Thermal Engine with Metastable Power Extraction Step (TEMPES)

In this paper we present the design and development process of a high efficiency Thermal Engine with Metastable Power Extraction Step (TEMPES) for high efficiency, low temperature heat recovery. TEMPES is a closed cylinder 2-cycle engine which is designed to illustrate energy recovery from low grade industrial wasted heat. The basic operating principle of the TEMPES engine is a closed cylinder piston assembly that converts heat energy in a working fluid to mechanical energy using innovative chemical processes to extract greater than 50% more energy from a thermal energy source relative to traditional heat engines restricted to bulk thermodynamic equilibrium processes.