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US 2006/0075989 A1Published application
High efficiency hot gas vane actuator
AssigneeVanderbilt University
InventorsEric Barth, Michael Goldfarb, Kevin Fite, Bo Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Motors and associated methods. Representative motors include high-conversion efficiency, unidirectional or bidirectional small-scale hot gas vane motors. An injection chamber receives hot injection gases. A non-circular stator is coupled to the injection chamber, and the non-circular stator is designed for maximum expansion of the hot injection gas. A rotor is coupled to the non-circular stator and accelerates when the hot injection gas expands, resulting in a conversion of hot injection gas to rotary mechanical power.
Claims17
A motor comprising:
- an injection chamber for receiving injection gas;
- an asymmetric, non-circular stator coupled to the injection chamber, the stator shaped to achieve a substantially complete expansion of the injection gas;
- and
- a rotor coupled to the stator, the rotor configured to accelerate upon the expansion of the injection gas to generate rotary mechanical power.
1 more element
A motor comprising:
- an injection chamber for receiving injection gas;
- an asymmetric, non-circular stator coupled to the injection chamber, the stator shaped to achieve a substantially complete expansion of the injection gas;
- an end cap coupled to the stator, the end cap including a plurality of exhaust ports;
- and
- a spool valve coupled to the plurality of exhaust ports, the spool valve routing exhaust to the plurality of exhaust ports.
2 more elements
A method, comprising:
- injecting gas into an injection chamber through an injection port;
- rotating a vane of a rotor in a forward direction relative to an asymmetric, non-circular stator with the injected gas;
- and
- removing exhaust gas using exhaust ports that are positioned relative to the injection port so that substantially no compression of gas occurs during a return portion of the rotation.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.