GB2438859A

GB2438859A - Toroidal fluid machine

Info

Publication number: GB2438859A
Application number: GB0610787A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Juan Zak
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-05
Filing date: 2006-06-05
Publication date: 2007-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2026-06-05
Also published as: GB0610787D0; GB2438859B

Abstract

A rotary compressor, pump, motor or engine comprises a housing 2, a rotor 1 with a radial blade 3, a chamber 4 swept by the blade and an intersecting planar valve 5 with a slot 7. The blade and slot have matching shapes that allow the traversal of the blade through the slot with low loss of fluid. As an engine it may have a single rotor where the blade draws air into one chamber side whilst exhausting from the other and on a subsequent rotation expands stored combusted gas on the one side and compresses air on the other for supply to storage under rotary valve control. Alternatively there may be a compression rotor, a combustion chamber and an expansion rotor. The planar valve may be a cam controlled slotted plate reciprocating parallel to the rotor axis or may be a rotary disc. The machine inlet and outlet are smaller than but of the same shape as the blade edge.

Description

I

ROTARY COMBUSTION ENGINE, COMPRESSOR, PUMP AND MOTOR

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a rotary machine that can be implemented as a compressor, pump, motor or combustion engine. This machine is mainly intended for use as an internal combustion engine.

Most internal combustion engines nowadays use reciprocating pistons. This design has severe inherent limitations: pressure and torque arm out of phase, high "inertial" forces between components due to acceleration/deceleration of pistons and change of trajectory of connecting rods, and expansion ratio tied to the compression ratio. Such limitations reduce performance, increase friction and wear, and reduce energy efficiency.

Many rotary designs have been proposed to overcome the inherent limitations of reciprocating engines. Although relegated to niche markets, the Wankel engine has probably been the most successful in commercial terms. Technically speaking, the Wankel engine has not completely solved old problems like friction and wear, and has problems of its own, especially low torque and troublesome sealing.

The present invention is more related to toroidal engines, recent examples of which are found in GB Patent 2,333,561 (Archer), US Patent 5,645,027 (Esmailzadeh) and EP Patent 1,307,634 (Pekau).

Toroidal engines use pistons revolving in a toroidal chamber intersected by walls or valves. Generally speaking, compression is achieved by advancing the pistons against said walls/valves while deviating the compressed fluid to a separate chamber. At the end of the compression stroke, the intersecting wall/valve briefly retracts/opens to allow the piston pass by/through. In the meantime, combustion is started in the separate chamber. Combustion gases are then released behind the piston.

A key problem in prior art toroidal engines is the loss of compressed fluid during the opening and closing of the walls/valves. Such loss has an important toll on power output and energy efficiency, as it reduces the fuel-burning capacity of the engine, and at the same time increases the pumping power requirements for the compression and exhaust strokes.

Recent designs, disclosed in the already mentioned patents to Archer and to Pekau, have seemingly reduced compression losses to manageable levels. Archer's approach consists of very short pistons and an intersecting valve made of two counter-rotating discs. Pekau has instead modified the shape of the pistons in order to better match the intersecting valve, which is a single rotating disc.

The starting point of the present invention has been to develop a simple method for "seamlessly" traversing one body through another moving in an intercepting trajectory.

The result is the "blade-thru-slot" (BTS) concept. The application of this concept in a rotary machine leads to blades that orbit circularly inside a chamber and traverse intersecting planar valves through small slots. This approach virtually eliminates compression losses in a mechanically simple way; the slots are not only small in area but also remain "plugged" by the traversing blades while said slots are inside the chamber.

Although the Archer and Pekau engines have lower compression losses than previous toroidal designs, reduced fuel-burning capacity and excessive pumping power requirements are still present. Design limitations do no allow for positive removal of exhaust gases; instead, these remain in the toroidal chamber, between the revolving pistons, and are carried along until they get mixed with the intake charge. Similarly, there is no positive intake of air; an external charger is required to provide fresh air for the compression stroke. Consequences of these limitations are reduced intake of fresh air, excessive amount of exhaust gases in the intake charge, increased pumping losses, and ultimately lower power output.

The "blade-thru-slot" (BTS) engine provides complete removal of exhaust gases from the chamber, and positive intake of air, thus no external charger is required. This comprehensive "breathing" allows the BTS engine to achieve its full power potential.

Generally speaking, the BTS engine has the following advantages over prior art rotary engines: mechanical simplicity, very low friction (as no contact sealing is used), internal lubrication not needed, reduced pumping losses, comprehensive breathing and increased power output.

The above discussion is by extension applicable to other implementations of the BTS machine. Regarding compressors and pumps, main advantages of the BTS machine over reciprocating piston machines are lower friction and wear, no internal lubrication required and reduced power demand. In the case of prior art rotary compressors and pumps, the BTS machine is generally superior due to its mechanical simplicity, reduced internal friction and no internal lubrication. Regarding pneumatic motors and similar compressed-fluid motors, the general advantages of the BTS machine over conventional and prior art machines are again mechanical simplicity, reduced internal friction, and no internal lubrication.

The principal object of the present invention is a rotary internal combustion engine that overcomes the reduced performance, high internal friction, excessive wear and low energy efficiency of conventional reciprocating engines. It is a further object of this invention to overcome shortcomings of prior art toroidal engines which generally include sealing problems, insufficient compression, mechanical complexity and excessive pumping power requirements. It is a further object of this invention to provide a mechanically simple engine that can also be constructed with ceramic materials and thus reduced cooling requirements.

The BTS engine can work either as an Otto or Diesel engine (only the first is explained below). The engine consists of a static housing, a rotor(s) with a radial blade(s) on its perimeter, a chamber(s) swept by the blade(s), and a planar valve(s) with slot(s) intersecting the chamber(s). Blades and slot valves move synchronously in a way that blades traverse the valves through the slots. Blades and slots have matching shapes that allow such traversal with negligible loss of working fluid through the slots.

In the double-rotor implementation, a compression rotor and an expansion rotor are mounted on the same main shaft, and share the same slot valve. After traversing the slot valve, the blade on the compression rotor aspires air into the chamber; at the same time, the other side of the blade compresses air against the slot valve and drives it out towards a combustion chamber. An injector on the inlet pipe of the combustion chamber sprays fuel into the air stream. At the end of the compression stroke, the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber is ignited by a spark plug. Combustion gases are introduced in the expansion rotor, between the slot valve and the blade. The expanding gases push the blade forward and produce power on the main shaft. The other side of the blade expels from the chamber the exhaust gases left by the previous expansion stroke.

In the single-rotor implementation, the rotor alternatively performs an intake/exhaust stroke and a compression/expansion stroke.

The compression ratio of the double-rotor engine may be regulated by changing the effective volume of the combustion chamber, either manually off operation, or on-demand through a piston-rod mechanism. The above also applies for the single-rotor engine, with the only difference that the volume change is made on the storage chamber.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a compressor/pump with lower friction and wear, and lower power demand than conventional reciprocating compressors and pumps. It is also object of the invention to provide a rotary compressor/pump superior to prior art machines in terms of mechanical simplicity, low internal friction, and no internal lubrication requirements. The BTS compressor/pump is very similar to the compressor side of the double-rotor BTS engine, described above.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a compressed-fluid motor superior to conventional and prior art machines in terms of mechanical simplicity, low internal friction and no internal lubrication requirements. The BTS motor is very similar to the already described expansion side of the BTS double-rotor engine.

The invention will now be further described, solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, briefly described below: Figure 1: Sectional plan view of the BTS compressor using rotary slot valve, as seen along line 1-1 of Figure 2 Figure 2: Sectional front elevation view of the BTS compressor using rotary slot valve, as seen along line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3: Perspective view of the rotor showing one radial blade and one synchronization blade (BTS compressor using rotary slot valve); Figure 4: Sectional plan view of the rotor, slot valve and double-cam (BTS compressor using sliding slot valve); Figure 5: Sectional plan view of the rotor, slot valve, cam and helical spring (BTS compressor using sliding slot valve); Figure 6: Perspective view of line segment L defining the shape of the blade (BTS compressor using rotary slot valve); Figure 7: Sectional view of the blade shortly before traversing the slot valve, as seen along line 7-7 of Figure 2; Figure 8: Sectional view of the blade traversing the slot valve, as seen along line 7-7 of Figure 2; Figure 9: Sectional view of the blade traversing the slot valve, and of the labyrinth seals between the rotor and the housing, as seen along line 1-1 of Figure 2; Figure 10: Sectional view of the blade shortly after traversing the slot valve, as seen along line 7-7 of Figure 2; Figure 11: Sectional view of the grooves cut along the edge of the blade, as seen from line 7-7 in Figure 2; Figure 12: Sectional view of the labyrinth seals between the rotary slot valve and the housing; Figures 13 to 15: Sectional front view of three different stages of the intake/compression stroke (BTS compressor); Figure 16: Perspective view of the flap valve deflected by the fluid exiting the compression sub-chamber; Figures 17 to 19: Sectional front view of three different stages of the intake/expansion strokes (BTS motor); Figure 20: Sectional plan view of the dual-rotor BTS internal combustion engine; Figure 21: Sectional view of the blade, slot valve, inlet and outlet ports (compression side of the BTS dual-rotor engine); Figure 22: Sectional view of the blade, slot valve, inlet and outlet ports (expansion side of the BTS dual-rotor engine); Figures 23 to 25: Sectional front view of three different stages of the intake/compression stroke (BTS dual-rotor engine); Figures 26 to 28: Sectional front view of three different stages of the expansion/exhaust stroke (BTS dual-rotor engine); Figure 29: Sectional view of the rotary control valve along line 29-29 of Figure 30; Figure 30: Sectional view of the rotary control valve along line 30-30 of Figure29; Figure 31: Plan view of the BTS dual-rotor engine, showing the combustion chamber, its inlet and outlet pipes, and control valve; Figure 32: Front elevation view of the BTS dual-rotor engine, showing the combustion chamber, its inlet and outlet pipes, and control valve; Figure 33: Sectional view of the combustion chamber showing the injector, spark plug, adjustable side, and variable compression ratio piston and control rod, as seen along line 33-33 of Figure 34 (BTS dual-rotor engine); Figure 34: Sectional view of the combustion chamber showing the injector, spark plug and variable compression ratio piston, as seen along lines 34-34 and 34'-34' of Figure 33; Figures 35 and 36: Sectional view of the variable compression ratio piston and control rod in two different relative positions; Figure 37: Sectional view of the variable compression ratio piston, control rod and seal; Figures 38 to 41: Sectional front view of four different stages of the intake/compression and expansion/exhaust strokes (BTS single-rotor engine); Figure 42: Sectional view of the rotary inlet/outlet control valve (BTS single-rotor engine).

The "blade-thru-slot" (BTS) rotary machine can be implemented as a compressor, pump, motor or combustion engine. The following description will sequentially describe each of these implementations.

Figures 1 and 2 present schematic views of a BTS compressor or pump. The basic elements are a rotor 1, contained in a static housing 2, with one or more radial blades 3 arranged equiangularly; a chamber 4 swept by the blade(s); and one or more planar slot valves 5, one per blade, also placed radially and equiangularly in the chamber. Rotor I (Figure 3) is mounted and secured on main shaft 6, which receives the driving torque at one of its ends. Blades and slot valves move synchronously to each other in a way that blades 3 timely reach and traverse slots 7. Blades and slots have special matching shapes that allow such traversal with negligible loss of working fluid through the slots; this is further explained below.

Referring to Figure 4, the best match between blade 3 (not show) and slot 7 is obtained when slot valve 5 slides at constant speed and in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of the blade and along a plane that radially intersects such axis. Said speed and trajectory may be provided by two identical cams 8 and 9, with the exact profile shown in Figure 4, rotating synchronously to each other and at the same speed that the main shaft. One of the cams can be replaced by helical spring 10 that maintains the slot valve pressed against the remaining cam (Figure 5).

A mechanically simpler approach is to use rotary slot valves 5, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The larger the radius R of the slot valves relative to the height H of the blades, the closer is the approach to the best match mentioned above.

Rotary slot valve 5 is driven by shafts 11 and 12, and pinions 13 to 16; a toothed belt can be used instead of said shafts and pinions. A more sophisticated alternative is to directly drive the rotary slot valve with a special computer-controlled servomotor (not shown).

A synchronization protection for rotor 1 and rotary slot valve 5 may be required in machines (especially combustion engines) subject to high acceleration; this can be achieved by providing small synchronization blades 17 (only one shown in Figure 3) and matching slots 18 (one shown in Figure 1). Such blades and slots will keep the rotor and slot valve synchronized by direct physical contact in case any excessive slack or even failure occurs in the normal synchronization mechanism. The number of synchronization blades and matching slots depends on the machine specific design. For example, the machine shown in Figure 1 would require eleven pairs of synchronization blades and matching slots.

For an easier understanding, the rest of this description considers the simplest BTS machine implementation, i.e. one blade and one rotary slot valve.

The shape of blade 3 (Figure 3) can be defined by the trajectory of a line segment (L in Figure 6) when simultaneously rotating at angular speed wi of the rotor and angular speed w5 of the slot valve.

As schematically shown in Figures 7 to 10, the BTS design allows blade 3 to traverse slot 7 with a negligible loss of working fluid. Said loss is desirable to a certain extent as it provides a fluid cushion between the traversing blade and the slot valve. Figures 8 and 9 show from different angles the blade traversing the slot on the valve.

Rotor, blade and chamber are manufactured to close tolerance, in order to reduce as practically possible the gaps between the blade and the chamber walls. The small amount of leaks of working fluid through these gaps is largely offset by the important benefits of avoided contact seals, i.e. no wear, no lubrication needed, no heat generated by friction and thus no related energy losses. Moreover, the leaking fluid may help cool the blade edges when it expands through the gaps, following the cooling principle applied in refrigeration systems.

Small grooves 19 can be cut along the edge of blade 3, as shown in Figure 11, to further reduce the leaks between the blade and the walls of chamber 4. The grooves are intended to disrupt the flow by forcing the leaking fluid to consecutively expand and compress when passing from one groove to the next.

As indicated in Figure 9, labyrinth seals 20 and 21 are used between rotor I and housing 2. Similarly, Figure 12 shows labyrinth seals 22 to 26 placed between slot valve and housing 2; slot valve 5 is also manufactured to close tolerance, as to minimize the gap and thus the leaks between its perimeter and rotor 1; the grooves in seal 26 cut on the valve's outer perimeter further reduce said leaks.

The above mentioned labyrinth seals and grooves are only two possible means to seal the rotor, blade and slot valve against the housing walls. Contact seals may be used instead of or as an aid to said labyrinths and grooves.

Figures 13 to 15 schematically show the operation of the BTS compressor or pump.

After traversing slot valve 5, advancing blade 3 generates suction on its back side and compression on its front side. Thus, working fluid is aspired through inlet port 27 into sub-chamber 4a; at the same time the fluid in sub-chamber 4b is compressed by the blade against the other side of slot valve 5, and finally pumped out through outlet port 28.

As indicated in Figure 7, inlet port 27 and outlet port 28 are situated very close to the slot valve; in addition, as suggested in Figure 14, the ports' shape follows that of the blade edge but is slightly smaller. Such design enables the traversing blade to temporally block these ports during the transition to the next compression cycle, thus preventing the return of working fluid from the intake sub-chamber to the inlet port; furthermore, blocking the outlet will prevent the return of compressed working fluid through the outlet port while flap valve 29 closes. This flap valve is a thin sheet spring made of steel plate, hardened and tempered. Figure 16 shows how the flap valve deflects when the fluid is pumped out of the compression sub-chamber.

The implementation of the BTS machine as a motor is quite similar to that of the compressor already described. All elements are the same, except for the flap valve, which is not necessary, and a new control valve which is described below.

The basic operation of the BTS motor is represented in Figures 17 to 19. After traversing slot valve 5, blade 3 is pushed forward by the working fluid flowing into sub-chamber 4a through inlet port 27. At the same time, the advancing blade pumps the fluid used by the previous stroke out of sub-chamber 4b through outlet port 28. The flap valve on the outlet port is of course not required; instead, a control valve 30 is needed to regulate the flow and (or) pressure of the fluid entering sub-chamber 4a, according to the power output demanded from the BTS motor. The design of the control valve depends on the working fluid used to feed the motor, and on the type of controller used for regulating its power output. The rotary control valve presented in Figures 29 and 30 may be adapted for said purpose.

The BTS machine can also be implemented as an internal or external combustion engine. When implemented as internal combustion engine, the BTS machine can follow the conventional Otto or Diesel cycles. For the Diesel cycle, the machine may require closer manufacturing tolerance and/or enhanced sealing for the housing, rotors and slot valves.

For the sake of simplicity, the following description corresponds to an Otto-cycle combustion engine in two basic variants: double-rotor with shared rotary slot valve, and single-rotor. Other variants are possible, e.g. by changing the number and location of the slot valves, and the number of blades and rotors.

Contrary to conventional engines and many alternative designs, in the BTS double-rotor variant the expansion ratio can be increased above the compression ratio, which allows to extract more power from the combustion gases.

In the double-rotor implementation (Figure 20), a BTS compressor and a BTS motor are mounted on the same main shaft and share a rotary slot valve. All elements of the compressor and motor implementations described above are present, but some modifications are necessary as explained below. New elements are also required, i.e. a combustion chamber, a fuel injector and a spark plug.

As already mentioned, the volume of expansion chamber 31 can be made higher than the volume of compression chamber 4; the purpose is to allow the combustion gases to expand more and thus produce more power than in conventional piston engines.

The axial separation between chambers 4 and 31 provides the delay necessary for the ignition and combustion of the air-fuel mixture; such separation also provides space for slot 7 to recede from compression chamber 4 and emerge in expansion chamber 31.

Combustion chamber 32 can be integrated into the housing, between the rotors (Figure 20), or kept as an external unit (Figures 31 and 32). The following description only considers the case of an external combustion chamber.

As indicated in Figure 21, the compressor's outlet port 33 and flap valve (not shown) are now located on the outer wall of compression chamber 4, and have a triangular cross section. The same applies to inlet port 34 of expansion chamber 31, as shown in Figure 22.

The operation of the compression side of the engine is presented in Figures 23 to 25.

After traversing slot valve 5, the advancing blade 3 aspires air into sub-chamber 4a through inlet port 27; at the same time the blade compresses air in sub-chamber 4b and pumps it out through outlet port 33. Flap valve 35 closes when the blade passes by.

Figure 25 to 28 illustrate the interaction between flap valve 35, control valve 36, and blade 37 on expansion rotor 38. Since the flap valve is merely a non-return valve, it remains closed until the pressure in the compression sub-chamber (4b in Figure 25) is the same as the pressure in combustion chamber (32 in Figure 26). Thus, control valve 36 should remain open until the above condition is just to be met; a simple design to achieve this functionality is explained later on.

In Figure 26 control valve 36 has already closed and flap valve 35 has just opened; compressed air is being pumped out from the compression sub-chamber (4b in Figure 25) and squeezed into combustion chamber 32; injector 39 has started spraying fuel into the air stream. Air flow from the compression sub-chamber continues until blade 3 just covers outlet port 33 (Figure 21) and flap valve 35 closes. At this point the fuel injector closes and spark plug 40 ignites the air-fuel mixture trapped in the combustion chamber.

In Figure 27, the combustion is well advanced, blade 37 on the expansion rotor is traversing slot valve 5 and control valve 36 is opening.

In Figure 28 the combustion gases are expanding in sub-chamber 31a pushing blade 37 forward. The other side of the blade expels the exhaust gases, left in sub-chamber 31b by the previous stroke, through outlet port 41.

Figures 29 and 30 are schematic views of a rotary control valve. Cylindrical rotor 42 runs at the same speed as the engine. Cutout 43 in the rotor allows flow through the valve when passing by inlet port 44 of the valve. Contact seals can be avoided by using labyrinth seals 45 and 46, and groove 47 on the rotor.

Figures 31 and 32 schematically show the placement of combustion chamber 32, its inlet pipe 48, outlet pipe 49 and control valve 36. Said valve is driven by shaft 12 through pulleys 50 and 51, and toothed belt 52. A more sophisticated alternative is to drive the control valve with a special computer-controlled servomotor (not shown).

The combustion chamber and related components are schematically presented in Figures 33 and 34. Compressed air is fed into combustion chamber 32 through inlet pipe 48, after receiving fuel sprayed by injector 39. The inlet pipe connects to the combustion chamber tangentially in order to create a swirl in the way to outlet pipe 49, also connected tangentially to the chamber. The swirl facilitates the vaporization and dispersion of the fuel sprayed into the air stream before reaching spark plug 40. The swirl also helps to achieve good combustion of the mixture after its ignition by the spark plug.

The compression ratio of the engine may be regulated by changing the volume of the combustion chamber (Figure 33). A simple way is to make side 53 (or both sides) of the chamber moveable in-and outwards; the volume is adjusted with the engine turned off by manually securing the chamber side(s) in the required position.

A more sophisticated system, described below, is intended to change the compression ratio on-demand, during the operation of the engine. Piston 54 in Figure 33 changes the effective volume of combustion chamber 32 when actuated by control rod 55. The piston fits inside the chamber closely enough to substantially reduce leaks of air/gases around its perimeter, but keeping at the same time its ability to slide smoothly and effortlessly.

Figures 35 to 37 present a closer sectional view of the piston and control rod. Piston 54 has a bore for receiving the end of control rod 55; both the bore and the rod end are manufactured to close tolerance. The rod can slide in or out of the bore within the limits set by chamber 56 and ring clip 57 fixed to the rod. Radial passages 60 and 61 connect to passage 62, drilled along the axis of the rod.

When control rod 55 is pushed inwards (Figure 35), air/gases can flow from one side of piston 54 to the other through passages 58 to 62 and cutout 63, equalizing the pressure and thus facilitating the movement of the piston by the rod. The same happens when the rod is pulled outwards, as illustrated in Figure 36.

When the control rod stops, the cyclic pressure changes in the combustion chamber makes the piston adopt the central position relative to the rod, shown in Figure 37; in this position the flow of air/gases through the passages is blocked by the rod.

Chamber 64 (Figure 37) is used as pneumatic damper to inhibit the oscillation of piston 54 caused by the cyclic pressure variations in the combustion chamber. The diameter of axial passage 65 is small enough to produce said damping effect but sufficient for a good response to control rod 55.

A contact seal 66 (Figure 37) is necessary to avoid leaks between the control rod and side 67 of the combustion chamber.

In the single-rotor implementation, the BTS engine consecutively performs an intake/exhaust stroke and a compression/expansion stroke, as schematically presented in Figures 38 to 40. Most elements are common to the already explained double-rotor engine, but some modifications and new elements are necessary.

After traversing slot valve 68 (Figure 38), advancing blade 69 aspires air into sub-chamber 70a through inlet control valve 71 and inlet port 72. At the same time the other side of the blade expels the gases left in sub-chamber 70b by the previous expansion stroke; such gases pass through outlet port 73 and are directed by outlet control valve 74 to the exhaust pipe. In the meantime compressed air, pumped into storage chamber by the previous compression stroke, is released by transfer valve 76 into combustion chamber 77, and fuel is sprayed into the air stream by injector 78. As pressure equalizes in both chambers, transfer valve 76 closes and spark plug 79 ignites the air-fuel mixture.

Figure 39 shows the transition from the intake/exhaust stroke to thecompression/expansion stroke. Outlet control valve 74 is in the process of closing the outlet flow to the exhaust pipe and redirecting it to storage chamber 75. At the same time, combustion in chamber 77 is in the final stage. Inlet control valve 71 is closing the inlet flow from the intake pipe and ready to releasing the combustion gases to inlet port 72 (not shown). The blade is seen traversing the slot valve.

In Figure 40 the combustion gases expand in sub-chamber 70a, pushing blade 69 forward. The other side of the blade compresses the air from the previous intake stroke and pumps it through outlet 73 and outlet control valve 74 into storage sub-chamber 75.

Figure 41 shows the expansion/compression stroke close to its completion; the blade will soon traverse the slot valve again and start a new intake/exhaust stroke as shown in Figure 39.

Transfer valve 76 is in fact the same control valve 30 used in the double-rotor engine, thus the rotary design presented in Figures 29 and 30 is also applicable here.

In the case of inlet/outlet control valves 71 and 74, some modifications to the above mentioned design are required (Figure 42). Cylindrical rotor 80 must run at half of the engine's speed. Fine adjustments in flow timings can be achieved by changing angle A and the position of outlet ports 81 and 82 relative to cutout 83.

The compression ratio of the single-rotor engine may be regulated in the same way as the double-rotor engine (Figures 33 and 35 to 37). The only difference is that the volume changes are made in the storage chamber and not in the combustion chamber.

The power output of BTS Otto-cycle engines may be controlled by regulating the air intake with a conventional throttle valve in the inlet pipe, and by adjusting the fuel injection rate. The management of the entire combustion process -which may also include injection timing, spark timing, and oxygen monitoring in exhaust gases-may be performed by a conventional engine control unit and associated sensors. The control unit's algorithms and lookup tables must of course be specifically developed for each particular family of BTS engines. Additional functions could be built in said engine control unit, such as controlling the servomotors that could drive the rotary slot and control valves.

The flow of air intake, and thus the fuel injection rate and power output of BTS internal combustion engines may be increased by attaching a conventional supercharger or turbocharger.

BTS compressors and combustion engines normally will require water and/or air cooling, unless ceramic materials are used. Cooling may be provided through conventional water jackets and air fins on the housing and external combustion/storage chambers, as appropriate.

The above description of BTS rotary machines includes many details that should not be considered as limitations of this invention, but rather as examples of a number of possible variations. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not by the above described embodiments.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A rotary compressor/pump comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft receiving the driving torque at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; c) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing sealingly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit working fluid in the sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release working fluid being compressed by said blades against said valves; i) one sheet-spring flap valve per outlet port, to prevent the return of compressed fluid through said outlet ports.

2. A rotary compressor/pump according to claim 1, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber at constant speed and in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

3. A rotary compressor/pump according to claim 1, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

4. A rotary motor comprising one or more sets of the following components: -) a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; c) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing sealingly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit working fluid in the sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release used working fluid being expelled from the sub-chambers between said blades and said valves; i) one control valve per inlet port, to regulate the flow and/or pressure of the working fluid admitted according to the power output required from the motor.

5. A rotary motor according to claim 4, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber at constant speed and in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

6. A rotary motor according to claim 4, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

7. A rotary combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a main shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; -\4 b) a compression rotor mounted on said main shaft, along with the expansion rotor mentioned in literal j) below; c) at least one compression blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said compression rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal e) below; d) a stationary compression chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; e) one planar valve per compression blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said compression chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; f) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; g) one inlet port per compression blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit air in the intake sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per compression blade, having a triangular cross section slightly larger than the width of said blade's matching edge, to release the air compressed by said blades against said valves; i) one sheet-spring flap valve per compression outlet port, to prevent the return of compressed air through said outlet ports; j) an expansion rotor mounted on said main shaft, along with said compression rotor; k) at least one expansion blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said expansion rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal m) below; I) a stationary expansion chamber swept by said expansion blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said expansion blades; m) one planar valve per expansion blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said expansion chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal said expansion blades therethrough; n) a mechanism driving the slot valves in said expansion chamber that provides synchronous traversal of said expansion blades through said slot valves; o) one inlet port per expansion blade, having a triangular cross section slightly larger than the width of said blade's matching edge, to admit hot gases in the expansion sub-chambers between said slot valves and said expansion blades; p) one outlet port per expansion blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release exhaust gases expelled from the sub-chambers between said expansion blades and said slot valves; q) a static housing sealingly enclosing said compression and expansion rotors, blades on said rotors, and matching slot valves, into the corresponding compression and expansion chambers, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate.

8. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 7, wherein said slot valves move through said chambers at constant speed and in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said matching slot valves.

9. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 7, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said matching slot valves.

10. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components, in addition to those components pertaining to the combustion engine under claim 7: a) one cylindrical combustion chamber per compression blade, with one inlet pipe and one outlet pipe connected tangentially to its cylindrical wall, and at opposite sides of said chamber; b) one fuel injector per combustion chamber; c) for Otto-cycle engines, one spark plug per combustion chamber; d) one control valve per combustion chamber to coordinate the inlet of compressed air and the outlet of combustion gases to/from said chamber.

11. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 10, wherein said control valves consist of a housing with bore, a matching rotor with a cutout, and inlet and outlet ports, said rotor being coupled mechanically to any of said shafts as most convenient.

12. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 10, wherein a piston inside each of said combustion chambers is actuated by a control rod to change the effective volume of said chambers, as to provide on-demand variable compression ratio during the operation of the engine.

13. A rotary combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; c) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing sealingly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to consecutively admit air and hot gases in the intake/expansion sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to consecutively release the air being compressed in and the exhaust gases being expelled from the compression/exhaust sub-chambers between said blades and said valves.

14. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 13, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber at constant speed and in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

15. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 13, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

16. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components, in addition to those components pertaining to the combustion engine under claim 13: a) one storage chamber per blade; b) one cylindrical combustion chamber per blade, with one inlet and one outlet pipe connected tangentially to its cylindrical wall, and at opposite sides of said chamber; C) one fuel injector per combustion chamber;

-I

d) for Otto-cycle engines, one spark plug per combustion chamber; e) one control valve per inlet port, to manage the entrance of fresh air to said intake sub-chambers, or the entrance of hot gases from said combustion chamber to said expansion sub-chambers; f) one control valve per outlet port, to manage the release of compressed air from said compression sub-chambers to said storage chambers, or the release of used gases from said exhaust sub-chambers to the exhaust system; g) one transfer valve per combustion chamber, to manage the release of compressed air from said storage chambers to said combustion chambers.

17. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 16, wherein said control and transfer valves consist of a housing with bore, a matching rotor with a cutout, and inlet and outlet ports, said rotor being coupled mechanically to any of said shafts as most convenient.

18. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 16, wherein a piston inside each of said storage chambers is actuated by a control rod to change the effective volume of said chambers, as to provide on-demand variable compression ratio during the operation of the engine Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows

CLAIMS

1. A rotary machine implemented either as a compressor/pump, as a motor or as a combustion engine, comprising a number of rotors inside stationary housings, said rotors having specially shaped blades mounted radially on their periphery, said blades traversing matching slots in planar slot valves, either sliding or rotary, said valves radially intersecting said housings, where said blades and valves interact as to compress and/or expand fluid in the chambers swept by said blades; said machine also comprising, if implemented as a combustion engine, a number of combustion chambers and, in certain configurations, a number of storage chambers.

2. A concept for leakproof traversal of body A through body B, said bodies moving in intercepting trajoctones to each other, where the sealing means at any given instant of said traversal is a line segment geometrically defined by the intersection between a foil within body A and a plane within body B, where the trace over the period of said traversal of said consecutive instantaneous foils defines the blade-alike shape of body A, the corresponding trace of said consecutive instantaneous planes defines the planar shape of body B, and the corresponding trace of said consecutive line segments defines the shape of the slot in body B through which body A traverses in leakproof fashion.

3. A method for quasi-leakproof traversal of the blades mentioned in claim I through matching slots in the sliding slot valves, also mentioned in claim 1, the shape of said blades being geometrically defined by the trajectory of a line segment when moving at the linear speed of said sliding slot valve, along a plane that radially intersects the axis of rotation of the rotor carrying said blade, said plane rotating about said axis at the angular speed of said rotor; where said line segment geometrically represents the intersection between said blade and said sliding slot valve, and thus geometrically defines the shape of said slot in said valve.

4. A method for quasi-leakproof traversal of the blades mentioned in claim I through matching slots in the rotary slot valves, also mentioned in claim I; the shape of said blades being geometrically defined by the trajectory of a line segment when simultaneously rotating about an axis Z at the angular speed of the rotor carrying said blade, and about an axis Y, perpendicular but not intersecting said axis Z, at the angular speed of said rotary slot valve, in such way that the corresponding rotation paths about said axis Z and Y keep the relative position of respectively said rotor to said valve; where said line segment geometrically represents the intersection between said blade and said rotary slot valve, and thus geometrically defines the shape of said slot in said valve.

5. A rotary compressor/pump comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft receiving the driving torque at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; c) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing sealingly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit working fluid in the sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release working fluid being compressed by said blades against said valves; i) one sheet-spring flap valve per outlet port, to prevent the return of compressed fluid through said outlet ports.

6. A rotary compressor/pump according to claim 5, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

7. A rotary compressor/pump according to claim 5, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

8. A rotary motor comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; c) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing sealingly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit working fluid in the sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release used working fluid being expelled from the sub-chambers between said blades and said valves; I) one control valve per inlet port, to regulate the flow and/or pressure of the working fluid admitted according to the power output required from the motor.

9. A rotary motor according to claim 8, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

10. A rotary motor according to claim 8, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

11. A rotary combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a main shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; b) a compression rotor mounted on said main shaft, along with the expansion rotor mentioned in literal j) below; c) at least one compression blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said compression rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal e) below; d) a stationary compression chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; -2k e) one planar valve per compression blade, rpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said compression chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; f) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; g) one inlet port per compression blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to admit air in the intake sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per compression blade, having a triangular cross section slightly larger than the width of said blade's matching edge, to release the air compressed by said blades against said valves; i) one sheet-spring flap valve per compression outlet port, to prevent the return of compressed air through said outlet ports; j) an expansion rotor mounted on said main shaft, along with said compression rotor; k) at least one expansion blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said expansion rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal m) below; I) a stationary expansion chamber swept by said expansion blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said expansion blades; m) one planar valve per expansion blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said expansion chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal said expansion blades therethrough; n) a mechanism driving the slot valves in said expansion chamber that provides synchronous traversal of said expansion blades through said slot valves; 0) one inlet port per expansion blade, having a triangular cross section slightly larger than the width of said blade's matching edge, to admit hot gases in the expansion sub-chambers between said slot valves and said expansion blades; p) one outlet port per expansion blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to release exhaust gases expelled from the sub-chambers between said expansion blades and said slot valves; q) a static housing sealingly enclosing said compression and expansion rotors, blades on said rotors, and matching slot valves, into the corresponding compression and expansion chambers, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate.

12. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 11, wherein said slot valves move through said chambers in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said matching slot valves.

13. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 11, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said matching slot valves.

14. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components, in addition to those components pertaining to the combustion engine under claim 11: a) one cylindrical combustion chamber per compression blade, with one inlet pipe and one outlet pipe connected tangentially to its cylindrical wall, and at opposite sides of said chamber; 4 b) one fuel injector per combustion chamber; c) for Otto-cycle engines, one spark plug per combustion chamber; d) one control valve per combustion chamber to coordinate the inlet of compressed air and the outlet of combustion gases to/from said chamber.

15. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 14, wherein said control valves consist of a housing with bore, a matching rotor with a cutout, and inlet and outlet ports, said rotor being coupled mechanically to any of said shafts as most convenient.

16. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 14, wherein a piston inside each of said combustion chambers is actuated by a control rod to change the effective volume of said chambers, as to provide on-demand variable compression ratio during the operation of the engine.

17. A rotary combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components: a) a rotor mounted on a main shaft, said shaft transmitting the power produced at one of its ends; b) at least one blade, mounted radially on the periphery of said rotor, said blades having a special shape for quasi-leakproof traversal through the slot valves mentioned in literal d) below; C) a stationary chamber swept by said blades, said chamber having a cross section substantially equal to the cross section of the volume defined by the trajectory of said blades; d) one planar valve per blade, perpendicularly and sealingly intersecting said chamber, said valves having a specially shaped slot for quasi-leakproof traversal of said blades therethrough; e) a mechanism driving said slot valves that provides synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves; f) a static housing seaUngly enclosing said rotor, blades and slot valves into said chamber, said sealing being preferably provided by labyrinth seals and grooves where appropriate; g) one inlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to consecutively admit air and hot gases in the intake/expansion sub-chambers between said valves and said blades; h) one outlet port per blade, having the same shape but slightly smaller size than those of said blade's matching edge, to consecutively release the air being compressed in and the exhaust gases being expelled from the compression/exhaust sub-chambers between said blades and said valves. r

18. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 17, wherein said slot valves move through said chamber in a linear trajectory, parallel to the axis of rotation of said blades and along a plane that radially intersects such axis, said slot valves being driven by specially profiled cams, at least one per slot valve, as to provide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

19. A rotary combustion engine according to claim 17, wherein said slot valves are rotary disks mounted on shafts perpendicular to said main shaft, said shafts being coupled mechanically to said main shaft as toprovide synchronous traversal of said blades through said slot valves.

20. A rotary internal combustion engine comprising one or more sets of the following components, in addition to those components pertaining to the combustion engine under claim 17: a) one storage chamber per blade; b) one cylindrical combustion chamber per blade, with one inlet and one outlet pipe connected tangentially to its cylindrical wall, and at opposite sides of said chamber; C) one fuel injector per combustion chamber; d) for Otto-cycle engines, one spark plug per combustion chamber; a) one control valve per inlet port, to manage the entrance of fresh air to said intake sub-chambers, or the entrance of hot gases from said combustion chamber to said expansion sub-chambers; f) one control valve per outlet port, to manage the release of compressed air from said compression sub-chambers to said storage chambers, or the release of used gases from said exhaust sub-chambers to the exhaust system; g) one transfer valve per combustion chamber, to manage the release of compressed air from said storage chambers to said combustion chambers.

21. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 20, wherein said control and transfer valves consist of a housing with bore, a matching rotor with a cutout, and inlet and outlet ports, said rotor being coupled mechanically to any of said shafts as most convenient.

22. A rotary internal combustion engine according to claim 20, wherein a piston inside each of said storage chambers is actuated by a control rod to change the effective volume of said chambers, as to provide on-demand variable compression ratio during the operation of the engine C C 0 etc C e