Patent Application
20100126173
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
NOT APPLICABLE
The automobile engine has undergone many improvements over the past century. Piston and gasoline combustion engines have dominated the market from the onset. When the automobile industry was beginning, steam power engines were competing with its gasoline counterparts. However, because of the Ford Corporation's early assembly line technique and other factors, the gasoline engine dominated the automobile industry and the steam engine automobile was abandoned.
Over the course of time, engines have become more powerful. With the increased gasoline consumption associated with the increasing price of crude oil, Americans find themselves in a financial bind when driving their gasoline cars and trucks. In addition, the gasoline engine has been responsible for or has aggravated many health problems, such as chronic lead poisoning, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma and cancer.
Investigation of alternate types of fuels and engine modifications have been of keen interest to make America less dependent on foreign oil. Brazil has switched from gasoline to corn product fuel to power their automobiles. Another, low carbon chemical that possibly can be used to power engines is propane. Burning this low carbon chemical does not produce the toxins that is associated with the combustion of gasoline. However, the problem of using propane to power an engine has been a problem, which is solved with the following design of the Rotary Propane Steam Engine.
The rotary engine has been successful when powered by combustion of gasoline. This type of engine uses far fewer moving parts than its piston counterpart. The following invention uses steam, produced by the heat of burning propane, to power The Rotary Steam Engine and Road Vehicle.
A steel canister holds water under pressure. When released the water is forced through a small nozzle, causing a very fine spray into a heated water spray chamber and quickly is turned into steam. The water spray chamber is heated by propane burners located below the chamber. The propane is supplied by a pressurized propane canister used in a standard outdoor grill. The steam enters the first of three steam chambers through a steam intake opening, forcing the chamber to rotate. A second steam chamber then fills with steam and rotates, and finally the third chamber fills with steam. As the steam chambers rotate, steam from the chamber is released through the steam outlet opening, permitting more steam to enter the chamber as it comes in contact with the steam intake opening.
The speed of the engine is controlled by the amount of steam sprayed into the chambers. The engine in turn rotates the large shaft, which through gears and pulley activates the alternator used for electrical accessories and to charge the 12 volt battery, which is needed to ignite the propane burner when starting the vehicle. When the clutch is engaged, the large shaft's power is transmitted to the transmission and then to the wheels of the vehicle.
A connect/disconnect valve (22) allows the propane canister to be connected and disconnected to the engine. A gauge (20) indicates the quantity of propane gas inside the canister. Safety switches (19, 22) permits turning the gas on or off. The propane gas is fed into the burner unit (17), which is initially lit by an electric ignitor (23).
The gas flame of the burner (17) heats up the water spray chamber (9). Water is supplied to the engine via a pressurized water container (14). A valve (15) allows the canister to be connected and disconnected and gauge (16) indicates the remaining quantity of water left in the water canister (18). The pressurized water flows through a foot control valve (13) and then through a small nozzle (10) causing the water to finely spray into the water spray chamber (9).
The high pressured steam flows through the steam intake opening (6) into a steam chamber (4b), causing the inner shell (3) to turn, after which the next steam chamber (4a) fills with steam and adds to the momentum of the moving inner shell (3). When the final steam chamber (4c) fills with steam, the first steam chamber (4b) empties out excessive steam through the steam/water exhaust opening (7), and then into the steam/water exhaust pipe (8). The procedure of the water chambers filling with steam repeats itself, causing the rotary engine to turn faster and faster.
The Rotary Propane Steam Engine and Road Vehicle can be used in place of the combustion gasoline engine and road vehicle. The propane engine is powered by steam and not refined petroleum distillates that is currently the major form of engine power.
Pressurized propane gas is commercially supplied in canisters, such as those used in outdoor grills. Similar canisters can be used to hold water under pressure. These canisters supply the propane gas and water needed to run the rotary propane engine. Connect/Disconnect valves are used to replace the water and propane canisters when needed. The volumes of the propane and water are monitored by the their respective gauges.
The propane pathways have safety valves to control the flow of propane gas into the burners which heats up the water spray chamber. The pressurized water flows past the foot valve that controls its volume and is converted into a very fine spray as it flows through the water spray nozzle into the water spray chamber.
The fine water spray is converted quickly into high volume steam and escapes through the steam intake opening into the overlying steam chamber. As the steam fills the chamber, the mobile inner shell rotates, moving the second chamber and eventually the third steam chamber into place, so they can fill with steam. The inner shell and shafts rotate faster as momentum is achieved. As the last of the three chambers comes over the steam intake opening, the original chamber releases any water or steam into the exhaust opening into the steam exhaust pipe.
Through a set of gears, a small shaft is also set into motion, which in turn through a pulley activates the alternator, supplying electricity for the accessories and charging the 12 volt battery. The battery is needed to activate the ignitor which ignites the propane burner.
When a clutch of the large shaft is activated, the power is transmitted to the transmission and subsequently to the wheels of the vehicle.
