A rotary combustion engine

Abstract

Rotary combustion engine (1) with a hollow cylindrical housing (2) and a closed expansion combustion chamber (16) with a constant volume. The inlet of the closed expansion combustion chamber (16) is connected to the outlet of the compressor (12) through a transfer port (21) and its outlet is connected to the inlet (6) of the hollow cylindrical housing (2) through an outlet pipe (22). The closed expansion combustion chamber (16) is equipped with a spark plug (17) and / or a fuel injector (18) or a fuel injector (18) and a glow plug (19). The cam box (13) includes valves, an intake valve (14), an exhaust valve (15), a transfer valve (20), and an outlet valve (23). The transfer valve (20) is used to close and open the transfer of air or fuel mixture from the transfer port (21) to the closed expansion combustion chamber (16).

Description

[0001] A rotary combustion engine

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a rotary combustion engine, i.e. the design of rotary propulsion systems for combustion of liquid or gaseous fuels.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] Combustion engines, together with combustion turbines, are some of the basic drive units used to generate rotary or linear motion, which in turn drives other parts of machines and equipment.

[0006] The basic and most common types of combustion engines used are piston engines, broken down by the number of power cycles performed during one revolution of the crankshaft into two-stroke and four-stroke combustion engines. These engines are equipped with a combustion chamber with a piston connected to the crankshaft by means of a connecting rod. The basic motion generated in these engines by the reciprocating motion of the piston, which rotates the crankshaft through the connecting rod. Two-stroke engines have a simpler design, are lighter, and usually have higher power density at the same speed. The combustion process takes place alternately above and below the piston, which means that conventional piston lubrication with oil from the sump cannot be used and the fuel mixture must be enriched with a lubricating medium, which is also burned. As a result, the main disadvantages of the two-stroke engine are the smoke emissions and the higher content of harmful and unburned components of the fuel mixture in the exhaust gases.

[0007] The disadvantages of a limited number of combustion processes during one crankshaft revolution are eliminated by the conventional design of the rotary combustion engine. The Wankel engine with a rotating rotor on an eccentric shaft and a fixed housing is well known in technical practice. The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine in which a piston in the shape of a convex triangle changes the volume of the chambers by rotating in a hollow oval housing. Suction, compression, expansion, and exhaust take place in the chambers, while the edges of the piston open and close the intake and exhaust ports. The Wankel engine provides rotary motion without a crank (mechanism) and does not require a valve train. It can generate the same power more economically, is more compact, and weighs approximately one-third less than conventional piston engines. The rotating parts can be balanced almost perfectly, resulting in extremely smooth operation and minimal noise. In addition, during one revolution of the shaft, three combustion processes, i.e. three expansions, take place in the conventional Wankel engine. The main disadvantage of rotary combustion engines is the problem of sealing the contact area between the cylinder wall and the edge of the rotary shaft. The main advantage of rotary combustion engines is that their design and internal forces allow for increased performance by simply increasing the speed, which is not possible with conventional piston combustion engines with reciprocating motion of the piston. Another advantage is the theoretically unlimited possibility of any number of combustion chambers on the circumference of the rotary shaft.

[0008] Technical practice has shown that there are many different designs of rotary shafts, which also determine the number of combustion chambers created. One of these is document CZ 21688 Ul, in which the rotary shaft creates two combustion chambers that are simultaneously activated by a pair of simultaneously timed combustion processes.

[0009] The disadvantage of conventional Wankel rotary combustion engines is the need to use light fuel, which is less environmentally friendly. This disadvantage is addressed by rotary combustion engines with an external combustion chamber or an external pre-chamber. One such example is the engine described in document EP2551448, with a modified design for use with heavy fuel, i.e. diesel. For this purpose, the engine is equipped with a pair of injectors, one of which injects fuel into the combustion chamber and the other into the pre-chamber with a glow plug. It is the prechamber that is the place of the explosive reaction, which then spreads to the mixture in the combustion chamber.

[0010] Document CZ 309 445 B6 describes a rotary combustion engine that combines a conventional rotary combustion engine with an external combustion chamber and an oscillation chamber. Thanks to the blades of the runner the rotary combustion engine created in this way has a much higher power-to-weight ratio than it is in currently available rotary combustion engines. The main reason for this is that this rotary combustion engine is capable of multiple expansions during one revolution of the runner. At the same time, however, the design of this rotary combustion engine allows for smooth and even heat transfer, i.e. the engine cooling process is not reduced. Another advantage is that this rotary combustion engine has higher efficiency, and, at the same time, its lubrication chamber is completely separated from the combustion chamber. Last but not least, the advantage of this engine is that the start-up and run-down of the pressure forces generated during the combustion process are extremely smooth, thereby reducing engine vibrations and at the same time better distributing the temperatures generated throughout the entire mass of the rotary combustion engine.

[0011] The common denominator for all the above-mentioned rotary combustion engines is the fact that the moment when fuel enters the combustion chamber depends on the speed of the main shaft. The same applies to piston combustion engines, in which the moment of ignition of the fuel mixture is directly dependent on the position of the piston in the cylinder.

[0012] These disadvantages are addressed by patent CZ 310 147 B6. This document addresses the method and device that enable the control of instantaneous power output and the associated instantaneous fuel consumption of a rotary combustion engine based on the Pelton turbine principle with side- closed blades. The method distributes fuel to the combustion chamber of the rotary combustion engine independently of the instantaneous speed of the main shaft, so that it is possible to adjust the instantaneous power of the rotary combustion engine by adjusting the fuel distribution. A speed-controlled drive unit is used, which, independently of the instantaneous speed of the main shaft of the rotary combustion engine, rotates the camshaft controlling the operation of the valves for controlling the fuel flow through the compressor. The compressor pushes fuel into the combustion chamber of the rotary combustion engine. At the same time, the drive unit synchronously controls the operation of the electric ignition of the combustion chamber of the rotary combustion engine through the camshaft. The compressor operation is also synchronized with the drive unit operation, either electronically or mechanically through the common drive device.

[0013] The disadvantage of this solution is that the continuous, i.e. open combustion chamber, which is directly connected to the internal expansion chamber with blades, causes frequent waste of fuel as well as related excessive emissions. Even though the fuel and fuel mixture dosing process is synchronized with the engine speed, the fuel mixture is still combusted in an unclosed space, i.e. in the space where the combustion process of the injected fuel mixture cannot be optimally controlled. Furthermore, this solution does not allow the use of gasoline, diesel, or other types of alternative fuels as fuel.

[0014] The object of the invention is therefore to create a rotary combustion engine based on the Pelton turbine principle with side-closed blades, which will be lightweight, increasing the power of the rotary engine several times in relation to its weight, and where heat transfer and the cooling process will not be reduced. At the same time, it will have instantaneous power and instantaneous fuel consumption control. Above all, it will be able to run on gasoline or diesel, as well as other types of alternative fuels. The engine should have a better controlled combustion process and expansion process of exhaust gases into the oscillation chamber to drive the main rotary shaft.

[0015] Summary of the Invention

[0016] The shortcomings of currently known rotary combustion engines, consisting primarily in the impossibility to use various types of liquid and gaseous fossil and alternative fuels for the propulsion of the rotary combustion engine, including problems with the imperfection of the complete combustion process of the fuel mixture, are overcome by the rotary combustion engine that replaces the continuous combustion chamber, which is part of the inlet of the hollow cylindrical housing, known from the background of the invention, with a closed combustion chamber installed between the compressor and the hollow cylindrical housing.

[0017] The hollow cylindrical housing of the rotary combustion engine consists of a shell with blades installed at an angle in the direction of rotation of the runner. An oscillation chamber is arranged in the upper part of the hollow cylindrical housing. The top of the rotary combustion engine housing is designed to create the oscillation chamber. The oscillation chamber is equipped on its inner side with a set of blades that are arranged in the opposite direction to the rotor blades and, together with the housing, form separate external expansion chambers. In places where internal expansion chambers and external expansion chambers are arranged opposite each other, there is an alternating flow of expanded gases between the chambers, resulting in a gradual transfer of thermal and kinetic energy without significant oscillatory effects at the beginning of each expansion. The inner part of the hollow cylindrical housing consists of a rotor formed by a main rotary shaft fitted with a runner with side-closed blades installed at an angle opposite to the angle of the blades arranged on the inside of the shell. The hollow cylindrical housing has an inlet and an outlet, with the outlet used to remove exhaust gases from the oscillation chamber.

[0018] In addition, the rotary combustion engine includes an accumulator that is data-connected and electrically connected to the drive unit through the control unit. The drive unit is coupled to the camshaft through its shaft output, and the shaft output is fitted with a drive device. The drive device is connected to the compressor in such a way that it drives the compressor crankshaft from the drive unit. The camshaft is arranged in a cam box and is fitted with at least two cams and at least two valves, where part of the valve stem and their seat are arranged to simultaneously become a physical part of the compressor and combustion chamber. At least one of the valves is an intake valve, which is used to close and open the air or fuel mixture supply to the compressor. At least one valve is an exhaust valve, which is used to close and open the removal of compressed air or fuel mixture to the combustion chamber.

[0019] The combustion chamber is a closed expansion combustion chamber with a constant volume. Its inlet is connected to a transfer port, which is connected to the outlet of the compressor. The outlet of the closed expansion combustion chamber is connected to the outlet of the compressor, and its outlet is connected through the outlet pipe to the inlet of the hollow cylindrical housing. The closed expansion combustion chamber is equipped with a spark plug or fuel injector or fuel injector and spark plug or fuel injector and glow plug. The cam box includes at least one transfer valve, which closes and opens the transfer of air or fuel mixture from the transfer port to the closed expansion combustion chamber, and at least one outlet valve, which closes and opens the outlet of the closed expansion combustion chamber.

[0020] In the preferred embodiment, the closed expansion combustion chamber has a spherical shape and is equipped with deflectors in its cavity, which dampen the rotary effect of the fuel mixture caused by the directional inlet of air or fuel mixture from the compressor.

[0021] Another preferred embodiment features an outlet pipe from the closed expansion combustion chamber in the shape of a Venturi tube.

[0022] The use of the closed expansion combustion chamber instead of the continuous combustion chamber allows gasoline, diesel, and alternative fuels to be used as fuel. The motor behaves like a two-stroke engine because all operating cycles take place in one revolution of the compressor. The fuel mixture can also be prepared in the carburettor. In addition, the combustion process is much more efficient, so the exhaust gases do not contain any unbumed fuel components, or only in minimal quantities compared to the rotary combustion engine with the continuous combustion chamber. The efficiency of the rotary combustion engine is approximately 85%, while the efficiency of piston engines is around 40%. The fuel mixture can also be prepared in the carburettor. The engines are one-chamber engines, but can also be multi-chamber engines, depending on the number of closed expansion combustion chambers. In urban traffic, and with the fuel supply shut off, this rotary combustion engine can be used as a pneumatic engine, which is advantageous, for example, for plug-in hybrid engines. The main advantage of this invention is that this rotary combustion engine based on the Pelton turbine principle with side-closed blades is lightweight and has several times higher power than conventional rotary combustion engines in relation to its weight. At the same time, heat transfer and the cooling process are not reduced. At the same time, it controls instantaneous power and instantaneous fuel consumption. Above all, however, it is able to run on gasoline, diesel, and other types of alternative fuels. The engine has a better controlled combustion process and exhaust gas expansion process into the oscillation chamber to drive the main rotary shaft.

[0023] Explanation of drawings

[0024] The invention will be explained in detail by drawings which illustrate:

[0025] Fig. 1 schematic illustration of a rotary combustion engine with one closed expansion combustion chamber with fuel injector and spark plug,

[0026] Fig. 2 schematic illustration of a rotary combustion engine according to Fig. 1, but at the stage when the outlet valve discharges the compressed combustion gases into the oscillation chamber,

[0027] Fig. 3 schematic illustration of a rotary combustion engine according to Fig. 2, showing positions “X” and “Y” during the motion of the compressor piston, where position “X” indicates the moment of opening the outlet valve and “Y” indicates the moment of closing the outlet valve and opening of the exhaust and transfer valves.

[0028] Fig. 4 schematic detailed illustration of a closed expansion combustion chamber according to Fig.

[0029] 1 with a spark plug,

[0030] Fig. 5 schematic illustration of a closed expansion combustion chamber with a glow plug.

[0031] Examples of the invention embodiments

[0032] The rotary combustion engine according to this invention, shown in Fig. 1 to 5, develops the design of rotary combustion engines known primarily from documents CZ 309 445 B6 and CZ 310 147 B6 and improves their design, primarily in terms of the possibility of using multiple types of fuel and reducing the proportion of unbumed fuel in the emissions produced, while retaining all advantages of rotary combustion engines. Example 1

[0033] According to this example shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the rotary combustion engine 1 is designed so that it consists of one hollow cylindrical housing 2 with one oscillation chamber 25 arranged between the shell 28 and the runner 5. The shell 28 of the hollow cylindrical housing 2 is equipped on its inner side with blades 26. Inside the hollow cylindrical housing 2 is a rotor consisting of a main rotary shaft 4 with the runner 5 mounted on it. The runner 5 is equipped with side-closed blades 3, which are bevelled in the same way as vanes 26, but in the opposite direction to each other. The hollow cylindrical housing 2 has inlet 6 and outlet 7. The outlet 7 is used to remove exhaust gases from the hollow cylindrical housing 2. The rotary combustion engine 1 further comprises one accumulator 8, which is data-connected and electrically connected to one drive unit 9 of the electric type, i.e. electric motor, through one control unit 10. The drive unit 9 is coupled, i.e. its rotor shaft is connected to the camshaft 11 arranged in a cam box 13. The drive device 27 is arranged on the rotor shaft of the electric motor and is connected to the crankshaft of the compressor 12. The rotary combustion engine 1 has one compressor 12 with one piston. In this particular example of embodiment, the drive device 27 consists of a chain drive with two gear wheels. In another example, the drive device 27 could also consist of a belt drive, a shaft with a gearbox, or other known devices designed to transmit torque. The cam box 13 is equipped with one camshaft 11 with four cams and four valves. One valve is the intake valve 14, which closes and opens the air or fuel mixture supply to the compressor 12. The other valve is an exhaust valve, which closes and opens the removal of compressed air or fuel mixture to the combustion chamber, more specifically to the transfer port 21. Part of the stem and seat of these two valves 14, 15 is also part of the compressor 12. The combustion chamber is a single closed expansion combustion chamber 16 with a constant volume. This closed expansion combustion chamber 16 is connected to the outlet of the compressor 12 through the transfer port 21. The outlet of the closed expansion combustion chamber 16 is connected through the outlet pipe 22 to the inlet 6 of the hollow cylindrical housing 2. The closed expansion combustion chamber 16 is equipped with a spark plug 17 and a fuel injector 18, making it a spark-ignition rotary combustion engine 1.

[0034] In this particular example of embodiment, the rotary combustion engine 1, more specifically the cam box 13, includes another transfer valve 20, which closes and opens the transfer of air or fuel mixture from the transfer port 21 to the closed expansion combustion chamber 16. Furthermore, the cam box 13 includes one outlet valve 23, which closes and opens the outlet of the closed expansion combustion chamber 16. Part of the stem and seat of the transfer valve 20 and the outlet valve 23 is part of the closed expansion combustion chamber 16.

[0035] In this example, the closed expansion combustion chamber 16 has a spherical shape and is equipped with three deflectors 24 in its cavity, which disrupt the rotary movement of air or fuel mixture in the closed expansion combustion chamber 16, which is the result of the shape of the closed expansion combustion chamber 16 and the directional inlet of air or fuel mixture from the compressor 12. The outlet pipe 22 from the closed expansion combustion chamber 16 has the shape of a Venturi tube.

[0036] Fig. 3 shows the X and Y positions for the motion of the piston. Position X indicates the moment when the piston is in the position where the outlet valve 23 opens, and position Y is the moment when the piston is in the position where the outlet valve 23 closes and the exhaust valve 15 and the transfer valve 20 open.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] According to this specific example of embodiment, created according to Example 1 and partially illustrated in Fig. 5, the rotary combustion engine 1 has one closed expansion combustion chamber 16 with one glow plug 19 and one fuel injector 18. The closed combustion chamber 16 is designed for combustion of a diesel fuel mixture, where diesel fuel is injected into compressed air.

[0039] Industrial applicability

[0040] Rotary combustion engines are used in a wide range of driving machinery where combustion engines are used as torque generators.

[0041] List of reference numerals used in the drawings

[0042] 1 rotary combustion engine

[0043] 2 hollow cylindrical housing

[0044] 3 closed blade

[0045] 4 main rotary shaft

[0046] 5 runner

[0047] 6 inlet of the hollow cylindrical housing

[0048] 7 outlet of the hollow cylindrical housing

[0049] 8 accumulator

[0050] 9 drive unit

[0051] 10 control unit

[0052] 11 camshaft

[0053] 12 compressor

[0054] 13 cam box

[0055] 14 intake valve

[0056] 15 exhaust valve

[0057] 16 closed expansion combustion chamber

[0058] 17 spark plug

[0059] 18 fuel injector

[0060] 19 glow plug

[0061] 20 transfer valve

[0062] 21 transfer port

[0063] 22 outlet pipe

[0064] 23 outlet valve

[0065] 24 deflector

[0066] 25 oscillation chamber

[0067] 26 vane

[0068] 27 drive device

[0069] 28 shell

[0070] X moment of opening the outlet valve

[0071] Y moment of closing the outlet valve

Claims

AMENDED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on 03 November 2025 (03.11 .2025)1. A rotary combustion engine (1) comprising a hollow cylindrical housing (2) with an oscillation chamber (25), where the shell (28) of the hollow cylindrical housing (2) is provided with vanes (26), and inside the hollow cylindrical housing (2) there is also a rotor consisting of a main rotary shaft (4) and a runner (5) with side-closed blades (3) mounted on it, where the hollow cylindrical housing (2) has an inlet (6) and an outlet (7), where the outlet (7) is for the removal of exhaust gases, further comprising an accumulator (8), a drive unit (9) data-connected and electrically connected to the accumulator through a control unit (10), where the drive unit (9) is coupled to a camshaft (11); further comprising a drive device (27) connected to a compressor (12), for the transfer of rotary mechanical energy from the drive unit (9) to the crankshaft of the compressor (12); further comprising a cam box (13) with at least two cams and at least two valves, where at least one of the valves is an intake valve (14) for closing and opening of the supply of air or fuel mixture to the compressor (12) and at least one valve is an exhaust valve (15) for closing and opening of the removal of compressed air or fuel mixture into a combustion chamber (16), wherein the combustion chamber (16) is a closed expansion combustion chamber (16) with a constant volume connected with its inlet through a transfer port (21) to the outlet of the compressor (12) and connected with its outlet through an outlet pipe (22) to the inlet (6) of the hollow cylindrical housing (2), where the closed expansion combustion chamber (16) is equipped with a spark plug (17) or a fuel injector (18) or a fuel injector (18) and a spark plug (17) or a fuel injector (18) and a glow plug (19), where the cam box (13) includes at least one transfer valve (20) for closing and opening of the transfer of air or fuel mixture from the transfer port (21) to the closed expansion combustion chamber (16) and at least one outlet valve (23) for closing and opening of the outlet from the closed expansion combustion chamber (16), characterized in that the closed expansion combustion chamber (16) has a spherical shape and is provided with deflectors (24) in its cavity to dampen the rotary effect of the fuel mixture caused by the directional inlet of air or fuel mixture from the compressor (12).

2. The rotary combustion engine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the outlet pipe (22) from the closed expansion combustion chamber (16) is in the shape of a Venturi tube.

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