Method for producing mechanical work

Abstract

The invention pertains to the field of power engineering and may be applied to convert kinetic and thermal energy of a working medium into mechanical work. The method includes swirling of a pre-compressed working medium, its expansion in an actuating device to produce mechanical work in the form of rotation of the shaft, and discharge of the working medium from the actuating device. The working medium is swirled in the actuating device along a spatial trajectory in the form of a conical helix, the projection of which on a plane positioned at an angle to the axis of rotation is a curve having at least two breakpoints.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for producing mechanical work, the method comprising:
 swirling a pre-compressed working medium in an actuating device along a spatial trajectory in a form represented by a piecewise smooth curve composed of first, second and third parts, wherein the first part is a segment of a conical spiral described by a canonical parametric equation, the second part is a segment of a straight line, and the third part is a segment of a conical spiral described by the canonical parametric equation; and   providing a shaft in the working medium, the shaft being rotated by the working medium to produce mechanical work.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which a segment of said curve is shaped as a hyperbolic spiral. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , in which the discharge of the working medium from the actuating device is accomplished by at least two channels. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , in which the working medium is discharged to a closed shell. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the canonical parametric equation is:
         f 1 ( t )= xē   1   +yē   2   +zē   3       
       where x=at cos t, y=at sin t, z=bt and ē 1 , ē 2 , ē 3  are basis vectors; x, y, z, and t are variables, a and b are constants selected for efficiency and  f1   (t)  is valid for 0<t<t 1 . 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the second part is a segment of a straight line between inflection points where (t 1 ≤t≤t 2 ), the straight line described by following equation: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   f 
                   2 
                 
                  
                 
                   ( 
                   t 
                   ) 
                 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   z 
                   - 
                   
                     bt 
                      
                     
                         
                     
                      
                     1 
                   
                 
                 
                   b 
                    
                   
                     ( 
                     
                       
                         t 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         2 
                       
                       - 
                       
                         t 
                          
                         
                             
                         
                          
                         1 
                       
                     
                     ) 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the third part is a segment of a conical spiral where t>t2. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus for producing mechanical work, the apparatus comprising:
 a shell comprising a shell inlet and a shell outlet;   a swirler mounted to a swirler shaft in the shell, the swirler comprising a plurality of channels, each of the channels formed to provide a spatial trajectory in a form represented by a piecewise smooth curve composed of first, second and third parts, wherein the first part is a segment of a conical spiral described by a canonical parametric equation, the second part is a segment of a straight line, and the third part is a segment of a conical spiral described by the canonical parametric equation;   a compressor comprising a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, the compressor inlet coupled to the shell outlet and the compressor inlet coupled to the shell inlet;   a compressor shaft coupled to the swirler shaft and the compressor; and   a mechanical energy shaft, coupled to swirler shaft and adapted to be coupled to a machine to produce mechanical work;   wherein a working medium is compressed in the compressor, is supplied to the shell inlet, outflows through each of the plurality of channels in the swirler and generates a force to impart torque to the shell shaft, causing the mechanical energy shaft to rotate.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the shell is rotatable. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the working medium outflows from the channels at a tangent to a circle lying in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft to generate a reaction force that imparts torque on the shell. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein there is a space between the swirler and the shell. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein heat released due to the working momentum imparts additional torque to the shell. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein working medium exits the shell outlet and returns to the compressor inlet for reuse.