Rotary external combustion engine
AssigneeThermal Systems Limited
InventorVictor H. Fischer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary external combustion engine wherein energy is transferred to air acting as a working gas by injection into the air of liquid water at a high temperature and pressure. The liquid water is injected either directly into the working space in the stator or into a preliminary mixing chamber. The water acts as a heat-transfer medium for heating the air. Spontaneous vaporization of the liquid water on injection increases the pressure of the air which drives the rotor before being exhausted. The exhaust water is recovered and recycled. The working space is scavenged and refilled with a fresh charge of air.
Claims30
A method of operating a rotary external combustion engine having a stator and a rotor therein defining a working space, wherein energy is transferred to a working gas from a heated vaporizable liquid heat-transfer medium, which comprises
- (1) inducting working gas into the working space;
- (2) generating externally of the working space heated heat-transfer medium under a pressure such as to maintain the medium in the liquid state;
- (3) after induction, injecting heated liquid medium into the working gas and allowing at least part of the liquid medium to vaporize, so as to raise the internal energy of the gas;
- (4) in an expansion cycle wherein the volume of the working space increases, allowing the wet gas containing the heat-transfer medium to expand thereby driving the rotor;
- (5) exhausting wet gas from the working space near the end of the expansion cycle;
- (6) separating liquid heat-transfer medium from wet exhaust gas containing heat-transfer medium vapor;
- and
- (7) recycling the separated liquid medium to stage (2) above.
A rotary external combustion engine wherein energy is transferred to a working gas from a heated vaporizable liquid heat-transfer medium, which comprises
- a stator, a rotor within the stator, a working space defined by the stator and rotor, the volume of the working space being variable by rotation of the rotor from a minimum to a maximum volume;
- a heat exchanger for heating the heat transfer medium externally of the working space under a pressure such as to maintain the medium in the liquid state, the heat exchanger having an inlet for receiving heat-transfer medium and an outlet for delivering heated liquid heat-transfer medium;
- induction means connected to the stator for inducting gas into the working space;
- an injector connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger and arranged to inject the heated pressurized liquid medium into the gas before expansion of the gas in the working space, the injector being mounted in the stator, whereby at least part of the injected liquid vaporizes on injection;
- an outlet from the stator which is controlled to exhaust heat transfer medium and working gas from the working space when the working space is near its maximum volume;
- a trap connected to the outlet from the stator for recovering liquid heat-transfer medium from wet exhaust gas containing heat-transfer medium vapor;
- and
- a high pressure pump connected for feeding said medium under pressure in the liquid state to the heat exchanger by recycling from the trap.
A rotary external combustion engine wherein heat energy is transferred to air acting as a working gas by means of heated pressurized liquid water at a temperature greater than the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure, which comprises
- a stator, a rotor within the stator, a working space defined by the stator and rotor, the volume of the working space being variable by rotation of the rotor from a minimum to a maximum volume;
- a heat exchanger for heating the liquid water externally of the working space to a temperature above the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure, the heat exchanger having
- (1) an inlet for receiving liquid water and an outlet for delivering heated water,
- (2) at least one tube for containing said liquid water, and
- (3) a fuel-burner disposed for heating the liquid water in said at least one tube;
- pressurizing means connected to said at least one tube of the heat exchanger for maintaining said heated water in the liquid state;
- induction means connected to the stator for inducting air into the working space when the volume of the working space is near its maximum volume;
- an injector mounted on the stator and connected to the outlet of the heat exchanger for receiving heated pressurized liquid water, the injector being arranged to inject heated pressurized liquid water into the working space when the working space is near its minimum volume and at least part of said water spontaneously vaporizes;
- an outlet from the stator for exhausting cooled water and air from the working space when the working space is near its maximum volume, the majority of said cooled water being exhausted in the liquid state;
- and
- a trap connected to the outlet from the stator for recovering liquid water from wet exhaust gas containing water vapor, and connected to the pressurizing means for recycling liquid water to the heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.