Positive displacement rotary vane engine

Abstract

The present invention is an engine, which includes a positive displacement compression process, a variably fueled, continuous combustor and/or heat exchanger, and a positive displacement, work-producing expander. This arrangement avoids the traditional stochiometric mixture requirements utilized in spark-ignition based engines and the emission problems associated with diesel engines.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A rotary vane engine comprising:
 an external housing defining a hollow chamber therein;   a rotor eccentrically mounted within the chamber, the rotor having a plurality of rotary blades extending radially therefrom;   a race substantially contained within the rotor, the race being in mechanical engagement with at least a portion of the blades to limit the radial extension of the blades in relation to the rotor.   
     
     
         2 . A rotary vane engine of  claim 1 , wherein the engine further comprises a fixed shaft coupled to the housing. 
     
     
         3 . A rotary vane engine of  claim 2 , wherein the race is rigidly coupled to the fixed shaft. 
     
     
         4 . The rotary vane engine of  claim 3 , wherein the rotor is operable for rotational movement about the fixed shaft and race. 
     
     
         5 . The rotary vane engine of  claim 1 , wherein the race limits the radial extension of the blades from a retracted position to an extended position. 
     
     
         6 . The rotary vane engine of  claim 5 , wherein the race comprises a blade guide surface to engage the blades. 
     
     
         7 . The rotary vane engine of  claim 6 , wherein the blades comprise a blade collar for engagement with the blade guide surface. 
     
     
         8 . A rotary vane engine comprising:
 a cowl defining a hollow chamber therein; and   a rotor eccentrically mounted within the chamber, the rotor having a plurality of rotary blades extending radially outwardly therefrom for sealing engagement with an interior confronting face of the cowl;   wherein at least a portion of the interior face of the cowl defines a substantially exponential curvature;   wherein the engine further comprises a race substantially contained within the rotor, the race being in mechanical communication with at least a portion of the blades to limit the radial extension of the blades in relation to the rotor, and wherein the race is substantially elliptical in shape.   
     
     
         9 . A heat powered rotary vane engine comprising:
 a cowl;   a rotor rotatably mounted within the cowl, the rotor having a plurality of radially mounted blades configured to compress a working fluid; and   a heat exchanger in fluid communication with the cowl to receive compressed working fluid from the rotor;   wherein energy is transferred from the heat exchanger to at least a portion of the compressed working fluid received therein.   
     
     
         10 . The heat powered rotary vane engine of  claim 9 , wherein the heat exchanger is a solar thermal collector. 
     
     
         11 . A continuously combusting rotary vane engine comprising:
 a cowl defining an internal curvature;   a rotor rotatably mounted within the cowl, the rotor having a plurality of blades extending therefrom, wherein an expansion/compression cavity is defined between the cowl and the rotor, the expansion/compression cavity comprising an expansion side wherein a working fluid expands to rotationally drive the rotor, and a compression side wherein the working fluid is compressed by rotation of the rotor;   a race mounted within the rotor and fixedly positioned relative to the cowl, the race defining a guide surface corresponding to the internal curvature of the cowl and guiding the plurality of blades to maintain sealing contact between seal elements at tip portions of the blades and the internal curvature of the cowl; and   an external combustor receiving the compressed working fluid from the compression side of the expansion/compression cavity, wherein at least a portion of the compressed working fluid is mixed with a fuel source to form a mixture and the mixture is substantially continuously combusted within the combustor and discharged to the expansion side of the expansion/compression cavity.   
     
     
         12 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 11 , wherein the cowl further comprises an intake port and an exhaust port. 
     
     
         13 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 12 , wherein the expansion side increases in cross-sectional area between the combustor and the exhaust port, and the compression side decreases in cross-sectional area between the intake port and the combustor. 
     
     
         14 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 13 , wherein the cowl and the rotor are axially offset such that the expansion/compression cavity is generally crescent shaped in cross-section. 
     
     
         15 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of blades are expandable to maintain contact with the cowl upon rotation of the rotor. 
     
     
         16 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 11 , wherein the race is fixed in position relative to the cowl by a fixed shaft about which the rotor rotates. 
     
     
         17 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 16 , wherein the shaft extends through side plates on both sides of the rotor and is fixed to side portions of the cowl. 
     
     
         18 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 17 , wherein power is output from the rotor through at least one gear operatively coupled to a hub portion of the rotor. 
     
     
         19 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 11 , wherein the race limits radial extension of the plurality of blades to limit frictional contact between the internal curvature of the cowl and the tip portions of the blades. 
     
     
         20 . A continuously combusting rotary vane engine comprising:
 a cowl comprising an intake port and an exhaust port;   a rotor rotatably mounted within the cowl, the rotor and the cowl being axially offset to define a shared expansion/compression cavity comprising a compression side and an expansion side, the shared expansion/compression cavity being in fluid communication with both the intake port and the exhaust port, said rotor comprising a plurality of wedge-shaped splines secured between a pair of rotor side plates and coupled to a rotor hub for transferring power from the engine, said rotor further comprising a plurality of blades slidably mounted within slots between adjacent splines, the rotor side plates sealingly contacting the splines and the blades; and   an external combustor in fluid communication with the expansion and compression sides of the expansion/compression cavity;   wherein a working fluid is delivered through the intake port into the compression side of the expansion/compression cavity, compressed in the compression side by rotation of the rotor, mixed with a fuel source to form a mixture and the mixture is substantially continuously combusted within the combustor, discharged from the combustor to the expansion side, expanded through the expansion side to rotationally drive the rotor, and exhausted through the exhaust port.   
     
     
         21 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 20 , wherein the expansion/compression cavity is generally crescent shaped in cross-section, the expansion side tapering from narrower to wider in cross-section between the combustor and the exhaust port, and the compression side tapering from wider to narrower in cross-section between the intake port and the combustor. 
     
     
         22 . The continuously combusting rotary vane engine of  claim 20 , wherein the rotor comprises a plurality expandable blades extending therefrom. 
     
     
         23 . A rotary vane engine comprising:
 an external housing defining a hollow chamber therein;   a first rotor eccentrically mounted within the chamber; and   a second rotor eccentrically mounted substantially within the first rotor, the second the rotor having a plurality of rotary blades extending radially therefrom;   wherein the blades extend outwardly through the first rotor to maintain sealing engagement with a confronting interior face of the external housing.