston 318 may be pushed downward in the cylinder 304, as shown in FIG. 4. The gases may be inputted into the cylinder 304 in any fashion, for example in a metered fashion by opening and closing intake valve 402 and coupled to a camshaft (not shown) that may actuate the valves 402 and 404. These valves 402 and 404 may continue to be actuated by one or more lobes of a camshaft for any desired amount of time.

The gases may be metered so as to enter the cylinder 304 during the equivalent of what could be the intake stroke of the four-stroke engine. The immediate presence of the gases may assist in the movement of the piston 318 to a bottom portion of the cylinder 304, as stated previously. Then, as the gases cool in the cylinder 304, a vacuum may be created and may act to pull the piston 318 upwards, for example during a compression stroke, and as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, less energy may be required from the crankshaft to both lower and raise the piston in a cylinder when gases are introduced into a cylinder utilizing thermal emissions regeneration. The introduction of the gases in the cylinder 304 can cause the depression of the piston 318 in cylinder 304 and the vacuum generated by the cooling of the gases in the cylinder 304 can act to pull the piston 318 towards the top of the cylinder. Thus the piston 318 can cycle repeatedly up and down within the cylinder 304 and therefore the introduction and emission of gases into the cylinder 304 can act to rotate crankshaft 408 through the coupling of piston 318 with connecting rod 320 and rod bearing 406. Thus, rotation of the crankshaft 408 of the engine 300 is performed by the actuation of five cylinders, as in a traditional five cylinder engine, but rotation is being performed through energy generated by two four-stroke cylinders, for example cylinders 302 and 310, and three cylinders, for example cylinders 304, 306 and 308, that generate energy through the use of the emissions of the two four-stroke cylinders.

After the return of the piston 318 to the top of the cylinder 304, one cycle of thermal emissions regeneration may be complete and the remaining gases may be made to exit from the cylinder 304. As described previously, the exhaust valve 404 in this cylinder 304 may be actuated by a camshaft to open exhaust valve 404 and allow for the release of the cooler gases that generated the vacuum through conduit 410. For example, in one embodiment, a camshaft may be modified so as to release tension on the one or more exhaust valves at a time when it may be desired to release cooler gases from the cylinder 304 and may therefore allow for the exhaustion of the gases remaining in the cylinder 304 through conduit 410 after a cycle of thermal emissions regeneration is completed. Conduit 410 may allow for the release of the gases used in thermal emissions regeneration from the engine, for example through an exhaust system associated with the engine. However, in other exemplary embodiments, conduit 410 may be routed back to expansion chamber 312 and may allow for the reuse of the gases that have already been used for thermal emissions regeneration in one or more cylinders. The gas may then be sent out of the engine through an exhaust system at any desired time. The gas released from the engine through the exhaust system may then contain significantly fewer emissions than other engines, for example an engine having all of its cylinders running on a four-stroke cycle.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, a camshaft may be used that may actuate the valves for some cylinders in a four-stroke manner and may actuate the valves for some other cylinders in a two-stroke manner. For example, a camshaft utilized with the engine shown in FIG. 3 may be formed in any desired and known manner for the cylinders that are operating as standard four-stroke cylinders, for example on cylinders 302 and 310. However, the lobes of the camshaft that are used to actuate the valves on the cylinders utilizing thermal emissions regeneration, for example cylinders 304, 306 and 308, may be formed so as to actuate the valves in a substantially two-stroke manner. As described previously, the one or more valves on a cylinder may be actuated so as to open and allow for the introduction of hot gases into the one or more cylinders. Additionally, the valve may be closed and a seal may be provided at a time when a desired amount of hot gases have been introduced into the one or more cylinders and the hot gases may be allowed to cool within the cylinder or cylinders so as to generate a vacuum and allow the piston or pistons to be pulled up towards a top portion of the cylinder or cylinders. After the piston or pistons have been pulled to a desired height within the cylinder or cylinders, the camshaft or camshafts may, in some exemplary embodiments, actuate a second valve to allow for the exhaust of the gases used to generate the vacuum effect. Additionally, at this time, the first valve may again be opened to allow for the re-introduction of hot gases into the cylinder and renewing the process.

Still other exemplary embodiments may be applied to any type of engine. For example, thermal emissions regeneration and reduction may be used on an engine in any configuration, for example inline engines, “V” engines, “inline V” engines, horizontally opposed engines, rotary engines and “W” engines. Additionally, any of the embodiments described herein may be applied to an engine used in any desired application, such as an automobile, motorcycle, industrial equipment, recreational equipment and the like as known to one having ordinary skill in the art.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of reducing emissions and increasing fuel economy in an internal combustion engine, comprising:

generating exhaust gases in a first cylinder of an internal combustion engine;

transporting the exhaust gases from the cylinder to a chamber;

storing the exhaust gases in the chamber;

transporting the exhaust gases from the chamber to a second cylinder;

pushing, by pressure supplied by the exhaust gases transported to the second cylinder, a piston in the second cylinder to a bottom portion of the second cylinder;

generating a vacuum through the cooling of the exhaust gases in the second cylinder;

pulling, by the vacuum, the piston to a top portion of the second cylinder; and

releasing the exhaust gases from the second cylinder.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

opening a first valve coupled with the second cylinder for the transporting of the exhaust gases from the chamber to the second cylinder.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

closing the first valve to create a seal between the valve and the second cylinder as the piston is pushed to the bottom portion of the second cylinder.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first valve is actuated by a camshaft.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

actuating, by the camshaft, the first valve into a closed position to create the seal between the first valve and the second cylinder.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

opening a second valve coupled with the second cylinder for the releasing of exhaust gases from the second cylinder as the piston is pushed to the top portion of the second cylinder.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

closing the second valve after the piston is pulled to the top portion of the second cylinder.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second valve is actuated by a camshaft.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

actuating, by the camshaft, the second valve into a closed position to create the seal between the second valve and the second cylinder.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the exhaust gases are released from the second cylinder to an exhaust system coupled with the engine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the exhaust gases are released from the second cylinder to the chamber.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

turning a crankshaft coupled to the piston in the second cylinder through the pushing of the piston to a bottom portion of the second cylinder and the pulling of the piston to a top portion of the second cylinder.

13. A system for generating power, comprising:

at least a first cylinder of an engine that operates in a four-stroke manner and generates exhaust gases;

a chamber that receives and stores the exhaust gases generated by the at least first cylinder; and

at least a second cylinder of the engine that receives the exhaust gases from the chamber and that has at least a first valve, at least a second valve and a piston,

wherein the exhaust gases received from the chamber into the at least second cylinder push the piston down in the at least second cylinder and a vacuum generated as the exhaust gases cool in the at least second cylinder pulls the piston up in the at least second cylinder to generate rotational force on a crankshaft coupled to the at least second cylinder.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least a first valve is actuated by a camshaft.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least first valve is opened to allow for the at least second cylinder to receive exhaust gases from the chamber and closed to create a seal between the at least first valve and the at least second cylinder.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least second valve is actuated by a camshaft.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least second valve is opened to allow for the at least second cylinder to release exhaust gases from the chamber and closed to create a seal between the at least second valve and the at least second cylinder.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

at least a third cylinder of an engine that operates in a four-stroke manner and generates exhaust gases; and

at least a fourth cylinder of an engine that receives the exhaust gases from the chamber and that has at least a third valve, at least a fourth valve and a piston,

wherein the exhaust gases received from the chamber into the at least fourth cylinder push the piston down in the at least fourth cylinder and a vacuum generated as the exhaust gases cool in the at least fourth cylinder pulls the piston up in the at least fourth cylinder to generate rotational force on a crankshaft coupled to the at least fourth cylinder.

19. A method of reducing and reusing thermal emissions, comprising:

means for generating heated exhaust gases;

means for storing the heated exhaust gases;

means for transporting the heated exhaust gases to a cylinder in an internal combustion engine; and

means for rotating a crankshaft attached to a piston in the cylinder with the heated exhaust gases.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

means for metering the input and output of exhaust gases into the cylinder.