U.S. patent application number 16/078958 was filed with the patent office on 2019-02-14 for rotary expander.
The applicant listed for this patent is Vengeance Power Inc.. Invention is credited to Andre Sarkis Laba, Jessie Joseph Laba, Buck Sleiman, Tony Sleiman.
Application Number | 20190048720 16/078958 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59684648 |
Filed Date | 2019-02-14 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190048720 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sleiman; Tony ; et
al. |
February 14, 2019 |
ROTARY EXPANDER
Abstract
An improvement to an expander is disclosed. The expander is of
the type that has vanes that extend and retract from a rotor body
during rotation and create chambers that increase and decrease in
size. The improvement comprises, for each vane, for each vane, a
pivot axis orientated parallel to the rotational axis and about
which said each vane pivots between the extended and retracted
positions.
Inventors: |
Sleiman; Tony; (Windsor,
CA) ; Sleiman; Buck; (Tecumseh, CA) ; Laba;
Andre Sarkis; (Windsor, CA) ; Laba; Jessie
Joseph; (Windsor, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Vengeance Power Inc. |
Tecumseh |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
59684648 |
Appl. No.: |
16/078958 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
February 23, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/CA2017/050223 |
371 Date: |
August 22, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62299046 |
Feb 24, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01C 1/46 20130101; F01C
21/0881 20130101; F01C 21/08 20130101; F01C 1/44 20130101; F01C
19/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F01C 1/46 20060101
F01C001/46; F01C 19/02 20060101 F01C019/02; F01C 21/08 20060101
F01C021/08 |
Claims
1. An improved expander of the type that is used to extract power
from a supply of pressurized fluid and that includes: a housing:
having a rotation axis; defining a hollow interior having an
annular surface orientated parallel to the rotation axis and
through which the rotation axis extends; and defining one or more
ports which extend through the housing to the interior; a rotor
mounted in the housing for rotation about the rotation axis, the
rotor having a body having an outer tubular surface, the tubular
surface having defined therein a plurality of voids; for each of
the voids of the plurality, a vane, the vane: having a seal
defining a tip of the vane; being mounted in the void for which it
is provided for movement between a retracted position and an
extended position; and being adapted such that, upon rotation of
the rotor in the housing, movement of the vane between the extended
and retracted positions causes the tip seal to sweep the annular
surface; control means for controlling movement of the vanes and
access to the ports such that the vanes create chambers which
increase in volume when in communication with the source of
pressurized fluid, the improvement comprising: for each vane, a
pivot axis orientated parallel to the rotational axis and about
which said each vane pivots between the extended and retracted
positions.
2. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the vane terminates
in a pintle and the pivot axis is defined by a socket formed in the
body in which the pintle is mounted for rotational movement.
3. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the void is defined
at least in part by an arcuate slot.
4. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the body is
cylindrical and disposed in offset relation to the interior.
5. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the annular surface
and the tubular surface are both oval and the body is centered in
the interior.
6. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the control means
comprises springs which bias the vanes for movement towards the
extended positions.
7. The expander according to claim 1, wherein the rotor has a pair
of end seals disposed axially apart from one another and defining,
in combination with the tubular surface, the annular surface and
the tip seal, the chambers.
8. The expander according to claim 7, wherein the end seals are
defined in part by body seals carried by and spring mounted to the
body and in part by vane seals carried by and spring mounted to the
vanes.
Description
FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to the field of rotary expanders.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Rotary expanders are well known. Known rotary expanders are
either relatively expensive to manufacture, relatively inefficient
or relatively expensive to maintain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Forming one aspect of the invention is an improvement to an
expander of the type that is used to extract power from a supply of
pressurized fluid and that includes: a housing, a rotor and control
means. The housing: has a rotation axis; defines a hollow interior
having an annular surface orientated parallel to the rotation axis
and through which the rotation axis extends; and defines one or
more ports which extend through the housing to the interior. The
rotor is mounted in the housing for rotation about the rotation
axis and has a body and vanes. The body has an outer tubular
surface, the tubular surface having defined therein a plurality of
voids. The vanes are provided one for each of the voids. Each vane:
has a seal defining a tip of the vane; is mounted in the void for
which it is provided for movement between a retracted position and
an extended position; and is adapted such that, upon rotation of
the rotor in the housing, movement of the vane between the extended
and retracted positions causes the tip seal to sweep the annular
surface. The control means is for controlling movement of the vanes
and access to the ports such that the vanes create chambers which
increase in volume when in communication with the source of
pressurized fluid.
[0004] The improvement comprises: for each vane, a pivot axis
orientated parallel to the rotational axis and about which said
each vane pivots between the extended and retracted positions.
[0005] Advantages, features and characteristics of the present
invention will become apparent to persons of ordinary skill upon
review of the following detailed description, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, the latter being briefly described
hereinbelow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an expander according to an
exemplary embodiment of the invention
[0007] FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a portion removed
for clarity;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a view of the structure of FIG. 2 from another
vantage point;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with a further portion
removed and partially exploded, for clarity
[0010] FIG. 5 is a view of a portion of the structure of FIG.
3;
[0011] FIG. 6A is a cross sectional, partially schematic view of an
expander according to another exemplary embodiment of the
invention;
[0012] FIG. 6B is a view of the structure of FIG. 6A in another
position;
[0013] FIG. 6C is view of the structure of FIG. 6A in yet another
position;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6A showing, in partially
schematic cross-section, an expander according to yet another
embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a view of another embodiment of the structure of
encircled area 8 of FIG. 4; and
[0016] FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 6A of another exemplary
embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] An expander 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 and will be understood, upon
review of FIG. 1-FIG. 5, to include a housing 22, a rotor 24,
control means 26 and end seals 28.
[0018] The housing will be understood to: have a rotation axis R-R;
define a hollow interior 30 having an annular [generally oval]
surface 32 orientated parallel to the rotation axis and through
which the rotation axis extends; define one or more ports 34 which
extend through the housing to the interior; and be defined by a
tubular block 36 disposed between a pair of end plates 37.
[0019] The rotor will be seen to be disposed in the interior and to
include a body 38, a shaft 40 and vanes 42. This body will seen to
be a generally cylindrical metal structure suitable for
construction with wire EDM and drilling and to have a central bore
43 and an outer tubular surface 44, the tubular surface having
defined therein a plurality of voids 46 and, associated with each
void, a respective socket 48, each void being defined in part by an
arcuate slot 50 and each socket defining a respective pivot axis
P-P. The shaft passes through the bore. The vanes are provided one
for each of the voids. Each vane has a seal 52 defining a tip of
the vane, terminates in a pintle 54 which is mounted in the
associated socket for rotational movement, as discussed further
below, and includes an arcuate slider 56. Each vane further has
vents 57 defined therein.
[0020] The control means will be seen to include springs 58.
[0021] The end seals are defined in part by body seals 60 carried
by and spring mounted to the body and in part by vane seals 62
carried by and spring mounted to the vanes, all to project to and
seal against the end plates. As best indicated by FIG. 4, the seals
60,62 in the exemplary embodiment are spring-mounted within slots
provided in the vanes and body.
[0022] In use, it will be understood that the foregoing structure
provides the functionality normally associated with an expander,
namely, pressurized fluid is introduced into the interior through
the ports, thus creating force on the trailing edges of the vanes
which causes the rotor to turn. The control means controls movement
of the vanes and access to the ports such that the vanes create
chambers which increase in volume when in communication with the
source of fluid at high pressure. The creation of a chamber that
increases in volume when in communication with the source of
pressurized fluid is best seen in the schematic views of the
alternate expander of FIGS. 6A-6C, wherein a single vane is
enumerated, for clarity, a chamber is seen to be created as the
vane nears the port, as per the sequence of FIG. 6A, 6B, and the
chamber C will be seen to increase in volume in the sequence of
FIG. 6B, 6C.
[0023] However, tests have been carried out which demonstrate
advantages associated with the design. A prototype similar to FIG.
1 was built using small wire EDM and CNC milling machines and
produced 60 ft-lbs of stall torque with 90 psig compressed air. The
accumulated run time of the prototype to date is over 100 hours of
intermittent testing without any lubrication. Inspection of the
vanes showed little wear with no adverse effects on the surrounding
housing surfaces.
[0024] Without intending to be bound by theory, various of the
advantages are believed to be attributable as follows: [0025] the
force borne by the vane is transmitted to the hinged socket at the
periphery of the rotor in a mostly perpendicular and highly
favorable direction to the center of the shaft [0026] relatively
high working pressures are tolerated by the robust structure of the
vanes, which therefore remain true, thereby avoiding undue friction
and wear [0027] the pintle/socket joint allows for relatively low
friction movement of the vane between the extended and retracted
position [0028] as the fluid expands and the pressure drops, the
exposed surface area of the vane increases and the length of the
torque lever increases, boosting efficiency [0029] pressure-induced
force driving the leading faces of adjacent vanes back into the
rotor, thus opening up a blow-by window, are negated by vents 57 on
the leading face side, equalizing pressure within the rotor
chambers and thereby preventing the vanes from being forced away
from the block and back into the rotor body prematurely
[0030] Variations on the geometry are possible.
[0031] For example, the annular surface and the tubular surface can
both be oval, with the rotor centered in the interior. An
embodiment with a modified block 36' to achieve this is shown in
FIG. 7. The modified block 36' also shows that the number of ports
can be adjusted routinely by persons of ordinary skill in the
art.
[0032] As well, a large range of customized volumetric expansion
ratios can be achieved using readily available metered inlet
controls without altering the base design.
[0033] Moreover, whereas springs are shown to bias the movement of
the vanes at low speeds and startup, this is not necessary: there
are many viable ways to control the vane movement such as magnets
64 as shown in FIG. 8 which repel vanes 42 from the body 38.
Compressed gas and cams/rollers, not shown, can also be used.
[0034] Further, whereas in the exemplary embodiment, no lubrication
is provided, such that the seals constitute sacrificial wear
components, numerous lubricants can be employed including wet
lubricants (oils) and dry lubricants (graphite, bronze, molybdenum
disulfide, etc.) to increase life. Similarly, the end seals are not
essential and could be removed in some applications.
[0035] As well, to reduce friction, wear and mechanical stress,
axle-supported bearings can be provided at the ends of the sockets,
not shown. Bearings can also be provided to facilitate movement of
the sliders, as indicated by bearings 66 in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 also
shows that the annular surface can be cylindrical, which has
advantages in terms of machining.
[0036] Yet further, the expander can run in constant pressure mode
like a hydraulic motor providing maximum torque at lowest speeds.
This can be used as a safety fall-back, low expansion mode with
full torque at low speed should the control means fail.
[0037] Accordingly, the invention should be understood to be
limited only by the accompanying claims, purposively construed.
* * * * *