US 5,522,356 AGranted

Method and apparatus for transferring heat energy from engine housing to expansion fluid employed in continuous combustion, pinned vane type, integrated rotary compressor-expander engine system

AssigneeSpread Spectrum

InventorWilliam R. Palmer

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Abstract

A continuous combustion, pinned vane type, positive displacement, rotary compressor and expander engine system comprises a compressor which outputs compressed air, a combustor which effects continuous combustion of a combustion gas mixture containing fuel and the compressed air and produces a combustion gas output. An expander is coupled to receive a mixture of combustion gas and an expansion fluid as an expandable working gas. The expander expands the expandable working gas and performs work to cause rotation of an engine output shaft. Each the compressor and the expander comprises a respective pinned vane type, positive displacement, rotary device. The engine system further includes an expansion fluid flow path having an input port to which the expansion fluid is supplied, and an output port coupled to combine the expansion fluid with the combustion gas as the expandable working gas. The expansion fluid flow path is in thermal communication with the expander housing such that there is a thermal energy transfer from the housing to the expansion fluid, thereby increasing the thermal energy of the expansion fluid to the extent where a phase transformation takes place from the liquid phase to the gaseous phase. In the gaseous phase the expansion fluid is combined with the combustion gas to form the expandable working gas.

Claims63

Dependent claims

A rotary expansion device comprising:

a housing having an interior gas expansion chamber surrounding a first axis and an inlet port into which an expandable working gas is introduced;
an outer hub assembly, disposed inside said gas expansion chamber and surrounding a second axis, said second axis being offset from said first axis;
an inner hub, disposed inside said outer hub assembly, and surrounding said first axis;
a plurality of blades, each of which extends radially from said inner hub and passes through said outer hub assembly to an interior surface of said gas expansion chamber, thereby forming a plurality of relatively airtight compartments between said interior surface of said gas expansion chamber, said outer hub assembly, and respective pairs of blades, with the volume of said compartments varying as a function of rotative position about said first axis;
a linkage arrangement, which interconnects said inner hub with said outer hub exclusive of said blades, and is operative, in response to rotation of said outer hub assembly about said second axis by the expansion of said expandable working gas that has been introduced into said compartments from said inlet port, to drive said inner hub by said linkage arrangement therebetween;
and
a thermal transfer medium flow path having an input port to which a thermal transfer medium is supplied, and an output port coupled to combine said thermal transfer medium with a working gas introduced into said inlet port, said thermal transfer medium flow path being in thermal communication with said housing such that there is a thermal energy transfer from said housing to the thermal transfer medium within said thermal transfer medium flow path, thereby increasing the thermal energy of said thermal transfer medium that has been supplied to said input port of said thermal transfer medium flow path, and is output from said output port for combination with said working gas.

4 more elements

A method of controlling the operation of an engine system having a compressor which is operative to output compressed air, a combustor which is operative to effect continuous combustion of a combustion gas mixture containing fuel and said compressed air and produce a combustion gas output, and an expander to which a mixture of said combustion gas and an expansion fluid is supplied as an expandable working gas, said expander being operative to expand said expandable working gas and perform work which causes rotation of an engine output shaft, each of said compressor and said expander comprising a respective pinned vane type, positive displacement, rotary device, comprising the steps of:

(a) coupling an expansion fluid flow path in thermal communication with a housing of said expander rotary device, so that thermal energy within the housing of said expander rotary device is coupled to said expansion fluid flow path, said expansion fluid flow path having an output port coupled in fluid communication with combustion gas of said combustor;
and
(b) controllably causing expansion fluid to flow through said expansion fluid flow path to be combined with said combustion gas as said expandable working gas, such that there is a thermal energy transfer from said housing to said expansion fluid, thereby causing said expansion fluid to absorb thermal energy from the expander housing, and increasing the thermal energy of said expansion fluid that has been supplied to said expansion fluid flow path, and is combined with combustion gas to form said expandable working gas.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/315,103Filed 29 Sep 1994 · continuation in part
Priority: 4 Sep 1992
Granted: 4 Jun 1996
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F01C 1/352
With vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member: the vanes being pivoted on the axis of the outer member
F01C 11/004
Of similar working principle: and of complementary function, e.g. internal combustion engine with supercharger
F02B 53/00
Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines
F02B 2053/005
Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines: wankel engines