CA2818797A1 - Saizew internal combustion diesel turbine (st) - Google Patents
Saizew internal combustion diesel turbine (st) Download PDFInfo
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- CA2818797A1 CA2818797A1 CA 2818797 CA2818797A CA2818797A1 CA 2818797 A1 CA2818797 A1 CA 2818797A1 CA 2818797 CA2818797 CA 2818797 CA 2818797 A CA2818797 A CA 2818797A CA 2818797 A1 CA2818797 A1 CA 2818797A1
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- engine
- internal combustion
- rotor
- combustion turbine
- cylinder
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B75/00—Other engines
- F02B75/16—Engines characterised by number of cylinders, e.g. single-cylinder engines
- F02B75/18—Multi-cylinder engines
- F02B75/22—Multi-cylinder engines with cylinders in V, fan, or star arrangement
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01B—MACHINES OR ENGINES, IN GENERAL OR OF POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT TYPE, e.g. STEAM ENGINES
- F01B13/00—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion
- F01B13/04—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion with more than one cylinder
- F01B13/06—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion with more than one cylinder in star arrangement
- F01B13/068—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines with rotating cylinders in order to obtain the reciprocating-piston motion with more than one cylinder in star arrangement the connection of the pistons with an actuated or actuating element being at the inner ends of the cylinders
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
- F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
- F02B75/00—Other engines
- F02B75/32—Engines characterised by connections between pistons and main shafts and not specific to preceding main groups
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01B—MACHINES OR ENGINES, IN GENERAL OR OF POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT TYPE, e.g. STEAM ENGINES
- F01B1/00—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines characterised by number or relative disposition of cylinders or by being built-up from separate cylinder-crankcase elements
- F01B1/06—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines characterised by number or relative disposition of cylinders or by being built-up from separate cylinder-crankcase elements with cylinders in star or fan arrangement
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01B—MACHINES OR ENGINES, IN GENERAL OR OF POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT TYPE, e.g. STEAM ENGINES
- F01B9/00—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines characterised by connections between pistons and main shafts and not specific to preceding groups
- F01B9/04—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines characterised by connections between pistons and main shafts and not specific to preceding groups with rotary main shaft other than crankshaft
- F01B9/042—Reciprocating-piston machines or engines characterised by connections between pistons and main shafts and not specific to preceding groups with rotary main shaft other than crankshaft the connections comprising gear transmissions
- F01B2009/045—Planetary gearings
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Combustion Methods Of Internal-Combustion Engines (AREA)
Abstract
An internal combustion diesel turbine is described wherein a circular rotor with an open center, having radially bored cylinders, rotates within a circular casing. Coupled to this rotor through a synchronizing gear train is a crankshaft, to which are connected conventional pistons that rotate in unison with the rotor. Offsetting the crankshaft by one half of the desired piston stroke thus causes the piston to slide in and out of the cylinder, the eccentricity of the two circular paths providing compression without reciprocating or oscillating motion. Air, fuel, and exhaust are managed through appropriately located ports within the engine external housing. The design described herein is intended to exploit current state-of-the- art internal combustion engine engineering, materials and technology in an engine exploiting the inherent efficiencies of balanced circular planetary motion in applications requiring motive or stationary fossil fuel power.
Description
SAIZEW INTERNAL COMBUSTION DIESEL TURBINE (ST) 11 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to internal combustion engines in general and in particular, to rotary engines that employ conventional cylinders and pistons. More specifically, this invention pertains to an engine of multiple cylinders where the cylinders are radially bored from the center of a circular rotor with pistons attached to a central crankshaft offset from the center of the rotor in order to create a relative reciprocating motion as the two rotate in unison.
The operating principle is intended to exploit the efficiencies inherent in circular planetary motion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Refinements and innovation to the internal combustion engine have yielded very complex and complicated engines with many moving parts, each with their own power consuming needs that together contribute to the only 25%-30% efficiency of conventional internal combustion engines.
Ignition and injection system and engine control unit development may further increase efficiencies in the combustion chamber through a better understanding of the combustion process, for example, the rapid instantaneous combustion of the fuel-air mix heated to combustion under pressure and exploiting the resultant high energy shock wave versus the cooler and more slowly propagating burn of spark ignition. For example, various research is currently underway to improve the efficiency of jet engines and leading towards the development of commercial RAM or SCRAM jet engines exploiting this pulse energy technology to achieve much higher efficiencies.
The 70-75% of the energy that is consumed in operating the engine, manifested as waste heat from combustion, and the need for many high friction bearings and surfaces, reciprocating and oscillating motion, vibration and noise. It is desirable to simplify the engine and reduce the number of moving parts as much as possible.
This invention relates to internal combustion engines in general and in particular, to rotary engines that employ conventional cylinders and pistons. More specifically, this invention pertains to an engine of multiple cylinders where the cylinders are radially bored from the center of a circular rotor with pistons attached to a central crankshaft offset from the center of the rotor in order to create a relative reciprocating motion as the two rotate in unison.
The operating principle is intended to exploit the efficiencies inherent in circular planetary motion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Refinements and innovation to the internal combustion engine have yielded very complex and complicated engines with many moving parts, each with their own power consuming needs that together contribute to the only 25%-30% efficiency of conventional internal combustion engines.
Ignition and injection system and engine control unit development may further increase efficiencies in the combustion chamber through a better understanding of the combustion process, for example, the rapid instantaneous combustion of the fuel-air mix heated to combustion under pressure and exploiting the resultant high energy shock wave versus the cooler and more slowly propagating burn of spark ignition. For example, various research is currently underway to improve the efficiency of jet engines and leading towards the development of commercial RAM or SCRAM jet engines exploiting this pulse energy technology to achieve much higher efficiencies.
The 70-75% of the energy that is consumed in operating the engine, manifested as waste heat from combustion, and the need for many high friction bearings and surfaces, reciprocating and oscillating motion, vibration and noise. It is desirable to simplify the engine and reduce the number of moving parts as much as possible.
The reciprocating motion of the pistons in an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) required to compress fuel/air mixtures is the primary source of the overall inefficiency of an ICE. Newton's First Law of Motion confirms this fact, the principal reason being the changing momentum of reciprocating mass. As an object will remain in motion, in the same direction and at a constant velocity forever unless acted upon by an external force, as per Newton's First Law, considerable energy must be expended to accelerate and decelerate the piston assembly to achieve the pumping action needed to compress fuel/air mixtures. This action is repeated thousands of times every minute, the energy required converting to heat and vibration and not contributing to the output power of the engine. The configuration of an internal combustion engine also governs the speed and motion of the piston within the cylinder, the speed of the piston being at maximum at mid-stroke and diminishing rapidly to zero at top and bottom dead center of the stroke. The slow speed at the top of the stroke causes the piston to linger there at ignition which places additional heat loads on valves and the surrounding combustion chamber.
Taking into account that the piston travels from the stop position at the bottom of the stroke, accelerates to maximum velocity at mid-stroke, decelerates to a stop at the top dead center of the stroke, this cycle being reversed in the down-stroke, each cycle occurring twice per revolution. In an 8 cylinder engine running at 5000 RPM this cycle occurs 80,000 times per minute. In an F1 engine capable of revolving at 20,000 RPM, the start stop cycle is an incredible 320,000 times per minute!
To illustrate the energy consumed in altering the velocity and direction of the mass that consists of a piston, rings and connecting rod as per Newton, take for example an FI
engine say rotating at 18,000 RPM. In order to reduce mass, piston assemblies are made as light as possible with short pistons (approx. 35 mm), short titanium connecting rods and rings that are approx. 1/2 the thickness used in conventional ICE rings. A resulting short stroke of approx.
45mm, approximately half the diameter of the piston, reduces the weight of the components and thus the stresses on the assembly. In a conventional ICE stroke and piston diameter are approximately equal which increases the length of stroke and mass of the piston assembly which operate at much lower RPM.
Taking into account that the piston travels from the stop position at the bottom of the stroke, accelerates to maximum velocity at mid-stroke, decelerates to a stop at the top dead center of the stroke, this cycle being reversed in the down-stroke, each cycle occurring twice per revolution. In an 8 cylinder engine running at 5000 RPM this cycle occurs 80,000 times per minute. In an F1 engine capable of revolving at 20,000 RPM, the start stop cycle is an incredible 320,000 times per minute!
To illustrate the energy consumed in altering the velocity and direction of the mass that consists of a piston, rings and connecting rod as per Newton, take for example an FI
engine say rotating at 18,000 RPM. In order to reduce mass, piston assemblies are made as light as possible with short pistons (approx. 35 mm), short titanium connecting rods and rings that are approx. 1/2 the thickness used in conventional ICE rings. A resulting short stroke of approx.
45mm, approximately half the diameter of the piston, reduces the weight of the components and thus the stresses on the assembly. In a conventional ICE stroke and piston diameter are approximately equal which increases the length of stroke and mass of the piston assembly which operate at much lower RPM.
To get an idea of the forces that are generated consider the F1 engine, in this case, eight cylinders revolving at 18,000 RPM. With the piston weighing around 400 grams travelling from stop to approx. 200 KPH, to stop, in only 45 mm distance, a force of 7 tons, 14,000 pounds, needs to be generated in each cylinder to overcome only the inertia of the piston and connecting rod assemblies. That does not include the approx. 5 tons or 10,000 pounds of force that does the work of the engine and is the net output of each cylinder to the drive train.
Thus 8 cylinders requiring a total of 112,000 pounds of force needed to operate the ICE with no benefit other than making the engine function.
The constraint created by the articulated configuration of the crankshaft requires that the support bearings and connecting rod bearings are of the less efficient friction type to be able to be positioned. These bearings are usually made of softer metals that will deform under heavy loads adding to the heat load of the engine and requiring stiffer and heavier crankshafts in order to resist flexing and vibration. Maintaining the high pressure oil lubrication required by these bearings is also plays a large part in engine life and maintenance.
The valve train in a conventional internal combustion engine and the need to compress very stiff valve springs many thousands of times every minute through a system of high-friction cams, lifters and high friction bearings, has a significant impact on the efficiency of the engine. The restrictive nature of the valve openings also hinder the flow of air into and exhaust gasses out of the engine. Attempts to increase the area of the openings through the use of multiple valves in each cylinder improves air flow but at the additional cost of operating the additional valves. The need to close exhaust valves prior to the piston reaching top dead center along with the remaining volume of the cylinder at top dead center of the stroke leaves residual exhaust gasses in the cylinder which reduces the oxygen available for combustion.
Another inefficiency of an internal combustion engine occurs at combustion where compression ratios must be kept low in order to avoid pre-ignition. A rich fuel mixture is also employed to help cool intake valves to prevent oxidation and the burning of the valves.
Ideally, higher compression ratios such as are found in diesel engines, where the heat generated through the compression of the fuel/air mixture, will provide more efficient combustion.
Advances are being made in better understanding of the combustion process, for example, the rapid instantaneous combustion of the fuel-air mix heated to combustion under pressure and exploiting the resultant high energy shock wave versus the cooler and more slowly propagating burn of spark ignition.
For example, various research work is currently being carried out to improve the efficiency of jet engines, leading towards the development of commercial RAM or SCRAM jet engines exploiting this pulse energy technology to achieve much higher energies and efficiencies.
A piston in an internal combustion engine during the compression phase of a cycle has a "trailing" connecting rod. This is problematic where ignition occurs prior to the piston reaching top dead center as this pre-ignition will tend to drive the crankshaft in the reverse direction. The smooth transition from compression to power stroke is further hampered by an already decelerating piston resulting in an extended period of the cycle with the piston and connecting rod in that position. Thus, it is not possible to compress the air/fuel mixture to the point where the heat generated by the compressed fuel mixture will ignite on its own, except with the very high octane diesel type fuels. Thus the need for a spark ignition system in gasoline engines and the need to keep compression ratios low, resulting in less than ideal combustion, noxious gasses, and overall inefficiency.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART (and objects of the invention) A wide variety of rotary internal combustion engines has been proposed in the prior art. However, the engines proposed heretofore have had disadvantages or deficiencies which prevented them from being entirely satisfactory predominantly to contain high pressure combustion gasses and provide efficient engine cooling. Many designs typically employ reciprocating or oscillating mass to compress fuel-air mixtures with the inherent inefficiency that this motion brings to conventional engines.
In examining previous patents and current prototypes of rotary engines employing conventional internal combustion engine cylinders and pistons, the following has been noted:
All employ some form of reciprocating or unbalanced rotational motion, All contain high friction bearings, cams and other high friction sliding surfaces surfaces, Nearly all have inadequately addressed efficient and effective engine cooling, Most do not adequately address airflow through the engine and an improved combustion sequence, All have one or more issues with complexity, build-ability, distribution of forces, seals, and adaptability.
It should be duly noted that a practical and commercial energy efficient alternative to the Otto Cycle engine has yet to emerge.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved internal combustion engine, and particularly, an improved engine of combined rotary and pumping piston design which employs a unique geometry that eliminates the need for reciprocating or oscillating mass and which can be effectively sealed and cooled, and is therefore more efficient and technically feasible than predecessor designs.
Another object of the invention is to reduce considerably the need for inefficient high friction bearings and other sliding surfaces such as cam shafts and lobes.
It is another object of this invention to improve the airflow through the engine by integrating a turbocharger into the engine design.
Still a further objective is to provide an improved combustion cycle with direct fuel injection into a clean cylinder, rapid high momentum compression, all forces being directed into a contributing force at steep crank angles.
A further objective of this invention is to provide an internal combustion turbine that is simple and easy to construct using a minimum number of parts and exploits current and conventional state-of-the-art internal combustion engine technology and peripherals.
Still another objective is to make energy saving improvements in power to weight ratio, engine torque, and center of gravity.
Another objective is to allow for the effective integration of engine cooling and lubrication into a combined system, thus eliminating the need for environmentally unfriendly coolants.
Another objective is to reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of the engine in manufacturing, throughout operation and maintenance, and disposal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An internal combustion engine comprised of a circular rotor assembly turning within a cylindrical housing and in which eight cylinders are radially machined wherein pistons will reciprocate relative to the cylinders as the rotor turns. Conventional pistons are attached to a central hub that is geared to rotate in unison with the rotor, the hub offset by half of the distance of the stroke desired. The pistons are connected to the central hub via offset connecting rods to accommodate the geometry of the engine and ensure that the connecting rods are in a forward or leading position throughout the 180-degree cycle of each cylinder. The cylinders are open ended and sealed to the inner surface of the circular housing with spring loaded compression rings. Oil control rings are positioned around the perimeter of the rotor, the rotor being machined to within close tolerance to that surface. As the cylinder passes the appropriate ports in the engine housing, pressurized air is forced into the cylinder to purge exhaust gasses and recharge the clean cylinder prior to the direct injection of fuel into the cylinder. Ignition is then achieved through compression heat as the fuel/air mixture reaches the maximum compression at the halfway point through the cycle at the top dead center of the stroke.
As much less energy is required to maintain circular planetary motion, the principle of this engine is to configure cylinders and pistons in such a manner as to eliminate reciprocating and oscillating motion, in other words, a "turbine". This reduces considerably the energy required to satisfy Newton's First Law of Motion which contributes considerably to the only 25 to 30%
efficiency of a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). A large amount of the energy from combustion is needed just to operate the engine, accelerate and decelerate the mass of a piston and connecting rod thousands of times every minute, and manifests itself as noise, vibration and waste heat.
This design is dependent on the use of a turbocharger to purge exhaust gasses from the cylinders and re-charge them with clean air. The compressed air entering the interstitial space on the ring's outer surface will aid in oil sealing and compression. The ignition - exhaust - purge -charge cycle is straight forward and linear. After the fuel/air mixture ignites the piston moves through 180 degrees and to the bottom of the stroke. There it first encounters the exhaust port for an instant releasing exhaust fumes and pressure and driving the exhaust turbine of the turbocharger. As it moves along it encounters the air intake port which is waiting under pressure for the cylinder to arrive. Since the air intake and exhaust ports are side by side, they will both be open for an instant at the same time allowing the pressurized air to purge the cylinder. As the cylinder moves further along, the exhaust port closes and the cylinder is charged with compressed air. Further along it encounters the fuel injector which is timed to discharge for only the instant that the cylinder opening is in that location. The ECU and injector technology exists to control precisely the timing and amounts of fuel needed and allow direct fuel injection into the cylinder.
To achieve the most efficiency in the combustion chamber, ignition by heat from compression will result in the most complete and clean burning combustion. In an ICE the connecting rod is in the trailing position up to the point of maximum compression. Therefore, pre-ignition is not desirable as the force is in the reverse the direction to the rotation of the engine. Thus the need for a spark ignition system for most fuels to control the timing of ignition, this always at compression ratios less than optimum. Important are the connecting rods of this design, which are offset and always in a leading position, pulling rather than pushing so that the optimum compression can be achieved to ignite the fuel without the tendency to reverse the direction of rotation. This design lends itself well to the use of less-refined fuels, diesel and bio-diesel, and experimental diesel-gasoline or diesel-LNG mixes where the diesel component acts as the "spark plug". With fuel injection occurring well before the ignition point in the cycle, the injector is not subjected to the damaging heat of combustion and the fuel has sufficient time to thoroughly mix prior to combustion.
Each cylinder in this embodiment goes through a complete fuel-ignition-heat conversion-exhaust-purge- charge cycle once per revolution, thus the engine fires 8 times per revolution.
This results in a high torque/low RPM engine which is optimum in terms of efficiency. The extremely low RPM which are required for this engine to idle, with the elimination of reciprocal motion and the mechanical energy needed to operate the valve train, will add to the overall efficiency of any system where this engine is utilized. As much as 17% of energy is wasted by idling in city traffic. The engine will operate continuously in a cylinder shutdown mode with the number of cylinders in power stroke during each revolution determined by the power demand at any given instance together with the most efficient fuel-air mix.
Considerable improvement in the volume, weight and center of gravity are realized in this design that are of benefit automotive applications where performance and efficiency are primary goals.
This embodiment of the invention uses conventional seals consisting of piston rings, and spring loaded compression rings machined into the rotor at the cylinder heads, ground to communicate tightly to the inside of the outer engine housing. Sealing of the rings at the cylinder heads will be further aided by centrifugal force as the rotor turns. The materials that will be needed to construct this engine will consist of the conventional materials that are commonly used in the industry today, with the reduced stresses in the engine allowing for the use of lighter components in order to reduce weight.
This design has eliminated the need for high friction bearings and sliding surfaces. Low friction roller or ball bearings will support the main shaft of the engine to which the pistons are connected and thin section ball bearings are employed to support the rotor and maintain the close tolerances required within the engine housing and ensure that only the cylinder head rings come in contact with the housing of the engine. Connecting rod bearings will be low friction roller bearings, again to minimize frictional forces and is a standard in the industry.
The cooling of the engine in this embodiment is achieved by circulating engine oil throughout the cooling chambers in the engine housing and over the exterior surfaces and channels built into the rotor, the engine oil then filtered and cooled through a radiator and returned to the engine. There is no need for a separate, environmentally unfriendly, water based cooling system. Lubrication will be by means of an oil pump and dry sump, the rotation of the rotor and angled cooling fins throwing oil back to the central hub to lubricate those bearings and dispersed to cool the interior piston and cylinder components, before returning to the sump. With the reduced number of high-friction bearings and surfaces, the life of the oil will be extended for further environmental benefits. Heat dispersion occurs over a larger surface comprised of one half of the circumference of the engine as opposed to concentrated at the cylinder head of each cylinder as in conventional piston engines. Particularly advantageous is the continuous speed at which the cylinder passes any point in its rotation, which is constant. This avoids the concentrated heat loads where the piston slows to a stop and lingers at top dead center of the stroke, at a time when ignition heat is at a maximum with negative effect on cylinder head and valves.
The introduction of water into the combustion cycle of the engine is an additional method of recovering waste heat and converting it to kinetic energy that would be used to increase the power output as well as aid in the cooling of the engine To achieve this, a small amount of water is injected through a power stroke injector, into the hot plasma shortly after ignition so as not to interfere with the ignition process. It is well known that injecting water into the hot plasma after ignition will result in the explosive vaporization of the water adding to the force in the cylinder before it reaches the exhaust port. Exhaust temperatures in conventional diesel engines can range over 720 C. The ECU would control fuel injection rates with water injection rates maintaining optimum energy and temperature levels. The potential also exists to include catalytic additives to the water that can neutralize at high temperatures some of the harmful by-products if combustion.
To be in harmony with nature, rotation will be counter-clockwise for engines in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
In this preferred embodiment of the design illustrated the engine is comprised of 8 cylinders. This would be the optimum number given that multiply cylinders will provide a more even distribution of force and heat, and a compact engine with a square cylinder profile, although the same principles would apply if one were to design the engine with more or fewer cylinders.
The illustrations are not to scale...the engine can be reduced or enlarged in scale depending on the power requirements. Piston stroke and bore can be altered to suit as the illustrations provided show only the principles of this design. The technical details are illustrated in the attached drawings. These are not to scale since the size of the engine can be scaled up or down as desired.
The engine can also be considered modular with multiple units combined to meet a broad range of power options.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1, Section A-A: Horizontal Section illustrating the horizontal aspect of rotor, pistons and cylinders FIGURE 2, Section B-B: Vertical Section illustrating the vertical layout of pistons, rotor, oil ducts and internal engine cooling components, and synchronizing gear train assembly FIGURE 3, Section C-C: Top view, Upper Engine Housing removed showing the top outer rotor surfaces and crankshaft components FIGURE 4, Section D-D: Bottom view, Lower Engine Housing and Sump and Drive Shaft Bearing Housing removed bottom rotor surfaces and synchronizing gear train components FIGURE 5, Section A-A: Engine Operating Cycle illustrating the engine exhaust/
purge, charge and fuel cycle, engine crank angles FIGURE 6: Construction details showing cylinder and rotor seals and oil control rings DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIEMENTS
Figure 1 is a horizontal section (A-A) through the engine at the center of the pistons 1. Figure 2 is a vertical section (B-B) through the engine. These figures show the assemblies of engine components that comprise this embodiment of the invention. In FIG.1, the circular rotor 10 turns within a circular housing or encasement comprised of the upper engine housing 32, lower engine housing 33, perimeter engine housing 34, and bottom dry sump and drive shaft support housing 35. The rotor 18 has, in this embodiment, eight cylinders 14 bored radially from the center of the rotor 18 with the inner edges of the cylinders 14 converging to close proximity at the inner surface of the rotor 18. Irrespective of the material used to cast the rotor 18, an inner wet cast iron liner 16 provides the wear surface for the cylinder head compression 17 and oil control rings 23 to prolong engine life and forms the inner separation of the perimeter engine housing 34 oil cooling channels 41. The outer peripheral surface of the rotor 18 is machined to within a close tolerance to the perimeter engine housing 34 much as the tolerance between conventional ICE
pistons to cylinder walls. The outer cylinder openings or, cylinder heads 15, are sealed to the perimeter engine housing 34 by a series of cylinder head compression rings 17 set in circular grooves closely spaced around the cylinder head 15 opening, the number dependent on the compression ratio desired for the engine. The cylinder head compression rings 17 will, in this case, be seamless and contoured to communicate in tight contact with the curved interior surface of the motor's perimeter engine housing 34. These maintain constant and even pressure against the inner cast iron liner 6 through the use of underlying ribbon springs 37 that will be seamed to allow expansion of the ring in circumference as it is compressed. Contact will be further enhanced by centrifugal forces as the rotor 18 turns. In this embodiment of a diesel engine design where a high compression ratio is desired, three compression rings 17 would be utilized. The rotor oil control rings 23 lie in an oil control ring rabbet 24 machined close to the outer face edges of the rotor 18 and its perimeter. This ring 23 will be seamed to allow for installation and maintain constant pressure against the cast iron lining of the perimeter engine housing 34. These will rotate along with the rotor 18 through contact with a series of rotor oil control ring raised retainers 25 machined into the bottom of the oil control ring rabbet 24 corresponding with notches provided on the underside of the rings 23. This ring 23 is comprised of an inner 27 and outer 26 section as in conventional oil control rings although it is the inner section of the ring 27 that provides the oil scraping function of the ring. The inner section 27 is angled to overcome centrifugal forces and sweep captured oil to the bottom of the groove 24 where it is then returned to the interior of the engine through a series of angled ducts 28.
Pistons 1 are of conventional design with compression rings 2 and piston oil control ring 3 that are found in conventional reciprocating diesel engines. The short connecting rods 6 are attached to the pistons 1 in a conventional manner with piston wrist pins 4 riding on roller bearing assemblies 5. The connecting rods 6 are attached to a drive shaft crank hub 10 machined on the engine drive shaft also by connecting rod wrist pins 7 and connecting rod roller bearing assemblies 8. The center of the drive shaft 9 is offset from the center of the rotor 18 by one half of the desired stroke of the piston 1. The connection points of the connecting rods 6 to the drive shaft crank hub 10 are rotated forward of the cylinders 14 which ensures that the connecting rods 6 are always in a forward or leading position with the piston 1 trailing. The rotation forward of the drive shaft crank hub 10 connecting rod locations is determined by the angle of the connecting rod 6 where it is in closest proximity to the interior edge of the cylinder wall as shown in FIG.2. With the connecting rods 6 always in the forward or "positive"
position the tran ition from the compression stroke in one cycle of the rotor 10 to the power stroke at ignition will be smooth without the tendency to reverse the direction of rotation of the engine as the momentum of the turning rotor and pistons is continuous and not interrupted, as in conventional internal combustion engines, where the piston comes to a stop prior to combustion at top dead center. A further advantage is that the center line of the connecting rods 6 will be within a few degrees of parallel to the center line of the cylinders 53 throughout most of the power stroke thus minimizing the lateral forces of the pistons 1 against the cylinder walls thus reducing engine wear. Cylinders will have cast iron liners 16 should the rotor be constructed of a material not able to withstand the wear caused by the piston rings 2, 3.
The rotor 18 is supported and turns on thin section ball bearing assemblies 12 affixed to the upper and lower engine housings 32, 33, and retained in position to the rotor 18 by raised bearing supporting rings 19 that are machined or cast as an integral part of the rotor 18. The rotor 18 is formed with angular rotor cooling vanes 21 that extend to the underside of the upper engine housing 34 and to the inside of the lower engine housing 33. The edges of these angled rotor cooling vanes 21 are machined to within a close tolerance of the housing surfaces, the angular vanes directing oil over the cylinders 14 and back to the center of the engine to lubricate the synchronizing gear train 57 prior to returning to the dry oil sump 38. Angled oil passages 29 are machined from the vanes under the bearing retaining ring 19 to the interior of the rotor 18 to allow oil to pass through and under the rotor thin section bearing 20 as it is directed toward the center of the engine. This combines the lubrication and cooling of the engine into one simple system where oil cools the exterior of the cylinders 53 as well as the interior at the same time thoroughly lubricating all moving parts of the engine. The oil flow is unique in that the angled vanes move oil back to the center of the engine overcoming the centrifugal force that would otherwise force the oil to the perimeter. The oil then drops over the synchronizing gear train 58 to accumulate in the dry oil sump 20 where a scavenger oil pump 41 returns it through a filter to the radiator, and oil reservoir (not shown) before being returned to the engine by a secondary oil pump (not shown).
FIG.1 and FIG.2, sections through the perimeter engine housing 34 of the engine illustrate the method of cooling the perimeter of the engine. The perimeter exterior housing 34 will have a series of horizontal oil channels 41 cast or machined into the housing and interconnected by a series of vertical channels 40 that ensure an even distribution of oil, in particular where the horizontal channels 41 are interrupted when access to the cylinder heads 15, i.e. injectors 30, 31, and intake and exhaust manifold 45, is required. An interior wet cast iron liner 16 is pressure fitted into the housing to seal the oil channels from the interior of the engine and is the wear surface for the cylinder head compression rings 9 and rotor oil control ring 23.
Oil is forced under pressure throughout these cooling ducts and then moves via a series of ducts 44 through the lower 32 and upper 31 engine housings to enter the interior of the engine at intervals flowing over the cylinders 53 while being swept back to the center of the engine by the rotor angled cooling vanes 21.
FIG 3 is a view from above the engine with the upper engine housing 32 removed and illustrates the configuration of the rotor cooling vanes 21. FIG.1 and FIG.2 illustrate the proposed oil flow path through the interior of the engine. The exterior vertical 40 and horizontal 41 oil channels will also be tapped to provide oil to the oil cooled turbocharger 50 before being returned to the dry sump 20. The rotor angled cooling vanes 21 extend to the upper 32 and lower 33 engine housings and are machined to within a close tolerance of the interior surfaces to ensure oil is swept back to the center of the engine. FIG.3 also shows the drive shaft upper connecting rod flange 11 with its raised vanes 13 which throw oil into the cylinders 14 to cool and lubricate the pistons 1 providing a constant flow of oil as the drive shaft 9 rotates.
FIG.4, horizontal section (D-D) is a view from the underside of the engine, with the dry sump and drive shaft support housing 21 removed, to show the synchronizing gear train assembly consisting of the rotor synchronizing gear 58, the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59, and the synchronizing gear pinion 60. The rotor synchronizing gear 58 attached to a gear support flange 65 projecting inwards from the bottom edge of the rotor 18, lies above the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59 fixed to the drive shaft 9 and position of the gear pinion 60 that interconnects the two is indicated. The scavenger oil pump 39 is also driven by the rotor synchronizing gear 58, located in the position shown with the oil pump 39 below.
The gear train that synchronizes the rotation of the rotor 18 and drive shaft 9, shown in FIG.4, consists of two gears having the identical diameter, pitch and profile, the rotor synchronizing gear 58 and the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59. The teeth on both gears face outward and mesh with the connecting synchronizing pinion gear mounted on a roller bearing assembly 60. This pinion 60 rotates on a shaft that extends to the underside of the rotor 18 and is integral to the bottom dry sump and drive shaft bearing support housing 21.
An integral component of this embodiment is the oil cooled turbo charger 50, FIG.1,2,3,4. The oil cooled turbo charger 50 is required to purge exhaust gases from the cylinder 14, and re-charge the engine with fresh air. The power and efficiency gains of turbochargers are well understood in the industry. The added advantage is that exhaust gasses can be completely purged from the cylinders 14 as opposed to conventional piston engines where exhaust valves close at top dead center and residual exhaust gasses remain in the cylinder, the amount dependent on the compression ratio of the engine, less in high compression diesel engines and more in lower compression engines. The turbocharger 50 is mounted to the combined intake/exhaust manifold 45 attached to the engine over the adjacent intake 45 and exhaust 46 ports. The intake/exhaust manifold 45 will contain the throttle body 48 of the engine, the throttle butterfly 49 controlling air flow, as in conventional engines.
FIGS is a horizontal section (A-A) through this embodiment of the invention at the center line of the cylinders 53 and illustrates the circular profiles of the engine's rotor 18, crankshaft and pistons, their centers identified 84,83,82 and the crank angles 81 of the connecting rods 6 of this embodiment. The crank angles 81 will be close to parallel to the center line of the cylinders 14 during the power stroke reducing lateral forces and consequential cylinder wear. FIG.5 illustrates the position of the pistons 1 through rotation and the operating cycle the engine. The pistons 1 are identified in dotted outline throughout the cycle to show the changes in combustion chamber volume and in particular, the rapid compression just prior to the point of ignition. In solid outline are the pistons 1 at the six action points of the cycle. As the cylinder head 15 opening first exposes the exhaust ports 46, the pressurized exhaust gasses are immediately released through the intake/exhaust manifold 45 and drive the exhaust turbine 52 of the oil cooled turbocharger 50. The return to atmospheric pressure is immediate, the reason why, for example, pressurized air is used to activate valves in high speed Formula 1 engines where conventional metal springs cannot react rapidly enough. The cylinder head 15 then moves forward to expose both the exhaust ports 46 and the intake ports 47 where pressurized clean air from the turbocharger compressor 51 purges the remainder of exhaust gasses, which are at lower atmospheric pressure at this point. The exhaust ports 46 then are bypassed and closed to the cylinder head 15 with the intake ports 47 fully exposed to be charged with pressurized clean air. Once the intake ports 47 are bypassed, fuel can be added by high pressure fuel injector 30 while the piston 1 is near the bottom of its stroke, the amount of fuel controlled by the Engine Control Unit (ECU, not shown).
This early addition of fuel ensures a thorough mixing of fuel and air as the cylinder 14 and piston 1 moves toward maximum compression and ignition, to achieve the most efficient and clean combustion. At top dead center of the cycle the momentum of the rotor 18 with the four preceding pistons 1 in power stroke rapidly compress the fuel mixture overcoming the pre-ignition forces. The connecting rod 6 angle 81 at ignition is leading the pistonl which directs pre-ignition forces into contributing to the engines power. During the power stroke water is injected 31 into the cylinder 14 to exploit the energy available from vaporizing water in order to convert excess heat to kinetic energy, and as a means to introduce catalytic agents into hot exhaust gasses to help reduce harmful emissions.
FIG.6 illustrates the method of providing effective engine seals for the cylinders 14 and the cylinder head 15. Pistons 1 are of conventional design using state of the art compression rings 2 and oil control ring 3. Sealing of the cylinder head 15 is achieved through the use of again a series of circular compression rings 17, in this case they will be seamless, which circle the cylinder head 15 opening and are contoured to communicate in tight contact with the inner cast iron lining 36 of the engine's perimeter engine housing 34. The contact pressure is maintained by the use of an underlying ribbon spring 37 of which the dimensions and stiffness will be determined by the pressure required to maintain a tight seal. This contact will be further enhanced by centrifugal forces as the rotor 18 spins during operation. Oiling of the compression rings 17 is achieved through small ducts 22 bored through from the interior of the rotor and engine to the underside of the leading compression ring 17. Oil will pass through the ducts by centrifugal force with the size and number determined by the lubrication needs of the compression rings 17.In this preferred embodiment of the design the engine is comprised of 8 cylinders. Although it is suggested that this is the optimum number for many applications, the same principles would apply if one were to design the engine with more or fewer cylinders. The illustrations are not to scale as the engine size can be reduced or enlarged depending on the power requirements. Piston bore, stroke and compression can be altered to suit as the illustrations provided show only the principles of this design.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
I . An internal combustion turbine comprising:
a circular engine housing cylindrical in shape and composed of a top, perimeter, bottom and sump sections with openings provided in the perimeter housing for injectors, intake and exhaust ports;
a circular rotor with an open center supported by low friction ball or roller bearings and with a plurality of cylinders bored axially from the inner to outer surfaces of the rotor; the objective of which is to achieve the pumping action needed to compress a fuel/air mixture in a cylinder without energy consuming reciprocating or oscillating motion;
2. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that incorporates a turbocharger and throttle assembly as an integral component of the engine; eliminating the need for the energy consuming valve train with its high friction bearings, sliding surfaces, stiff valve springs and restrictive valves; provide the most efficient airflow through the engine fully exploiting current turbocharger and direct fuel injection technology;
Thus 8 cylinders requiring a total of 112,000 pounds of force needed to operate the ICE with no benefit other than making the engine function.
The constraint created by the articulated configuration of the crankshaft requires that the support bearings and connecting rod bearings are of the less efficient friction type to be able to be positioned. These bearings are usually made of softer metals that will deform under heavy loads adding to the heat load of the engine and requiring stiffer and heavier crankshafts in order to resist flexing and vibration. Maintaining the high pressure oil lubrication required by these bearings is also plays a large part in engine life and maintenance.
The valve train in a conventional internal combustion engine and the need to compress very stiff valve springs many thousands of times every minute through a system of high-friction cams, lifters and high friction bearings, has a significant impact on the efficiency of the engine. The restrictive nature of the valve openings also hinder the flow of air into and exhaust gasses out of the engine. Attempts to increase the area of the openings through the use of multiple valves in each cylinder improves air flow but at the additional cost of operating the additional valves. The need to close exhaust valves prior to the piston reaching top dead center along with the remaining volume of the cylinder at top dead center of the stroke leaves residual exhaust gasses in the cylinder which reduces the oxygen available for combustion.
Another inefficiency of an internal combustion engine occurs at combustion where compression ratios must be kept low in order to avoid pre-ignition. A rich fuel mixture is also employed to help cool intake valves to prevent oxidation and the burning of the valves.
Ideally, higher compression ratios such as are found in diesel engines, where the heat generated through the compression of the fuel/air mixture, will provide more efficient combustion.
Advances are being made in better understanding of the combustion process, for example, the rapid instantaneous combustion of the fuel-air mix heated to combustion under pressure and exploiting the resultant high energy shock wave versus the cooler and more slowly propagating burn of spark ignition.
For example, various research work is currently being carried out to improve the efficiency of jet engines, leading towards the development of commercial RAM or SCRAM jet engines exploiting this pulse energy technology to achieve much higher energies and efficiencies.
A piston in an internal combustion engine during the compression phase of a cycle has a "trailing" connecting rod. This is problematic where ignition occurs prior to the piston reaching top dead center as this pre-ignition will tend to drive the crankshaft in the reverse direction. The smooth transition from compression to power stroke is further hampered by an already decelerating piston resulting in an extended period of the cycle with the piston and connecting rod in that position. Thus, it is not possible to compress the air/fuel mixture to the point where the heat generated by the compressed fuel mixture will ignite on its own, except with the very high octane diesel type fuels. Thus the need for a spark ignition system in gasoline engines and the need to keep compression ratios low, resulting in less than ideal combustion, noxious gasses, and overall inefficiency.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART (and objects of the invention) A wide variety of rotary internal combustion engines has been proposed in the prior art. However, the engines proposed heretofore have had disadvantages or deficiencies which prevented them from being entirely satisfactory predominantly to contain high pressure combustion gasses and provide efficient engine cooling. Many designs typically employ reciprocating or oscillating mass to compress fuel-air mixtures with the inherent inefficiency that this motion brings to conventional engines.
In examining previous patents and current prototypes of rotary engines employing conventional internal combustion engine cylinders and pistons, the following has been noted:
All employ some form of reciprocating or unbalanced rotational motion, All contain high friction bearings, cams and other high friction sliding surfaces surfaces, Nearly all have inadequately addressed efficient and effective engine cooling, Most do not adequately address airflow through the engine and an improved combustion sequence, All have one or more issues with complexity, build-ability, distribution of forces, seals, and adaptability.
It should be duly noted that a practical and commercial energy efficient alternative to the Otto Cycle engine has yet to emerge.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved internal combustion engine, and particularly, an improved engine of combined rotary and pumping piston design which employs a unique geometry that eliminates the need for reciprocating or oscillating mass and which can be effectively sealed and cooled, and is therefore more efficient and technically feasible than predecessor designs.
Another object of the invention is to reduce considerably the need for inefficient high friction bearings and other sliding surfaces such as cam shafts and lobes.
It is another object of this invention to improve the airflow through the engine by integrating a turbocharger into the engine design.
Still a further objective is to provide an improved combustion cycle with direct fuel injection into a clean cylinder, rapid high momentum compression, all forces being directed into a contributing force at steep crank angles.
A further objective of this invention is to provide an internal combustion turbine that is simple and easy to construct using a minimum number of parts and exploits current and conventional state-of-the-art internal combustion engine technology and peripherals.
Still another objective is to make energy saving improvements in power to weight ratio, engine torque, and center of gravity.
Another objective is to allow for the effective integration of engine cooling and lubrication into a combined system, thus eliminating the need for environmentally unfriendly coolants.
Another objective is to reduce the life-cycle carbon footprint of the engine in manufacturing, throughout operation and maintenance, and disposal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An internal combustion engine comprised of a circular rotor assembly turning within a cylindrical housing and in which eight cylinders are radially machined wherein pistons will reciprocate relative to the cylinders as the rotor turns. Conventional pistons are attached to a central hub that is geared to rotate in unison with the rotor, the hub offset by half of the distance of the stroke desired. The pistons are connected to the central hub via offset connecting rods to accommodate the geometry of the engine and ensure that the connecting rods are in a forward or leading position throughout the 180-degree cycle of each cylinder. The cylinders are open ended and sealed to the inner surface of the circular housing with spring loaded compression rings. Oil control rings are positioned around the perimeter of the rotor, the rotor being machined to within close tolerance to that surface. As the cylinder passes the appropriate ports in the engine housing, pressurized air is forced into the cylinder to purge exhaust gasses and recharge the clean cylinder prior to the direct injection of fuel into the cylinder. Ignition is then achieved through compression heat as the fuel/air mixture reaches the maximum compression at the halfway point through the cycle at the top dead center of the stroke.
As much less energy is required to maintain circular planetary motion, the principle of this engine is to configure cylinders and pistons in such a manner as to eliminate reciprocating and oscillating motion, in other words, a "turbine". This reduces considerably the energy required to satisfy Newton's First Law of Motion which contributes considerably to the only 25 to 30%
efficiency of a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). A large amount of the energy from combustion is needed just to operate the engine, accelerate and decelerate the mass of a piston and connecting rod thousands of times every minute, and manifests itself as noise, vibration and waste heat.
This design is dependent on the use of a turbocharger to purge exhaust gasses from the cylinders and re-charge them with clean air. The compressed air entering the interstitial space on the ring's outer surface will aid in oil sealing and compression. The ignition - exhaust - purge -charge cycle is straight forward and linear. After the fuel/air mixture ignites the piston moves through 180 degrees and to the bottom of the stroke. There it first encounters the exhaust port for an instant releasing exhaust fumes and pressure and driving the exhaust turbine of the turbocharger. As it moves along it encounters the air intake port which is waiting under pressure for the cylinder to arrive. Since the air intake and exhaust ports are side by side, they will both be open for an instant at the same time allowing the pressurized air to purge the cylinder. As the cylinder moves further along, the exhaust port closes and the cylinder is charged with compressed air. Further along it encounters the fuel injector which is timed to discharge for only the instant that the cylinder opening is in that location. The ECU and injector technology exists to control precisely the timing and amounts of fuel needed and allow direct fuel injection into the cylinder.
To achieve the most efficiency in the combustion chamber, ignition by heat from compression will result in the most complete and clean burning combustion. In an ICE the connecting rod is in the trailing position up to the point of maximum compression. Therefore, pre-ignition is not desirable as the force is in the reverse the direction to the rotation of the engine. Thus the need for a spark ignition system for most fuels to control the timing of ignition, this always at compression ratios less than optimum. Important are the connecting rods of this design, which are offset and always in a leading position, pulling rather than pushing so that the optimum compression can be achieved to ignite the fuel without the tendency to reverse the direction of rotation. This design lends itself well to the use of less-refined fuels, diesel and bio-diesel, and experimental diesel-gasoline or diesel-LNG mixes where the diesel component acts as the "spark plug". With fuel injection occurring well before the ignition point in the cycle, the injector is not subjected to the damaging heat of combustion and the fuel has sufficient time to thoroughly mix prior to combustion.
Each cylinder in this embodiment goes through a complete fuel-ignition-heat conversion-exhaust-purge- charge cycle once per revolution, thus the engine fires 8 times per revolution.
This results in a high torque/low RPM engine which is optimum in terms of efficiency. The extremely low RPM which are required for this engine to idle, with the elimination of reciprocal motion and the mechanical energy needed to operate the valve train, will add to the overall efficiency of any system where this engine is utilized. As much as 17% of energy is wasted by idling in city traffic. The engine will operate continuously in a cylinder shutdown mode with the number of cylinders in power stroke during each revolution determined by the power demand at any given instance together with the most efficient fuel-air mix.
Considerable improvement in the volume, weight and center of gravity are realized in this design that are of benefit automotive applications where performance and efficiency are primary goals.
This embodiment of the invention uses conventional seals consisting of piston rings, and spring loaded compression rings machined into the rotor at the cylinder heads, ground to communicate tightly to the inside of the outer engine housing. Sealing of the rings at the cylinder heads will be further aided by centrifugal force as the rotor turns. The materials that will be needed to construct this engine will consist of the conventional materials that are commonly used in the industry today, with the reduced stresses in the engine allowing for the use of lighter components in order to reduce weight.
This design has eliminated the need for high friction bearings and sliding surfaces. Low friction roller or ball bearings will support the main shaft of the engine to which the pistons are connected and thin section ball bearings are employed to support the rotor and maintain the close tolerances required within the engine housing and ensure that only the cylinder head rings come in contact with the housing of the engine. Connecting rod bearings will be low friction roller bearings, again to minimize frictional forces and is a standard in the industry.
The cooling of the engine in this embodiment is achieved by circulating engine oil throughout the cooling chambers in the engine housing and over the exterior surfaces and channels built into the rotor, the engine oil then filtered and cooled through a radiator and returned to the engine. There is no need for a separate, environmentally unfriendly, water based cooling system. Lubrication will be by means of an oil pump and dry sump, the rotation of the rotor and angled cooling fins throwing oil back to the central hub to lubricate those bearings and dispersed to cool the interior piston and cylinder components, before returning to the sump. With the reduced number of high-friction bearings and surfaces, the life of the oil will be extended for further environmental benefits. Heat dispersion occurs over a larger surface comprised of one half of the circumference of the engine as opposed to concentrated at the cylinder head of each cylinder as in conventional piston engines. Particularly advantageous is the continuous speed at which the cylinder passes any point in its rotation, which is constant. This avoids the concentrated heat loads where the piston slows to a stop and lingers at top dead center of the stroke, at a time when ignition heat is at a maximum with negative effect on cylinder head and valves.
The introduction of water into the combustion cycle of the engine is an additional method of recovering waste heat and converting it to kinetic energy that would be used to increase the power output as well as aid in the cooling of the engine To achieve this, a small amount of water is injected through a power stroke injector, into the hot plasma shortly after ignition so as not to interfere with the ignition process. It is well known that injecting water into the hot plasma after ignition will result in the explosive vaporization of the water adding to the force in the cylinder before it reaches the exhaust port. Exhaust temperatures in conventional diesel engines can range over 720 C. The ECU would control fuel injection rates with water injection rates maintaining optimum energy and temperature levels. The potential also exists to include catalytic additives to the water that can neutralize at high temperatures some of the harmful by-products if combustion.
To be in harmony with nature, rotation will be counter-clockwise for engines in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
In this preferred embodiment of the design illustrated the engine is comprised of 8 cylinders. This would be the optimum number given that multiply cylinders will provide a more even distribution of force and heat, and a compact engine with a square cylinder profile, although the same principles would apply if one were to design the engine with more or fewer cylinders.
The illustrations are not to scale...the engine can be reduced or enlarged in scale depending on the power requirements. Piston stroke and bore can be altered to suit as the illustrations provided show only the principles of this design. The technical details are illustrated in the attached drawings. These are not to scale since the size of the engine can be scaled up or down as desired.
The engine can also be considered modular with multiple units combined to meet a broad range of power options.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGURE 1, Section A-A: Horizontal Section illustrating the horizontal aspect of rotor, pistons and cylinders FIGURE 2, Section B-B: Vertical Section illustrating the vertical layout of pistons, rotor, oil ducts and internal engine cooling components, and synchronizing gear train assembly FIGURE 3, Section C-C: Top view, Upper Engine Housing removed showing the top outer rotor surfaces and crankshaft components FIGURE 4, Section D-D: Bottom view, Lower Engine Housing and Sump and Drive Shaft Bearing Housing removed bottom rotor surfaces and synchronizing gear train components FIGURE 5, Section A-A: Engine Operating Cycle illustrating the engine exhaust/
purge, charge and fuel cycle, engine crank angles FIGURE 6: Construction details showing cylinder and rotor seals and oil control rings DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIEMENTS
Figure 1 is a horizontal section (A-A) through the engine at the center of the pistons 1. Figure 2 is a vertical section (B-B) through the engine. These figures show the assemblies of engine components that comprise this embodiment of the invention. In FIG.1, the circular rotor 10 turns within a circular housing or encasement comprised of the upper engine housing 32, lower engine housing 33, perimeter engine housing 34, and bottom dry sump and drive shaft support housing 35. The rotor 18 has, in this embodiment, eight cylinders 14 bored radially from the center of the rotor 18 with the inner edges of the cylinders 14 converging to close proximity at the inner surface of the rotor 18. Irrespective of the material used to cast the rotor 18, an inner wet cast iron liner 16 provides the wear surface for the cylinder head compression 17 and oil control rings 23 to prolong engine life and forms the inner separation of the perimeter engine housing 34 oil cooling channels 41. The outer peripheral surface of the rotor 18 is machined to within a close tolerance to the perimeter engine housing 34 much as the tolerance between conventional ICE
pistons to cylinder walls. The outer cylinder openings or, cylinder heads 15, are sealed to the perimeter engine housing 34 by a series of cylinder head compression rings 17 set in circular grooves closely spaced around the cylinder head 15 opening, the number dependent on the compression ratio desired for the engine. The cylinder head compression rings 17 will, in this case, be seamless and contoured to communicate in tight contact with the curved interior surface of the motor's perimeter engine housing 34. These maintain constant and even pressure against the inner cast iron liner 6 through the use of underlying ribbon springs 37 that will be seamed to allow expansion of the ring in circumference as it is compressed. Contact will be further enhanced by centrifugal forces as the rotor 18 turns. In this embodiment of a diesel engine design where a high compression ratio is desired, three compression rings 17 would be utilized. The rotor oil control rings 23 lie in an oil control ring rabbet 24 machined close to the outer face edges of the rotor 18 and its perimeter. This ring 23 will be seamed to allow for installation and maintain constant pressure against the cast iron lining of the perimeter engine housing 34. These will rotate along with the rotor 18 through contact with a series of rotor oil control ring raised retainers 25 machined into the bottom of the oil control ring rabbet 24 corresponding with notches provided on the underside of the rings 23. This ring 23 is comprised of an inner 27 and outer 26 section as in conventional oil control rings although it is the inner section of the ring 27 that provides the oil scraping function of the ring. The inner section 27 is angled to overcome centrifugal forces and sweep captured oil to the bottom of the groove 24 where it is then returned to the interior of the engine through a series of angled ducts 28.
Pistons 1 are of conventional design with compression rings 2 and piston oil control ring 3 that are found in conventional reciprocating diesel engines. The short connecting rods 6 are attached to the pistons 1 in a conventional manner with piston wrist pins 4 riding on roller bearing assemblies 5. The connecting rods 6 are attached to a drive shaft crank hub 10 machined on the engine drive shaft also by connecting rod wrist pins 7 and connecting rod roller bearing assemblies 8. The center of the drive shaft 9 is offset from the center of the rotor 18 by one half of the desired stroke of the piston 1. The connection points of the connecting rods 6 to the drive shaft crank hub 10 are rotated forward of the cylinders 14 which ensures that the connecting rods 6 are always in a forward or leading position with the piston 1 trailing. The rotation forward of the drive shaft crank hub 10 connecting rod locations is determined by the angle of the connecting rod 6 where it is in closest proximity to the interior edge of the cylinder wall as shown in FIG.2. With the connecting rods 6 always in the forward or "positive"
position the tran ition from the compression stroke in one cycle of the rotor 10 to the power stroke at ignition will be smooth without the tendency to reverse the direction of rotation of the engine as the momentum of the turning rotor and pistons is continuous and not interrupted, as in conventional internal combustion engines, where the piston comes to a stop prior to combustion at top dead center. A further advantage is that the center line of the connecting rods 6 will be within a few degrees of parallel to the center line of the cylinders 53 throughout most of the power stroke thus minimizing the lateral forces of the pistons 1 against the cylinder walls thus reducing engine wear. Cylinders will have cast iron liners 16 should the rotor be constructed of a material not able to withstand the wear caused by the piston rings 2, 3.
The rotor 18 is supported and turns on thin section ball bearing assemblies 12 affixed to the upper and lower engine housings 32, 33, and retained in position to the rotor 18 by raised bearing supporting rings 19 that are machined or cast as an integral part of the rotor 18. The rotor 18 is formed with angular rotor cooling vanes 21 that extend to the underside of the upper engine housing 34 and to the inside of the lower engine housing 33. The edges of these angled rotor cooling vanes 21 are machined to within a close tolerance of the housing surfaces, the angular vanes directing oil over the cylinders 14 and back to the center of the engine to lubricate the synchronizing gear train 57 prior to returning to the dry oil sump 38. Angled oil passages 29 are machined from the vanes under the bearing retaining ring 19 to the interior of the rotor 18 to allow oil to pass through and under the rotor thin section bearing 20 as it is directed toward the center of the engine. This combines the lubrication and cooling of the engine into one simple system where oil cools the exterior of the cylinders 53 as well as the interior at the same time thoroughly lubricating all moving parts of the engine. The oil flow is unique in that the angled vanes move oil back to the center of the engine overcoming the centrifugal force that would otherwise force the oil to the perimeter. The oil then drops over the synchronizing gear train 58 to accumulate in the dry oil sump 20 where a scavenger oil pump 41 returns it through a filter to the radiator, and oil reservoir (not shown) before being returned to the engine by a secondary oil pump (not shown).
FIG.1 and FIG.2, sections through the perimeter engine housing 34 of the engine illustrate the method of cooling the perimeter of the engine. The perimeter exterior housing 34 will have a series of horizontal oil channels 41 cast or machined into the housing and interconnected by a series of vertical channels 40 that ensure an even distribution of oil, in particular where the horizontal channels 41 are interrupted when access to the cylinder heads 15, i.e. injectors 30, 31, and intake and exhaust manifold 45, is required. An interior wet cast iron liner 16 is pressure fitted into the housing to seal the oil channels from the interior of the engine and is the wear surface for the cylinder head compression rings 9 and rotor oil control ring 23.
Oil is forced under pressure throughout these cooling ducts and then moves via a series of ducts 44 through the lower 32 and upper 31 engine housings to enter the interior of the engine at intervals flowing over the cylinders 53 while being swept back to the center of the engine by the rotor angled cooling vanes 21.
FIG 3 is a view from above the engine with the upper engine housing 32 removed and illustrates the configuration of the rotor cooling vanes 21. FIG.1 and FIG.2 illustrate the proposed oil flow path through the interior of the engine. The exterior vertical 40 and horizontal 41 oil channels will also be tapped to provide oil to the oil cooled turbocharger 50 before being returned to the dry sump 20. The rotor angled cooling vanes 21 extend to the upper 32 and lower 33 engine housings and are machined to within a close tolerance of the interior surfaces to ensure oil is swept back to the center of the engine. FIG.3 also shows the drive shaft upper connecting rod flange 11 with its raised vanes 13 which throw oil into the cylinders 14 to cool and lubricate the pistons 1 providing a constant flow of oil as the drive shaft 9 rotates.
FIG.4, horizontal section (D-D) is a view from the underside of the engine, with the dry sump and drive shaft support housing 21 removed, to show the synchronizing gear train assembly consisting of the rotor synchronizing gear 58, the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59, and the synchronizing gear pinion 60. The rotor synchronizing gear 58 attached to a gear support flange 65 projecting inwards from the bottom edge of the rotor 18, lies above the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59 fixed to the drive shaft 9 and position of the gear pinion 60 that interconnects the two is indicated. The scavenger oil pump 39 is also driven by the rotor synchronizing gear 58, located in the position shown with the oil pump 39 below.
The gear train that synchronizes the rotation of the rotor 18 and drive shaft 9, shown in FIG.4, consists of two gears having the identical diameter, pitch and profile, the rotor synchronizing gear 58 and the drive shaft synchronizing gear 59. The teeth on both gears face outward and mesh with the connecting synchronizing pinion gear mounted on a roller bearing assembly 60. This pinion 60 rotates on a shaft that extends to the underside of the rotor 18 and is integral to the bottom dry sump and drive shaft bearing support housing 21.
An integral component of this embodiment is the oil cooled turbo charger 50, FIG.1,2,3,4. The oil cooled turbo charger 50 is required to purge exhaust gases from the cylinder 14, and re-charge the engine with fresh air. The power and efficiency gains of turbochargers are well understood in the industry. The added advantage is that exhaust gasses can be completely purged from the cylinders 14 as opposed to conventional piston engines where exhaust valves close at top dead center and residual exhaust gasses remain in the cylinder, the amount dependent on the compression ratio of the engine, less in high compression diesel engines and more in lower compression engines. The turbocharger 50 is mounted to the combined intake/exhaust manifold 45 attached to the engine over the adjacent intake 45 and exhaust 46 ports. The intake/exhaust manifold 45 will contain the throttle body 48 of the engine, the throttle butterfly 49 controlling air flow, as in conventional engines.
FIGS is a horizontal section (A-A) through this embodiment of the invention at the center line of the cylinders 53 and illustrates the circular profiles of the engine's rotor 18, crankshaft and pistons, their centers identified 84,83,82 and the crank angles 81 of the connecting rods 6 of this embodiment. The crank angles 81 will be close to parallel to the center line of the cylinders 14 during the power stroke reducing lateral forces and consequential cylinder wear. FIG.5 illustrates the position of the pistons 1 through rotation and the operating cycle the engine. The pistons 1 are identified in dotted outline throughout the cycle to show the changes in combustion chamber volume and in particular, the rapid compression just prior to the point of ignition. In solid outline are the pistons 1 at the six action points of the cycle. As the cylinder head 15 opening first exposes the exhaust ports 46, the pressurized exhaust gasses are immediately released through the intake/exhaust manifold 45 and drive the exhaust turbine 52 of the oil cooled turbocharger 50. The return to atmospheric pressure is immediate, the reason why, for example, pressurized air is used to activate valves in high speed Formula 1 engines where conventional metal springs cannot react rapidly enough. The cylinder head 15 then moves forward to expose both the exhaust ports 46 and the intake ports 47 where pressurized clean air from the turbocharger compressor 51 purges the remainder of exhaust gasses, which are at lower atmospheric pressure at this point. The exhaust ports 46 then are bypassed and closed to the cylinder head 15 with the intake ports 47 fully exposed to be charged with pressurized clean air. Once the intake ports 47 are bypassed, fuel can be added by high pressure fuel injector 30 while the piston 1 is near the bottom of its stroke, the amount of fuel controlled by the Engine Control Unit (ECU, not shown).
This early addition of fuel ensures a thorough mixing of fuel and air as the cylinder 14 and piston 1 moves toward maximum compression and ignition, to achieve the most efficient and clean combustion. At top dead center of the cycle the momentum of the rotor 18 with the four preceding pistons 1 in power stroke rapidly compress the fuel mixture overcoming the pre-ignition forces. The connecting rod 6 angle 81 at ignition is leading the pistonl which directs pre-ignition forces into contributing to the engines power. During the power stroke water is injected 31 into the cylinder 14 to exploit the energy available from vaporizing water in order to convert excess heat to kinetic energy, and as a means to introduce catalytic agents into hot exhaust gasses to help reduce harmful emissions.
FIG.6 illustrates the method of providing effective engine seals for the cylinders 14 and the cylinder head 15. Pistons 1 are of conventional design using state of the art compression rings 2 and oil control ring 3. Sealing of the cylinder head 15 is achieved through the use of again a series of circular compression rings 17, in this case they will be seamless, which circle the cylinder head 15 opening and are contoured to communicate in tight contact with the inner cast iron lining 36 of the engine's perimeter engine housing 34. The contact pressure is maintained by the use of an underlying ribbon spring 37 of which the dimensions and stiffness will be determined by the pressure required to maintain a tight seal. This contact will be further enhanced by centrifugal forces as the rotor 18 spins during operation. Oiling of the compression rings 17 is achieved through small ducts 22 bored through from the interior of the rotor and engine to the underside of the leading compression ring 17. Oil will pass through the ducts by centrifugal force with the size and number determined by the lubrication needs of the compression rings 17.In this preferred embodiment of the design the engine is comprised of 8 cylinders. Although it is suggested that this is the optimum number for many applications, the same principles would apply if one were to design the engine with more or fewer cylinders. The illustrations are not to scale as the engine size can be reduced or enlarged depending on the power requirements. Piston bore, stroke and compression can be altered to suit as the illustrations provided show only the principles of this design.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
I . An internal combustion turbine comprising:
a circular engine housing cylindrical in shape and composed of a top, perimeter, bottom and sump sections with openings provided in the perimeter housing for injectors, intake and exhaust ports;
a circular rotor with an open center supported by low friction ball or roller bearings and with a plurality of cylinders bored axially from the inner to outer surfaces of the rotor; the objective of which is to achieve the pumping action needed to compress a fuel/air mixture in a cylinder without energy consuming reciprocating or oscillating motion;
2. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that incorporates a turbocharger and throttle assembly as an integral component of the engine; eliminating the need for the energy consuming valve train with its high friction bearings, sliding surfaces, stiff valve springs and restrictive valves; provide the most efficient airflow through the engine fully exploiting current turbocharger and direct fuel injection technology;
Claims (11)
1. An internal combustion turbine comprising:
a circular engine housing cylindrical in shape and composed of a top, perimeter, bottom and sump sections with openings provided in the perimeter housing for injectors, intake and exhaust ports;
a circular rotor with an open center supported by low friction ball or roller bearings and with a plurality of cylinders bored axially from the inner to outer surfaces of the rotor; the objective of which is to achieve the pumping action needed to compress a fuel/air mixture in a cylinder without energy consuming reciprocating or oscillating motion;
a circular engine housing cylindrical in shape and composed of a top, perimeter, bottom and sump sections with openings provided in the perimeter housing for injectors, intake and exhaust ports;
a circular rotor with an open center supported by low friction ball or roller bearings and with a plurality of cylinders bored axially from the inner to outer surfaces of the rotor; the objective of which is to achieve the pumping action needed to compress a fuel/air mixture in a cylinder without energy consuming reciprocating or oscillating motion;
2. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that incorporates a turbocharger and throttle assembly as an integral component of the engine; eliminating the need for the energy consuming valve train with its high friction bearings, sliding surfaces, stiff valve springs and restrictive valves; provide the most efficient airflow through the engine fully exploiting current turbocharger and direct fuel injection technology;
restrictive valves; provide the most efficient airflow through the engine fully exploiting current turbocharger and direct fuel injection technology;
restrictive valves; provide the most efficient airflow through the engine fully exploiting current turbocharger and direct fuel injection technology;
3. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that is devoid of any high friction bearings or sliding surfaces with all moving parts supported on low friction ball or roller bearings;
4. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claims 1, 2, and 3, and the reduced heat loads resulting from these claims, allowing the incorporation of engine cooling and lubrication into a single effective and efficient oil based system eliminating the need for environmentally unfriendly engine coolants;
5. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 with a low center of gravity, reduced volume and mass, exceptional power to weight and power to engine speed ratios, and low center of gravity;
6. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that is easy to build using current state-of -the art materials and, seals, and fuel technology;
7. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that exploits water injection to convert excess heat energy to kinetic energy for increased efficiency and as a means to introduce catalytic agents into hot exhaust gasses to help reduce harmful emissions;
8. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 optimises heat and force distribution to minimize stress on engine components;
9. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that will operate in a cylinder shutdown mode (Cylinder on Demand) at all times without mechanical intervention;
10. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that is scalable and modular providing a wide range of power options readily adaptable to all power train configurations;
11. An internal combustion turbine as described in Claim 1 that will have a low Life Cycle carbon footprint with savings in manufacturing, operation and maintenance.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2818797 CA2818797A1 (en) | 2013-06-20 | 2013-06-20 | Saizew internal combustion diesel turbine (st) |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2818797 CA2818797A1 (en) | 2013-06-20 | 2013-06-20 | Saizew internal combustion diesel turbine (st) |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2818797A1 true CA2818797A1 (en) | 2014-12-20 |
Family
ID=52105638
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2818797 Abandoned CA2818797A1 (en) | 2013-06-20 | 2013-06-20 | Saizew internal combustion diesel turbine (st) |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2818797A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020159381A1 (en) * | 2019-01-31 | 2020-08-06 | Tocircle Industries As | Compressor |
-
2013
- 2013-06-20 CA CA 2818797 patent/CA2818797A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2020159381A1 (en) * | 2019-01-31 | 2020-08-06 | Tocircle Industries As | Compressor |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| EEER | Examination request |
Effective date: 20180614 |
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| FZDE | Dead |
Effective date: 20200831 |