Abstract: An air-conditioning cabinet can have an outer chamber, an inner chamber with an inner chamber height, a cover, a bottom where the cover and bottom are separated by a distance that defines the inner chamber height, an inner chamber having a foot movably coupled to the inner chamber, where the inner chamber is arranged in the outer chamber, where the inner chamber height is less than the inner chamber height and where the foot is movably coupled to the inner chamber in such a manner that the inner chamber height is variable. Also, moving a position of the foot on the inner chamber can arrange the inner chamber such that the inner chamber is supported on the cover of the outer chamber and the foot is supported on the bottom of the outer chamber, and the foot can be fixed in the position.

Abstract: Some heat pumps have displacers mechatronically-controlled via springs and coils acting upon a ferromagnetic plate. In some prior art heat pumps, the components are housed in hot parts of the heat pump and in others, the components are housed in a cold part of the heat pump, but the components are offset from a central axis of the heat pump. A heat pump with the mechatronic driver components collinear with a central axis of the heat pump has the components in a cold part of the heat pump.

Abstract: An improved free piston Stirling machine having a gamma configuration. The displacer and each piston is reciprocatable within a cylinder having an unobstructed opening at its inner end into a common volume of the workspace. The common volume is defined by the intersection of inward projections of the displacer cylinder and the piston cylinders. The displacer and the pistons each have a range of reciprocation that extends into the common volume. A displacer drive rod is reciprocatable in a drive rod cylinder and both are positioned outside the common volume and on the opposite side of the common volume from the displacer. The displacer is connected to the displacer drive rod by a displacer connecting rod. Importantly, the displacer and pistons have complementary interfacing surface contours formed on their inner ends which substantially reduces the dead volume of this gamma configured machine.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for generating power. A thermodynamic air engine is configured to convert heat provided in the form of a temperature differential to mechanical energy. The thermodynamic air engine has a working fluid and a displacer adapted to move through the working fluid. The temperature differential is established across the thermodynamic air engine between a first side of the engine and a second side of the engine. The displacer is directly actuated to move the displacer cyclically through the working fluid in accordance with a defined motion pattern.

Abstract: A Stirling engine, wherein the inner yoke of a linear motor is installed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylinder. To keep a proper pressure balance between a compression space on one end side of a displacer and a back pressure space on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder, a first flow passage is formed in the piston starting at the compression space side end face toward the outer peripheral surface and a second flow passage allowing the first flow passage to communicate with the back pressure space is formed in the cylinder. The second flow passage is composed of a through hole that penetrates the wall of the cylinder in a radial direction and a communication passage formed between the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder and the inner peripheral surface of the inner yoke to allow the through hole to communicate with the back pressure space.

Abstract: A tempering device for printing presses, includes a compression refrigerating plant with a condenser and an evaporator, in which a coolant circulates in a compression refrigerating path, and a free cooling path, in which a coolant circulates. A process water path circulates a coolant for either printing rollers or a fountain solution for offset printing. A heat exchanger arrangement cools the process water path with the help of the compression refrigerating plant and/or the free cooling path. The heat exchanger arrangement includes a three-media heat exchanger, in which heat is exchanged between the process water path and the compression refrigerating plant as well as the free cooling path.

Abstract: An active balance system is provided for counterbalancing vibrations of an axially reciprocating machine. The balance system includes a support member, a flexure assembly, a counterbalance mass, and a linear motor or an actuator. The support member is configured for attachment to the machine. The flexure assembly includes at least one flat spring having connections along a central portion and an outer peripheral portion. One of the central portion and the outer peripheral portion is fixedly mounted to the support member. The counterbalance mass is fixedly carried by the flexure assembly along another of the central portion and the outer peripheral portion. The linear motor has one of a stator and a mover fixedly mounted to the support member and another of the stator and the mover fixedly mounted to the counterbalance mass. The linear motor is operative to axially reciprocate the counterbalance mass.

Abstract: There is disclosed a Stirling cycle refrigerator in which oil rising is prevented, and an adverse influence onto oil sealing bellows by a pressure rise accompanying the temperature rise of the crank chamber is prevented. The oil sealing bellows are disposed between a space in a housing and compression and expansion cylinders, and a buffer tank provided with the pressure adjusting bellows is disposed between a space on the back surface side of the compression and expansion pistons and the space in the housing, so that the pressure rise in the housing and the pressure fluctuation of the space are absorbed.

Abstract: An expander for a concentric pulse tube cooler. The inventive expander includes a central pulse tube; a concentric insulation tube disposed around the central pulse tube, the insulation tube having a concentric chamber therein and the chamber being filled with an insulator and the insulator being atmospheric; and a regenerator disposed around the concentric insulation tube. In a particular implementation, the insulator tube includes a vent which allows the insulation chamber to communicate with the surrounding atmosphere. When used in space, the chamber is filled with a void and the insulator becomes a vacuum and provides effective insulation at cryogenic temperatures.

Abstract: A split Stirling cycle type of cryogenic cooler (10) includes a compressor portion (12) and an expander portion (14). The expander portion (14) is of the "cold finger" type, and is configured to operate in near-resonance with the characteristic cyclic operating rate of the compressor portion (12). As a result, an improved performance of the cooler results both during cool down from ambient temperatures and after cool down. Additionally, a quiet operation of the cooler is provided both during and after cool down to cryogenic temperatures.

Abstract: Heat exchanger, particularly for use as a rack evaporator in refrigerators or freezers, and process for manufacturing it. The heat exchanger is composed of a plurality of stacked shelves and comprises, for each shelf, at least one coil constituted by a tubular body extending along a path in which bends alternate with straight and substantially mutually co-planar portions, and a supporting and/or heat-exchange enhancing structure. In the heat exchanger according to the invention, the coils of two contiguous shelves are mutually connected by a tubular portion arranged transversely with respect to the direction along which the various shelves are stacked, starting from one corner of the overlying shelf down to one of the corners contiguous to the corresponding corner of the underlying shelf. The supporting and/or heat-exchange enhancing structure is disconnected from the branches of the coils joined to the tubular portion that mutually connects two coils in two different shelves.

Abstract: Heat exchanger, particularly for use as a rack evaporator in refrigerators or freezers, including a plurality of stacked shelves and comprising for each shelf: a coil, constituted by a tubular body extending along a path with bends alternated with straight and substantially mutually co-planar portions and by a supporting and/or heat-exchange enhancement structure constituted by metal rods welded to the coil and forming, above the coil, a supporting surface which is substantially parallel to the plane of arrangement of the coil. The coil has, for each shelf, at least one portion that is disconnected from the supporting and/or heat-exchange enhancement structure, and this portion lies substantially parallel to the longer straight portions of the coil and proximate to one side of the shelf. This portion disconnected from the supporting and/or heat-exchange enhancement structure is connected to a tubular portion that mutually connects the coils of two shelves which are not mutually co-planar.

Abstract: An apparatus for heating food articles including a chamber containing a plurality of vertically, spaced-apart supports, each having a hollow interior which is interconnected by a single conduit. A thermostatically controlled steam generator is connected to the single conduit serving to both transmit steam to the supports and return condensate water back to the steam generator to thereby heat the food articles.