Sliding vane engine

A two-stroke sliding vane engine, wherein the vanes slide with at least of one of an axial and radial component of vane motion, comprising:

• a stator;
• a rotor having a plurality of radial slits, said rotor and stator being in relative rotation;
• a plurality of vanes, each of said plurality of vanes sliding within each of said plurality of radial slits, said plurality of vanes defining one or more main chamber cells and one or more vane slit cells;
• a means for injecting fuel into the main chamber cells;
• intake and exhaust regions for injecting and scavenging air from the main chamber cells;
• and
• a means for controlling the compression ratio of the main chamber cells, wherein said means for controlling are movable masses disposed in said main chamber cells.

A sliding vane engine, wherein the vanes slide with at least of one of an axial and radial component of vane motion, comprising:

• a stator;
• a rotor having a plurality of radial slits, said rotor and stator being in relative rotation;
• a plurality of vanes, each of said plurality of vanes sliding within each of said plurality of radial slits, said plurality of vanes defining one or more main chamber cells and one or more vane slit cells;
• pressure communicating ports between said main chamber cells and said vane slit cells, wherein said pressure communicating ports provide a vane slit cell compression ratio that is approximately equal to a main chamber cell compression ratio;
• vane pins movable within a pin channel for controlling the vane sliding;
• vane sealing tabs to seal the pins in said pin channel from said vane slit cells;
• rotor tab extensions on said rotor on either side of each of said plurality of vanes, each of said plurality of vanes having a square shape at an end in close proximity to said stator;
• a means for injecting fuel into the main chamber cells, wherein said means for injecting fuel includes one or more nozzles aligned in an axial direction and wherein one or more of said nozzles is inclined with an azimuthal component, wherein an axial spacing of the injection nozzles is approximately equal to twice the mean radial height of the main chamber cell during the mixing interval, and wherein an end nozzle at each axial end of the engine being one-half the cross-sectional area of interior nozzles, and located near the internal end plane of the engine;
• means for controlling the compression ratio of said main chamber cells, wherein said means are movable masses disposed in said main chamber cells;
• pressure ports from a low pressure source communicating with said movable masses;
• means to insulate said stator and rotor with segmented ceramic inserts;
• means for generating air turbulence to mix the fuel and air in the main chamber cell;
• and
• at least one of a combustion residence chamber, continuous combustion geometry, and hot gas injection, communicating with the fuel and air in the main chamber cell.

A sliding vane engine, wherein the vanes slide with at least of one of an axial and radial component of vane motion, comprising:

• means for injecting a fuel-air combination into a chamber;
• means for extending the duration at which the fuel-air combination is at about peak compression in the chamber;
• means for combusting the fuel-air combination in the chamber;
• means for expansion of the fuel-air combination in the chamber;
• and
• means for exhausting the fuel-air combination, wherein the means for extending the duration at which the fuel-air combination is at about peak compression comprises at least one of a combustion residence chamber, a continuous combustion geometry, and hot gas injection, and wherein each of said means for extending being incorporated in a stator portion of said vane engine.