Hybrid wave rotor propulsion system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920689-B2
Application number	US-201414211140-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A hybrid propulsion system includes a wave rotor combustion engine operating in parallel with an electrical motor-generator element. The motor-generator element is coupled to the turbine shaft to selectively drive or be driven by the turbine shaft. In one mode of operation, the motor of the motor generator element is powered by a battery to provide rotational energy to the turbine shaft. In another mode of operation, the wave rotor combustion engine drives the generator to recharge the battery. The wave rotor combustion engine may be further directly coupled to auxiliary components without a gearbox to drive the components at substantially the same speed as the turbine shaft. The turbine rotor of the combustion engine includes a plurality of chambers defined by circumferentially spaced curved vanes that improves specific fuel consumption for the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power system comprising:
a wave rotor combustion engine including an inlet, a pressure gain combustor turbine having a turbine shaft, a rotor, a fan at said inlet coupled to and driven by the turbine shaft, and an exhaust outlet, the rotor including circumferentially spaced vanes each having a first end and a second end defining a width of the vane along a longitudinal axis of the turbine shaft, wherein the circumferentially spaced vanes are curved between the first end and the second end;
a motor-generator element coupled to the turbine shaft, said motor-generator element including an electric motor, a rechargeable battery providing electrical energy to the motor and a generator for recharging the battery; and
a control system for selectively operating the wave rotor combustion engine to drive the generator and for selectively operating the motor powered by the battery to provide rotational energy to the turbine shaft in parallel with or in lieu of rotational energy generated by the wave rotor combustion engine, wherein a gear-ratio between the rotor and the fan results in the fan rotating at a speed that is substantially the same as a speed of the rotor.

2. The power system of claim 1 , wherein:
said motor-generator element is coupled to the turbine shaft between the fan and the turbine.

3. The power system of claim 1 , wherein said wave rotor combustion engine includes a nozzle at said outlet for producing propulsion power from operation of said engine.

4. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation of the rotor and the longitudinal axis of the turbine shaft are co-linear.

5. The power system of claim 1 , wherein the wave rotor combustion engine further includes:
a housing defining at least one inlet port and at least one exhaust port;
the rotor rotatably mounted within the housing and comprising a plurality of combustion chambers, the chambers each having an inlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one inlet port and an outlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one exhaust port, each of said chambers defined by the circumferentially spaced vanes between said inlet end and said outlet end; and
at least one igniter disposed within the housing for igniting a combustible material within the combustion chambers.

6. The power system of claim 5 , wherein the vanes are curved from the inlet end of the chambers to the outlet end of the chambers.

7. The power system of claim 6 , wherein the vanes are parabolic.

8. The power system of claim 6 , wherein the vanes have an inlet angle at the inlet end relative to the rotational axis and an outlet angle at the outlet end relative to the rotational axis, the inlet angle having a range of −30 degrees to +30 degrees.

9. The power system of claim 8 , wherein the outlet angle has a range of −20 degrees to −60 degrees.

10. The power system of claim 6 , wherein the vanes have an inlet angle at the inlet end relative to the rotational axis and an outlet angle at the outlet end relative to the rotational axis, the inlet angle having a range of +20 degrees to +30 degrees.

11. A power system comprising:
a wave rotor combustion engine including an inlet, a pressure gain combustor turbine having a turbine shaft, a rotor, and an exhaust outlet; and
auxiliary components coupled directly to said turbine shaft without a gearbox to drive the auxiliary components at substantially the same rotational speed of said turbine shaft during operation of the wave rotor combustion engine.

12. The power system of claim 11 , wherein the wave rotor combustion engine further includes:
a housing defining at least one inlet port and at least one exhaust port; and
at least one igniter disposed within the housing, wherein the rotor comprises a plurality of combustion chambers, the chambers each having an inlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one inlet port and an outlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one exhaust port, each of said chambers defined by circumferentially spaced curved vanes between said inlet end and said outlet end and the at least one igniter is configured for igniting a combustible material within the combustion chambers.

13. The power system of claim 12 , wherein the vanes have an inlet angle at the inlet end relative to the rotational axis and an outlet angle at the outlet end relative to the rotational axis, the inlet angle having a range of −30 degrees to +30 degrees.

14. The power system of claim 13 , wherein the outlet angle has a range of −20 degrees to −60 degrees.

15. A wave rotor combustion engine comprising:
a housing defining at least one inlet port and at least one exhaust port;
a rotor rotatably mounted within the housing, the rotor comprising a plurality of combustion chambers, the chambers each having an inlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one inlet port and an outlet end for gaseous communication with the at least one exhaust port, each of said chambers defined by circumferentially spaced arcuate vanes between said inlet end and said outlet end, the circumferentially spaced arcuate vanes having a first end and a second end defining a width along a rotational axis of the rotor, wherein the vanes are arcuate in a direction parallel to the rotational axis of the rotor between the first end and the second end; and
at least one igniter disposed within the housing for igniting a combustible material within the combustion chambers.

16. The wave rotor combustion engine of claim 15 , wherein said curved vanes are parabolic and have a radius of curvature at said inlet end that is less than the radius of curvature at said outlet end.

17. The power system of claim 16 , wherein the vanes are parabolic.

18. The power system of claim 16 , wherein the vanes have an inlet angle at the inlet end relative to the rotational axis and an outlet angle at the outlet end relative to the rotational axis, the inlet angle having a range of −30 degrees to +30 degrees.

19. The power system of claim 18 , wherein the outlet angle has a range of −20 degrees to −60 degrees.

Assignees

• Univ Indiana Res & Tech Corp

Inventors

• Nalim M Razi

Classifications

• Y02T50/671

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F02C3/02

  using exhaust-gas pressure in a pressure exchanger to compress combustion-air (pressure exchangers per se F04F13/00) · CPC title

• Y10S903/93

  Conjoint control of different elements · CPC title

• F02C5/11 Primary

  using valveless combustion chambers · CPC title

• F02C3/16

  the combustion chambers being formed at least partly in the turbine rotor {or in an other rotating part of the plant} · CPC title