Rotary Machine and Combustion Engine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotary machine that can be employed in different applications such as, for example, a combustion engine or compressor. The invention further relates to an assembly of two or more rotary machines and a combustion engine based on the rotary machine. The machine is substantially composed of a helical screw-shaped rotor connected to an outgoing shaft journal, which screw-shaped rotor rotates in a cylindrical housing. The machine is further provided with rotating chamber dividing bodies whose rotation is synchronised with the rotating screw-shaped rotor. The chamber dividing bodies divide the helical screw grooves into chambers whose volume varies with rotation of the screw-shaped rotor.

1 - 52 . (canceled) 
   
   
       53 . A rotary machine is provided substantially comprising a screw shaft with one or more helical screw grooves, which screw shaft is designed at least at one end in the screw shaft's longitudinal direction for connection with an engine or a drive gear, characterised in that:
 the screw shaft is rotatingly mounted in a housing with an internally cylindrical shape where the housing's internal diameter substantially corresponds to the external diameter of the screw shaft, which housing is substantially sealed at each of the ends of the screw shaft with a through-going opening for the screw shaft's connection with an engine or drive gear and which housing includes bearings for the screw shaft,   the helically-shaped screw groove extends in a helical form from one end of the screw shaft to the opposite end of the screw shaft,   the rotary machine includes one or more rotatingly mounted chamber dividing bodies, each of which chamber dividing bodies is designed as a substantially circular body with a rotation centre, each of which chamber dividing bodies has a number of triangular chamber dividing blades protruding from the centre of the chamber dividing body with the narrowest end at the centre of the chamber dividing body, which chamber dividing blades are mounted at intervals and which chamber dividing bodies are rotatingly mounted at the outer edge of the screw shaft with a rotational axis substantially extending perpendicularly to the screw shaft's rotational axis and where the rotation of each of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the screw shaft, with the result that the chamber dividing blades on the chamber dividing bodies project into the helical screw grooves in the screw shaft and follow the screw groove's movement when the screw shaft rotates so that a chamber dividing blade on a chamber dividing body follows a helical groove and divides the helical groove into a chamber on each side of the chamber dividing body on rotation of the screw shaft, which chambers have varying volume when the screw shaft rotates since the total volume of the helical groove is divided in two by the chamber dividing body and as the screw shaft rotates, the volume on each side of the chamber dividing body will be altered between substantially 0 and 100% and the two chambers together form at any time a total volume substantially equal to the volume of the helical screw groove and   at least one inlet opening is provided in the housing to the interior of the cylindrical housing into the helical screw groove at one end of the cylindrical housing and at least one outlet opening in the housing to the interior of the cylindrical housing into the helical screw groove at one of the ends of the cylindrical housing.   
   
   
       54 . A rotary machine according to  claim 53 ,
 characterised in that chamber dividing bodies provided on opposite sides of the screw shaft's longitudinal direction are contra-rotating.   
   
   
       55 . A rotary machine according to  claim 53 ,
 characterised in that the profile on each chamber dividing blade is complementary to the internal shape of the helical screw groove.   
   
   
       56 . A rotary machine according to  claim 53 ,
 characterised in that the rotation of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the screw shaft.   
   
   
       57 . A rotary machine is provided substantially comprising two or more screw shafts, each provided with one or more helical screw grooves, which screw shafts are designed at least at one end in the screw shaft's longitudinal direction for connection with an engine or a drive gear,
 characterised in that:
 the screw shafts are each rotatingly mounted in a housing with an internally cylindrical shape where the housing's internal diameter substantially corresponds to the external diameter of the screw shaft, each of which housings is substantially sealed at the ends of the screw shaft with a through-going opening for the screw shaft's connection with an engine or drive gear and each of which housings includes bearings for the screw shaft mounted internally in the housing, 
 the helically-shaped screw grooves extend in a helical form from one end of the screw shaft to the opposite end of the screw shaft, 
 the rotary machine includes one or more rotatingly mounted chamber dividing bodies, each of which chamber dividing bodies is designed as a substantially circular body with a rotation centre, each of which chamber dividing bodies has a number of triangular chamber dividing blades protruding from the centre of the chamber dividing body with the narrowest end at the centre of the chamber dividing body, which chamber dividing blades are mounted at intervals and which chamber dividing bodies are rotatingly mounted at the outer edge of the screw shaft with a rotational axis substantially extending perpendicularly to the screw shaft's rotational axis and where the rotation of each of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the respective screw shaft where the chamber dividing bodies are mounted, with the result that the chamber dividing blades on the chamber dividing bodies project into the helical screw grooves in the screw shaft and follow the screw groove's movement when the screw shaft rotates so that a chamber dividing blade on a chamber dividing body follows a helical groove and divides the helical groove into a chamber on each side of the chamber dividing body on rotation of the screw shaft, which chambers have varying volume when the screw shaft rotates since the total volume of the helical groove is divided in two by the chamber dividing body and as the screw shaft rotates, the volume on each side of the chamber dividing body will be altered between substantially 0 and 100% and the two chambers together form at any time a total volume substantially equal to the volume of the helical screw groove, 
 at least one inlet opening is provided in each of the housings to the interior of the cylindrical housing into the respective helical screw groove at one end of the cylindrical housing and at least one outlet opening in each of the housings to the interior of the cylindrical housing into the respective helical screw groove at one of the ends of the cylindrical housing, and 
 a fluid connection is created between at least one inlet opening in one of the housings and an outlet opening in a second of the housings, with the result that fluid transported through the rotary machine moves between the different housings. 
   
   
   
       58 . A rotary machine according to  claim 57 ,
 characterised in that chamber dividing bodies provided on opposite sides of the screw shaft's longitudinal direction are contra-rotating.   
   
   
       59 . A rotary machine according to  claim 57 ,
 characterised in that the profile on each chamber dividing blade is complementary to the internal shape of the helical screw groove.   
   
   
       60 . A rotary machine according to  claim 57 ,
 characterised in that the rotation of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the screw shaft.   
   
   
       61 . A combustion engine substantially comprising a screw shaft with one or more helical screw grooves, which screw shaft is designed at least at one end in the screw shaft's longitudinal direction for connection with an engine or a drive gear,
 characterised in that
 the screw shaft is rotatingly mounted in a housing with an internally cylindrical shape where the housing's internal diameter substantially corresponds to the external diameter of the screw shaft, which housing is substantially sealed at each end of the screw shaft with a through-going opening for the screw shaft's connection with an engine or drive gear and which housing includes bearings for the screw shaft, 
 the helically-shaped screw grooves extend in a helical form from one end of the screw shaft to the opposite end of the screw shaft, 
 the combustion engine includes one or more rotatingly mounted chamber dividing bodies, each of which chamber dividing bodies is designed as a substantially circular body with a rotation centre, each of which chamber dividing bodies has a number of triangular chamber dividing blades protruding from the centre of the chamber dividing body with the narrowest end at the centre of the chamber dividing body, which chamber dividing blades are mounted at intervals and which chamber dividing bodies are rotatingly mounted at the outer edge of the screw shaft with a rotational axis substantially extending perpendicularly to the screw shaft's rotational axis and where the rotation of each of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the screw shaft, with the result that the chamber dividing blades on the chamber dividing bodies project into the helical screw grooves in the screw shaft and follow the screw groove's movement when the screw shaft rotates so that a chamber dividing blade on a chamber dividing body follows a helical groove and divides the helical groove into a chamber on each side of the chamber dividing body on rotation of the screw shaft, which chambers have varying volume when the screw shaft rotates since the total volume of the helical groove is divided in two by the chamber dividing body and as the screw shaft rotates, the volume on each side of the chamber dividing body will be altered substantially between 0 and 100% and the two chambers together form at any time a total volume substantially equal to the volume of the helical screw groove, and 
 that at each end of the cylindrical housing in the longitudinal direction there are formed altogether four chambers (A-D) where the first chamber (A) and the third chamber (C) are mounted on the same side of the cylindrical housing and the second chamber (B) and the fourth chamber (D) are mounted on the same side of the cylindrical housing, 
 where the first chamber (A) has a through-flow opening to the exterior of the engine and a through-flow opening into the cylindrical housing, 
 the second chamber (B) has a through-flow opening into the cylindrical housing and a through-flow opening into a flow transfer body, which flow transfer body leads from the through-flow opening in the second chamber (B) to a through-flow opening into the third chamber (C), 
 the third chamber (C) has a through-flow opening to the flow transfer body together with a through-flow opening to the cylindrical housing, 
 the fourth chamber (D) has a through-flow opening to the cylindrical housing and a through-flow opening to the exterior of the engine, and 
 that a fuel supply device is provided upstream in the rotation process for the third chamber (C) or at the third chamber (C). 
   
   
   
       62 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that the screw shaft's helical groove is provided at one or both of its ends in the longitudinal direction with a sealing termination, which sealing termination is provided with a through-flow opening which is coincident with the through-flow openings in the cylindrical housing when the screw shaft rotates.   
   
   
       63 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that an ignition device is provided at the third chamber (C).   
   
   
       64 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that an ignition device is mounted in a separate chamber between the third chamber (C) and the through-flow opening to the cylindrical housing.   
   
   
       65 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that chamber dividing bodies provided on opposite sides of the screw shaft's longitudinal direction are contra-rotating.   
   
   
       66 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that the profile of each chamber dividing blade is complementary to the internal shape of the helical screw groove.   
   
   
       67 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that the rotation of the chamber dividing bodies is synchronised with the rotation of the screw shaft.   
   
   
       68 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that sealing devices are mounted at the screw shaft's outer edge against the cylindrical housing.   
   
   
       69 . A combustion engine according to  claim 61 ,
 characterised in that a sealing device is mounted at the edge of the chamber dividing body against the inside of the helical groove.