Rotary Machine Sealing via Extraction and Inversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotary engines and compressors face challenges such as wear issues with internal rotor seals, the presence of eccentric components, complex sealing arrangements, and difficulty in transferring gases or fluids into and out of working chambers, leading to leakage and reduced compression ratios.
Innovation Solution
A rotary machine design where sliding sealing points are located in the outer casing, with the sealing surface forming part of the central rotor, allowing fluid transfer via ports on the inner rotor, and a continuous, unidirectional duct for fluid flow between the rotor and shell, enabling axial spinning and easy sealing and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ducts are located within a shaft of the machine extending from working chambers through the rotor into the stationary shaft, then fluid transfer is enabled, but sealing complexity increases due to required sealing arrangements between rotating rotor and stationary shaft
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from the complex multi-component arrangement and concentrates it into a single sealing line between the rotor and shell. The duct system is reconfigured so that fluid transfer occurs through the rotor thickness via ports in the rotor, eliminating the need for seals between rotating and stationary components while maintaining fluid transfer capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having ducts extend from working chambers through the rotor into a stationary shaft (conventional approach), the invention inverts the arrangement by having ducts in the shell receive fluid directly from ports in the rotor. This reversal eliminates the stationary shaft component and its associated sealing requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If bidirectional ports and ducts are used in the inner rotor, then fluid transfer flexibility is improved, but fluid progress slows and effective chamber volume increases reducing compression ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional bidirectional port arrangement by implementing unidirectional ports in the rotor that only allow fluid flow in one direction. This is complemented by unidirectional ducts in the shell that receive fluid from these ports, creating a one-way fluid transfer path that increases flow speed and reduces the volume that must be pressurized, thereby improving compression ratio.
3Reliability
If sealing points are located on the inner rotor, then working chamber creation is enabled, but seal replacement requires complete engine disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing points from the inner rotor and relocates them to the outer shell. This allows the sealing elements to be accessed and replaced independently without requiring disassembly of the rotor or complete engine teardown, significantly improving maintenance accessibility while preserving the sealing function.
4Ease of repair
If sliding sealing points are in the outer casing with sealing surface on the rotor, then seal accessibility is improved, but additional sealing interfaces are created
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the sealing function into a single location at the interface between the rotor and shell. By placing sealing points on the shell that contact the rotor surface, the design consolidates all sealing requirements into one accessible interface, eliminating the need for multiple separate sealing arrangements and actually reducing overall sealing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design simplifies fluid transfer, reduces mechanical complexity, allows for easy seal replacement, and enhances compression efficiency by eliminating bidirectional fluid flow and unnecessary chamber volume, while providing effective sealing and insulation against heat transfer.
Implementation Method 1
sliding sealing points are located in the outer casing or shell, and the surface which the sealing points slide against forms part of the central rotor
Data Source
AI summary
A rotary fluid machine has an inner rotor and an outer shell held by a stationary support structure, arranged so that sealing points on the inside of the shell interact in a sealing arrangement with the outer surface of the rotor to define working chambers, such that in use the relative motion of the rotor to the shell causes fluid to be moved through ducts in the rotor and rotor shaft, between the working chambers and a point where the rotor shaft interacts with the support structure.