There is disclosed a cooling system for a liquid cooled internal combustion power plant housed in an engine compartment in a tail cone of an aircraft. The cooling system has: a tail cone inlet defined through a wall of the tail cone and fluidly communicating with an environment; a wall inlet defined through a firewall of the engine compartment; a blower within the engine compartment and having a blower inlet and a blower outlet, the blower inlet fluidly communicating with the environment via the tail cone inlet, via the wall inlet, and via an interior of the engine compartment; a blower outlet defined through a wall of the aircraft and fluidly communicating with the environment; and a cooling flow path extending from the tail cone inlet to the air outlet and across the wall inlet, the cooling flow path in heat exchange relationship with the power plant.

The invention relates to a rotary sliding vane machine (1) for fluid processing, comprising a housing (2) with a cavity (4) with a rotor (9). Vanes (12) are arranged in outwardly directed slots (13) in the rotor (9), and relative sliding between the vanes and the rotor provides spaces with variable volumes in the rotational direction. Each vane is supported by a vane bearing apparatus (102) comprising a slide bearing body (105) with a slot (13) forming a slide bearing for the vane (12), and a cylindrical convex face (116) facing away from the slot (13), and, on each side of the slot (13), a pivot bearing pad (106) with a cylindrical concave face (117) facing the slide bearing convex face (116), forming a pivot bearing for the vane.

The invention relates to a rotary sliding vane machine (1) for fluid processing, comprising a housing (2) with a cavity (4) with a rotor (9). Vanes (12) are arranged in outwardly directed slots (13) in the rotor (9), and relative sliding between the vanes and the rotor provides spaces with variable volumes in the rotational direction. Each vane is supported by hydrostatic slide bearings (20, 20) on each side of the vane (12). Due to pressure changes of the process fluid, the vane (12) is tilted towards and away from bearing pads (27, 27, 87). The invention causes the bearing pads to adjust their position to the vane (12), and also causes a change of volume of a bearing fluid chamber (21, 21, 81), which in turn effects a supply of bearing fluid to the slide bearing fluid film.

Aircraft power plants and associated methods are provided. A method for driving a load on an aircraft includes: transferring motive power from an internal combustion (IC) engine to the load; discharging a flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine when transferring motive power from the IC engine to the load; receiving the flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine into a combustor; mixing fuel with the first exhaust gas in the combustor and igniting the fuel to generate a flow of second exhaust gas; receiving the flow of second exhaust gas at a turbine and driving the turbine with the flow of second exhaust gas from the combustor; and transferring motive power from the turbine to the load.

Aircraft power plants and associated methods are provided. A method for driving a load on an aircraft includes: transferring motive power from an internal combustion (IC) engine to the load; discharging a flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine when transferring motive power from the IC engine to the load; receiving the flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine into a combustor; mixing fuel with the first exhaust gas in the combustor and igniting the fuel to generate a flow of second exhaust gas; receiving the flow of second exhaust gas at a turbine and driving the turbine with the flow of second exhaust gas from the combustor; and transferring motive power from the turbine to the load.

An engine includes a housing defining an annular bore and a piston assembly disposed within the annular bore. The engine includes at least one valve configured to oscillate between a first position within the annular bore to allow the piston assembly to travel from a first location proximate to the at least one valve to a second location distal to the at least one valve and a second position to define a combustion chamber relative to the piston assembly at the second location. The engine includes an exhaust gas port disposed in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and a fuel distribution assembly configured to mix fuel from a fuel source and air from an air source into a fuel and air mixture at a location external to the combustion chamber and to deliver the fuel and air mixture to the combustion chamber.

An engine includes a housing defining an annular bore and a piston assembly disposed within the annular bore. The engine includes at least one valve configured to oscillate between a first position within the annular bore to allow the piston assembly to travel from a first location proximate to the at least one valve to a second location distal to the at least one valve and a second position to define a combustion chamber relative to the piston assembly at the second location. The engine includes an exhaust gas port disposed in fluid communication with the combustion chamber and a fuel distribution assembly configured to mix fuel from a fuel source and air from an air source into a fuel and air mixture at a location external to the combustion chamber and to deliver the fuel and air mixture to the combustion chamber.

A toroidal combustion engine is provided. The toroidal combustion engine includes a first and a second toroidal cylinder which share a single common intersection to define a combustion chamber. The first toroidal cylinder carries a first piston set, while the second toroidal cylinder carries a second piston set. The first and second piston sets are each rotatable about circular paths which are disposed in planes that are perpendicular to one another.

A toroidal combustion engine is provided. The toroidal combustion engine includes a first and a second toroidal cylinder which share a single common intersection to define a combustion chamber. The first toroidal cylinder carries a first piston set, while the second toroidal cylinder carries a second piston set. The first and second piston sets are each rotatable about circular paths which are disposed in planes that are perpendicular to one another.

An assembly for an aircraft having a propeller, including an engine assembly having an engine shaft configured for driving engagement with the propeller. The engine assembly includes first and second heat exchangers configured for circulation of at least one of a liquid coolant and a lubricant therethrough. A wheel well is configured for receiving a retracted landing gear. A first cooling duct receives the first heat exchanger and has a first outlet downstream of the first heat exchanger, and a second cooling duct receives the second heat exchanger and has a second outlet downstream of the second heat exchanger. The outlets are in direct fluid communication with an environment of the aircraft, and laterally spaced from each other. The wheel well is located between the outlets. A method of cooling an engine assembly is also discussed.