AU2011200942B2

AU2011200942B2 - Rotary Engine

Info

Publication number: AU2011200942B2
Application number: AU2011200942A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Graeme Hunter
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-03-03
Filing date: 2011-03-03
Publication date: 2015-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 2031-03-03
Also published as: AU2011200942A1

Abstract

Abstract A rotary engine with a rotor casing defining an inner chamber and having at least one port, with a rotor mounted for rotation within the rotor casing and having at least one shaped combustion chamber therein, at least one injection means to inject at least one combustible substance into the at least one shaped combustion chamber and at least one ignition means to selectively ignite the at least one combustible substance in the at least one combustion chamber. Figure I 1 13 11' 12 13 -1 10- - -. -.-- - -. - 7- -6-

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Invention Title: ROTARY ENGINE Applicant: Graeme Hunter The invention is described in the following statement: 2 ROTARY ENGINE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a rotary engine. In some embodiments, the invention 5 is directed to a rotary engine that is able to produce a large amount of torque, is able to be manufactured using a minimal amount of parts and is light weight, although the scope of the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. BACKGROUND 10 Rotary engines are well known in the marketplace and can be used to power motor vehicles and other machinery by converting pressure into a rotating motion rather than a reciprocating motion used by other internal combustion engines. Most rotary engines use complex moving parts to create rotational movement. Some 15 rotary engines contain rotors that have radially or axially movable blades or fans, these movable blades or fans can exert large pressures on the contact surfaces of the blades or fans and complicate the rotary engine design. There are also planetary rotary engines that perform complicated rotations around 20 more than one axis, a well known example of this type of engine is the Wankel engine. There are some disadvantages to a Wankel type engine, for example, the rotation of the rotor is not uniform, necessitating very complex parts. There is also a problem of sealing loss which can occur due to the eccentric orbit and shape of the rotor. 25 It is an aim of the invention to provide a rotary engine which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice. 30 It will be clearly understood that any reference herein to background material or information, or to a prior publication, does not constitute an admission that any material, information or publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, or is otherwise admissible prior art, whether in Australia or in any other country.

3 DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the present invention provides a rotary engine comprising: a. a rotor casing defining an inner chamber and having at least one port; b. a rotor mounted for rotation within the rotor casing, the rotor being 5 concentrically located within the rotor casing, the rotor having at least one shaped combustion chamber therein, the combustion chamber including a generally straight leading wall extending inwardly from an outer edge of the rotor and a generally straight trailing wall extending from the leading wall, in relation to the direction of rotation, the combustion chamber having a bridging section located peripherally 10 outwardly of a space defined by the leading wall and the trailing wall, the combustion chamber having a leading opening at a leading side of the bridging section, the combustion chamber having a trailing opening at a trailing side of the bridging section; c. at least one injection means to inject at least one combustible substance 15 into the at least one shaped combustion chamber; and d. at least one ignition means to selectively ignite the at least one combustible substance in the at least one combustion chamber. The principles of the rotary engine can also be based on the principles of a two stroke 20 internal combustion engine. The rotary engine of the present invention can be made on different scales to suit different applications, for example a large scale engine can be used for large ships, large machinery and the like, medium scale engines can be used for trucks, cars, motorcycles and the like and small scale engines can be used in small machinery, as a battery replacement for gadgets and the like. Multiple engines 25 can also be connected together for increased power and/or smoother operation. In one embodiment, the rotor casing is shaped to allow a rotor to rotate within it. The rotor casing may have two ports, an inlet port and an outlet port, to allow combustible material to be injected and to allow the combustion resultant to be exhausted. The 30 rotor casing may also have other openings to allow the rotor to be mounted within the rotor casing and to allow the ignition means to combust the combustible substance in the combustion chamber of the rotor. Sealing means such as sealing vanes may also be attached to the inside of the rotor casing to seal between the rotor casing and the rotor. Other sealing means such as compression rings may be connected to the inside 3a of the rotor casing to seal between the rotor casing and the axial ends of the rotor. A coolant casing may be attached to the rotor casing to allow coolant to cool the rotor casing. Typically the coolant would be water or the like. The rotor casing will typically be made from materials such as steel, ceramics or other suitable materials. 5 In another embodiment the rotor casing can have multiple inlet and exhaust ports, or the rotor casing can have one or more ports that act as both the inlet and exhaust port. The rotor casing can also contain integrated cooling means such as oil or water 4 cooling or the like, or have heat dissipating means such as fins for air cooling. The rotor casing can also include attachment means to enable the rotor casing to attach to the injection means, timing means, machinery that the rotary engine is powering or the like. Sealing means such as sealing vanes and compression rings may also be 5 omitted from the casing to reduce friction, such an omission may have a beneficial trade-off between sealing efficiency and frictional losses. In one embodiment, the rotor may be concentrically located within the rotor casing and mounted for rotation on a drive shaft. The rotor typically has a radial shape or a 10 cylindrical shape having two axial ends. The rotor contains at least one shaped combustion chamber therein. The rotor may also have a counter balance to balance the rotor in relation to the combustion chamber. For example, the counter balance could be the inclusion of a lighter material or a void or voids in the rotor at a location or locations that would balance the rotor. However, the counterbalance may also be an 15 additional weight or the inclusion of a heavier material in or on the rotor at a location or locations that would balance the rotor. In another embodiment the rotor can contain more than one combustion chamber, allowing multiple engine cycles to occur during each revolution of the rotor. The rotor 20 can also be mounted to have an eccentric or planetary rotation within the rotor casing. The rotor may not necessarily be attached to a drive shaft, instead the rotational energy may be transmitted using other means such as magnetic induction or the like, with magnets or other means connected to the rotor. 25 In one embodiment, the combustion chamber has a sector shape in cross section, with the apex of the sector shape located between an outer radial edge of the rotor and an axis of rotation of the rotor and extends from an outer radial edge of the rotor towards an axis of rotation of the rotor. The apex shape may have a leading wall and a trailing wall in relation to the direction of rotation. In some embodiments the combustion 30 chamber has two axial walls and a bridging section, the bridging section, the rotor and the two axial walls defining two openings of the combustion chamber. The two openings of the combustion chamber may be of different size relative to each other. The combustion chamber creates a force by the interaction of the forces arising from combustion of the combustible substance with the shape of the combustion chamber 5 to provide a net force in the direction of rotation. The axial forces acting on the combustion chamber cancel each other out. The combustion chamber has further forces acting on the leading wall of the combustion chamber relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor and on the trailing wall of the combustion chamber relative to 5 the direction of rotation of the rotor. The bridging section also has forces acting on it which cancel out most of the forces acting on the trailing wall, the result of which is a net force acting on the leading edge. In another embodiment the combustion chamber may have one or more openings of 10 different shape having a substantially similar effect as the two openings described above. The corners and walls of the combustion chamber may also be curved or rounded to provide different characteristics. The leading wall and trailing wall may have different lengths. 15 In one embodiment, the injection means comprises a piston of similar design to that used in two stroke internal combustion engines. The piston may reciprocate within a piston casing and be connected to a crankshaft via a connecting rod. The piston casing may include intake ports where a combustible substance is introduced into the piston casing. The combustible substance is then injected into the combustion chamber by 20 the piston. Typically the combustible substance would be an air and fuel mixture wherein the fuel can be diesel or petrol or the like, however, other combustible substances or mixtures thereof can also be utilised such as solid, liquid or gas type combustible substances. The injection means may be synchronised with the rotor by gears connecting the drive shaft to the crankshaft. 25 In another embodiment, the injection means may be a compressor, gravity assisted injection means, a standard fuel injection means or the like. The injection means can be synchronised to the rotor by mechanical means or electronically. 30 In one embodiment, the ignition means is typically a spark plug or glow plug which is inserted through the rotor casing such that it is able to ignite the combustible substance in the combustion chamber.

6 In another embodiment, multiple ignition means can be used. The ignition means can include magnetic induction, catalyst material or injection of a reactant or the like. In one embodiment, lubrication is provided by lubricant in the timing gear casing and 5 in the crankshaft casing which through the motion of the components is distributed in the rotary engine. In another embodiment, alternative lubrication means which are known in the art can be utilised. For example, the combustible substance may include a lubricant. 10 In use, the rotary engine of one embodiment of the present is started by a starter motor. The cycle of the rotary engine starts when the piston has reached the bottom of the piston casing, being the end of the piston casing that is furthest from the rotor. The combustible substance is introduced into the piston casing and while this is 15 happening, the rotor is rotating in synchronisation with the movement of the piston. When the combustion chamber in the rotor reaches the inlet port, the piston is towards the upper end of the piston casing and the combustible substance is injected into the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber continues its rotation towards the ignition means while the piston is travelling towards the bottom of the piston casing. 20 The combustion chamber reaches the ignition means and the combustible substance is ignited causing combustion, the forces from the combustion result in a rotational force, rotating the rotor. The combustion chamber rotates to the exhaust port, where the combustion resultant is exhausted, at this stage the piston is towards the bottom of the piston casing and the cycle starts over. 25 Some benefits of the rotary engine of the present invention may include the following: 1. High torque for the size of the engine; 2. Increase in the engine's rotational speed; 3. Increase in power; 30 4. Better fuel economy; 5. No alternating dynamic loads; 6. Less friction; 7. Reduction in weight; 8. Reduction in size; and 7 9. Construction simplification. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One or more preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way 5 of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred embodiment. Figure 2 is a side section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred 10 embodiment. Figure 3 is a side section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred embodiment further showing the timing gear. Figure 4 is a front section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred embodiment during the injection stage. 15 Figure 5 is a front section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred embodiment during the combustion stage. Figure 6 is a front section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred embodiment during the exhaust stage. Figure 7 is a front section view of a rotary engine according to a preferred 20 embodiment indicating the forces acting on the combustion chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In a preferred embodiment shown in figures 1 to 7, a rotary engine 1 is provided. 25 As illustrated in figure 1, the rotary engine I has a rotor casing with an inlet port 8 and an exhaust port 9. A rotor 3 is mounted for rotation within the rotor casing 2. The rotor is attached to a drive shaft 27. The rotor has a combustion chamber 4 and a counter balance 11 to balance the rotor. The combustion chamber 4 has two openings 5 and 6 separated by a combustion chamber bridging section 7. In radial cross section, 30 the combustion chamber 4 has a sector shape, however, the apex of the sector shape is not located in the centre of the rotor 3. Instead the apex of the sector shape is located between the centre and circumference of the rotor 3. The apex shape has a leading wall 34 and a trailing wall 35 angled from each other. The bridging section 7 partially covers the circumference part of the sector shape, defining the two openings 5 and 6 8 between the bridging section 7 and the rotor 3. An ignition means 10 is provided in the form of a spark plug within the rotor casing 2. Sealing vanes 12 provide sealed working spaces 13 between the rotor 3 and the rotor casing 2. The injection means 15 in the preferred embodiment is a piston 18 in a piston casing 19 connected to a 5 crankshaft 22 via a connecting rod 21. Intake ports 20 are provided in the piston casing 19 such that a combustible substance can be introduced into the injection means 15. Figure 2 shows a coolant casing 16 attached to the outside of the rotor casing 2, 10 defining a coolant chamber 17. It can also be seen in this figure that the axial ends of the rotor 3 are sealed to the rotor casing 2 using compression rings 14. The combustion chamber openings 5 and 6 are separated by the combustion chamber bridging section 7. 15 Figure 3 illustrates the timing mechanism of the rotary engine 1. The rotor 3 is connected to the drive shaft 27 which is connected to the drive gear 26. The drive gear 26 drives the crankshaft gear 24 via the intermediate gear 25. The crankshaft 22 is connected to the piston 18 via a connecting rod 21. The gears 24, 25 and 26 are mounted in a timing gear casing 29. The timing gear casing 29 and the crankshaft 20 casing 23 contain lubricant 30 to enable the parts to operate smoothly. An output shaft 28 is connected to the intermediate gear 25. Figure 4 shows the rotary engine I during the injection stage of the cycle where the injection means 15 injects a combustible substance into the combustion chamber 4 by 25 the compressive action of the piston 18 which extends towards the rotor 3 during this stage. The sealing vanes 12 prevent the combustible substance from escaping into other working spaces 13 during the injection stage. In this embodiment, the combustible substance is a fuel/air mixture, such as a mixture of gasoline and air. 30 Figure 5 shows the rotary engine I during the combustion stage,. As shown in this figure, the combustion chamber 4 has rotated past the sealing vane 12 from the previous stage. The ignition means 10 ignites the combustible substance in the combustion chamber 4, causing a net force in the direction of rotation. At this stage the piston 18 is retracting away from the rotor 3.

9 Figure 6 shows the rotary engine I during the exhaust stage. The rotor 3 is still rotating due to the net force of the combustion of the combustible substance in the combustion chamber 4. the combustion resultant (i.e. the exhaust gas) is exhausted 5 through the exhaust port 9 during this stage. During this stage the piston 18 is retracted from the rotor 3, and a combustible substance is introduced into the piston casing 19 via the intake ports 20. After this stage the rotor 3 continues its rotation to the injection stage. 10 Figure 7 shows the forces acting on the sides of the combustion chamber 4 during combustion. The forces on the axial walls (not shown) of the combustion chamber 4 cancel each other out. The combustion causes a force on the leading wall 34 of the combustion chamber relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor, resulting in a positive rotation area 31. The combustion chamber bridging section 7 cancels out 15 some of the force acting on the trailing wall 35 of the combustion chamber relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor 3, resulting in a neutral rotation area 32, due to the smaller size of the second opening 6 relative to the first opening 5, the remaining forces acting on the trailing wall 35 of the combustion chamber result in a negative rotation area 33. The combination of the rotational forces result in a net positive 20 rotational force relative to the direction of rotation of the rotor 3. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative only of the principles of the invention, and various modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways and in other 25 embodiments. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. In the present specification and claims, the word "comprising" and its derivatives including "comprises" and "comprise" include each of the stated integers but does not 30 exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers unless the context of use indicates otherwise. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection 10 with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics 5 may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein 10 described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A rotary engine comprising: a. a rotor casing defining an inner chamber and having at least one port; b. a rotor mounted for rotation within the rotor casing, the rotor being concentrically located within the rotor casing, the rotor having at least one shaped combustion chamber therein, the combustion chamber including a generally straight leading wall extending inwardly from an outer edge of the rotor and a generally straight trailing wall extending from the leading wall, in relation to the direction of rotation, the combustion chamber having a bridging section located peripherally outwardly of a space defined by the leading wall and the trailing wall, the combustion chamber having a leading opening at a leading side of the bridging section, the combustion chamber having a trailing opening at a trailing side of the bridging section; c. at least one injection means to inject at least one combustible substance into the at least one shaped combustion chamber; and d. at least one ignition means to selectively ignite the at least one combustible substance in the at least one combustion chamber.

2. A rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 wherein the leading opening is larger than the trailing opening.

3. A rotary engine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rotor is mounted for rotation on a drive shaft.

4. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one combustion chamber has a sector shape in cross section, with an apex of the sector shape located between an outer radial edge of the rotor and an axis of rotation of the rotor.

5. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the combustion chamber has two axial walls and the rotor includes a combustion chamber bridging section, the bridging section, the rotor and the two axial walls defining two openings of the combustion chamber.

6. A rotary engine as claimed in claim 5 wherein the two openings of the combustion chamber are of different size relative to each other.

7. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the combustion chamber creates a force by the interaction of the forces arising 12 from combustion of the combustible substance with the shape of the combustion chamber to provide a net force in the direction of rotation.

8. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one combustion chamber extends from an outer radial edge of the rotor towards an axis of rotation of the rotor.

9. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one combustion chamber has two axial walls connected by a bridging section.

10. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one combustion chamber has at least two openings.

11. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one port is an inlet port and/or an exhaust port.

12. A rotary engine as claimed in claim 11 wherein the casing has at least a pair of ports, namely an inlet port and an exhaust port.

13. A rotary engine as claimed in claim 12 wherein the inlet port and the exhaust port are separate from each other.

14. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein at least two sealing vanes are attached to an inner side of the rotor casing, the at least two sealing vanes defining at least two working spaces between the rotor and the rotor casing.

15. A rotary engine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims comprising a plurality of combustion chambers such that multiple engine cycles occur during each revolution of the rotor.

16. A motor comprising a plurality of rotary engines as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

17. A motor as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of rotary engines are operatively engaged to each other in a parallel arrangement.

18. A motor as claimed in claim 13, wherein the plurality of rotary engines are operatively engaged to each other in a serial arrangement.

19. A rotary engine substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.