Internal continuous combustion engines have been described in the prior art patent literature.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,476,397, by Bary, on Jul. 19, 1949 introduced the concept of an internal continuous combustion engine (ICC engine). The invention consists of a rotary compressor, combustion chamber and rotary drive.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,688,230, by Milliken, on Sep. 7, 1954 describes an internal continuous combustion engine (ICC engine) with a reciprocating piston compressor, combustion chamber and a reciprocating piston drive with a crankshaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,157, by Close, on Oct. 9, 1962 describes an internal continuous combustion engine (ICC engine) made of a rotary vane compressor and drive combination in one casing with a combustion chamber attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,886,734, by Johnson, on Jun. 3, 1975 presented an internal continuous combustion engine (ICC engine) with several embodiments including reciprocating piston and rotary.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,899, by Partner et al., on Dec. 14, 1976 introduces an inline compressor, combustion chamber and drive in one casing. The compressor and the drive are of the lobe type.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,279, by Seno, on Aug. 8, 1989 is similar in some ways to U.S. Pat. No. 3,057,157, by Close, above. It describes ICC engine made of rotary vane compressor and drive combination in one casing with combustion chamber attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,356, by Palmer, on Jun. 4, 1996 presented an internal continuous combustion engine (ICC engine) which consists of a radial vane compressor and radial vane drive, both mounted on the same shaft with combustion chamber connecting between them.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,437, by Vazquez, on Feb. 15, 2005 disclosed embodiments based on a radial compressor and drive with combustion chamber in between.
The common feature for the above disclosures is simply a compressor supply air to a combustion chamber, which produces high-pressure combustion gases that drives a motor. The motor then drives the compressor and supplies the mechanical work. Variation is mainly in the compressor and motor design, arrangements and auxiliary equipment.
This invention introduces an internal continuous combustion rotary engine. Its main parts are mechanical compressor, combustion chamber and a pneumatic motor. The mechanical output of the motor drives the compressor to supply air for the combustion chamber. Other components such as air tank, fuel pump, fuel pressure tank, injectors and various controls needed to support and optimized continuous operation.
The parts are as follow:
By having stored pressurized air and fuel, the engine can start without starter motor. It can start by merely suppling the combustion chamber with the right amount of air and fuel with a spark to ignite and produce pressurized combustion gases, which will start the engine.
The compressor driven via V-belt or any other mean of mechanical power transmission. It also can be designed to be driven by the same output shaft with the pneumatic motor for more compact design.
The Internal combustion engines can be divided into two categories:
This invention introduces an internal continuous combustion rotary engine. Its main parts are mechanical compressor, combustion chamber and a pneumatic motor. The mechanical output of the motor drives the compressor to supply air for the combustion chamber. Other components such as air tank, fuel pump, fuel pressure tank, injectors and various controls needed to support and optimized continuous operation.
The concept is similar to the gas turbine engine. Gas turbine main components are simply, axial flow blade compressor, combustion chamber and axial flow blade turbine. The turbine drives the compressor and supply the mechanical output.
This invention is similar by the way of replacing the axial flow blade compressor by a mechanical compressor and the axial flow blade turbine by a pneumatic motor with some auxiliary components and refinements.
In this invention, the novelty is in 1) the intermediate tanks for pressurized air and fuel storage which will allow for a quick kick start without the need for starter motor, the ability of control and optimization the air fuel mixture, excess air released into the motor, after combustion to recover energy. And 2) the pneumatic motor design which is a positive displacement, fully sealed, radial vane rotary type motor, with simple reliable inverted crank slider mechanism to drive the vanes in cyclic speed ratio in one direction.
This engine is more efficient for the following reasons:
This engine is more durable for the following reasons:
This engine is easier and cheaper to manufacture for the following reasons:
General operation description.
The invention is an internal continuous combustion engine,
The compressor 2 driven by the pneumatic motor 1 via V belt 8 or direct or by any other mechanical power transmission means. Pressurized air is stored in the air tank 3. The compressor 2 produces sufficient air to meet the top operation load. To avoid oversupply of air, the compressor 2, may be controlled by a clutch or bypass valve (not shown) or the surplus air is released into the combustion chamber 6 after combustion for energy recovery.
The fuel pump 4 can be electric or mechanical to pressurize the liquid fuel into a bladder type pressure tank 5 or equivalent to have the fuel ready for combustion with the right pressure. No need for the fuel pump 4 and tank 5 if a liquefied gas fuel used with gas pressure greater than the combustion chamber 6 rated pressure at its top load.
With proper control and safety, at minimum quantities, the air and fuel released into the combustion chamber 6 with spark from the spark plug 9 to initiate ignition for continuous combustion. The combustion will release high-pressure hot gases. The pressurized combustion gases will positively drive the pneumatic motor 1, which in turn will drive all auxiliary equipment and produce a mechanical work. Combustion gases then exit from the muffler 10.
Pneumatic motor description.
The pneumatic motor 1 in
It is worth mentioning that the pneumatic motor described above can operate with only two vanes, however, this will have several problematic situations, such as:
If the above case avoided by widening the ends of the vanes or narrowing the inlet and exhaust to instantaneously block the inlet and exhaust while shifting, this will create the possibility of blocked case which likely to cause explosion.
In short, two vanes will work; however, there are situations that can be problematic or fatal.
The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments, and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all the elements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use of the structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the present invention, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
Figures are also merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may be exaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.
Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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1869787 | Trumble | Aug 1932 | A |
20070137595 | Greenwell | Jun 2007 | A1 |
20220290566 | Choi | Sep 2022 | A1 |
20230407748 | Schevets | Dec 2023 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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102011012095 | Aug 2012 | DE |