Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02818797 2013-06-20
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.
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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.
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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
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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,
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
CA 02818797 2013-06-20
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
CA 02818797 2013-06-20
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.
CLAIMS
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;
17
