Patent GB-887328-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to rotary internal combustion engines
IPC: F02C3/16
Filed: 1958-05-30
Abstract: 887,328. Generating combustion products under pressure. GALONSKA, W. O. May 30, 1958 [May 31, 1957], No. 17368/58. Class 51 (1). [Also in Group XXVI] A rotary internal combustion engine comprises a turbine-driven compressor, the rotor of which is enclosed within a rotatable combustion chamber assembly, combustion gases generated in the latter causing the turbine and compressor assembly to rotate in one direction and the combustion chamber assembly to rotate in the opposite direction. The engine shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a stator casing 20, a driving shaft 22, a combined turbine and compressor rotor assembly 44 and a rotatable combustion chamber assembly 34. The shaft 22 carries a driving pinion 28. The rotor 44 comprises turbine blades 40 on one side of the disc and compressor blades 42 on the other side, air entering the compressor through air filters 68, openings 66 in the stator casing 20 and openings in the right-hand disc of the combustion chamber assembly. Air from the compressor discharges into ducts 32 of the combustion chamber assembly and fuel is supplied thereto through ducts 26 and injectors 82, the mixture being ignited by glow plug devices 38 disposed within the baffle devices 36. Additional igniters 54 are also provided. The combustion gases discharge from the combustion chambers and impinge on the turbine blades 40 thereby driving the compressor blades 42. Gases discharge from the turbine blades through ducts 72 which are disposed circumferentially between the two combustion chambers and terminate in nozzles 74. Gases from the nozzles 74 impinge on the arcuateshaped vanes 76 mounted within the stator casing 20. The gases finally discharge through outlets 78 and 80. Air may also enter through filters 50 and openings 52 in the stator casing, being circulated by blower vanes 48 on the side of the rotary disc 30 and passing between the combustion chamber casing and the stator casing being thereby preheated before entering the compressor 42. The engine is started by supplying air under pressure through the duct 24 to the discharge nozzles 62 to impinge on the blades 60 on the turbine and compressor rotor disc 44. The air escapes through ducts 64 in the disc and enters the compressor passages between vanes 42. Fuel may be supplied through nozzles 77 to the exhaust gases discharging through nozzles 74. The stator casing 20 is mounted in trunnions 70. In Fig. 3, air inlets 50, 52 are provided on one side of the stator casing only; also vanes 41 are disposed on the rotary combustion chamber discs on either side of the turbine blades 40, as shown in Fig. 3b. Also, vanes 76 are supported in the stator casing on either side of the gas discharge nozzles 74, the vanes being disposed either radially or axially; both arrangements are shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In Fig. 6, the combustion chamber assembly and the compressor and turbine rotor assembly are each rotatably mounted on a fixed shaft 84. An airscrew is also rotatably mounted on the shaft and is driven from the rotary combustion chamber assembly either directly or through gearing. In this embodiment, readily ignitable fuel may be supplied through ducts 90, 92 and 94 into the compressor and so into the combustion chamber at starting. Also liquid oxygen may be supplied through these ducts for increasing output. In Fig. 8, the combustion chamber assembly and the compressor and turbine rotor assembly are again rotatably mounted on a fixed shaft. Air from the compressor 33 may pass through the duct 102 to a combustion chamber 98 to which fuel is supplied through duct 104 and injector 106 and which contains an igniter 110 disposed within a baffle 108. The gases are discharged through a propulsion nozzle 112. The gases from the combustion chambers 34 after acting on the turbine blades also discharge through propulsion nozzle 96. The duct 102 and the duct carrying the nozzle 96 may be formed as helicopter rotor blades which are driven by the jet thrust of the nozzles. Alternatively, air from the compressor 33 may be fed through a duct 114 to a combustion chamber 100 having fuel injection means 106 and propulsion nozzle 118, exhaust gases from the turbine also being supplied to the chamber through duct 116. The ducts 114 and 116 may also be formed as helicopter rotor blades. In Fig. 10, the rotor comprises two compressor portions 122, 124 disposed one on either side of the turbine blade assembly 126, the rotatable combustion chamber assembly not being shown in this Figure.