Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

André Julien

Jean Thomassin

Bruno Villeneuve

Richard Ullyott

Eugene Gekht

David Gagnon-Martin

Edwin Schulz

Jean-Gabriel Gauvreau

Michael Lanktree

Michael Gaul

André Chèvrefils

A recuperator inserted in the exhaust duct of a gas turbine engine includes a casing surrounding a core having spiral cross channels. Inlet and outlet openings are defined in the casing for the passage of hot exhaust gases through the exhaust channels in the core. Feeder members extend radially across the outlet opening for passing the pre-combustion stage air through the air channels of the core, and header members extend radially across the inlet opening of the casing for receiving and redirecting air from the air channels in the core towards the combustor section. The feeder and header members each have a tapered configuration from the casing to the axial center of the casing so as to maintain a relatively constant pressure over the radial extent of the respective feeders and headers.

Recuperator for gas turbine engine

A rotary engine with an outer body having an insert located in the peripheral offset from the rotor cavity such that a portion of the peripheral wall extends between the insert and the cavity. The insert has a pilot subchamber defined therein and the portion of the peripheral wall has at least one opening defined therethrough in communication with the at least one outlet opening of the insert and with the cavity. A method of combusting fuel into a rotary engine is also discussed.

Rotary internal combustion engine with pilot subchamber

A rotary engine including an insert in one of the walls of the outer body having a pilot subchamber defined therein communicating with the internal cavity of the engine. An ignition element extends in an element cavity defined through the insert adjacent the subchamber. A portion of the element is in communication with the subchamber through a communication opening defined in the insert between the element cavity and the subchamber. The communication opening has a cross-section smaller than a corresponding cross-section of the portion of the element. An outer body for a rotary engine and a method of combusting fuel in a rotary engine are also provided.

Rotary internal combustion engine with pilot subchamber and ignition element

A compound engine system comprising a rotary engine having a volumetric compression ratio lower than its volumetric expansion ratio, and a recess defined in the peripheral wall of the rotor in each of the chambers having a volume of more than 5% of the displacement volume of the chamber. The expansion in the turbine section compensates for the relatively low expansion ratio of the rotary engine.

Compound engine system with rotary engine

A multi-rotor internal combustion engine has a plurality of rotary internal combustion units axially distributed along an engine axis. Each unit has a rotor mounted on an eccentric portion of the shaft inside a housing. The housings of adjacent rotary internal combustion units have different angular positions about the engine axis so as to angularly offset the housing from adjacent housings, which may provide for a more uniform temperature distribution around the housings and may also or instead allow optimising of the balancing of pressure induced side loads on the shaft of the rotors.

Multi-rotor rotary engine architecture

A method and apparatus for controlling an air input in a rotary engine, including selectively controlling inlet ports communicating with an internal combustion cavity of the engine, the ports located serially downstream of the exhaust port. The inlet ports are controlled to alter air intake at various engine operational stages, such as start up, idle, etc., to allow for varying operational requirements to be met. For example: when a power demand on the engine is lower than a predetermined threshold, control may be effected by opening a primary inlet port and closing a secondary inlet port; and, when the power demand exceeds the predetermined threshold, control may be effected by opening the primary inlet port and opening the secondary inlet port, the secondary inlet port being in communication with the exhaust port throughout portions of the engine revolution to purge exhaust gases.

Rotary internal combustion engine with variable volumetric compression ratio

A compound cycle engine () comprises a compressor and a turbine section (), and at least one cycle topping device () providing an energy input to the turbine section (). The compressor section () compresses the air according to a pressure ratio PR. The cycle topping device () further compresses the air according to a volumetric compression ratio R, and wherein PR&#xd7;Rare selected, according to one aspect of the invention, to provide a cycle which permit a more compact and lighter compound cycle engine to be provided.

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Ste-Julie, Canada

André Julien