Rotary expansible chamber devices – Interconnected vanes – Encompassing moving member interconnects plural vanes
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-01
2003-07-29
Denion, Thomas (Department: 3748)
Rotary expansible chamber devices
Interconnected vanes
Encompassing moving member interconnects plural vanes
C418S135000, C418S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06599113
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
No products of Federally Funded Research or Development are reflected in, or referenced in, this disclosure.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
No Microfiche Appendix is included in this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This disclosure presents an independent vane type rotary machine for pressurization of gaseous and vaporous fluids at measures of pressure amplification and throughput commonly related to industrial scale fluid pressurization service. For the purposes of this disclosure “industrial scale fluid pressurization service” is defined as gas/vapor manipulation involving a pressure amplification ratio in excess of five and input power in excess of two kilowatts.
At the present time compressors used for industrial scale compression of gaseous or vaporous fluids are either reciprocating piston machines or multiple stage turbo machines. Reciprocating piston compressors amplify fluid pressure through direct mechanical manipulation of volume by means of reciprocating motion of a piston within a closed cylinder. Mechanically actuated valves control induction and discharge of throughput fluid. Reciprocating piston compressors offer good measures of efficiency and operational flexibility but reciprocating motion of dynamically significant components creates an inherent source of undesirable mechanical noise and vibration. Turbo type compressors accomplish pressure amplification through dynamic interaction of throughput fluid with purely rotational mechanical components and function without mechanically activated throughput induction and discharge valves. In comparison with reciprocating piston compressors, turbo type compressors are substantially free from mechanical noise and vibration but offer economic superiority only in applications requiring relatively large measures of continuously sustained input power.
Over a number of years significant inventive effort has been directed toward the derivation of a rotary type fluid manipulation machine offering operational flexibility as given by reciprocating machines but without incurring the use of reciprocating components. Radial vane type rotary machines have been the focus of particular attention in this regard. Radial vane rotary compressors ideally feature pressure amplification by volume manipulation without the use of reciprocating mechanical components and potentially offer good measures of power density, functional efficiency, and mechanical reliability. Radial vane rotary machines have been commonly developed to function as relatively small fluid pumps and small fluid driven motors but, as of the time of this disclosure, no radial vane type rotary machine is known to function as a gas/vapor compressor with industrial scale measures of pressure amplification and throughput.
In general, radial vane rotary machines primarily consist of a stationary containment structure and an internal rotational assembly. The stationary containment structure primarily consists of a containment cylinder installed with a mechanically secured closure structure at each axial end and with ports for induction and discharge of throughput fluid. Although particular design features may vary, the internal rotational assembly essentially consists of a rotational shaft, a rotational armature, and a plurality of radially oriented vanes. The rotational shaft extends through and is radially constrained by rotational bearings in one or both end closure structures and mechanically interfaces with an external power source. The rotational shaft is aligned with its rotational axis parallel to the axis of the containment cylinder bore. The rotational armature is concentrically secured on the rotational shaft and is diametrically proportioned to create an annular void between its periphery and the containment cylinder bore. The radially oriented vanes are individually installed and radially slide within radial vane slots equidistantly spaced around the periphery of the rotational armature. Each radially oriented vane axially extends through the axial length of the rotational armature and radially extends from within the radial vane slot to contact, or closely approach, the containment cylinder bore. The radial vanes collectively subdivide the aforesaid annular void into a plurality of segmental cells. Each axial end of each segmental cell is closed by and axial end closure ring or the inside surface of an end closure structure. Through geometric separation of the axis of the rotational armature from the axis of the containment cylinder bore, or through shaping of the containment cylinder bore, the relative volume of each segmental cell is dependent upon the rotational position of the rotational armature. Rotation of the rotational armature causes cyclical manipulation of segmental cell volume in a manner functionally analogous to the volume manipulation accomplished by piston movement in a reciprocating piston machine. For given proportions of containment cylinder bore, the magnitude of manipulated volume is inversely influenced by the diameter of the rotational armature and the plurality and thickness of the radial vanes. The extent of volume manipulation is directly influenced by the plurality of radial vanes, the magnitude of radial separation of the axes of the rotational shaft and the containment cylinder bore axis and/or by the shaping of the containment cylinder bore. The extent of volume manipulation may also be influenced by the sector width and sector location of ports allocated for induction and discharge of throughput fluid.
Rotary vane machines may feature either “trans-axial blade” or “independent vane” type radial vane arrangements. In the trans-axial blade type vane arrangement each radial vane slot extends through the axial length and diameter of the rotational armature. Each radial vane slot accommodates a sliding blade proportioned to closely approach the diameter of the containment cylinder bore and thus create two radial vanes. As trans-axial blades intersect the rotational armature axis a plurality of radial vanes in excess of two requires interlacing of the trans-axial blades. Interlacing impairs the radial strength of the trans-axial blades and thereby imposes a constraint on radial vane plurality. Interlacing of four trans-axial blades to provide eight radial vanes is about the practical in limit obtainable within the constraints of commonly available materials and acceptable rotational speeds. Analysis demonstrates that rotary vane machines with eight radial vanes do not provide the measure of single-stage pressure amplification appropriate for industrial-scale gas/vapor compressor service. Single-stage pressure amplification may be enhanced by incorporation of mechanically actuated fluid control valves but such measure necessarily incurs increased mechanical complexity and reduced functional efficiency. For these reasons trans-axial blade type rotary vane machines are precluded from further discussion.
In the independent vane arrangement each radial vane functions as an independent entity and so this arrangement precludes the requirement for blade interlacing and its constraint on blade plurality. Because of this feature independent vane type rotary vane machines offer an approach to achieving relatively high measures of single-stage pressure amplification without mechanically actuated throughput control valves. Independent vane type rotary machines have been substantially addressed in prior art and technology presented in prior art may be deemed adequate for engineering of liquid pumps and relatively small gaseous fluid manipulation devices. However physical laws related to similitude, mechanical fiction and adiabatic compression render much of the technology addressed in prior art inapplicable for engineering of gaseous fluid compression machines intended to provide industrial scale service. The influences of physical laws on the principal functional requirements of rotary vane machine technology as presented i
Denion Thomas
Trieu Theresa
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