Enhanced method of closed vessel combustion

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• providing a fuel-air mixture to a combustion chamber having an ignition source;
• creating a vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• accelerating the fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber to a velocity of at least 70 feet per second relative to the ignition source;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• providing a fuel-air mixture to a combustion chamber having an ignition source;
• passing the fuel-air mixture over an edge at an inlet to the combustion chamber, the edge being formed by at least one surface at a substantially right angle to the direction of travel of the combustion chamber, to create a standing vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• drawing the standing vortex of fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber as a free vortex of fuel-air mixture;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• providing a fuel-air mixture to a combustion chamber having an ignition source,
• passing the fuel-air mixture over a fence proximate an inlet to the combustion chamber to create a standing vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• drawing the standing vortex of fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber as a free vortex of fuel-air mixture;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• providing a fuel-air mixture to a combustion chamber having an ignition source;
• passing the fuel-air mixture over an edge of an inlet to the combustion chamber to create a standing vortex of fuel-air mixture, the edge including a fence formed at a substantially right angle with respect to a line tangential to a rotational movement of a rotor forming at least a portion of the combustion chamber;
• drawing the standing vortex of fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber as a free vortex of fuel-air mixture;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• providing a fuel-air mixture to a combustion chamber having an ignition source;
• creating a vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• accelerating the fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber relative to the ignition source;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• venting an exhaust of the ignited fuel-air mixture from the combustion chamber substantially perpendicularly with respect to a movement of a rotor forming at least a portion of the combustion chamber.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• creating a vortex in a fuel-air mixture entering a combustion chamber by passing the fuel-air mixture over an edge, the edge being formed by at least one surface at a substantially right angle to the direction of travel of the combustion chamber;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture,
• accelerating the fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber relative to an ignition source.

A method of operating an engine comprising:

• lowering the combustible fuel-air lean mixture flammability limit of a fuel-air mixture in a combustion chamber to an equivalence below approximately 0.7, by passing the fuel-air mixture through an inlet to the combustion chamber over an edge formed by at least one surface at a substantially right angle to the direction of travel of the combustion chamber to create a vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• lowering the combustible fuel-air lean mixture flammability limit of a fuel-air mixture in a combustion chamber to an equivalence below 0.3 by passing the fuel-air mixture through an inlet to the combustion chamber over an edge formed by at least one surface at a substantially right angle to the direction of travel of the combustion chamber to create a vortex in the fuel-air mixture entering the combustion chamber;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• passing a fuel-air mixture over an edge of an inlet to a combustion chamber to create a standing vortex of fuel-air mixture, the edge including a fence formed at a substantially right angle with respect to a line tangential to a rotational movement of a rotor forming at least a portion of the combustion chamber;
• drawing the standing vortex of fuel-air mixture into the combustion chamber as a free vortex of fuel-air mixture;
• lowering the combustible fuel-air lean mixture flammability limit of a fuel-air mixture to an equivalence below approximately 0.7, by attaining faster combustion of the compressed fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture.

A method of operating an engine, comprising:

• lowering the combustible fuel-air lean mixture flammability limit of a fuel-air mixture to an equivalence below approximately 0.7, by attaining faster combustion of the compressed fuel-air mixture within the combustion chamber;
• compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• igniting the compressed fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber;
• and
• exhausting the combustion chamber after igniting the fuel-air mixture;
• and
• venting an exhaust from the combustion chamber substantially perpendicularly with respect to a motion of a rotor forming at least a portion of the combustion chamber.

In a closed vessel, positive displacement internal combustion type heat engine having at least two combustion chambers that travel at a substantial velocity relative to a pair of opposed stator walls, the combustion chambers formed by the stator walls and at least two rotor blades carried by a rotor shaft and extending through respective slots formed in a rotor disk, the stator walls including an intake port and an exhaust port, the intake port formed radially inward of the exhaust port, and wherein the stator walls and the rotor blades successively compress and expand volumes enclosed by the combustion chambers during the travel and involving the following acts to facilitate an advanced method of closed vessel combustion and associated flow duct operation to perform complete thermodynamic cycles, the method comprising:

• mixing a volume of fuel and a volume of air to form a fuel-air mixture having a near homogenous combustible equivalence ratio;
• inducing the fuel-air mixture to flow through the inlet port into the combustion chambers at substantial flow velocities;
• separating the fuel-air mixture from the stator wall to form a standing vortex at a forward end of said inlet port;
• advancing a trailing rotor blade to close the inlet port to trap the vortex in the combustion chamber;
• accelerating the vortex along with the combustion chamber to travel at the speed of the combustion chamber while maintaining a circulatory radial motion of the vortex in the combustion chamber, such that the increased combustion chamber internal flow velocity lowers a combustible fuel-air lean mixture flammability limit of the fuel-air mixture, and in combination with an elevated compression pressure and an elevated temperature increases a combustion chamber ignition temperature and an internal combustion velocity;
• adding heat to the fuel-air mixture from the rotor disk that is otherwise uncooled while compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber without causing pre-ignition, wherein the combustion chamber is capable of operating on rich and lean fuel-air mixtures using multi-octane and multi fuel combustion;
• further compressing the fuel-air mixture in the combustion chambers to pass the fuel-air mixture over a compression peak to an expanding leading volume of the combustion chambers downstream of the compression peak at a substantial speed relative to the stator wall and the rotor disk;
• igniting the fuel-air mixture with an electric spark introduced through an ignition port in the stator wall during the flow through a passage;
• introducing an electric spark at a location in a thermodynamic cycle of the engine such that auto-ignition from hot gases is prevented, while the combustion chamber ignition temperature, an ignition spark timing, and a number of ignition sparks facilitate optimum engine torque;
• controlling the fuel, the compression process speed and a combustion chamber leakage rate to prevent fuel-air mixture pre-ignition;
• developing torque about the rotor shaft by means of the elevated pressure acting on differentially exposed portions of the rotor blades and a constant torque arm to the rotor shaft in response to compression in the combustion chambers before and expansion after flow through the passage;
• and
• exhausting products of combustion from the combustion chambers to the atmosphere through the exhaust port during expansion at an angle near perpendicular to the rotor disk to prevent an unbalanced force reaction against a trailing one of the rotor blades.