US 12,228,094 B2
System and apparatus for energy conversion
Joshua Tyler Mook, Loveland, OH (US); Michael Thomas Gansler, Mason, OH (US); Scott Douglas Waun, Loveland, OH (US); Kevin Michael VandeVoorde, Cincinnati, OH (US); Aigbedion Akwara, Cincinnati, OH (US); Michael Robert Notarnicola, Cincinnati, OH (US); Jason Joseph Bellardi, Fairfield, OH (US); Mohammed El Hacin Sennoun, West Chester, OH (US); and Mohamed Osama, Garching (DE)
Assigned to HYLIION HOLDINGS CORP, Cedar Park, TX (US)
Filed by HYLIION HOLDINGS CORP, Cedar Park, TX (US)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/920,821.
Application 16/920,821 is a continuation of application No. 16/418,129, filed on May 21, 2019, granted, now 10,724,470.
Prior Publication US 2022/0213847 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. F02G 1/055 (2006.01); F02G 1/043 (2006.01); F02G 1/044 (2006.01); F02G 1/057 (2006.01)
CPC F02G 1/055 (2013.01) [F02G 1/0435 (2013.01); F02G 1/044 (2013.01); F02G 1/057 (2013.01); F02G 2244/52 (2013.01); F02G 2255/00 (2013.01); F02G 2256/04 (2013.01); F02G 2256/50 (2013.01); F02G 2270/40 (2013.01); F02G 2280/10 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An energy conversion system, comprising:
a closed cycle engine comprising a regenerator having a regenerator body, a piston assembly comprising a first piston, a first piston body defining a first piston chamber, a second piston, and a second piston body defining a second piston chamber, the first piston disposed within the first piston chamber, the second piston disposed within the second piston chamber;
wherein the closed cycle engine is oriented along a lateral axis, wherein the first piston body defines a first distal portion of the closed cycle engine and the second piston body defines a second distal portion of the closed cycle engine, the first distal portion and the second distal portion disposed at opposite regions of the lateral axis; and
wherein the closed cycle engine comprises at least one of:
a first plurality of working-fluid pathways providing fluid communication between the first piston chamber at the first piston body and the second piston chamber at the second piston body; or
a second plurality of working-fluid pathways providing fluid communication between the second piston chamber at the second piston body and the first piston chamber at the first piston body; and
wherein the first plurality of working-fluid pathways and/or the second plurality of working-fluid pathways include: i) a plurality of hot-side working fluid pathways providing fluid communication between a plurality of first piston chamber apertures of the first piston chamber containing the first piston and a plurality of regenerator apertures of the regenerator body of the regenerator; and ii) a plurality of cold-side working fluid pathways providing fluid communication between a second plurality of regenerator apertures of the regenerator body and a plurality of second piston chamber apertures of the second piston chamber containing the second piston,
wherein the regenerator body defines a hot-side portion comprising a hot-side regenerator conduit and a hot-side plurality of fin arrays adjacently disposed within the hot-side regenerator conduit and a cold-side portion comprising a cold-side regenerator conduit and a cold-side plurality of fin arrays adjacently disposed within the cold-side regenerator conduit, the hot-side regenerator conduit and the hot-side plurality of fin arrays being longitudinally separated from the cold-side regenerator conduit and the cold-side plurality of fin arrays by a hot-to-cold gap to provide at least two thermally distinct thermal storage bodies within the regenerator body, the hot-to-cold gap being larger than gaps between individual fin arrays in each of the hot-side plurality of fin arrays and the cold-side plurality of fin arrays.