Hot gas engine control - has displacer drive mechanism which affords changeable control of stroke length between zero and max. and phase reversal

摘要

The Stirling cycle engine has a displacer member and associated working piston member, normally moving in respective cylinder spaces with a selected phase relation and having controllable torque output in magnitude and direction, or a number of associated displacer piston pairs. The displacer drive affords changeable control of displacer stroke length between a zero or minimum stroke length and a maximum and phase reversal, with or corresponding to a torque requirement of direction and magnitude between a minimum and maximum, thereby to minimise windage type energy losses due to displacer motion at times of low power or low torque demand, and also with displacer stroke length control, controlling torque and output direction.