Rotary expansible chamber devices – With mechanical sealing – Seal element between working member and cylinder
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-19
2001-06-05
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
With mechanical sealing
Seal element between working member and cylinder
C418S259000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06241497
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to rotary vane pumping machines, and more particularly, a rotor and stator cooling system for a rotary vane pumping machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The overall invention relates to a large class of devices comprising all rotary vane (or sliding vane) pumps, compressors, engines, vacuum-pumps, blowers, and internal combustion engines. Herein the term pumping machine refers to a member of a set of devices including pumps, compressors, engines, vacuum-pumps, blowers, and internal combustion engines. Thus this invention relates to a class of rotary vane pumping machines.
This class of rotary vane pumping machines includes designs having a rotor with slots with a radial component of alignment with respect to the rotor's axis of rotation, vanes which reciprocate within these slots, and a chamber contour within which the vane tips trace their path as they rotate and reciprocate within their rotor slots.
The reciprocating vanes thus extend and retract synchronously with the relative rotation of the rotor and the shape of the chamber surface in such a way as to create cascading cells of compression and/or expansion, thereby providing the essential components of a pumping machine.
Some means of radially guiding the vanes is provided to ensure near-contact, or close proximity, between the vane tips and chamber surface as the rotor and vanes rotate with respect to the chamber surface.
Several conventional radial guidance designs were described in the background section of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/887,304, to Mallen, filed Jul. 2, 1997, entitled “Rotary-Linear Vane Guidance in a Rotary Vane Pumping Machine” ('304 application). The '304 application describes an improved vane guidance means in order to overcome a common shortcoming of the conventional means of guiding the vanes, namely that high linear speeds are encountered at the radial-guidance frictional interface. These high speeds severely limit the maximum speed of operation and thus the maximum flow per given engine size.
In the improved sliding-vane pumping geometry of the '304 application, multiple vanes sweep in relative motion against the chamber surfaces, which incorporates a radial-guidance frictional interface operating at a reduced speed compared with the tangential speed of the vanes at the radial location of the interface. This linear translation ring interface permits higher loads at high rotor rotational speeds to be sustained by the bearing surfaces than with conventional designs. Accordingly, much higher flow rates are achieved within a given size pumping device or internal combustion engine, thereby improving the performance and usefulness of these machines.
However, even with the above advantages, efforts continue in order to further refine and enhance the performance of the rotary machine. One particular goal is to devise a rotor and stator cooling system that carries away the heat produced by combustion, compression or friction without interfering with any of the elements undergoing complex moving interactions in such a rotary vane pumping machine. For example, the rotor is moving inside the stator at the hottest portions of the rotary vane pumping machine, and the linear translation rings are moving in the end plates between the hottest portions of the engine and the cooling plates of the engine. Forming cooling channels in the rotor and stator, and moving coolant fluids through those channels without interfering with the machines operation, presents a unique and difficult challenge.
In addition, the rotor and stator cooling system should properly match the distribution of heat generated in a rotary vane pumping machine during operation. For an engine, the greatest heat is produced in the vicinity of the combustion residence chamber, while, for a pump, heat generation is expected to be greatest in a compression region of the stator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a rotary vane pumping machine that substantially overcomes one or more of the problems due to the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling system for a rotary vane pumping machine that is properly matched to the distribution of heat generated during normal operations, while at the same time not interfering with the precision operation of the interacting moving elements of the rotary vane pumping machine.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cooling system for cooling the rotating components of the machine without requiring complex rotating cooling seals.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a cooling system capable of efficiently removing excess heat from a rotary vane internal combustion engine.
In the present invention, a geometry is employed utilizing reciprocating vanes which extend and retract synchronously with the relative rotation of the rotor and the shape of the chamber surface in such a way as to create cascading cells of compression and/or expansion, thereby providing the essential components of a pumping machine.
More specifically, the present invention provides a rotor and stator cooling system matched to the distribution of heat generated in a rotary vane engine, while at the same time, not interfering with the operation of the complex moving interactions among the many components of the rotary vane engine. Furthermore, the present invention utilizes the unique geometries of the rotary vane engine to enhance the flow of coolant fluids through the engine.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, a rotor cooling system for a rotary vane pumping machine, having intake and exhaust end plates and a rotor, includes rotor cooling gas supply channels in the intake and exhaust end plates and a heated gas exit channel in the exhaust end plate. A rotor face chamber is disposed at each axial face of the rotor facing toward the respective end plates, in flow communication with the rotor cooling gas supply channels, such that a rotor cooling gas enters the chamber at an entry radius. A plurality of rotor gas channels, in flow communication with the rotor face chamber, are formed axially through the rotor, and spaced radially inward from an outer edge of the rotor, but radially outward from the entry radius. The rotor face chambers at opposite axial faces of the rotor are connected via the rotor gas channels. The rotor face chambers are also connected to a rotor heated gas exit port. Thus, in such a rotor cooling system, a rotor cooling gas supplied at the cooling gas supply channel passes axially into the rotor face chamber, and then flows in an outward radial direction from the cooling gas supply channel toward the rotor gas channels, while absorbing heat from the rotor. The rotor cooling gas then exits through the rotor heated gas exit port at a exit radius greater than the entry radius.
The rotor cooling system also includes an intake linear translation ring disposed within the intake end plate and an exhaust linear translation ring disposed within the exhaust end plate. The first rotor cooling gas supply channel extends axially through a fixed hub of the intake linear translation ring, between the axis of rotation of the rotor and the intake linear translation ring. The second rotor cooling gas supply channel extends axially through a fixed hub of the exhaust linear translation ring, between the axis of rotation of the rotor and the exhaust linear translation ring.
The rotor cooling system further includes an intake cooling plate adjacent an outer axial side of the intake end plate, and an exhaust cooling plate adjacent an outer axial side of the exhaust end plate. A first rotor cooling gas supply port is formed in the intake cooling plate and extends axially therethrough, in flow communication with the first rotor cooling gas supply channel. A second rotor cooling gas supply port is formed in the exhaust
Denion Thomas
Jones Volentine, L.L.C.
Mallen Research Limited Partnership
Trieu Theresa
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