Rotary expansion power unit with valve disc connected to crankshaft
AssigneeTrochoid Power Corporation
InventorRalph M. Hoffmann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotary expansion power unit, such as a steam engine, which has a planetating rotor in a housing having an epitrochoidal cavity. In known engines, hot expansion fluid is directed through a hollow interior in the rotor and surrounds the rotor journal bearing. This leads to excessive expansion of the rotor and requires an excessive flow of cooling oil to the bearing. The invention isolates the expansion fluid from the interior of the rotor by having a valve disc fastened to the rotor crankshaft with a first seal means between the valve disc and housing end wall and a second seal means between the valve disc and rotor.
Claims13
A rotary expansion power unit including a housing having opposite end walls spaced apart along a first axis by a peripheral wall shaped to define an epitrochoidal cavity symmetrical about said first axis, a rotor symmetrical about a second axis, parallel to said first axis, and movable in said cavity in sealing relationship to define a plurality of working chambers, crankshaft means, having an eccentric member on which said rotor rotates on said second axis eccentrically with respect to said first axis, for limiting motion of said rotor in said cavity to planetating movement about said first axis, and means for conducting and controlling expansion fluid flow into and from said working chambers comprising:
- at least one valve disc secured to a corresponding side face of said eccentric member and extending between a corresponding said end wall and said rotor, said at least one valve disc defining an annular disc cavity facing said corresponding end wall,
- supply passage means for directing a continuous flow of expansion fluid to said disc cavity,
- bridging passage means in the inner surface of said corresponding end wall to conduct expansion fluid from said disc cavity to said working chambers during first predetermined portions of rotor movement, and
- exhaust passage means for affording egress of expansion fluid from said working chambers during second predetermined portions of rotor movement.
A rotary expansion power unit including a housing having opposite end walls spaced apart along a first axis by a peripheral wall shaped to define an epitrochoidal cavity symmetrical about said first axis, a rotor symmetrical about a second axis, parallel to said first axis, and movable in said cavity in sealing relationship to define a plurality of working chambers, crankshaft means, having an eccentric member on which said rotor rotates on said second axis eccentrically with respect to said first axis, for limiting motion of said rotor in said cavity to planetating movement about said first axis, and means for conducting and controlling expansion fluid flow into and from said working chambers comprising:
- at least one valve disc secured to a corresponding side face of said eccentric member and extending between a corresponding said end wall and said rotor, said at least one valve disc having eccentrically arranged inner and outer side face seal means defining therebetween a disc cavity facing said corresponding end wall,
- supply passage means for directing a continuous flow of expansion fluid to said disc cavity,
- bridging passage means in the inner surface of said corresponding end wall to conduct expansion fluid from said disc cavity to said working chambers during first predetermined portions of rotor movement, and
- exhaust passage means for affording egress of expansion fluid from said working chambers during second predetermined portions of rotor movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.