A rotary engine includes an intake port, an exhaust port, a rotor having an intake channel and/or an exhaust channel, and a rotor shaft coupled to the rotor. The rotor shaft has an inflow channel in communication with the intake channel and/or an outlet channel in communication with the exhaust channel. The rotary engine includes a housing having a working chamber formed between the housing and the rotor, the working chamber configured to handle, in succession, an intake phase, a compression phase, a combustion phase, an expansion phase, and an exhaust phase. The inflow channel cyclically communicates with the intake port and forms a passage between the intake port and the working chamber through the rotor shaft and the intake channel. The outlet channel cyclically communicates with the exhaust port and forms a passage between the exhaust port and the working chamber through the rotor shaft and the exhaust channel.

A rotary engine having an insert in a peripheral wall of the stator body, the insert being made of a material having a greater heat resistance than that of the peripheral wall, having a subchamber defined therein and having an inner surface, the subchamber communicating with the cavity through at least one opening defined in the inner surface and having a shape forming a reduced cross-section adjacent the opening, a pilot fuel injector having a tip received in the subchamber, an ignition element having a tip received in the subchamber, and a main fuel injector extending through the stator body and having a tip communicating with the cavity at a location spaced apart from the insert. The subchamber has a volume corresponding to from 5% to 25% of a sum of the minimum volume and the volume of the subchamber. A method of injecting heavy fuel into a Wankel engine is also discussed.

An internal-combustion engine includes an engine housing having an interior space with an inner wall, which section-wise corresponds to a segment of a circular cylinder and a segment deviated from the circular cylinder, wherein a rotary disc is centrally rotatably mounted in the interior space around an axis, and an intake area, a compression area, an ignition area, a working area and an exhaust area are formed, wherein the rotary disc is a circular cylinder with two slots in the circumferential area, into each of which slots a sliding element is inserted, wherein each sliding element movable along the slot, and is moved along the slot on rotation of the rotary disc.

A rotary engine where the rotor cavity has a peripheral inner surface having a peritrochoid configuration defined by a first eccentricity and the rotor has a peripheral outer surface having a peritrochoid inner envelope configuration defined by a second eccentricity larger than the first eccentricity. Also, a rotary engine where the rotor cavity has a peripheral inner surface having a peritrochoid configuration defined by an eccentricity, and a rotor with a peripheral outer surface between adjacent ones of the apex portions being inwardly offset from a peritrochoid inner envelope configuration defined by the eccentricity. The engine may have an expansion ratio with a value of at most 8. The rotary engine may be part of a compound engine system.

Sealing in rotary positive displacement machines based on trochoidal geometry that comprise a helical rotor that undergoes planetary motion within a helical stator is described. Seals can be mounted on the rotor, the stator, or both. The rotor can have a hypotrochoidal cross-section, with the corresponding stator cavity profile being the outer envelope of the rotor as it undergoes planetary motion, or the stator cavity can have an epitrochoidal cross-section with the corresponding rotor profile being the inner envelope of the trochoid as it undergoes planetary motion. In some embodiments, the geometry is offset in a manner that provides advantages with respect to sealing in the rotary machine. In multi-stage embodiments, the rotor-stator geometry remains substantially constant or varies along the axis of the rotary machine.

A Circle-Ellipse Engine comprises a stationary circular outer Housing having a fixed elliptical inner cam surface, and a separate internal round Rotor partitioned into equal segments that are populated by identical movable radial Vanes. During rotation, the end of the Vanes are positioned a constant distance from the elliptical inner cam surface of the Housing. The internal round Rotor has the same radius as the minor axis of the elliptical inner cam surface. During rotation, a variable height cavity is created representing the difference between the major and minor axes of the elliptical inner cam surface and the Rotor face.

The position of the radial Vanes is guided by the slots in the symmetrical Rotor, extending to the elliptical inner cam surface of the Housing. The precise extension is governed by a pin track machined into the dual End Plates.

There are no pistons, camshaft, timing chains, valves, valve lifters, rocker arms, connecting rods, or wrist pins. As a benefit, size and weight are significantly reduced when compared to a reciprocating engine of similar horsepower. Normal aspirated air is continuously drawn into the engine when an adjacent pair of radial Vanes passes the air inlet port. Similarly, exhaust products are expelled after a combustion event when the pair of adjacent Vanes passes over the exhaust port.

The resultant geometer results in a continuous implementation of the Otto Cycle; namely intake, compression, expansion or power stroke, and exhaust during a single rotation of the internal round Rotor.

Because the Otto Cycle is executed each revolution of the Rotor, the Circle-Ellipse Engine achieves the same power as a conventional reciprocating engine of the same displacement and compression ratio, at half the RPM. This implementation greatly reduces component ware and extends the life and maintenance cycle by a factor of four. As a side benefit, the power losses and vibration common to all reciprocating engines are eliminated.

A method of controlling an air intake flow in a rotary engine having primary and secondary inlet ports, including positioning the secondary inlet port rearwardly of the primary inlet port and forwardly of the exhaust port along a direction of a revolution of the rotor, providing independently closable communications between an air source and the primary and secondary inlet ports, and controlling air intake flows between the air source and the primary and secondary inlet ports. Controlling air intake flows includes simultaneously allowing the air intake flow between the primary inlet port and the air source and between the secondary inlet port and the air source. Exhaust gases of the engine are purged with the air intake flow of the secondary inlet port. A rotary engine is also discussed.

A rotary engine having an insert in a peripheral wall of the stator body, the insert being made of a material having a greater heat resistance than that of the peripheral wall, having a subchamber defined therein and having an inner surface, the subchamber communicating with the cavity through at least one opening defined in the inner surface and having a shape forming a reduced cross-section adjacent the opening, a pilot fuel injector having a tip received in the subchamber, an ignition element having a tip received in the subchamber, and a main fuel injector extending through the stator body and having a tip communicating with the cavity at a location spaced apart from the insert. The subchamber has a volume corresponding to from 5% to 25% of a sum of the minimum volume and the volume of the subchamber. A method of injecting heavy fuel into a Wankel engine is also discussed.

The present invention relates to a vane heat engine and in particular to a vane heat engine efficiently utilizing potential energy and having an adjustable expansion chamber wall so that the volume of the expansion chamber is adjustable. The engine has a housing with an inlet and an outlet. A rotor with a plurality of vanes is provided to rotate within the housing. An adjuster is provided for adjusting the location of an expansion chamber wall. The position or location of the expansion chamber wall determines the volume within a plurality of compartments bound by the rotor, the expansion chamber wall and two of the plurality of vanes. The expansion wall can be made of a plurality of members, whereby the expansion wall is flexible along its longitudinal dimension yet strong perpendicular to the longitudinal dimension.

A vane cell machine includes a housing, rotor, curved ring, spring, and pressure piece. The rotor is configured to rotate about a rotation axis and includes a plurality of plate-like wings that are radially displaceable. The curved ring surrounds the rotor and delimits a movement path of the wings. Each pair of adjacent plate-like wings delimits a corresponding operating chamber. The housing surrounds and enables displacement of the curved ring. The spring is positioned between the curved ring and the housing, is pretensioned, and is configured to load the curved ring. The pressure piece is positioned between the spring and the curved ring, and sealingly abuts the housing and the curved ring so as to delimit a first and second pressure chamber from each other. The housing and the curved ring further delimit the first and second pressure chambers.