Abstract: A counter rotating electrical generator has concentric rotors that rotate in opposite directions. One rotor has windings and rotates in a first direction. The other rotor rotates in the opposite direction and creates a magnetic field. The windings of the first rotor cut through the magnetic field of the other rotor rotating in the opposite direction, thus creating an electric potential. The counter rotating electrical generator may be configured to produce alternating current or direct current.

Abstract: This is a description of a single-stage engine having a cylindrical rotor with four curved blades attached by means of free rotating rods. The curved blades have extended, half-round knobs on opposite sides, aligned with the top surface that fit in the extended hemispherical grooves on the interior side-walls of the housing. The egg-shaped housing facilitates the compression and exhaust cycles. The two housing halves are joined together at the center. The three-stage engine comprises a compressor, which feeds air to a combustor for fuel injection, combustion and expansion of gases which rotate the rotor and generate torque. The afterburner receives the combusted gases from the combustor for secondary combustion and exhaust. Each unit consists of a cylindrical housing joined together on a common axis and a rotor mounted in an eccentric position of the housing sidewalls. The blades are similarly assembled as above.

Abstract: A rotary engine includes a first rotary unit operable to provides a first phase of compression to a fresh air charge drawn in through an inlet port to the first rotary unit. A second rotary unit in communication with the first rotary unit through a first passage, the second rotary unit operable to provide a second phase of compression to the first phase of compression, a combustion phase and a first phase of expansion, the second rotary unit in communication with the first rotary unit through a second passage such that the first rotary unit provides a second phase of expansion to the first phase of expansion and an exhaust phase that exhausts the first rotary unit via an exhaust port. A first fuel injector is in communication with the second rotary unit operable to initiate the combustion phase and a second fuel injector is in communication with the first rotary unit operable to selectively initiate augmented operation.

Abstract: A rotary engine which provides a supplemental phase of compression between a first phase of compression and a second phase of compression.

Abstract: A rotary engine includes a compressor assembly and two power assemblies that receive compressed air from the compressor assembly. Each assembly includes at least two intermeshing rotors. The rotors of the compressor assembly compress air, either alone or in an air/fuel mixture, in a compression chamber located in that assembly. The compressed air is transferred to the expansion chambers of the power assemblies, where fuel is ignited to initiate a power stroke. A line bisecting the axes of the rotors of the compressor assembly is inclined at an acute angle relative to a line bisecting the axes of the rotors of the power assemblies. The power assemblies operate 180° out of phase with respect to one another to minimize power fluctuations in the engine.

Abstract: An axial vane rotary combustion engine includes various performance improving features. These features include fluid film bearings that enable the vane assemblies to react large loads, a dual vane assembly configuration that share vane loads over two cylindrical bearing supports, a vane actuation mechanism that provides positive actuation even with cam surface tolerance variations, and various features to reduce friction to thereby improve efficiency and reduce heat generation.

Abstract: The problems of prior compressor structures relying upon conventional check valves are obviated by using, instead, flow control passages which operate to control flow while avoiding mechanical moving elements which may become problematical.

Abstract: The present invention is an engine, which includes a positive displacement compression process, a variably fueled, continuous combustor and/or heat exchanger, and a positive displacement, work-producing expander. This arrangement avoids the traditional stochiometric mixture requirements utilized in spark-ignition based engines and the emission problems associated with diesel engines.

Abstract: A multi-channel combustion device is provided. The device includes an inlet port, at least one radially partitioned inlet zone within the inlet port, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced combustion chambers in which deflagrative or detonative combustion occurs. The inlet port may have a plurality of separate, circumferentially partitioned inlet zones for supplying fuel and air mixtures to the inlet end of the combustion chambers. Each inlet zone is capable of introducing a different combustible mixture sequentially to a given combustion chamber as the chamber communicates with the inlet zones. The inlet of at least one combustion chamber is radially partitioned. At least one inlet zone is radially partitioned to permit radial stratification within the combustion chambers. The multi-channel combustion device may be a combustion wave rotor or a valved combustor.

Abstract: A combustion engine comprised of (i) at least one compression stage, (ii) at least one combustion unit, and (iii) at least one expansion stage is described. The compression and expansion stages include tongue and groove cylindrical rotors in sealing relation to one another for fluid volume displacement and transfer of rotational force from expansion of compressed fluid volumes following combustion. Related methods of providing a rotational force to a drive shaft are also described.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprises a toroidal combustion chamber housing within which slides at least one piston. The combustion chamber housing has a circumferential longitudinal slot sealed by a ring seal to which the pistons are rigidly attached. A mechanism is provided for reversibly creating one or more transverse seals within the combustion chamber housing. The space between the transverse seals constitutes one or more combustion chambers. The simplest embodiment of the engine has one combustion chamber and one piston. The combustion chamber is operationally divided by the piston into two regions. The space between the transverse seal and a trailing surface of the piston defines a combustion region. The space between the transverse seal and a leading surface of the piston defines an exhaust region. In each power cycle of the engine, compressed air, fuel and steam are injected into the combustion region and ignited.

Abstract: A radial vane rotary engine comprises an outer housing having a inner cam surface, and an inner housing disposed within the outer housing and having a outer cam surface. There is a substantially constant radial distance between the inner and outer cam surfaces. A rotatable rotor is disposed between the inner and outer housings. The rotor is generally cylindrical having an outer surface, an inner surface, a plurality of axial slots opening between the outer and inner surfaces, and an output shaft extending axially from an end portion of the rotor. A plurality of vanes extend radially through the slots between the inner and outer cam surfaces, providing a plurality of outer chambers between the adjacent vanes, the inner cam surface and the outer surface of the rotor. Similarly, a plurality of inner chambers are provided between the adjacent vanes, the inner cam surface and the inner surface of the rotor.

Abstract: A continuous combustion rotary engine (100) is provided for powering such vehicles as aircraft, boats and automobiles with an efficiency which approaches the total expansion of combustion gases. The continuous combustion rotary engine (100) includes a plurality of power stages (110, 130 and 150) for sequential progressive expansion of combustion exhaust gases in order to generate rotative forces on a plurality of main rotors (112, 114, 132, 134, 152, 154). Simultaneously, the driven rotors (112, 114, 132, 134, 152 and 154), acting in pairs, progressively compress air for use in supporting the continuous combustion in the central portion of the expansion section (92) within stage (110). The use of the same rotors to both be driven by the expanding combustion gases and compress the inlet air provides the instrumentality for cooling the rotors, the heat transferred therefrom serving to increase the efficiency of the compression process.

Abstract: The improved split cycle engine comprises a compression unit 1 mechanically connected to an expansion unit 3 via shaft 2 and to a load via a coupling or centrifugal clutch 5, and a second compression unit 7 which is mechanically connected by shaft 9 to a second expansion unit 8. Compression unit 1 is fed by compression unit 7 and its output is fed to expansion unit 3 via a variable cut-off valve. Fuel is burnt in the air supplied by compression unit 1. The exhaust of expansion unit 3 feeds expansion unit 8. At high cut-off ratios shaft 9 rotates many times faster than shaft 2 and its relative speed is reduced as the cut-off ratio is decreased. At high cut-off ratios the torque output is substantially higher than that of a conventional internal combustion engine so that a complicated transmission is not necessary.