Rotary internal combustion engine

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a rotary machine, the basic elements of which are generically adapted for use as a two-stage pneumatic compressor or as a four-cycle combustion engine or as a two-cycle combustion engine. The basic combination of elements of the machine comprises a plurality of rotors rotatably mounted on axes disposed at substantially right angles to each other and wherein the rotors are provided with peripheral portions having inwardly notched or recessed chamber portions which are disposed between alternate radially extending lobe portions. The lobe portion of each rotor adapted to pass into a respective recess chamber portion of another rotor in an intersecting area and means is provided to rotate the rotors in timed relationship with each other; each rotor having a central air compressor inlet disposed near its respective rotary axis and having outwardly directed centrifugal compressor blade means extending from the generally central inlet to the peripheral portions of the respective lobes at which each lobe is provided with a compressor outlet; a housing for said rotors comprising an air receiving plenum communicating with the periphery of each rotor for receiving compressed air from the outlets of said centrifugal compressor outlets of the lobes; each plenum extending an arcuate distance sufficient to provide for supercharging of each of said recess chamber portions as they pass the respective air receiving plenum in the housing. The disclosure also relating to specific details of the foregoing combination of elements as they relate to four-cycle combustion engines; two-cycle combustion engines and two-stage compressors, all of which combine centrifugal air compression with second stage positive compression and further the disclosure relates to regenerative heat exchange or intercooling respectively related to the combustion engine species and the compressor species.