WO2020101509A1 - Rotary steam engine - Google Patents

Abstract

Rotary steam engine produces electricity using steam pressure. Previous techniques converted steam energy to mechanical energy. The new invention will convert steam energy to electricity in one stage. The engine consists of a closed circular or semi-circular cylindrical path. Steam is injected into the heart of the engine (cylindrical track) through side ports. The steam pressure moves a magnetic bullet into the cylindrical track, which is enclosed in wire coils. This will lead to the production of electric current. The engine can be used whenever a source of pressurized steam is available. Some application can be in oil field. Where associated gases are burned and wasted. They can be used to generate steam and run the engine to produce electricity. It can also be used with conventional car engines if engine and exhaust thermal energy was used to generate steam, then fed to this steam engine to produce electric energy.

Description

Rotary Steam Engine

Prior Art

Previous technics used to generate a useful energy based on water steam pressure are:

Steam engine and steam turbine.

Steam engine:

Steam engine, is a reciprocating engine. Steam pressure will move (push) a piston in a cylinder back and forth. Piston movement is then converted to rotational force by connecting it via a connecting rod and flywheel, creating mechanical (rotation) energy. These engines led the industrial revolution, they were used in factories, mills and railway locomotives.

Steam turbine:

The turbine generates mechanical force when Steam pressure pass through sets of blades, which will turn the shaft. The mechanical output force is used to rotate a device. They are mainly used to drive electric generators.

Problem or defect in the prior art:

Both techniques (steam engine and steam turbine), convert steam thermal energy to mechanical (rotation) energy only. The output is a rotating shaft. No other type of output energy can be obtained from them.

None of the available techniques can convert steam energy to electrical energy directly. They convert steam energy to mechanical energy first, then the mechanical energy is converted to electrical energy by connecting an electric generator to the rotating shaft.

This means that to produce electricity from these two types of techniques, the steam thermal energy has to go in two stages, first to be converted to mechanical energy (by using steam engine or steam turbine), then to electrical energy (by using electric generator).

There are downsides when using these techniques to produce electrical energy:

1- The more stages the energy has to go through, will reduce energy efficiency, as some will be lost during conversion stages.

2- More conversion stages, require more equipment. That will increase complicity and cost

New in the invention:

The rotary steam engine is an engine that use steam thermal energy to force a magnetic bullet to move in a closed cylindrical track, which is surrounded with wire coils. The cylindrical track has ports and stage valves to inject steam. The injection is synchronized in a way to keep the steam pressure behind the magnetic bullet is higher than the pressure in front of it at all times when the engine is running. Thus, keeping the (magnetic bullet) in continues movement.

The engine consists of: *The numbers in brackets represent the component number in the drawings.

1- Cylindrical track (1): is the main part of the engine. It provides the housing for the magnetic bullet (11). It consists of multiple sections, separated by input and output ports (13) and flat stage valves (4).

2- Magnetic bullet (11): is a magnetized body. It travels in the cylindrical track (1) and pass through wire coils (12) to induce electrical current.

3- Input and output ports (13): are the gates to the cylindrical track. They are used to inject steam and take out the exhaust gas.

4- Flat stage valves (4): they isolated the main cylindrical track sections to guide the steam to the required direction.

5- Solenoid valve (2): is an electrical steam valve operated by the control system. It directs the steam to the selected input and output port (13). It also gets the exhaust gas that is coming from the engine.

6- Control system: is a set of components that control and synchronize the engine operation. It

controls the steam injection by selecting the appropriate solenoid valve channel (6) or (7). It also controls the opening and closing of the flat stage valves (2).

7- Coils (12): are wires wrapped around the cylindrical track (1) to generate electrical energy when the magnetic bullet (11) pass through.

When the rotary steam engine is running, it will work in continues rotary movement, the magnetic bullet keeps moving in one direction. Through its movement, it will pass through wire coils and induce electric current.

There will be 3 main advantages of the rotary steam engine that are not available in other types of steam engines nor in steam turbines:

1- The rotary steam engine can convert steam energy to electric energy in one stage (step). It gets steam thermal energy and produce electrical energy as an output.

2- The engine works as a rotary engine. The magnetic bullet will continue moving in one

direction. The Previous steam engines used a piston which moves back and forth in a cylinder. When the piston is forced to stop and revert its moving direction at the end of the stage (cycle), the stored kinetic energy in the piston is lost. The Continues forward magnetic bullet movement will improve engine efficiency as the magnetic bullet kinetic energy will not be lost during engine cycles.

Full specification:

The rotary steam engine consists of a closed circular or semi-circular cylindrical track. Steam is injected into the engine (cylindrical track) through side ports. The steam pressure moves a magnetic bullet into the cylindrical track. Which is surrounded with wire coils. Which will lead to the production of electric current.

Rotary steam engine consists of the following parts: - Cylindrical track (1): is the main part of the engine. It provides the housing for the magnetic bullet (11). It consists of multiple sections (stages). There should be at least two stages for the engine to work. They are separated by input and output ports (13) and flat stage valves (4).

- Magnetic bullet (11) and (Fig 5): is a magnetized body, with ring seals (45) at the outer surface to allow sealing in the cylindrical track (1). When it is moving, it passes through wire coils (12) to induce electrical current.

- Input and output ports (13): are the gates to the cylindrical track. They are used to inject steam and take out the exhaust gas through steam lines (10). There is one port for each stage. A two-stage engine will have two ports.

- Flat stage valves (4) and (Fig 2): They consist of a flat plate (14), an actuator (17), actuator control lines (15), valve input and output ports (16). Flat stage valves (4) isolate the cylindrical track (1) stages to guide the steam to the required direction. There is one valve for each stage. Therefore a two stage rotary steam engine will have two valves. Opening and closing the flat stage valve is done by the actuator (17). There are two types of actuators, pneumatic and hydraulic. They both function the same way. If pneumatic actuator is used, it will be operated by compressed air or steam. If hydraulic actuator is used, it will be operated by hydraulic oil.

- Solenoid valves (2): is an electrical steam valve operated by the control system. It directs the steam to the selected input and output port (13). It also gets the exhaust gas that is coming from the engine. For a two-stage engine, the solenoid valves (2) will have two channels, channel 1(6), and channel 2(7), one channel for each stage. It has one steam input port (5), to receive pressurized steam from steam source, and two exhaust ports, channel 1 exhaust (8) and channel 2 exhaust (9).- Control system: is a set of components that control and synchronize the engine operation. It consists of electronic circuit (), sensors (), relays () and manual override switches.

Electronic circuit (Fig-4). Is divided into sections. Each section controls one channel. A two-stage rotary steam engine will have two sections. Each section consists of 1 NPN diode (40) and 1 PNP diode (39). And a set of three resistors (41, 42, 43) to balance and protect the circuit. DC voltage is received from an external power supply through DC input terminal (23). Signal from sensor is received through signal input terminal (44). Relay 1 (18) control coil is connected to PNP diode (39).

Sensors (3) and (Fig 6): provide a signal to the electronic circuit when the magnetic bullet (11) reaches the beginning of each stage. Each engine stage requires 1 sensor. In a two-stage rotary steam engine, there are 2 sensors. A sensor consists of a wire coil (47) wrapped around a magnetic core (46).

Relays (18 to 22 & 25 to 29): relays work as electric switches. They connect and disconnect the terminals when they get a DC signal on their control terminals. Each relay has control terminals. And a set of power terminals. Power control terminals are three types, common terminal, that receive the input power (indicated by letter C). Normally open terminal, it doesn't have power when relay is off and it has power when relay is on (indicated by letters NO). Normally closed terminal, it has power when relay is off and it doesn't have power when relay is on (indicated by letters NC).

Each channel requires five relays. In a 2-stage rotary steam engine, there will be ten relays.

Override switches (35 & 36). They are push switches. There is one switch for each channel. In a two-stage rotary steam engine, there will be two switches. They are used before starting the engine, to energize the appropriate set of relays, either channel 1 relays or channel 2 relays. The selection of the appropriate channel is based on the position of the magnetic bullet (11). If it was in stage 1, channel 1 switch is pressed. If it was in stage 2, channel 2 switch is pressed.

The control system controls the steam injection by selecting the appropriate solenoid valve channel (6 or 7). It also controls the opening and closing of the flat stage valves (4).

- Coils (12): are wires wrapped around the cylindrical track (1) to generate electrical energy when the magnetic bullet (11) pass through.

• The rotary steam engine described here works on two stages.

To operate the rotary steam engine, the control system is fed with a 30 V DC, to power up the electronic circuit (Fig 4) and relays (Fig 3), and a 220 V AC, to operate the AC solenoid valve (2).

Then the injection channel is selected manually using the override switches (35 or 36). Once this switch is pressed, it energizes the relays of that channel, which in turn, switches on the appropriate solenoid valve channel (6 or 7).

The selection of the channel (6 or 7) depends on where the magnetic bullet (11) is located. After the rotary steam engine starts, there is no need to use override switches (35 & 36), as the control system changes the channels (6 &7) based on signals received from the sensors.

The override switches (35 & 36) can be eliminated from the circuit if using a control system that can detect the magnetic bullet (11) position automatically before running the engine.

After selecting the channel manually, steam is connected to the solenoid valves input port (5). Once the steam reaches the solenoid valves (2), it is routed to the appropriate channel (6 or), where it is injected into the cylindrical track (1). And because the flat stage valves (4) that is used in this rotary steam engine has a pneumatic actuator (17), actuator close and actuator open ports (15) are connected to the solenoid valves (2) channels (6 &7) directly. The stage valves are opened and closed alternately using the same energy (steam pressure) that is injected in the input and output ports (13).

When the steam reaches the cylindrical track (1), it pushes the magnetic bullet (11) forward. The magnetic bullet (11) will move in one direction for two reasons:

1- The flat stage valve (4) before the port (13) is closed.

2- The next flat stage valve (4) which is located after the current port (13) is open.

The pressure behind the magnetic bullet (11) will push it forward, and the exhaust gas in front of the magnetic bullet is ejected through the port (13) of the next stage.

Steam injection continues until the magnetic bullet (11) passes the open flat stage valve (4) and reaches the next stage. The arrival of the magnetic bullet (11) is detected by the sensor (3) in that stage. It sends a signal to the electronic circuit (Fig 4) as indication of magnetic bullet (11) arrival at the beginning of the next stage. The electronic circuit sends a signal to next channel relay set (Fig 3). The signal activates relay (19 or 28). Which in turn, will activate relay (18 or 25), relay (20 or 27), relay (22 or 29), and relay (21 or 28) in the next (opposite) channel.

The selection of which relay is going to be activated, is based on the signal received from the sensor.

Activating relay (18 or 25), will reset the electronic circuit, by disconnecting the 30 V DC power supply to PNP transistor (39). This reset is required to prevent activating two injection channels at the same time. If electronic circuit was not reset, relay (19 & 26) will remain activated, which in turn will keep relay (22 & 29) activated as well.

Activating relay (22 & 29), will keep the relevant solenoid valve channel (31 & 32) permanently active as well. Which prevents switching between the two solenoid valve channels. Activating relay number (20 & 27), will keep relay number (22 & 29) activated as well. Which will have the same effect as described above (prevents switching between the two solenoid valve channels).

Activating relay (21 & 28) permanently in next (opposite) channel, will prevent the 30 V DC supply reaching relay (20 & 27). This DC power is required to keep relay (20 & 27) in permanent active state after receiving the trigger signal from the electronic circuit. Without it (permanent active state), relay (22 & 29) will not be able to switch the channel in the solenoid valve (2). A proper channel switching, requires 220 V AC power to be applied to the solenoid valves for a longer period of time compared to time the trigger signal supplied from the electronic circuit

To prevent relay (19 & 26) to remain permanently active, activating relay (18 & 25) will momentarily disconnect the 30 V DC power to relay (19 & 26), which will reset the electronic circuit.

Momentarily activation of relay (21 & 28) in the next (opposite) channel is required to reset relay (20 & 27) in its own channel. Which will deactivate relay (22 or 29) in its own channel as well, to cut off the 220 V AC power from its solenoid valve channel (31 or32).

Switching the relays in way mentioned above, will switch the channels in the solenoid valve, which in turn, inject the steam in next injection port and closes the current flat stage valve and opens the previous flat stage valve. The effect of the injection continues exactly as in the previous stage. The magnetic bullet will continue its movement in the track.

In order to obtain electricity from the engine, wire coils (12) wrapped around the cylindrical track (1). When the magnetic bullet (11) passes through the wire coils (11), an electric current is generated.

The number of coils and their number of turns vary depending on the application the rotary steam engine is used for.

To stop the rotary steam engine from working, the steam supply is cut and the magnetic bullet stops moving (rotating).

How to use the invention:

The rotary steam engine can be used whenever a heat source is available to boil water and generate steam.

They can be used in oil fields. Where associated gases are burned and wasted, some of these gasses are harmful. Due to the simplicity and cost effect of the rotary steam engine, it can be used in any oil field, even if gases are harmful or quantities are low. They can be used to generate steam in a safe area, then use the steam to power the rotary engine.

Rotary steam engine can be used with conventional internal combustion engines. About 70% of the energy extracted from burning the fuel in a combustion engine is wasted as thermal energy through exhaust gases and cooling the engine. This huge amount of thermal energy can be used to generate steam and run a rotary steam engine, which will recover energy and improve efficiency, and in turn will reduce the cost of fuel. As the output from the rotary steam engine is electrical energy, it makes it very useful. Because converting the electrical energy to other types of energy is very easy. When using the rotary steam engine in conjunction with the internal combustion engine in a vehicle, the output from the rotary steam engine (electrical energy) can be converted to mechanical energy (using electrical motors) and fed to the wheels. This shale improves efficiency and the impact on the environment as well.

Claims

Claims of the invention

1- Rotary steam engine comprising a cylindrical track, magnetic bullet, flat Stage valves, solenoid valves, input and output ports, a control system and coils, to convert steam thermal energy to electric energy.

2- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, the cylindrical track is a closed circular or semi-circular channel (path), it is made from a non-metallic material, preferred to be from ceramic or glass.

3- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.2, the cylindrical track provides the housing for the magnetic bullet, it consists of multiple sections (stages), between each 2 stages there is a flat stage valve and an input and output port.

4- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, the magnetic bullet is a magnetized body travelling in the cylindrical track, its OD is less than the ID of the track and has multiple ring seals to allow building pressure behind it in order to move it in a specified direction.

5- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.4, the magnetic bullet induces electrical current when it passes through the coils that are surrounding the cylindrical track.

6- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, flat stage valves consist of internal and external parts, the internal parts are a flat plate, an actuator, two actuator control lines, these parts are contained in a closed box, the two actuator control lines are, actuator close line and actuator open line, the external parts are valve input and output ports.

7- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.6, flat stage valves isolate the cylindrical track stages to guide the steam to the required direction, it is opened and closed by the actuator, the actuator can work on pneumatic or hydraulic pressure, when it is activated through the actuator close line, it pushes the flat plate in, this will close the flat plate valve and isolate the valve input and output ports, when it is activated through the actuator open line, it pulls the flat plate out, this will open the flat plate valve and allow a communication between the valve input and output ports, the flat stage valve internal diameter is more than the outside diameter of the magnetic bullet, to allow the bullet to pass through it, the flat plate crosses the valve internal passage way at an angle, not vertically, to prevent the magnetic bullet seals from getting trapped and damaged when they cross the flat plate passageway.

8- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, solenoid valves have input ports to receive steam, and channels to supply the steam to the required injection port, as well as receiving the exhaust from the injection ports.

9- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.8, solenoid valves switch its channels on and off using a wire coil and a plunger, when the coil is energized, it shifts the plunger position, which allow to divert the steam from the input port to the selected channel, when the coil is not energized, the plunger is retracted to allow communication between the channel and the exhaust port.

10- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, input and output ports are the input and output terminals to the cylindrical track, they are located at the beginning of each stage after the flat stage valves.

11- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.10, input and output ports are used to inject steam, and to extract the exhaust from the cylindrical track. 12- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, the control system consists of sensors, electronic circuit, relays and override switches.

13- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.12, the control system, sensors consists of a wire coil wrapped around a magnetic rod, they represent a pick-up coil.

14- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.13, the control system, electronic circuit is divided into 2 channels, each channel consists of 1 NPN diode and 1 PNP diode, and a set of three resistors to balance and protect the circuit.

15- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.12, the control system, the relays are electrical switches, they receive power through their common terminal and direct it to output terminals, output terminals are 2 types, normally open terminals, which are not connected to the common terminal when the relay off, and normally closed terminals, which are connected to the common terminal when the relay off, there are two sets of relays, each set represent a channel, each set has 5 relays.

16- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.12, the control system, synchronizes the operation of the solenoid valves and flat stage valves, it receives signals from the sensors and sends activation signal to the appropriate set of relays, which in turn activate the required solenoid valve channel, and deactivate the other solenoid valve channel

17- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, coils are a wire wrapped around the cylindrical track, coils are made from a good electric conductor material like copper or aluminum.

18- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.17, coils, they generate an electrical current when the

magnetic bullet pass through them, and they represent the electric generator part of the rotary steam engine.

19- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.l, override switches are push buttons, they switch on when they are pressed, and go to off position when released.

20- Rotary steam engine according to claim no.19, override switches are used to manually select the injection port before engine start.

21- Process of generation of electrical energy from steam thermal energy using a rotary steam engine, it rotates a magnetic bullet in a closed cylindrical track and the rotation of the magnetic bullet induce an electric current in the coils that surround the cylindrical track.

22- Process according to claim no.21, as the track is the main part of the engine, it provides the housing for the magnetic bullet.

23- Process according to claim no.22, the track consists of multiple sections (stages), at least two stages for the engine to work and they are separated by (input and output ports) and (flat stage valves).

24- Process according to claim no.21, the control system of the rotary steam engine is energized with 30 V DC and 220 V AC power, the AC and DC power is routed to the electronic circuit and to the relays.

25- Process according to claim no.24, the override switch is pressed to energize the appropriate set of relays, either channel 1 relays or channel 2 relays. 26- Process according to claim no.25, the selection of the appropriate channel is based on the position of the magnetic bullet, if it was in stage 1, channel 1 or stage 2, channel 2 the switch is pressed.

27- Process according to claim no.26, pressing the override switch will energize the selected channel relays and the selected channel in the solenoid valves will be engaged.

28- Process according to claim no.21, the steam is supplied to the solenoid valves and routed to the selected channel, as it is injected into the cylindrical track through the input and output ports.

29- Process according to claim no.28, the flat stage valves actuator control lines are connected to the

solenoid valves, the flat stage valves are opened and closed alternately when injection channels are switched.

30- Process according to claim no.28, steam injection will force the magnetic bullet to move, till it reaches the next stage, the magnetic bullet arrival will be sensed by the sensor, and a signal will be send to the electronic circuit.

31- Process according to claim no.30, the signal gets amplified and a trigger signal will be sent to the next channel relays, this signal will deactivate the previous channel and will activate the cu rrent channel.

32- Process according to claim no.31, activating the channel will switch the channels in the solenoid valves, causing the steam to be routed to the selected input and output port.

33- Process according to claim no.32, as the previous channel will be deactivated and will act as exhaust port.

34- Process according to claim no.33, the same action will be repeated when the magnetic bullet finishes the current stage and inters the next stage.