An engine comprises a housing and a combustion assembly carried by the housing. The combustion assembly comprises an annular bore defined by the housing, at least one combustion piston disposed within the annular bore, and a sealing mechanism configured to selectively seal the at least one combustion piston relative to at least one corresponding wall of the annular bore. The engine comprises at least one rotary valve configured to move between a first position within the annular bore to allow the at least one combustion piston to travel within the annular bore from a first location proximate to the at least one valve to a second location distal to the at least one rotary valve and a second position within the annular bore to define a combustion chamber relative to the at least one combustion piston at the second location.

An engine comprises a housing and a combustion assembly carried by the housing. The combustion assembly comprises an annular bore defined by the housing, at least one combustion piston disposed within the annular bore, and a sealing mechanism configured to selectively seal the at least one combustion piston relative to at least one corresponding wall of the annular bore. The engine comprises at least one rotary valve configured to move between a first position within the annular bore to allow the at least one combustion piston to travel within the annular bore from a first location proximate to the at least one valve to a second location distal to the at least one rotary valve and a second position within the annular bore to define a combustion chamber relative to the at least one combustion piston at the second location.

A rotary pump is provided for fluid transfer. The pump includes a planar housing, an elongated rotor, a pair of double-concave blades, fore and aft cover plates, and a gear box. The housing has a circular center cavity, and a pair of circular lateral cavities overlapping the center cavity and disposed along a longitudinal axis. The rotor is disposed on a rotor shaft along a rotation axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis within the center cavity. The blades flank the rotor and are disposed within their corresponding lateral cavity and turn on corresponding blade shafts parallel to the rotor shaft. The fore and aft cover plates flank the housing along the rotation axis to cover the center and lateral cavities. The blades turn opposite from the rotor.

A rotary pump is provided for fluid transfer. The pump includes a planar housing, an elongated rotor, a pair of double-concave blades, fore and aft cover plates, and a gear box. The housing has a circular center cavity, and a pair of circular lateral cavities overlapping the center cavity and disposed along a longitudinal axis. The rotor is disposed on a rotor shaft along a rotation axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis within the center cavity. The blades flank the rotor and are disposed within their corresponding lateral cavity and turn on corresponding blade shafts parallel to the rotor shaft. The fore and aft cover plates flank the housing along the rotation axis to cover the center and lateral cavities. The blades turn opposite from the rotor.

A rotary engine rotor (10) comprising three rotor flanks (12) arranged in a generally equilateral triangle shape, each rotor flank (12) having a leading edge (16) and a trailing edge (17), an elongate lip (21) being provided on the leading edge (16) of at least one of the rotor flanks (12), the elongate lip (21) extending the full axial length of the rotor flank (12). In another aspect, at least one rotor flank (12) comprises a cavity having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and at least a portion of the base of the cavity proximal to a trailing edge thereof is curved outwardly.

An apparatus including a first piston member rotatable about a first rotational axis and a rotor with a first chamber and pivotable about a second rotational axis. The first piston member extends across the first chamber. The rotor and first piston member are rotatable around the first rotational axis, and the rotor is pivotable about the second rotational axis to permit a relative pivoting motion between the rotor and the first piston member linked to the rotor rotating about the first rotational axis.

A pivoting flap valve is provided for an internal combustion rotary that produces mechanical torque. The engine includes an annular planar housing with a substantially circular annulus flanked by first and second cavities, an axial shaft, a rotor disposed on the shaft and rotating within the annulus. The valve is disposed within one cavity of said cavities and includes an arc wedge and a pivot shaft. The wedge has outer convex surface and an inner concave surface and a shaft hole between and parallel to the surfaces along a rocking axis. The pivot shaft passes through the shaft hole that enables the wedge to rock back and forth within the cavity in the annular planar housing without interference with the cam block. Each valve includes indents to pass around fore and aft circular wings on a rotor. The engine includes the housing, the rotor, first and second sparkplugs, first and second flap valves, an axial shaft and fore-and-aft covers. The housing includes a quadrilateral symmetry including a substantially circular annulus flanked by first and second cavities. The wings of the rotor intermittently block at least one port while the axial shaft rotates.

A pivoting flap valve is provided for an internal combustion rotary that produces mechanical torque. The engine includes an annular planar housing with a substantially circular annulus flanked by first and second cavities, an axial shaft, a rotor disposed on the shaft and rotating within the annulus. The valve is disposed within one cavity of said cavities and includes an arc wedge and a pivot shaft. The wedge has outer convex surface and an inner concave surface and a shaft hole between and parallel to the surfaces along a rocking axis. The pivot shaft passes through the shaft hole that enables the wedge to rock back and forth within the cavity in the annular planar housing without interference with the cam block. Each valve includes indents to pass around fore and aft circular wings on a rotor. The engine includes the housing, the rotor, first and second sparkplugs, first and second flap valves, an axial shaft and fore-and-aft covers. The housing includes a quadrilateral symmetry including a substantially circular annulus flanked by first and second cavities. The wings of the rotor intermittently block at least one port while the axial shaft rotates.

A rotary piston engine is provided. The rotary piston engine includes a shell and a rotor, the rotating rotor is arranged in the shell and divides a rotor cavity into compression chambers with a variable volume, a plurality of combustion chambers rotating around a main shaft of the rotor are arranged on an outer ring of the shell, and any one of the plurality of combustion chambers is communicated with the compression chambers; the plurality of combustion chambers are in a transmission connection with the main shaft of the rotor via a transmission system, and each of the plurality of combustion chambers drives the main shaft of the rotor to rotate by a combustion of a compressed combustible gas mixture. The shell includes an upper cylinder cover and a lower cylinder cover, and a boss of the upper cylinder cover is fitted with a spigot of the lower cylinder cover.

Various embodiments describe modifications to X-engines, which would utilize a dedicated chamber to implement bottoming Rankine cycle as well as additional improvements in sealing and combustion efficiency—all contributing to high efficiency. Improvements in sealing include a face seal having multiple surfaces.