Rotary vane expander

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium comprising a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and to a rotor arranged in the housing. Provision is made in this respect in accordance with a first aspect that the inner contour of the housing has two or more stroke regions which are in communication with the inlet for the gaseous medium so that the gaseous medium expands simultaneously in the two or more stroke regions during the operation of the energy recovery system.

1 . A rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing; wherein an inner contour of the housing has two or more stroke regions which are in communication with the inlet for the gaseous medium such that the gaseous medium expands simultaneously in the two or more stroke regions during the operation of the energy recovery system.   
     
     
         2 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the inner contour and/or control slits of the housing are made identical for all stroke regions. 
     
     
         3 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 1 , wherein the inner contour of the housing is made asymmetric with respect to a rotary region associated with a respective stroke, whereby the rotary region associated with the expansion phase makes up more than 50% of the total rotary region of the rotor associated with the respective stroke. 
     
     
         4 . A rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing; wherein the vanes are guided by a compulsory guide ring on their side remote from the housing.   
     
     
         5 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein contact regions of the vanes with an inner contour of the housing have a radius of curvature greater than zero so that a contact line of the vanes with the inner contour is displaced with the rotary movement of the rotor on the radius of curvature of the contact regions, with the compulsory guide ring having a contour which takes this displacement into account. 
     
     
         6 . A rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing;   
       wherein sealing segments of a seal ring are arranged at end faces of the rotor between vanes for lateral sealing with the housing. 
     
     
         7 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 6 , wherein pressure elements are provided which press the sealing segments toward the housing. 
     
     
         8 . A rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing; wherein the rotor comprises two or more rotor sections which are seated next to one another on a common axis and are each mutually separated by a pressure plate and/or the housing comprises two or more housing sections which are arranged next to one another in an axial direction of the rotor and surround the rotor.   
     
     
         9 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 8 , wherein the rotor sections and/or the housing sections are made identical and/or have the same outer contour or inner contour. 
     
     
         10 . A rotary vane expander in accordance with  claim 9 , comprising at least three rotor sections, with the housing having control slits in the peripheral region for controlling at least one of the inwardly disposed rotor sections. 
     
     
         11 . A rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing; wherein the rotor of the rotary vane expander is supported via ball bearings having ceramic balls.   
     
     
         12 . A method of operating an energy recovery system including a rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium, comprising:
 a housing;   an inlet; and   an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing, wherein a gaseous medium flows into the rotary vane expander and expands there while outputting mechanical energy, and wherein an inner contour of the housing has two or more stroke regions which are in communication with the inlet for the gaseous medium such that the gaseous medium expands simultaneously in the two or more stroke regions during the operation of the energy recovery system.   
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing a rotary vane expander comprising a rotary vane expander for generating mechanical energy from the expansion of a gaseous medium having a housing, an inlet and an outlet for the gaseous medium and having a rotor arranged in the housing, wherein the rotor is built up of one, two or more rotor sections depending on a desired stroke volume, which, when two or more rotor sections are used, are set next to one another on a common axis and are each separated from one another by a pressure plate, and/or wherein the housing comprises one or more housing sections which, when two or more housing sections are used, are arranged next to one another in the axial direction of the rotor and surround the rotor.