Internal combustion engine with port communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9714604-B2
Application number	US-201514887611-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2015
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A method of feeding air to an internal combustion engine having at least first and second internal cavities, including: completing the intake phase of the first combustion chamber of the first internal cavity by feeding compressed air into the first combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached; during a beginning of the compression phase of the first combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the second combustion chamber of the second internal cavity, feeding compressed air from the first combustion chamber into the second combustion chamber; closing a communication between the first and second combustion chambers and completing the intake phase of the second combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the second combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of feeding air to an internal combustion engine having at least first and second internal cavities, the first internal cavity defining at least a first combustion chamber, the second internal cavity defining at least a second combustion chamber, the first and second combustion chambers each having a variable volume and undergoing a cycle defining successive phases of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust, the method comprising:
completing the intake phase of the first combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the first combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached;
during a beginning of the compression phase of the first combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the second combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the first combustion chamber into the second combustion chamber;
closing a communication between the first and second combustion chambers and completing the intake phase of the second combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the second combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and second internal cavities each sealingly and rotationally receive a respective rotor therewithin.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the beginning of the compression phase of the first combustion chamber is simultaneous with the end of the exhaust phase and the beginning of the intake phase of the second combustion chamber, and compressed air is also fed from the first combustion chamber into the second combustion chamber during the end of the exhaust phase of the second combustion chamber.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein:
feeding the compressed air from the first combustion chamber into the second combustion chamber includes feeding the compressed air from the first combustion chamber through a primary inlet port of the first internal cavity and into the second combustion chamber through a secondary inlet port of the second internal cavity; and
completing the intake phase of the second combustion chamber with the communication between the first and second combustion chambers closed includes feeding the compressed air to the second combustion chamber through a primary inlet port of the second internal cavity.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the internal combustion engine further includes a third internal cavity defining at least a third combustion chamber with variable volume and undergoing a cycle defining successive phases of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust, the method further comprising:
during a beginning of the compression phase of the second combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the third combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the second combustion chamber into the third combustion chamber;
closing a communication between the second and third combustion chambers and completing the intake phase of the third combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the third combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached.

6. The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein the internal combustion engine further includes a fourth internal cavity defining at least a fourth combustion chamber with variable volume and undergoing a cycle defining successive phases of intake, compression, the method further comprising:
during a beginning of the compression phase of the third combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the fourth combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the third combustion chamber into the fourth combustion chamber;
closing a communication between the third and fourth combustion chambers and completing the intake phase of the fourth combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the fourth combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached;
during a beginning of the compression phase of the fourth combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the first combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the fourth combustion chamber into the first combustion chamber; and
closing a communication between the fourth and first combustion chambers before completing the intake phase of the first combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the first combustion chamber until the maximum volume thereof is reached.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first internal cavity defines at least a first additional combustion chamber with variable volume and undergoing a cycle defining successive phases of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust, the method further comprising:
during a beginning of the compression phase of the second combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the first additional combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the second combustion chamber into the first additional combustion chamber;
closing a communication between the second combustion chamber and the first additional combustion chamber, and completing the intake phase of the first additional combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the first additional combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 , wherein the second internal cavity defines at least a second additional combustion chamber with variable volume and undergoing a cycle defining successive phases of intake, compression, combustion and exhaust, the method further comprising:
during a beginning of the compression phase of the first additional combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the second additional combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the first additional combustion chamber into the second additional combustion chamber;
closing a communication between the first and second additional combustion chambers and completing the intake phase of the second additional combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the second additional combustion chamber until a maximum volume thereof is reached;
during a beginning of the compression phase of the second additional combustion chamber and a simultaneous beginning of the intake phase of the first combustion chamber, feeding compressed air from the second additional combustion chamber into the first combustion chamber; and
closing a communication between the second additional combustion chamber and the first combustion chamber before completing the intake phase of the first combustion chamber by feeding compressed air into the first combustion chamber until the maximum volume thereof is reached.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 , wherein:
feeding compressed air from the second additional combustion chamber into the first combustion chamber includes feeding the compressed air from the second additional combustion chamber through a primary inlet port of the second internal cavity and into the first combustion chamber through a secondary inlet port of the first internal cavity;
feeding compressed air to the first combustion chamber with the communication between the second additional combustion chamber and the first combustion chamber closed includes feeding the compressed air to the first combustion chamber through a primary inlet port of the first internal cavity;
feeding compressed air from the first combustion chamber into the second combustion chamber includes feeding the compressed air from the first combustion chamber through the primary inlet port of the first internal cavity and into the second combustion chamber through a secondary inlet port of the second internal cavity;
feeding compressed air to the second combustion chamber with the communicati

Assignees

• Pratt & Whitney Canada

Inventors

• Thomassin Jean
• Rousseau Patrick
• Martel Eric-Pierre

Classifications

• F02B53/08

  Charging, e.g. by means of rotary-piston pump · CPC title

• F02B57/04

  Control of cylinder-charge admission or exhaust (peculiar to two-stroke engines or to other engines with working-piston-controlled charge admission or exhaust F02B57/06) · CPC title

• Y02T10/17

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02B25/26

  Multi-cylinder engines other than those provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F02B25/02 - F02B25/24 (internal-combustion aspects of rotary engines F02B57/00) · CPC title

• F02B53/02

  Methods of operating · CPC title