Patent Application
20080116691
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an energy generating system, more particularly to an energy generating system with superior energy utilization efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
However, the energy utilization efficiency of the conventional internal combustion engine 1 is limited because the exhaust gas still carries a considerable amount of energy that can be utilized.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an energy generating system that can provide superior energy utilization efficiency.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an energy generating system that can overcome the aforesaid drawback of the prior art.
According to this invention, an energy generating system comprises: an internal combustion engine including a combustion chamber, and an exhaust pipe in fluid communication with the combustion chamber; a heat exchanging unit including a steam boiler defining an inner space for receiving water therein, a tortuous heating pipe disposed in the inner space in the steam boiler and connected to the exhaust pipe so as to receive a high temperature exhaust gas from the combustion chamber and so as to generate steam in the inner space in the steam boiler, and a steam turbine connected to the steam boiler so as to receive steam from the inner space in the steam boiler; and an energy output unit including a power generator connected to the steam turbine for generating electrical power.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying preferred embodiments, it should be noted herein that like elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
Referring to
The internal combustion engine 20 includes an output shaft 213, a combustion chamber 212 for combusting a fuel/air mixture to generate a mechanical power to drive the output shaft 213 and an exhaust gas having a temperature ranging from 800 to 1000° C., and an exhaust pipe 214 in fluid communication with the combustion chamber 212. Gasoline, diesel, or gas can be used as a fuel for the internal combustion engine 20. The heat exchanging unit 30 includes: a steam boiler 31 defining an inner space 311 for receiving water therein; a tortuous heating pipe 32 disposed in the water in the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 and connected to the exhaust pipe 214 so as to receive the high temperature exhaust gas from the combustion chamber 212 and so as to generate steam by vaporizing the water in the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 using the high temperature exhaust gas; and a steam turbine 34 connected to the steam boiler 31 so as to receive steam from the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31. The energy output unit 40 includes a power generator 41 connected to the steam turbine 34 for generating electrical power.
In this invention, the heat exchanging unit 30 further includes a steam pipe 331 interconnecting the steam boiler 31 and the steam turbine 34 and transporting the steam to the steam turbine 34 from the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31. The steam turbine 34 includes a turbine housing 341, a turbine blade unit 342 disposed in the turbine housing 341, and a spindle 343 co-movably connected to the turbine blade unit 342 and connected to the power generator 41 of the energy output unit 40. The turbine blade unit 342 is driven to rotate by the steam from the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 so as to drive the spindle 343 to co-rotate therewith, which, in turn, provides mechanical power to the power generator 41 of the energy output unit 40 for generating electrical power.
In addition, the heat exchanging unit 30 includes a condensing unit 35 interconnecting the steam turbine 34 and the steam boiler 31. The condensing unit 35 includes a tortuous condensing pipe 351 connected to the steam turbine 34, a condensate-storage container 352 connected to the tortuous condensing pipe 351, and a pump 353 connected to the condensate-storage container 352 and the steam boiler 31 for transporting condensate (i.e., water) from the condensate-storage container 352 to the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31.
It should be noted herein that the volume of water in the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 is smaller than the volume of the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 such that an upper chamber 313 is formed in the top part of the inner space 311 in the steam boiler 31 for receiving the steam vaporized from the water in the steam boiler 31. The steam boiler 31 further includes a safety valve 312 connected to the upper chamber 313 in the steam boiler 31 for releasing steam when the steam pressure in the upper chamber 313 exceeds a predetermined value.
Preferably, the heat exchanging unit 30 includes a discharging pipe 322 connected to the tortuous heating pipe 32 for releasing the exhaust gas, which has been cooled by the water in the steam boiler 31, into the atmosphere.
In this embodiment, the energy output unit 40 further includes a storage battery 42 connected to the power generator 41, and a motor 43 connected to the storage battery 42 such that the motor 43 can be driven by the electrical power generated by the power generator 41.
According to the present invention, since the heat exchanging unit 30 is directly connected to the exhaust pipe 214 so as to convert heat of the exhaust gas into useful power, the energy utilization efficiency of the energy generating system 10 is enhanced as compared to the conventional internal combustion engine 1.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation and equivalent arrangements.
