Multi-rotor rotary engine architecture
AssigneePratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
InventorsJean Thomassin, Richard Ullyott, André Julien
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multi-rotor internal combustion engine has a plurality of rotary internal combustion units axially distributed along an engine axis. Each unit has a rotor mounted on an eccentric portion of the shaft inside a housing. The housings of adjacent rotary internal combustion units have different angular positions about the engine axis so as to angularly offset the housing from adjacent housings, which may provide for a more uniform temperature distribution around the housings and may also or instead allow optimising of the balancing of pressure induced side loads on the shaft of the rotors.
Claims15
A method of thermally balancing a multi-rotor internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of axially spaced-apart rotary internal combustion units distributed along an engine axis for driving a common eccentric shaft, each rotary combustion units comprising a rotor mounted on an eccentric portion of the eccentric shaft inside a housing, the method comprising clocking adjacent housings at different angular positions about the engine axis and angularly offsetting high temperature housing regions of adjacent rotary internal combustion units by 180 degrees.
A multi-rotor internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of rotary internal combustion units axially distributed along a common axis, each of the rotary internal combustion units having a housing with an internal cavity having an epitrochoid shape with two lobes defined therein and a rotor with three circumferentially spaced apex portions received in sealing engagement within the internal cavity, each housing being angularly offset at 180 degrees with respect to the housing of each adjacent one of the rotary internal combustion units.
A multi-rotor internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of rotary internal combustion units axially distributed along a common axis, each of the rotary internal combustion units having a rotor mounted on an eccentric portion of the shaft inside a respective housing, wherein each respective housing comprises:
- a combustor region where combustion occurs during engine operation, angularly offset at 180 degrees with respect to the combustor region of an adjacent housing about the common axis and
- intake and exhaust ports of one of the rotary internal combustion units, wherein the intake and exhaust ports of said one of the rotary internal combustion units, located on one side of the respective housing, are opposed to the intake and exhaust ports of an adjacent one of the rotary internal combustion units.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.