US 2006/0124102 A1Published application

Rotary engine system

OwnerDouglas Bastianinventor

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Abstract

This rotary internal combustion engine has two rotatable vane type pistons (A1, A2) mounted for axial rotation in a sealed casing (1). Engageable locking mechanisms (5, 6) can lock the two pistons (A1, A2) in position proximate to each other so as to form a combustion space (7) between the two pistons (A1, A2). In an exemplary cycle, one piston (A2) is released to rotate at or prior to initiating combustion in the combustion space (7), while the other (A1) remains fixed. As the free piston (A2) rotates around to the position where the fixed piston (A1) is located, it drives exhaust from a prior cycle out of an exhaust outlet (8) and then compresses air towards the combustion space (7). The roles of the pistons (A1, A2) are reversed on the next cycle with the piston (A1) that was fixed before becoming the moving piston (A1) and the piston (A2) that was moving before becoming the fixed piston (A2). Two units may be operated in tandem so that the power stroke of one unit provides power to help finalize the cycle of the other unit and rotate the moving piston all the way to the fixed piston position. Hydrogen is used as a preferred fuel, generating water vapor as a combustion byproduct. Water serves as a lubricant and is also injected to absorb heat from the combustion and provide steam.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A rotary internal combustion engine, comprising:

a casing defining an internal plenum;
a rotatable shaft extending through said plenum with a first radial piston attached thereto, said first radial piston extending substantially from said shaft to said casing;
a rotatable sleeve on said shaft with a second radial piston attached thereto, said second radial piston extending substantially from said sleeve to said casing such that said first radial piston and said second radial piston define two substantially closed spaces within said plenum;
a first engageable locking mechanism for preventing rotary movement of a radial piston, the position of a radial piston when engaged by said first locking mechanism being a first position;
a second engageable locking mechanism for preventing rotary movement of a radial piston, the position of a radial piston when locked by said second locking mechanism being a second position, a substantially closed space between said radial pistons when one of said radial pistons is in the first position and the other of said radial pistons is in the second position being an initial combustion space;
an exhaust outlet in communication with said plenum;
an oxidizer insertion inlet in communication with said plenum;
a fuel insertion inlet in communication with said plenum;
means for combusting a fuel and oxidizer mixture in said initial combustion space so as to drive a radial piston from said second position around said shaft towards said second position, said first radial piston and said second radial piston alternating as the driven piston;
and
wherein at least one of said first engageable locking mechanism and said second engageable locking mechanism engages a radial piston to prevent rotary movement of said radial piston.

8 more elements

A rotary internal combustion engine system, comprising:

two rotary internal combustion engines having power trains;
and
linking apparatus for linking said power trains, said rotary internal combustion engines each comprising:
a casing defining an internal plenum;
a rotatable shaft extending through said plenum with a first radial piston attached thereto, said first radial piston extending substantially from said shaft to said casing;
a rotatable sleeve on said shaft with a second radial piston attached thereto, said second radial piston extending substantially from said sleeve to said casing such that said first radial piston and said second radial piston define two substantially closed spaces within said plenum;
a first engageable locking mechanism for preventing rotary movement of a radial piston, the position of a radial piston when engaged by said first locking mechanism being a first position;
a second engageable locking mechanism for preventing rotary movement of a radial piston, the position of a radial piston when locked by said second locking mechanism being a second position, a substantially closed space between said radial pistons when one of said radial pistons is in the first position and the other of said radial pistons is in the second position being an initial combustion space;
an exhaust outlet in communication with said plenum;
an oxidizer insertion inlet in communication with said plenum;
a fuel insertion inlet in communication with said plenum;
means for combusting a fuel and oxidizer mixture in said initial combustion space so as to drive a radial piston from said second position around said shaft towards said second position, said first radial piston and said second radial piston alternating as the driven piston;
and
wherein at least one of said first engageable locking mechanism and said second engageable locking mechanism engages a radial piston to prevent rotary movement of said radial piston.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.