GB2185072A

GB2185072A - Rotary vane internal combustion engine

Info

Publication number: GB2185072A
Application number: GB08600128A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Gittins
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-01-04
Filing date: 1986-01-04
Publication date: 1987-07-08
Also published as: GB8600128D0

Abstract

The engine has a carburettor 2 in the inlet 1 or is provided with fuel injection, and has means of ignition 6 in the stator wall. Ignition does not take place until a vane has sealed off the inlet port from the relevant combustion chamber 5 between adjacent vanes. However, the rotor 4 may instead be provided with one, two or three vanes, in which case a non-return valve is fitted in the inlet to prevent ignition in the combustion chamber from igniting the vapour in the inlet. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rotary vane internal combustion engine This invention is an engine driven by combustible fuel which may be liquid or gaseous.

The reciprocating internal combustion engine has anumberofdesignfeatureswhich arevery unsatisfactory. These include (a) Because of the compression stroke the requirement for special fuels with anti-knock agents (b) Use ofthe same cylinder and piston stroke lengths for induction of the charge and extraction of the power when a longer stroke is needed to extract all the available power. (c) No torque at low speeds (d) The need to provide a number of cylinders or high speed of operation for smooth power output. (e) Reduction in poweroutput due to work done in the compression stroke. Such unsatisfactory features are exhibited in a number of ways. Cylinder exhaust temperatures can be 300C.

This means that the pressure in the cylinderwhen the exhaust valve is opened is over one atmosphere and the the exhaust gas was capable of doing more work expanding to a pressure of zero. The exhaust noise is this energy being released uselessly.

According to the present invention, the engine comprises a rotaryvanecompressorwith spark plug orglow plug in the wall of the compressor approximately one third of a revolution from the point of contact of the rotor and the cylinderwall.Air drawn in to the inlet passes through a carburettor which is part of the engine and is mixed with fuel so that it is a combustible mixture. In a fourvane compressorwhen one vane has just passed the inlet portthevanein advance of it has just passed the spark or glow plug and the combustible mixture is ignited. This causes the gas between thetwo vanes to expand rapidly and the rotorto rotate duetothe force applied to the larger exposed area offront vane.As the rotor continues to rotate this volume reaches a maximum and then decreases so that the gas is exhausted through the exhaust port. An ignition takes place each time a vane passes the ignition point so that there are four ignitions a revolution in afourvaneengine. Engines with other numbers of vanes will require an appropriate ignition point or arrangement and will have the same number of ignitions per revolution as vanes. The speed of the engine is controlled by the control valve onthe inlet. The invention overcomes the limitations ofthe reciprocating internal combustion in the following ways; (a) No special fuel is required as there is no compressoin of the combustible mixture.

(b) The maximum volume occupied by burnt gases is several times largerthan the volume of the induced charge and can be at zero pressure on exhaustion. (c) With four ignitions per revolution torque is obtained at low speeds. (d) The multiple combustions per revoolution all take place in the single compressor resulting in a much smallerenginethan the reciprocating engine with the same air volume thrnughput. This gives a higher power to weight ratio. (e) There is no compression ofthe induced air and fuel mixture so very little work is done in drawing in the charge. This has an additional benefit in that the rise in temperature associated with the compression is also eliminated and reduces the need for cooling. Further versions of the engine can be made with 1,2 or 3 vanes.In this case a non return valve will be required in the air inletto close the inlet end ofthecombustion chamberand preventthe ignition in the chamber igniting the vapour in the inlet port. Further versions of the engine can be made using fuel injection instead of the carburettor.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described byway of reference to the accompanying drawing.

Air is drawn in through the inlet 1 and passes through the carburettor 2 which receives fuel from the fuel reservoir3. The air is controlled by the inlet valve 10 as in a reciprocating internal combustion engine. The drawing showsthe rotor4 in the position where the complete chamber5 is formed and ignition is made by the spark plug orglowplug.

The chamber7 contains the previous combustion almost at its maximum volume and the chamberS its predecessor being exhausted to atmosphere through the exhaust port 9. The direction of rotation is shown by the arrow. The power output is from the shaft of the engine.

1. A rotary vane internal combustion engine comprising a rotary vane compressorwith a carburettor and control valve on the air inlet and a means of ignition fitted in thewall ofthe compressor in such position that the fuel is not ignited until the next vane has sealed the combustion chamberfrom the inlet and formed a sealed volume within the space between two vanes.

2. An engine as in laim 1 wherethefuel is injected into the air ir et or combustion chamber instead of using the carburettor.

3. An engine as in claim 1 or2with1,2,or3vanes and a non return valve in the air inlet.

4. An engine as in claims 1 or2withfourormore vanes.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Rotary vane internal combustion engine This invention is an engine driven by combustible fuel which may be liquid or gaseous. The reciprocating internal combustion engine has anumberofdesignfeatureswhich arevery unsatisfactory. These include (a) Because of the compression stroke the requirement for special fuels with anti-knock agents (b) Use ofthe same cylinder and piston stroke lengths for induction of the charge and extraction of the power when a longer stroke is needed to extract all the available power. (c) No torque at low speeds (d) The need to provide a number of cylinders or high speed of operation for smooth power output. (e) Reduction in poweroutput due to work done in the compression stroke. Such unsatisfactory features are exhibited in a number of ways. Cylinder exhaust temperatures can be 300C. This means that the pressure in the cylinderwhen the exhaust valve is opened is over one atmosphere and the the exhaust gas was capable of doing more work expanding to a pressure of zero. The exhaust noise is this energy being released uselessly. According to the present invention, the engine comprises a rotaryvanecompressorwith spark plug orglow plug in the wall of the compressor approximately one third of a revolution from the point of contact of the rotor and the cylinderwall.Air drawn in to the inlet passes through a carburettor which is part of the engine and is mixed with fuel so that it is a combustible mixture. In a fourvane compressorwhen one vane has just passed the inlet portthevanein advance of it has just passed the spark or glow plug and the combustible mixture is ignited. This causes the gas between thetwo vanes to expand rapidly and the rotorto rotate duetothe force applied to the larger exposed area offront vane.As the rotor continues to rotate this volume reaches a maximum and then decreases so that the gas is exhausted through the exhaust port. An ignition takes place each time a vane passes the ignition point so that there are four ignitions a revolution in afourvaneengine. Engines with other numbers of vanes will require an appropriate ignition point or arrangement and will have the same number of ignitions per revolution as vanes. The speed of the engine is controlled by the control valve onthe inlet. The invention overcomes the limitations ofthe reciprocating internal combustion in the following ways; (a) No special fuel is required as there is no compressoin of the combustible mixture. (b) The maximum volume occupied by burnt gases is several times largerthan the volume of the induced charge and can be at zero pressure on exhaustion. (c) With four ignitions per revolution torque is obtained at low speeds. (d) The multiple combustions per revoolution all take place in the single compressor resulting in a much smallerenginethan the reciprocating engine with the same air volume thrnughput. This gives a higher power to weight ratio. (e) There is no compression ofthe induced air and fuel mixture so very little work is done in drawing in the charge. This has an additional benefit in that the rise in temperature associated with the compression is also eliminated and reduces the need for cooling. Further versions of the engine can be made with 1,2 or 3 vanes.In this case a non return valve will be required in the air inletto close the inlet end ofthecombustion chamberand preventthe ignition in the chamber igniting the vapour in the inlet port. Further versions of the engine can be made using fuel injection instead of the carburettor. A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described byway of reference to the accompanying drawing. Air is drawn in through the inlet 1 and passes through the carburettor 2 which receives fuel from the fuel reservoir3. The air is controlled by the inlet valve 10 as in a reciprocating internal combustion engine. The drawing showsthe rotor4 in the position where the complete chamber5 is formed and ignition is made by the spark plug orglowplug. The chamber7 contains the previous combustion almost at its maximum volume and the chamberS its predecessor being exhausted to atmosphere through the exhaust port 9. The direction of rotation is shown by the arrow. The power output is from the shaft of the engine. CLAIMS

4. An engine as in claims 1 or2withfourormore vanes.