Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Other

Noel Penny Turbines Limited

John Michael Clarke

Paul J Staebler

David Stuart Gilchrist

An engine having a first reaction chamber to which fuel is to be supplied, either alone or with another reactant, and to which heat is applied to effect an endothermic chemical reaction to produce, under substantially reversible conditions, a reformed fuel, a second reaction chamber to which the reformed fuel discharged from the first reaction chamber is passed together with air or other reactant to effect an exothermic chemical reaction in the second reaction chamber, and a heat exchanger (conveniently of the fluidized bed type) to transfer heat produced by the exothermic reaction in the second reaction chamber to the first reaction chamber to effect the endothermic reaction.

Engine in which fuel is reacted in a plurality of stages

Cooling a hot component such as a rotor of a rotary piston engine by passing a coolant liquid through a passageway defined between adjacent surfaces of the component and a plug inserted into a socket in the component, the plug being made of a material having greater thermal conductivity than that of the material from which the component is made and the cross-sectional area of the passageway being sufficiently small as to produce turbulent flow of the coolant through the passageway.

Rotor

A reciprocating piston engine, pump or compressor including a crank-shaft having a crank-pin offset laterally from the axis of rotation of the crank-shaft, a connecting-rod pivotally-mounted on the crank-pin and pivotally-connected at the end thereof remote from the crank-pin to a piston, the axis of pivoting of the connecting-rod on the crank-pin being offset laterally from the longitudinal axis of the crank-pin, a non-rotatable gear mounted co-axially of the crank-shaft axis of rotation and a rotatable gear wheel mounted co-axially on the crank-pin for rotation thereon and in mesh with said non-rotatable gear, the connecting-rod being mounted on the rotatable gear for pivoting about an axis offset laterally from the longitudinal axis of the crank-pin, whereby the axis of pivoting of the connecting-rod on the crank-pin follows a predetermined locus as the crank-shaft is rotated.

Reciprocating piston machine

A rotary piston machine of the type having a slant or precessing rotor or the type having a parallel axis rotor, such as a Wankel engine, having a rotor seal grid formed from peripheral and apex seals which are connected together at their adjacent ends by connectors, often called bolts, located in sockets in the rotor. An arcuate seal extends peripherally around each bolt in the manner of a piston ring between the peripheral surface of the bolt and the adjacent peripheral wall of the socket in which the bolt is located, to effect sealing between the peripheral walls of the bolt and the socket without inhibiting relative movement of the bolt in the socket.

Sealing bolt seat for rotary piston machine

A rotary piston machine of the type having a slant or precessing rotor or the type having a parallel axis rotor, such as a Wankel engine, having a rotor seal grid formed from peripheral and apex seals extending around surfaces of the rotor and together defining closed working chambers in a housing in which the rotor is rotatable, adjacent ends of the seals being connected together by connectors, often called bolts, located in sockets in the rotor. Each bolt has clearance laterally of its longitudinal axis from the peripheral wall of the socket to permit lateral movement of the bolt in the socket except in one direction laterally of the longitudinal axis of the bolt, in which direction, movement of the bolt is restrained by the bolt being held between fixed laterally opposite positions engaging its peripheral surface.

Bolt seal for rotary piston machine

An improved slant axis rotary mechanism such as an engine, a compressor, pump, or the like. The mechanism includes a housing defining an operating chamber and a shaft is journalled within the housing. The shaft includes an angularly offset portion within the chamber, the angularly offset portion including an outwardly opening peripheral groove. A thrust collar is disposed in the groove and a rotor is journalled on the angularly offset portion. The rotor is formed of two rotor segments secured together with the rotor segments, at their interface, including complementary groove parts clampingly receiving the thrust collar.

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Banbury, United Kingdom

John Michael Clarke