AU2016200269A1 - Energy convertor [ec] - Google Patents

Abstract

Energy as such seems to be plentiful on this planet earth; unfortunately it is not readily useful and has to be changed into power to be able to be used for many purposes such as propel vehicles of all kinds, planes and ships etc. A lot of energy is in the form of chemical energy and this energy is stored in various substances such as wood, crude oil, brown and black coal, various natural gases. Human ingenuity has produced many devices to produce power from any of the above substances as mentioned above. One of the most used device to accomplish this task of obtaining power from any of these substances as above is internal combustion engine. There are three basic devices that are used widely to provide power for vehicles; INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, DIESEL ENGINE and TURBINE. All of these devices suffer from basic out of date practices in engineering and are out of date as far as present day technology and availability of new material and new philosophy is concerned. There is a need for new design to improve efficiency of these devices. To achieve these improvements there is a need for new interpretation as to how to convert chemical energy stored in any liquid fuel to useful power for application in particular in vehicles of all types. This can be done by use of new device that is patented in Australia, and is called: ENERGY CONVERTOR. This device is fully described in Standard Patent lodged with Patent Office, Canberra, Australia. 110 Australia No. 1 I lAid'K I % Page 5 of 6 ' P Australls No, I IJAN 2016 RECEIVED FEP

Description

ENERGY CONVERTER [EC] '> 001. The patentable design of the Energy Converter [EC] aim to replace Internal Combustion Engines [ICE] in particular in any type of on-road and off-road vehicles. 002. The EC is described in the following paragraphs and the text is supported by the attached drawings, Fig a and Fig b. 003. Fig a is a typical semi-diagrammatic cross section through centre line of the EC. 004. Fig b is partial diagrammatic presentation how the EC operates. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSEMBLY OF THE EC. 005. The EC is depicted in minimal adequate drawings and all parts that are obviously required for its function are not shown such as cylinder liners, detailed controls of the EC etc. The EC may be air cooled externally and this feature [air fins etc] is not shown in the attached Fig a. 006. The invention aims to provide a very simple design using minimal number of parts in the assembly of this device. Basically the EC is designed to function in a similar manner to the present two stroke ICE with the benefit of four stroke ICE efficiency. Simplicity of the design provides a two cylinder EC that may replace present eight cylinder ICE to deliver same units of power. 007. The EC requires one casting 1 and this casting is provided with pumping cylinder 2 and working cylinder 3. Cylinder 2 is provided with pumping piston 4. This piston 4 is reciprocated by three compression springs 5 in one direction or down, and the use of hydraulic oil pressure acting on piton 4 extension rod 4a in other direction or up. 008. Pumping cylinder 2 is supplied with filtered atmospheric air 7 and this air is controlled by self actuating valve 8. Self actuating valve 8 is provided with valve seat/bush 9 and spring 10. Valve assembly is provided with cover 11. 009. Pumping cylinder 2 is provided with self actuating discharge/exhaust valve 12 and this valve is provided with seat/bush 13, actuating spring 14 and a cover 15. 010. Pumping cylinder is provided with closure 16 and this closure is bolted to cylinder/EC body 1 at 17. 011. Pumping cylinder 2 is provided with internal air cooling volume 18 and one way air valve 19 and 20. 012. Working cylinder 3 is provided with working piston 21 and this piston extends via connecting rod to hydraulic pump piston 22. For operating requirements this piston is provided with extension rod 23 and this rod extends into volume 24. Closure 25 for work cylinder 3 incorporates high pressure hydraulic oil pump with annular shape volume 26 and this closure/body of hydraulic pump is bolted to EC body 1 at 27. ] 013. The high pressure pump volume 26 is provided with one way inlet/suction valve 28 and one way outlet/discharge valve 29. 014. To control up and down movement of pistons 21 and 22 computer controlled hydraulic oil pressure connection 30 is provided. 015. The working cylinder 3 is provided with filtered air connection 31 for internal cooling and increase of efficiency of the EC. 016. The working cylinder 3 is provided with combustion chamber 32 and this chamber is connected to pumping cylinder via air passage 33. 017. The combustion chamber 32 is provided with single special fuel injector 34. 018. The EC requires only one exhaust valve 35. This valve is provided with valve seat/bush 36, spring 37 and a closure 38. 019. The exhaust valve 35 is electromagnetically operated by computer. 020. The EC is provided with suitable exhaust arrangement exhaust gas exiting at 40 into exhaust system designed for this EC. 021. Lubrication required for valves 8,12 and 35 is provided for but not shown in the attached drawings. 022. Special design feature is incorporated into EC to reduce any excessive noise from the EC when in operation. This feature is not shown in the attached drawings. 023. The EC incorporates special device to prevent air interference, foaming etc in operation of the EC and associated equipment. USE, FUNCTION AND OPERATION OF THE EC. 024. Theoretically, the EC may be used anywhere and in most applications to provide mechanical energy by use of hydraulic transmission of power. However, for its ultimate efficient performance in motor transport and car transport in particular new type of hydraulic motor will be beneficial. At a disadvantage any present hydraulic motor could be used with the EC. 025. Fig b shows a typical use of EC in a simple two wheel drive vehicle. For best use and performance vehicle is provided with automatic functions where they can be provided and these functions are under computer 41 control. The EC 42 or a hydraulic pump incorporated into EC pumps hydraulic oil from sump 43 via oil filter 44 into accumulator 45. To improve efficiency sub accumulator 46 is provided to operate working piston 21 when this piston is in exhaust stroke. The design incorporates closed circuit operation where hydraulic oil at reduced pressure from accumulator 45 flows to sub-accumulator 46 via pressure reducing valve 47. Design provides for oil pressure in sub-accumulator 46 to be at or near maximum constant design pressure to operate exhaust stroke of work piston 21. 026. Electro magnetic valve 48 is provided with ON-OFF position and this is computer controlled to allow flow of oil to volume 24 via connection 30 and thereby activate exhaust stroke. 027. The aim of this invention is to provide Potential Hydraulic Energy of sufficient volume stored in an accumulator to drive any vehicle from start that this EC is designed for, for at least certain design distance before the EC is reactivated into pump mode. Computer controls are designed so that there are two settings, one being CITY DRIVE MODE and the other being OPEN ROAD MODE. 028. For the purpose of the description of this EC it is assumed that EC is in the vertical plane as shown in Fig a; however, design of the EC allows this EC to be installed in vertical and or horizontal aspect. 029. The following is the descriptiori'of sequence of events that take place when the EC is in use from start: [a] Accumulator 45 is full of hydraulic oil at a maximum design pressure for a particular vehicle that it is used in. Sub-accumulator 46 is also full of hydraulic oil at a design pressure.

[b] Pumping piston 4 is in its lowest position because of the action of compression springs 5. In this condition cylinder 2 is full of filtered atmospheric air. The air fills this cylinder from 7 via one way valve 8 on the downstroke of piston 4.

[c] During this static condition of piston 4 working piston 21 is in its uppermost position in the cylinder 3 due to pressure of oil from sub-accumulator 46 via connection 30 and computer operated and spring loaded exhaust valve 35 is closed.

[d] During upward movement of pistons 21/22 suction sucks in hydraulic oil from sump 43 via oil filter 44 and one way computer controlled valve at 28 and thus fills volume 26 with hydraulic oil.

[e] ON-OFF valve 48 at this instance is in open or ON position and this allows hydraulic oil from accumulator 46 via pipes and connection 30 to force work piston 21 to its uppermost position and be kept there until valve 48 changes to OFF position. Hydraulic oil trapped in volume 24 and pipe leading to closed valve 48 prevents any movement of work piston up or down.

[fj During upward movement of piston 21 cylinder 3 fills with filtered atmospheric air via one way valve 31.

[g] At the end of sequence of events as described in [a] to [fj above every moving part of EC is at stand still, nothing moves.

[fa] Computer 41 activates appropriate valve [not shown in these drawings] and allows hydraulic oil from accumulator 45 to flow through 6 and force pumping piston 4 upwards.. This compressive movement forces air in cylinder 2 to open valve 12 and thus force this air into combustion chamber 32 via passageway 33 and at the end of this stroke spring operated valve 12 closes; and springs 5 force piston 4 downwards and this action fills cylinder 2 with filtered air via one way valve at 7. i [i] For an instance there is no movement in the EC; piston 4 is in its lowest position, one way valves 8 and 12 are closed, exhaust valve 35 is closed, high pressure hydraulic pump one way discharge valve at 29 is closed and filtered air supply one way valve at 31 is closed.

[j] When all events as described above [h] and [i] are at desired condition computer controlled special fuel injector 34 injects fuel and computer controlled dwell time is used before power stroke starts and for this stroke to proceed, valve 48 opens and allows hydraulic oil to flow from volume 24 via 30 back to sub-accumulator 46.

[k] During power stroke volume of air in cylinder 3 is forced through special one way valve 19 into volume 18 of pumping cylinder and there after this air is forced into volume of cylinder 2 via special one way valve 20.

[l] During power stroke piston 22 forces hydraulic oil in volume 26 into accumulator 45 via one way valve at 29.

[m] At the end of the power stroke computer controlled electromagnetic exhaust valve 35 is opened and hydraulic oil pressure from sub-accumulator 46 through entry 30 forces work piston 21 upwards and thus discharges exhaust gas from working cylinder into vehicle exhaust system at 40. This action provides suction on one way valve 31 and work cylinder 3 is again filled with fresh filtered air. 028. Events as described from [a] to [m] complete one power stroke but complete design provides for power strokes to increase from one stroke per second to whatever the demand for power is in any particular vehicle. Frequency of operation of the EC depends on the volume of the accumulator 45 and this ON-OFF operation of the EC is computer controlled. 029. Efficiency of the EC is provided by computer controlled variable volume of fuel injected into working cylinder by injector 34. Volume of fuel required per injection is determined by pressure within the accumulator 45 and demand for hydraulic oil for the use of hydraulic motor.

Claims (1)

1. I CLAIMS. , A simple mechanical device refereed to herein and after as Energy Converter [EC] that is able to replace and or improve efficiency of present prime movers that are in use in any on road or off road vehicles. The EC will be able to convert chemical energy stored in any liquid fuel to hydraulic power in very efficient method. The EC is a mechanical device that utilises principle of two stroke internal combustion engine with the efficiency of four stroke engine. The EC is simple mechanical device that uses only two cylinders, one being pumping cylinder and another working cylinder to produce power. The EC is simple mechanical device having no rotating parts in its assembly and is able . to replace any type of present internal combustion engine in particular in motor vehicles and be able to provide motive power for the vehicle it is installed in. The EC is designed to operate at very high compression ratio and compression ignition. The EC will be able to operate using any liquid fuel with any flash point does not matter how volatile fuel may be. The EC will be able to use any liquid fuel because of its design of special fuel injector that is computer controlled and will be able to inject appropriate amount of fuel into combustion chamber 32 to satisfy power required to pump the hydraulic oil from volume 26 into accumulator 45