Patent ID: 7314035

Claim:
A method of operating a heat engine having a sliding vane rotary vane compressor and a sliding vane rotary vane turbine, comprising: the sequential steps of: a first step of intaking a fluid in an intake phase into a working chamber of the rotary vane compressor at ambient pressure; a second step of compressing the fluid in a compression phase in the working chamber by rotating a rotor of the rotary vane compressor up to 360° of rotation; a third step of mixing the compressed fluid with a fuel and igniting the mixture in an initial combustion phase in a combustion chamber external to both the rotary vane compressor and the rotary vane turbine to carry out a limited temperature constant volume combustion process; a fourth step of subjecting the combustion products from the third step to a constant pressure combustion process in a final combustion phase followed by a power expansion phase in an expansion chamber of the rotary vane turbine by rotating a rotor of the rotary vane turbine up to 360° so that the pressure of the combustion products within the turbine expansion chamber reaches ambient pressure or near ambient pressure when the turbine expansion chamber volume reaches its maximum; and a fifth step of exhausting the combustion products in an exhaust phase from the expansion chamber.