Adiabatic positive displacement machinery

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1 in which the variable volume chamber is defined by a piston movable in a cylinder and wherein the inlet port has an area of from about one-half of to about equal to the area of the piston.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the inlet passage extends 360° around the cylinder as a plenum and further comprising a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port between closed and opened positions.

Claim 5

An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the plenum is adapted to deliver the gas to the chamber with a velocity component tangential to the cylinder, thereby to induce axial vortex flow and inhibit the formation of a radial vortex and heat exchange attendant thereto.

Claim 6

An apparatus according to claim 4, the apparatus being an Otto cycle engine, and further comprising means for introducing fuel into the cylinder generally on the axis thereof, thereby at least partially to localize fuel and combustion in a region spaced apart from the cylinder walls while promoting combustion by centrifuging droplets of unburned fuel outwardly from the axis where air undepleted of oxygen is available to support combustion of the fuel.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5 and further comprising a crankshaft coupled to the piston to move it in the cylinder and means coupling the sleeve valve to the crankshaft to drive it in timed relation to reciprocation of the piston.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the coupling means includes an overhead camshaft.

Claim 9

A two-stroke compound diesel engine comprising a supercharging piston-cylinder for supercharging a gas, a combustion piston-cylinder receiving gas from the supercharging cylinder and effecting combustion thereof and an exhaust piston-cylinder receiving exhaust gas from the combustion cylinder, the compression ratio in the supercharging cylinder being larger than the compression ratio of the combustion cylinder and being in the range from about 3:1 to about 8:1, the compression ratio in the combustion cylinder being in the range from about 3:1 to about 4:1 and the exhaust cylinder having a volume expansion ratio in the range from about 6:1 to about 9:1 in order to let down the exhaust to near atmospheric pressure, and supply duct and inlet port means leading to each piston-cylinder and shaped and sized for conducting gas into said piston-cylinder with near-laminar flow and at a velocity along the principal direction of movement of the gas into the piston-cylinder substantially the same as the velocity of the piston thereof.

Claim 10

A two-stroke compound diesel engine comprising a supercharging piston-cylinder for supercharging a gas, a combustion piston-cylinder receiving gas from the supercharging cylinder and effecting combustion thereof and an exhaust piston-cylinder receiving exhaust gas from the combustion cylinder, the compression ratio in the supercharging cylinder being larger than the compression ratio of the combustion cylinder and being in the range from about 3:1 to about 8:1, the compression ratio in the combustion cylinder being in the range from about 3:1 to about 4:1 and the exhaust cylinder having a volume expansion ratio in the range from about 6:1 to about 9:1 in order to let down the exhaust to near atmospheric pressure, and supply duct and inlet port means leading to each piston-cylinder and shaped and sized for conducting gas into said piston-cylinder with near-laminar flow and at a velocity along the principal direction of movement of the gas into the piston-cylinder substantially the same as the velocity of the piston thereof.

Claim 11

An engine according to claim 8 wherein the supercharging cylinder includes an inlet port extending 360° around the head end and having an area of from about one-half to about equal to the cross-sectional area of the cylinder, a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port and a plenum adapted to supply a gas to the inlet port with a circumferential velocity component to induce an axial vortex and near-laminar flow in the supercharging cylinder.

Claim 12

An engine according to claim 9 and further comprising an insulated transfer duct and an insulated storage chamber for holding the supercharged heated air received from the supercharging cylinder for subsequent conduction into and scavenging of the combustion cylinder, the volume of said storage chamber being in the range from about one to about six times the combustion cylinder displacement volume.

Claim 13

An engine according to any of claims 8, 9 and 10 wherein the combustion cylinder includes an inlet port adjacent the bottom of the stroke and communicating with the supercharging cylinder by means of a volute that is adapted to establish an axial vortex in the combustion cylinder.

Claim 14

An engine according to any of claims 8, 9, and 10 wherein the radius and mean head clearance length of the combustion cylinder during combustion are generally equal so that the clearance volume to surface ratio of the combustion chamber during combustion is large, thereby to reduce heat loss.

Claim 15

An engine according to claim 11 wherein the head of the combustion cylinder is substantially flat and smooth and further comprising an exhaust valve in the combustion cylinder that is substantially co-axial with the cylinder axis, and means for injecting fuel substantially along the axis of the cylinder, whereby the axial vortex flow is substantially undisturbed and combustion is enhanced by the centrifuging of fuel droplets to regions where the air has not been depleted of oxygen.

Claim 16

An engine according to claim 12 wherein the combustion cylinder head is substantially flat and smooth and further comprising means for injecting fuel substantially along the axis of the combustion cylinder and an exhaust valve from the combustion cylinder located in the head generally midway between the axis and the wall of the cylinder, thereby to be positioned for more complete scavenging.

Claim 17

An engine according to claim 13 wherein the exhaust valve from the combustion cylinder includes a cylindrical sleeve that slides along cooled guide surfaces both within it and outside of it in the head of the combustion cylinder, thereby to provide a large heat transfer for cooling of the valve.

Claim 18

An engine according to claim 8 and further comprising an exhaust channel communicating the combustion cylinder with the exhaust cylinder, the exhaust channel being thermally insulated, smooth-walled and a volute and being adapted to conduct the combustion cylinder exhaust gases to the exhaust cylinder in a manner such as to induce an axial vortex, near-laminar flow in the exhaust cylinder.

Claim 19

An engine according to claim 16 wherein the exhaust cylinder includes an annular exhaust opening located generally at the half radius of the cylinder and having a width equal to about half the cylinder radius.

Claim 20

A four-stroke Otto engine comprising a piston-cylinder constituting a variable volume chamber for compression and expansion of a gas, exhaust valve means for maintaining the chamber as a trapped volume not exposed to any gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into it, inlet port means to the cylinder that extends entirely about the full circumference of the top part of the cylinder and is of a height not more than about one-half the radius of the cylinder and substantially equal to the stroke length divided by the compression ratio, a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port between opened and closed positions and passage means shaped and sized for conducting gas to and through the port with near-laminar flow at a velocity along the principal direction of movement of the gas substantially the same as that of the piston, thereby substantially to reduce heat flow to and from walls that define the chamber.

Claim 21

A four-stroke Otto engine comprising a piston-cylinder constituting a variable volume chamber for compression and expansion of a gas, exhaust valve means for maintaining the chamber as a trapped volume not exposed to any gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into it, inlet port means to the cylinder that extends entirely about the full circumference of the top part of the cylinder and is of a height not more than about one-half the radius of the cylinder and substantially equal to the stroke length divided by the compression ratio, a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port between opened and closed positions and passage means shaped and sized for conducting gas to and through the port with near-laminar flow at a velocity along the principal direction of movement of the gas substantially the same as that of the piston, thereby substantially to reduce heat flow to and from walls that define the chamber.

Claim 22

An engine according to claim 18 wherein the passage means is sized and shaped for supplying air to the inlet port chamber with a circumferential velocity component that is of the order of one to two times the radial induction velocity so as to induce a weak near-laminar axial vortex in the cylinder.

Claim 23

An engine according to claim 19 and further comprising means for injecting fuel into the combustion cylinder proximate to the axis thereof, thereby to create a stratified charge in order to reduce both the heat flow and the fraction of pollutants from the cooler unburned gases in contact with the cylinder walls.

Claim 24

An engine according to any of claims 18, 19 and 20 and further comprising a spark plug located proximate to where the fuel is injected and having electrode surfaces that are substantially flush with the head surface, thereby to reduce the surface friction of the axial vortex with the head surface.

Claim 25

An engine according to any of claims 18, 19 and 20 and further comprising an exhaust valve having a combustion-side surface that is smooth and substantially flush with the head surface to minimize friction with the gas flow in the cylinder and located generally at half radius to facilitate outflow of the exhaust gas.

Claim 26

A gas compressor for supplying substantially adiabatically compressed air or gas comprising a piston-cylinder constituting a variable volume chamber for compression of the air or gas, exhaust valve means in a cylinder head for maintaining the chamber as a trapped volume not exposed to any air or gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into it, and for exhausting compressed air or gas in the direction of the vortex flow, an inlet port extending 360° around the top end of the cylinder, a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port, passage means shaped and sized for conducting air to the inlet port with a substantial velocity component circumferentially of the cylinder to induce the formation of a near-laminar axial vortex flow of the inducted air or gas at a velocity in the principal direction of movement of the gas substantially the same as that of the piston to minimize heat flow between the air or gas and the piston and cylinder walls, and an insulated compressed air or gas delivery passage in the head.

Claim 27

A gas compressor for supplying substantially adiabatically compressed air or gas comprising a piston-cylinder constituting a variable volume chamber for compression of the air or gas, exhaust valve means in a cylinder head for maintaining the chamber as a trapped volume not exposed to any air or gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into it, and for exhausting compressed air or gas in the direction of the vortex flow, an inlet port extending 360° around the top end of the cylinder, a sleeve valve movable across the inlet port, passage means shaped and sized for conducting air to the inlet port with a substantial velocity component circumferentially of the cylinder to induce the formation of a near-laminar axial vortex flow of the inducted air or gas at a velocity in the principal direction of movement of the gas substantially the same as that of the piston to minimize heat flow between the air or gas and the piston and cylinder walls, and an insulated compressed air or gas delivery passage in the head.

Claim 28

An articulated vane machine for substantially adiabatic compression or expansion of a gas comprising a casing, a rotor carrying articulated vanes, the casing, rotor and vanes defining a variable volume, compression-expansion zone constituting a trapped volume not exposed to any gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into and out of it, induction passage means leading to the compression-expansion zone, and discharge passage means leading from the compression-expansion zone, both such passage means having shapes and cross-sectional areas along their lengths for providing near-laminar flows therein at a velocity substantially matching that of the rotor vanes, thereby to reduce heat flow between the gas and the rotor, vanes and casing walls of the machine.

Claim 29

An articulated vane machine for substantially adiabatic compression or expansion of a gas comprising a casing, a rotor carrying articulated vanes, the casing, rotor and vanes defining a variable volume, compression-expansion zone constituting a trapped volume not exposed to any gas at a pressure substantially different from that within it during substantially the entire time that gas is inducted into and out of it, induction passage means leading to the compression-expansion zone, and discharge passage means leading from the compression-expansion zone, both such passage means having shapes and cross-sectional areas along their lengths for providing near-laminar flows therein at a velocity substantially matching that of the rotor vanes, thereby to reduce heat flow between the gas and the rotor, vanes and casing walls of the machine.

Claim 30

A machine according to claim 24 wherein the casing walls in contact with the gas are made of a material having a low thermal conductivity, thereby to reduce heat flow within the walls and minimize the heat short circuit of the walls.

Claim 31

A Brayton cycle heat pump in which the compressor and the expander are articulated vane machines according to claim 24 or claim 25.

Claim 32

A heat pump according to claim 26 and further comprising means including an insulated shaft coupling and housing insulation for thermally isolating the compressor and expander to minimize the heat short circuit between the compressor and expander.