US3813191A - Rotary vane device for compressor, motor or engine - Google Patents

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Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F01C17/00—Arrangements for drive of co-operating members, e.g. for rotary piston and casing
  • F01C17/02—Arrangements for drive of co-operating members, e.g. for rotary piston and casing of toothed-gearing type
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
  • F01C—ROTARY-PISTON OR OSCILLATING-PISTON MACHINES OR ENGINES
  • F01C1/00—Rotary-piston machines or engines
  • F01C1/30—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members
  • F01C1/34—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members
  • F01C1/344—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member
  • F01C1/352—Rotary-piston machines or engines having the characteristics covered by two or more groups F01C1/02, F01C1/08, F01C1/22, F01C1/24 or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F01C1/08 or F01C1/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the vanes being pivoted on the axis of the outer member

Definitions

• ABSTRACT An integral vane compressor and vane motor. At least three vanes are pinned to a central hub and extend through respective slots in a generally cylindrical drum with its axis parallel to and displaced radially from that of said hub, the slots guiding the radial position of the vanes. Synchronizing means, such as a gear train, cause the hub and drum to rotate in the same direction and at the same speed, with the vanes reciprocating and oscillating in the guide slots.
• a housing encloses the vanes and cooperates with them and the drum to provide a series of working spaces, one for each vane to compress or expand a fluid. lntakeand exhaust ports lead fluid into and from the working spaces.
• This invention relates to an integral vane compressor and vane motor.
• a feature of the rotary vane device of this invention is that the vanes are pinned to a central hub-shaft, and it has a separate circular drum to help transmit torque through the vanes and to guide the radial direction of the vanes.
• The'vanes are pinned at their centers of gravity to the central hub-shaft, so that they can oscillate back and forth as the central hub-shaft rotates; as a result, the mechanism is kept in dynamicbalance.
• the central hub shaft supports the full centrifugal pull of the vanes; consequently, they have no friction drag at their tips where they nearly. (but not quite) touch the housing.
• the central hub-shaft and the'circular drum both rotate at the samespeed and in the same direction, but the center of rotation of the circular drum is offset from the center of rotation of the central hub-shaft.
• the radius of the circular drum is smaller than the radial distance from the hub center to the tips of the extended vanes in every position of their rotation.
• the circular drum preferably has equally spaced axial slots at its outer periphery, one for each vane; these axial slots are preferably just big enough so that the vanes are forced to oscillate andreciprocate in themas the drum and shaft rotate. As the shaft and drum rotate and the vanes are forced to rotate and oscillate, their tipsform a circumscribed surface.
• the housing of my new rotaryvanedevice is slightly larger than the circumscribed surface of the vanes; thus there is no friction betweenthe vanes and the housing.
• the housing may be provided with an intake port and an exhaust port.
• the space bounded between two adjacent vanes, the cylindrical surface of the drum between these vanes, and the cylindrical and disc surfaces of the housing constitutes the working space.
• the intake port is closed by a rotary vane just after the working space is largest; as the vanes and drum rotate, decreasing the volume of the working space, they give an isentropic compression of the trapped gases.
• the compressed gases are then forced out of the workingspace through a discharge port located where the working space is smallest.
• the integral vane compressor and vane motor have a compressor intake port for low pressure gases, a compressor discharge port for high-pressure gases. :1 motor intake port for hot high-pressure gases and a motor exhaust port for exhaust gases.
• the compressor intake port and the motor exhaust port may connect to the same working space.
• a blower may be used to force a fresh charge into the intake port.
• a jet pump action of the exhaust gases flowing out and the fresh charge flowing in may exhaust, charge, and scavenge the common working space for the intake and exhaust ports.
• This integral vane compressor and vane motor may be used similar to a turbocharger.
• the vane motor may be used similar to a gas turbine, wherein the compressor and motor use the same wheel;
• the working spaces for the vane motor may expand to a larger volume than the intake volume for they vane compressor; thus the device will generate shaft power similar to a gas turbine.
• the working spaces for the vane motor may expand to a volume equal to or only slightly larger than the intake volume for the compressor; in this case the vane device acts like a turbo-charger ora gas turbine gas generator which may supply gases to a free-running gas turbine.
• FIG. 3 is a view in section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2, showing the end view of the gears.
• FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in section of a modified form of the device that may be used as a compressor or a motor,.depending on whether the hub-shaft and the drum rotate clockwise, when it acts as a compressor, or counterclockwise, when it acts as a motor or steam engme..
• FIG. 5 is an end view in section of the engine of FIG. 4 showing the adjustable sliding circular valve for regulating the cutoff point for steam or compressed gas expan'sion in the vane motor.
• FIG. 6 is a fragmentary detail view of a portion of the motor, showing a spring seal ring to contain the lubrieating oil inside the'drum.
• FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view, partly diagrammatic, of the gear box with part of the hub shaft broken away to show parts otherwise obscured.
• FIG. 8 is a diagram relative to the geometry of the vanes, hub, and drum as they rotate.
• FIG. 9 is a block flow diagram showing how the rotary vane device maybe used as an integral vane compressor and vane motor.
• the vane engine 10 of FIGS. I to 3 comprises a gen- 3 erally cylindrical housing 11.
• a hub-shaft 12 rotates about a center line 13, having its bearings on or supported by the housing 11 (FIG. 2).
• the hub-shaft 12 has eight equally spaced piano hinges 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, (which may be pinned at the ends only or as shown) and eight vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38 are pinned at their center of gravity to respective piano hinge points 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 by means of shafts 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, and 48.
• Each of the vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 may have a counter mass 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, so that as the vanes oscillate about their respective shafts 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, the hubshaft 12 remains in dynamic balance as it rotates.
• eight vanes are shown in FIG. 1, any number of equally spaced vanes greater than three may be used.
• a drum 14 rotates about a center line 15 which is displaced from the hub center line 13 by the distance y.
• the drum 14 has its bearing on the housing 11.
• the drum 14 and the hub-shaft 12 are synchronized to rotate in the same direction and at the same rotating speed.
• the drum 14 has slots 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 at its outer diameter, and these slots are just large enough for the corresponding vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 to slide and oscillate in as the hub-shaft 12 and the drum 14 rotate.
• the drum 14 may have discs 16 and 17 (FIG. 2) at its ends for supporting the gusseted arc sections 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78.
• the discs 16 and 17 also support the bearings 18 and 19 for the drum 14 on the housing 11.
• the disc 16 may also be provided with an internal gear 80 (FIG. 3).
• the mechanism for synchronizing the hub-shaft 12 and the drum 14 may comprise the internal gear 80 and a meshing spur gear 81, which is keyed to a shaft 82 that has its bearings on the housing 11. Also keyed to shaft 82 is a second spur gear 83.
• the spur gear 83 may be meshed with a pinion gear 84, which is also meshed to a third spur gear 85, or, as shown in FIG. 7, the gear 84 is keyed to a shaft 84a that also carries a gear 84b meshed to the gear 85.
• the spur gear 85 is keyed to the hub-shaft 12.
• the pinion gear 84 has its shaft bearings on the housing 11. The pitch diameter and teeth of the gears 80, 81, 83, 84, and 85 are prescribed so that the hub-shaft 12 and the drum 14 are synchronized to rotate in the same direction and at the same rotating speed.
• the gears have the following pitch diameters:
• the housing 11 may be provided with cooling fins 86.
• the housing 11 may be provided with an intake scavenging and exhaust port 87.
• a fan 88 which is keyed to the hub-shaft 12, may be used to blow a fresh charge of air through the open port 87 to help scavenge the expanded gases out of the exhaust, to cool the vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, and 38 and to cool the outer surface of each drum beam section 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 when it is at the port 87. Also.
• the fan air flows past the cooling fins 86 to cool the engine housing 11 and blows air through the cooling passages 79 between the gussets and the arcuate segments in the beam elements 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, and 78.
• the hub-shaft 12 rotates clockwise, and when, for example, the vane 36 moves past the position 89 of the housing 11, a fresh charge is trapped in a working space 96 bounded by the adjacent vanes 36 and 37, the outer surface of the beam element 76, and the inner surface of the housing 11 between the tips of the vanes 36, 37 and side disc section of the housing 2.
• Each of the adjacent vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 has a working space 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98.
• a fuel injector 99 may inject fuel into each working space 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, in turn as it moves past it.
• FIGS. 4 and 5 the rotary vane compressor or motor has most of the same parts as the engine 10 and are given the same reference numerals. The basic differences are that the fuel injector 99 and the spark ignition system 100 are eliminated, and in place of the common exhaust, scavenging, and intake port 87 shown for the engine 10, the housing 111 of the compressor or motor 110 has an intake port 112 separate from the discharge port 113, and these ports 112 and 113 are located diametrically opposite each other.
• vanes 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, and 37 are practically inside the drum 114, when its respective working space 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198 is at its minimum volume, which is equal to the working tolerances between the housing 111 and the drum 114 multiplied by the vane width.
• the intake port 112 When operating as a vane compressor 110, the intake port 112 is closed as the vane 31, 32, etc., is forced past the edge 115 of the port 112 by means of clockwise rotation of hub-shaft 12 and the drum 114.
• the working space 191,192, etc. may be close to its largest volume just after the vane 31, 32, etc., closes the intake port 1 5 112 at the station 115.
• the working space 191, 192, etc. is reduced, and the trapped gases are compressed approximately adiabatically until the vanes 31, 32, etc., move past the station 116 in the housing 111 to open the space 191, 192, etc., to the discharge port 113.
• the compressed gases are preferably forced out of the space 191, 192, etc., through the discharge port 113 into a compressed gas accumulator (not shown).
• a compressed gas accumulator not shown.
• the vanes 31, 32, etc. rotate past a station 117, a small volume of compressed gas is trapped in the space 191, 192, etc., this trapped compressed gas expands approximately isentropically and does work on the vanes 31, 32, etc., as the space 191, 192, etc., increases.
• the vanes 31, 32, etc. pass a station 118, the compressed gas in the space 191, 192, etc., is substantially equal to the pressure of the gas in the intake port 112.
• the volume of space 191, 192, etc., as the vane 31, 32, etc., moves past the station 117 should be kept to a minimum.
• the motor turns in a counterclockwise direction.
• Compressed gas or steam, etc. flows from the accumulator, not shown, through the port 113, which is now the intake port, into the working space 191, 192, etc.
• the compressed gases are trapped in the working space 191, 192, etc.
• the working space 191, 192, etc. increases in volume and the compressed gases expand approximately isentropically'to do work on the vanes 31, 32, etc., until they move past the station 115 to open port 112, which is now the exhaust port.
• the pressure in theworking spaces 191, 192, etc. is substantially the same as the gases in the exhaust port 112, except when the cutoff point is increased.
• gases are trapped in the space 191, 192, etc.; this trapped gas is approximately isentropically compressed back to the pressure in the accumulator as the working space 191, 192, etc., is reduced.
• the mass of gas which is compressed back to theaccumulator pressure is designed .to be a minimum.
• an arcuate cutoff valve 120 (FIG. 5) may be turned counterclockwise to give the desired cutoff volume 191, 192, etc.
• an arcuate valve 121 may be turned counterclockwise. The compressed gases flow axially from a chamber 122 through the arc ports into the working spaces 191, 192, etc.
• leaf spring scrapers 130 may be used to scrape the oil of the vanes 31, 32, etc., and keep it inside the drum 14 for lubricating the pivot shafts 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, thebearings for the hub-shaft 12 and the bearings 18 and 19 for the drum-l4.
• scrapers 130 may be secured to each bridge section 71, i
• the beam section 14 has an arcuate surface for the spring 130 to follow as it flexes; so it will have fatigue stresses which are below the endurance limit of the spring steel 130.
• the leaf spring scrapes the excess lubricating oil of the vanes 31, 32, etc., so it will be contained inside the drum 14; just sufficient oil is left on the vane 31, 32, etc., to lubricate the rubbing surface between the vanes 31, 32, etc., and the slots 61, 62, etc.
• seal bars 200 may be provided in axial slots 201 in the ends of the beam arcs 71, etc., that bear on the vanes 31 to 38.
• Metal springs 202 or other fluidpressure means may be used to keep the seal bars 200 tight against the vanes, and the bars 200 fit snugly in the axial slots 201, thus a minimum flow of compressed gas passes from the working space 91-98 into the drum 14.
• vanes 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 undergo the same cycle asthe vane 31. If there are n vanes, they may be placed 21r/n radians apart, so that there will be equal working spaces between vanes.
• the surface which the vane tips circumscribe as they rotate and oscillate about the hub shaft can be derived mathematically; they can be written in polar coordinates with the origin at the centerline of the hub-shaft 12.
• the only variable is the angle 0.
• the angle 0 is zero when a radial line drawn from the centerline of the drum first passes through the centerline of the hub shaft then through the pivot point of the vane and through the centerline of the vane.
• the vane is in its straight line extended position at 0 and P r 1 which is at its largest radius.
• the variable parameters are:
• chord segment distance a for the vane contact at radius R to the vane pivot point at a (R-r) sin 6 The minimum distance I) from the vane pivot point to the chord. a line normal to the chord:
• the cosine law is used to get the radius of curvature P, of the surface circumscribed by the vane with respect to the star shaft centerline.
• FIG. 9 An integral vane compressor and vane motor 30 is shown in FIG. 9. It has a compressor intake port3ll, a compressor exhaust port 312, a motor intake po 313', and a motor exhaust port 314.
• the compressor intake port 311 to each working space is. closed by a'vane after that working space achieves its largest volume,v low pressure gas being compressed in that working space as it is made smaller.
• the compressed gas after it has been compressed to a desired pressure level, is discharged through the compressor exhaust 312, the compressor exhaust port 312 being passed by the vane just before the working space achieves its smallest volume.
• the vane then opens the working space to high pressure gas flowing into the motor intake port 313 just after the working space passes its smallest volume.
• the motor intake port 313 remains open until the space between the vanes is at a prescribed value, then the next vane moving to close the working space off from the intake port 3l3 traps compressed gas in the working space.
• the working space increases in volume,'and the compressed gas expands to do work on the vanes and members rotatingtherwith until the working space is near its largest volume; I then the working space is opened by a vane to the motor exhaust port 314, so that the expanded gases are exhausted.
• An integral vane-compressor and vane motor having compressor intake port means and :exhaust port means and motor intake port means and exhaust port means, comprising:
• synchronizing means mechanically linking said hub and said drum so that they rotate in the same direction and at the same rotating speed. so that said vanes reciprocate and oscillate in said guide slots as the hub and drum rotate,
• a housing enclosing said vanes and cooperating with said vanes and said drum to provide a series of working spaces, one for each said vane to compress or expand afluid, and
• said compressor intake port means to each working space being closed by a said vane after that working space achieves its largest volume, low pressure gas being compressed in said workingispace as it is made smaller, the compressed gas, after it has been compressed to a desired pressure level, being discharged through said compressor exhaust port means,
• said compressor exhaust port means being passed by said vane just before 'said working space achieves its smallest volume
• said vane then opening said working space to high pressure gas flowing into said motor intake port means just after said working space passes its smallest volume, said motor intake port means remaining open until the space between said vanes is at a prescribed value, then the next said vane moving to close said working space off from said intake port means and to trap compressed gas in said working space,
• said working space increasing in volume and said compressed gas expanding to do work on the vanes and members rotating therewith until said working space is near its largest volume
• An integral vane compressor and vane motor having compressor intake port means and exhaust port means and motor intake port means and exhaust port means, comprising? a rotating central hub having a series of vane pivot points spaced therearound at equal radii from the center of the hub,
• synchronizing means mechanically linking said hub and said drum so that they rotate in the same direction and at the same rotating speed, so that said vanes reciprocate and oscillate in said guide slots as the hub and drum rotate,
• a housing enclosing said vanes and cooperating with said vanes and said drum to provide a series of working spaces, one for each said vane to compress or expand a fluid
• intake and exhaust port means for leading fluid into and from said working spaces.
• said compressor intake port means to each working space being closed by a said vane after that working space achieves its largest volume, low pressure gas being compressed in said working space as it is made smaller, the compressed gas, after it has been compressed to a desired pressure level, being discharged through said compressor exhaust port means,
• said compressor exhaust port means being passed by said vane just before said working space achieves its smallest volume
• said vane then opening said working space to high pressure gas flowing into said motor intake port means just after said working space passes its smallest volume, said motor intake port means remaining open until the space between said vanes is at a prescribed value, then the next said vane moving to close said working space off from said intake port means and to trap compressed gas in said working space,
• said working space increasing in volume and said compressed gas expanding to do work on the vanes and members rotating therewith until said working space is near its largest volume

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Structures Of Non-Positive Displacement Pumps (AREA)

Abstract

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Cited By (11)

Citations (4)

• 1973
  • 1973-04-12 US US00350632A patent/US3813191A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (4)

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