Multicylinder compound engine

Claim 1

A compound, rotary-reciprocal engine comprising: a two-cycle reciprocator having a plurality of cylinders, each cylinder having at least one piston arranged for reciprocation in the cylinder in a cycled operation with a timed air input to the cylinder and a timed exhaust from the cylinder; a compressed air intake and combustion gas exit in each cylinder of the reciprocator; fuel injection means for injecting fuel into the cylinders at appropriate times in the cycled operation; and, a rotocharger which comprises: a positive displacement, periodic, rotary compressor-expander having a housing containing a rotor means rotated by combustion gases for compressing air in a periodic cycled operation, the housing including at least one air intake passage and at least one air exit passage, the rotor means being arranged to compress air entering the intake passage with the compressed air exiting the air exit passage in multiple periods during each cycle of operation, and including combustion gas intake and exit passages, the rotor means being arranged for periodic cycled rotation by expanding combustion gases entering the combustion gas intake passage and exiting the combustion gas exit passage in multiple periods during each cycle of operation; wherein the two-cyle reciprocator is coupled to the positive displacement rotary compressor-expander with the air exit passage of the compressor-expander connected to the compressed air intake of the reciprocator with timed delivery of compressed air charges to each cylinder of the reciprocator and the combustion gas intake passage of the compressor-expander connected to the combustion gas exit of the reciprocator with timed intake of exhausted combustion gases from each cylinder of the reciprocator; and, wherein the rotary-reciprocal engine includes connecting means for connecting the two-cycle reciprocator to the positive displacement rotary compressor-expander with the cycled operation of the reciprocator timed with the cycled operation of the rotocharger for an integrated cycle operation with select cylinders of the reciprocator being in sequential periodic communication with the rotocharger during each period of the cycled operation of the rotocharger for timed delivery of compressed air to the cylinder and timed receipt of combustion gases from the cylinder that substantially matches the timed air input to the cylinder and the timed gas exhaust from the cylinder.