Revolving outer body rotary vane compressor or expander

A rotary compressor, comprising:

• a cylindrical rotatable housing with a cylindrical inner chamber that is defined by an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing;
• a cylindrical rotor that is placed within the cylindrical inner chamber and mounted eccentrically with respect to a center axis of the cylindrical rotatable housing, wherein the cylindrical rotor includes an outer cylindrical surface;
• a crescent shaped working volume that is formed between the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing and the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor;
• a vane assembly, comprising one of the following:
• (i) a rocking arm connected to a circularly-arced portion, wherein the rocking arm is pivotally mounted via a first hinge to the cylindrical rotor and wherein the circularly-arced portion is pivotally mounted via a second hinge to the cylindrical rotatable housing, wherein the circularly-arced portion is configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotor to periodically divide the crescent shaped working volume into a first working chamber and a second working chamber, wherein the cylindrical rotor is mounted within the cylindrical rotatable housing such that the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor is always sealingly engaged with the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing at a common tangency point, or
• (ii) a rocking arm connected to a circularly-arced portion, wherein the rocking arm is pivotally mounted via a first hinge to the cylindrical rotatable housing and wherein the circularly-arced portion is pivotally mounted via a second hinge to the cylindrical rotor, wherein the circularly-arced portion is configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotatable housing to periodically divide the crescent shaped working volume into a first working chamber and a second working chamber, wherein the cylindrical rotor is mounted within the cylindrical rotatable housing such that the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor is always sealingly engaged with the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing at a common tangency point;
• an inlet port formed in the cylindrical rotatable housing for admitting a working fluid at an ambient pressure into the first working chamber;
• wherein the inlet port is positioned to prevent the working fluid from bypassing either the first working chamber or the second working chamber;
• and
• an outlet port equipped with a valve to regulate an exhaust time during which the working fluid is exhausted from the crescent shaped working volume to prevent the working fluid from bypassing either the first working chamber or the second working chamber, to prevent the working fluid from shortcutting the inlet and outlet ports, and to prevent the working fluid from entering back into the crescent shaped working volume from the outlet port.

A nested multistage rotary comprising:

• an outer rotary expander and an inner rotary expander radially nested within the outer rotary expander such that an output of the inner rotary expander is an input of the outer rotary expander;
• wherein the outer rotary expander comprises:
• a cylindrical rotatable housing with a cylindrical inner chamber that is defined by an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing;
• a cylindrical middle ring that is placed within the cylindrical inner chamber and mounted eccentrically with respect to a center axis of the cylindrical rotatable housing, wherein the cylindrical middle ring includes an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface;
• an outer crescent shaped working volume that is formed between the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing and the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring;
• and
• an outer vane assembly comprising a first circularly-arced portion that is pivotally mounted via respective hinges to each of the cylindrical rotatable housing and the cylindrical middle ring and configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotatable housing to periodically divide the outer crescent shaped working volume into a first working chamber and a second working chamber, wherein the cylindrical middle ring is mounted within the cylindrical rotatable housing such that the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing is always sealingly engaged with the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring at a first common tangency point without any sliding frictional contact;
• an outer inlet port for the outer crescent shaped working volume that is located on the cylindrical middle ring, wherein the outer inlet port is configured to admit working fluid received from the inner rotary expander to the outer crescent shaped working volume;
• wherein the inner rotary expander comprises:
• a cylindrical rotor that is placed within the cylindrical middle ring and mounted eccentrically with respect to a center axis of the cylindrical middle ring, wherein the cylindrical rotor includes an outer cylindrical surface;
• an inner crescent shaped working volume that is formed between the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring and the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor;
• an inner vane assembly, comprising a second circularly-arced portion that is pivotally mounted via respective hinges to each of the cylindrical rotor and the cylindrical middle ring and configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotor to periodically divide the inner crescent shaped working volume into a third working chamber and a fourth working chamber, wherein the cylindrical rotor is mounted within the cylindrical middle ring such that the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor is always sealingly engaged with the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring at a second common tangency point without any sliding frictional contact;
• and
• an inner inlet port connecting the inner crescent shaped working volume to an inlet tube running through a center axis of the cylindrical rotor, wherein the inner inlet port is configured to admit a working fluid into the inner crescent shaped working volume;
• wherein the inner crescent shaped working volume is in fluid communication with the outer inlet port of the outer rotary expander to provide working fluid from the inner crescent shaped working volume to the outer inlet port;
• and
• wherein the nested multistage rotary expander further comprises:
• an outlet port for working fluid to exit the nested multistage rotary expander;
• wherein both the outer inlet port and the inner inlet port are configured to admit working fluid into the respective periodically defined first, second, third, and fourth working chambers, and wherein the working fluid is expanded and expulsed from the outlet port in alternating full rotations of the cylindrical rotatable housing, the cylindrical middle ring, and the outer vane assembly in response to expansion of the working fluid in the first and second working chambers.

A nested multistage rotary compressor comprising:

• an outer rotary compressor and an inner rotary compressor radially nested within the outer rotary compressor such that an output of the outer rotary compressor is an input of the inner rotary compressor;
• wherein the outer rotary compressor comprises:
• a cylindrical rotatable housing with a cylindrical inner chamber that is defined by an inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing;
• a cylindrical middle ring that is placed within the cylindrical inner chamber and mounted eccentrically with respect to a center axis of the cylindrical rotatable housing, wherein the cylindrical middle ring includes an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface;
• an outer crescent shaped working volume that is formed between the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing and the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring;
• an outer vane assembly comprising a first circularly-arced portion that is pivotally mounted via respective hinges to each of the cylindrical rotatable housing and the cylindrical middle ring and configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotatable housing to periodically divide the outer crescent shaped working volume into a first working chamber and a second working chamber, wherein the cylindrical middle ring is mounted within the cylindrical rotatable housing such that the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotatable housing is always sealingly engaged with the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring at a first common tangency point without any sliding frictional contact;
• an inlet port configured to admit a working fluid to the outer crescent shaped working volume;
• and
• an outlet port configured to provide compressed working fluid to the inner rotary compressor;
• wherein the inner rotary compressor comprises:
• a cylindrical rotor that is placed within the cylindrical middle ring and mounted eccentrically with respect to a center axis of the cylindrical middle ring, wherein the cylindrical rotor includes an outer cylindrical surface;
• an inner crescent shaped working volume that is formed the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring and the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor;
• an inner vane assembly, comprising a second circularly arced portion that is pivotally mounted via respective hinges to each of the cylindrical rotor and the cylindrical middle ring and configured to extend sealingly from a slot in the cylindrical rotor to periodically divide the inner crescent shaped working volume into a third working chamber and a fourth working chamber, wherein the cylindrical rotor is mounted within the cylindrical middle ring such that the outer cylindrical surface of the cylindrical rotor is always sealingly engaged with the inner cylindrical surface of the cylindrical middle ring at a second common tangency point without any sliding frictional contact;
• wherein the nested multistage rotary compressor further comprises:
• an exhaust port connecting the inner crescent shaped working volume to an outlet tube running through the center axis of the cylindrical rotor, wherein the exhaust port is configured to discharge working fluid from the inner rotary compressor with each rotation of the cylindrical middle ring, the cylindrical rotor, and the inner crescent shaped working volume in response to an input driving torque to the inner rotary compressor and a circumferential speed of the cylindrical rotatable housing;
• wherein an initial working cycle is defined over a 360° counter-clockwise rotation of the cylindrical rotatable housing and a subsequent working cycle is defined over a 360° counter-clockwise rotation of the cylindrical middle ring and the cylindrical rotor, wherein the initial working cycle begins when the first circularly-arced portion crosses the first common tangency point, wherein, during the initial working cycle, the nested multistage rotary compressor is configured to admit working fluid at ambient pressure from the inlet port during the entire initial working cycle, wherein, during the subsequent working cycle, the nested multistage rotary compressor is configured to compress the working fluid to a higher pressure in the second working chamber by continuously diminishing the volume of the second working chamber and to discharge the compressed working fluid through the outlet port from the outer rotary compressor to the inner rotary compressor;
• and wherein, during the subsequent working cycle, the nested multistage rotary compressor is configured to further compress the working fluid in the third and fourth working chambers and to discharge the further compressed working fluid through the exhaust port.