Wave disc engine apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9856791-B2
Application number	US-201313969900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2013
Priority date	Feb 25, 2011
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A wave disc engine apparatus is provided. A further aspect employs a constricted nozzle in a wave rotor channel. A further aspect provides a sharp bend between an inlet and an outlet in a fluid pathway of a wave rotor, with the bend being spaced away from a peripheral edge of the wave rotor. A radial wave rotor for generating electricity in an automotive vehicle is disclosed in yet another aspect.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wave apparatus comprising:
(a) a radial wave rotor further comprising fluid flowing passageways which are rotatable about a central axis and outwardly radiate from the central axis, each of the passageways including an inlet and an outlet;
(b) a stationary end plate including at least one port which allows fluid to enter an aligned inlet of the passageways and blocking fluid entry of the other inlets; and
(c) a stationary conduit communicating between internal ends of at least two but less than all of the passageways of the radial wave rotor, opposite ends of the stationary conduit being located adjacent the end plate, the stationary conduit being within an outer periphery of the radial wave rotor, and the stationary conduit being adapted to at least one of the following:
(i) bypass an additional passageway located between the at least two passageways which are spaced apart from each other;
(ii) include a laterally enlarged plenum between the internal ends; or
(iii) have a substantially J- or U-shape adjacent to the stationary end plate, which is an inner end plate of substantially cylindrical shape, wherein the stationary conduit operably redirects leaking fluid otherwise passing through a gap between a wall defining at least one of the passageways and the inner end plate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduits substantially straight and the spaced apart passageways are substantially opposite each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an automotive vehicle comprising an electric traction motor, wherein rotation of the radial wave rotor generates electricity for use by the electric traction motor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an airfoil wing located within at least one of the passageways to increase positive rotational torque of the radial wave rotor when combusting fluid flows past both sides of the airfoil wing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the passageways have a constricted width dimension closer to an external end than the internal end, and further comprising at least one of:
(a) a smallest constricted width dimension being at or less than one-half of an internal end width dimension; or
(b) the width dimension of each of the passageways converging toward the external end.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a flow path of combusted fluid flows in a first average direction between the internal end and a sharp bend, and then in a second average direction between the bend and an external end for at least one of the passageways, the second direction′ being angularly offset from the first direction within 70-150°, and a majority of internal surfaces defining the passageways at the second direction being straight.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit redirects any undesired fluid leaking from any of the passageways.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the stationary conduit reduces backfiring of the radial wave rotor when fuel is burned in the passageways.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit has the additional passageway located between the at least two passageways which the conduit bypasses, the stationary conduit spanning between the internal ends of the at least two of the passageways.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit includes the laterally enlarged plenum which is internal to the radial wave rotor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plenum has a lateral cross-sectional area at least twice that of the stationary conduit which is a recirculation conduit, and fuel is combusted in the radial wave rotor passageways, and an inlet and an outlet of the plenum are connected to the stationary conduit both ends of which are connected to the radial wave rotor.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plenum is substantially spherical and modifies a fluid shock wave flowing through the stationary conduit which is a recirculation conduit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit recirculates combusted high pressure fluid from the outlet of one of the spaced apart passageways to the inlet of the other of the spaced apart passageways.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least three of the passageways are co-planar and perpendicular to the central axis, and the at least three passageways are located between the opposite ends of the stationary conduit.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit collects high-pressure exhaust gas exiting at least one of the passageways and ducts the gas into another of the passageways to use extra energy from the high-pressure exhaust gas in order to additionally drive the radial wave rotor in a second pass so as to increase efficiencies.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a portion of each passageway containing a smallest constricted width dimension serves as a nozzle which generates a supersonic velocity of combustion fluid flowing in a tangential direction between the nozzle and the external outlet.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one side plate stacked upon the radial wave rotor, the side plate including substantially radially elongated inlet ports which supply cross-flowing fluid into a middle section of the passageways when aligned therewith, and combusted fluid exiting the passageways.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein there are at least ten radially elongated passageways in the radial wave rotor and at least six radially elongated inlet ports in the side plate, the radially elongated passageways are co-planar and elongated perpendicular to the central axis, and the fluid entering the inlet port of the side plate is air.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stationary conduit includes the substantially J- or U-shape.

20. A wave apparatus comprising:
a radial wave rotor including elongated fluid flow channels rotating around an axial centerline;
a recirculation conduit coupling an end of at least a first of the channels to an end of at least a second of the channels, the at least first and second channels being spaced away from each other by at least one intervening channel not coupled to the recirculation conduit;
a laterally enlarged plenum being located in the recirculation conduit between first and second ends thereof;
an internal end plate;
the first end of the recirculation conduit being between the internal end plate and the axial centerline; and
the second end of the recirculation conduit being peripherally external to the channels.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the recirculation conduit recirculates combusted high pressure fluid from the outlet of one of the spaced apart channels to the inlet of the other of the spaced apart channels.

22. The apparatus, of claim 20 , wherein the channels of the radial wave rotor are substantially radially elongated away from the axial centerline, and opposite ends of the recirculation conduit are located adjacent to the radial wave rotor with only the plenum being located between the recirculation conduit ends.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the plenum has a lateral cross-sectional area at least twice that of the recirculation conduit and fuel is combusted in the radial wave rotor channels.

24. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the plenum is substantially spherical and modifies a fluid shock wave flowing through the recirculation conduit, and the plenum is loca

Assignees

• Univ Michigan State

Inventors

• MüLLER NORBERT
• Piechna Janusz
• Sun Guangwei
• Parraga Pablo-Francisco

Classifications

• F01D1/32 Primary

  with pressure velocity transformation exclusively in rotor, e.g. the rotor rotating under the influence of jets issuing from the rotor, {e.g. Heron turbines (the working fluid being a combustion products F02C3/165; jet propulsion plants per se F02K)} · CPC title

• F02C5/10

  the working fluid forming a resonating or oscillating gas column, i.e. the combustion chambers having no positively actuated valves, e.g. using Helmholtz effect · CPC title

• Y02T50/673

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02C3/165

  the combustion chamber contributes to the driving force by creating reactive thrust · CPC title

• F05D2240/302

  characteristics related to shock waves, transonic or supersonic flow · CPC title