Abstract: A rotary-vane pumping machine has a core structure that includes a stator assembly defining a contoured surface of a stator cavity, a rotor spinning around a rotor shaft axis that is fixed relative to the stator cavity, and end plates disposed on either side of the rotor. The rotor has a plurality of radial vanes slots for housing a corresponding plurality of vanes that slide within the radial vane slot of the rotor. Each of the plurality of vanes has side walls, a tip portion, and a base portion, and the base portion has one or more tabs extending from at least one axial end of the vane. The plurality of vanes, stator cavity, and rotor define a plurality of chamber cells. The core structure is substantially made of low coefficient of thermal expansion Invar materials to achieve precise non-contact sealing clearances between components of the machine.

Abstract: A rotary vane pumping machine have a core structure and peripheral components interfacing with the core structure. The core structure includes a stator assembly defining a contoured surface of a stator cavity, a rotor spinning around a rotor shaft axis that is fixed relative to the stator cavity, and end plates disposed on either side of the rotor. The rotor has a plurality of radial vanes slots for housing a corresponding plurality of vanes that slide within the radial vane slot of the rotor. The plurality of vanes, stator cavity and rotor define a plurality of chamber cells. The core structure is substantially made of low coefficient of thermal expansion Invar materials to achieve precise non-contact sealing clearances between components of the machine.

Abstract: A rotary vane machine having a rotary-linear vane guidance structure, including a translation ring disposed at each axial end of the machine, the translation ring rotating around a fixed hub, with the fixed hub being eccentric to a rotor shaft axis, with the rotor spinning around the rotor shaft axis which is a fixed rotational axis relative to a stator cavity. A plurality of vanes are disposed in a corresponding plurality of vane slots in the rotor, each of the vanes having a tip portion and a base portion, with the base portion having a protruding tab extending from each axial end therefrom. A plurality of linear channels are formed in each translation ring, wherein the protruding tabs extending from the base portion of each of the plurality of vanes communicate with a respective linear channel in the translation ring, whereby the rotor rotation causes rotation of the vanes and a corresponding rotation of the translation ring.

Abstract: A method for reducing the exhaust pollution emissions in a two-stroke sliding vane internal combustion engine. First, fresh air is inducted into a vane cell, and fuel is injected into the cell at an ultra-lean fuel-air equivalence ratio less than about 0.65. The fuel is injected at a location such that a circumferential distance at mid-cell-height to the stator site at the onset of combustion is at least about 4 times a vane cell height at intake. The ultra-lean fuel-air combination is then compressed and thoroughly premixed prior to combustion to a dimensionless concentration fluctuation fraction below about 0.25. The ultra-lean, thoroughly premixed fuel-air combination is then combusted. The combusted fuel-air combination is purged after an expansion cycle. The premixing step prior to combustion may use inclined airfoils within the intake duct to produce counter-rotating mixing vortices.

Abstract: A sliding vane engine, where the vanes slide with at least of one of an axial and radial component of vane motion, and where the compression ratio of the engine may be variably controlled. The engine includes a stator and a rotor in relative rotation, and a plurality of vanes in rotor slits defining one or more main chamber cells and one or more vane slit cells. The vanes contain extended pins that move in a pin channel for controlling the sliding motion of the vane. Fuel is mixed by incorporating air turbulence generators at or near the intake region. The intake and exhaust regions of the engine also incorporate a wave pumping mechanism for injecting and scavenging air from the main chamber cells and the vane slits. The compression ratio of the engine may be varied while the engine is in operation, and the engine geometry provides for an extended temporal duration at about peak compression. The engine is insulated by using segmented ceramic inserts on the stator and rotor surfaces.

Abstract: A method for reducing the exhaust pollution emissions in a sliding vane internal combustion engine. First, an ultra-lean fuel-air combination is thoroughly premixed, the fuel-air combination having an equivalence ratio less than about 0.60 and a dimensionless concentration fluctuation fraction below about 0.33. After being premixed, the ultra-lean fuel-air combination is inducted into a vane cell, compressed, and it is then combusted at a peak compression plateau. The combusted fuel-air combination is purged after an expansion cycle. The combusting of the fuel-air combination may be initiated by autoignition.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a ring-shaped stator with a plurality of thin slits. A rotor, having a plurality of helicotoroidal troughs formed on its inner surface, encloses the stator. A planar vane wheel, having a plurality of radially extending vanes, is resident in each of the thin slits, with the vanes communicating with the respective helicotoroidal troughs. Rotation of the rotor imparts rotation to the vane wheels. The interaction of the stator, troughs, and vanes produces a plurality of sequential intake, compression, combustion, expansion, and exhaust chambers.