Rotary Mechanically Reciprocated Sliding Metal Vane Air Pump and Boundary Layer Gas Turbines Integrated with a Pulse Gas Turbine Engine System

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention is directed to the field of rotary mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane air pumps and boundary layer turbines integrated into an pulse explosion driven gas turbine engine system.

[0002] In the field of explosion-pulse driven gas turbines, such the one set forth in United States Patent 6,000,214, the turbines are explosion-driven modified Pelton water wheels with blades that are positively displaced through a blade race by kinetic impact and expanding gases. Compressed air is produced by Roots-type lobe blowers or sliding vane blowers mounted externally to the main turbine and shaft assembly.

[0003] Lobe blowers have two shafts that drives two lobes which are synchronized via a gear box, and therefore cannot be integrated mechanically with the main shaft of pulse driven gas turbine engines. Sliding vane blowers in commercial use utilize graphite vanes, typically four per rotor, that are positioned in angle slots in the rotor that permit the vanes to extend into the pump cavity by centrifugal force during rotation. The vanes do not extend across the diameter of the pump housing via a slot in the pump shaft and rotor and do not mechanically reciprocate. Moreover, they are subject to breaking or shattering by explosive back pressure.

[0004] Boundary layer phenomenon and technology has been in use for various applications for over a century beginning with Nikola Tesla vortex turbines patented in 1906 and 1913. Boundary layer turbines are utilized with all types of working fluids that maintain a constant pressure and flow the same as centrifugal and axial flow turbines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] This patent utilizes a hybrid boundary layer turbine with high pressure pulsing working fluid.

[0006] According to this invention, a rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump and boundary layer turbines are integrated with the shaft of an explosion-driven gas turbine engine system. The air pumps have a cavitated block housing with two end plates that house a slotted rotor and a rotating reciprocating sliding vane. The rotor is mounted on and at the center of a slotted turbine shaft that permits the reciprocating sliding vane to move back and forth in the cavity as the rotor and shaft turn in the cavitated housing. The cavity in the housing is offset from the centerline of the shaft, creating a space between the rotor and the housing wall. The dimensions of the rotor and cavity determine displacement per revolution. Air is positively displaced at the inlet of the cavitated housing and positively displaced at the outlet. Air inlet and outlet ports enter and exit the cavitated housing wall at 90 degrees and 270 degrees respectively as the rotor and vane rotate clockwise.

[0007] As the rotary mechanically reciprocated metal vane rotates past an air inlet port in the cavitated housing wall, a vacuum positively displaces a charge of air from the inlet orifice and positively displaces the air in the cavity to the outlet orifice. Air charges are induced and exhausted twice per revolution. Exhausted air enters a manifold via a check valve. The manifold directs air directly to a valveless combustion chamber mounted on the turbine housing. Fuel is injected into a venture orifice at the combustion chamber, and the fuel and air mixture is ignited by arcing ignitions. The exploding gases produce back pressure in the venturi and reduce the air flow to the chamber; air in the manifold is thus temporarily redirected to the opposite combustion chamber. The primary explosive pulse exits the combustion chamber via a nozzle that directs the hot high velocity/low mass expanding gases against the vanes of the boundary layer gas turbines, forcing the turbines, the shaft and the sliding vane rotor to rotate, producing successive charges of combustion air.

[0008] This invention utilizes an air compressor or blower having a single rotary mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane. The vane is slidably contained in a slotted rotor and a

slotted shaft. Contact with the housing wall mechanically forces the vane to move back and forth in a reciprocal motion within the slot across the diameter of the cavitated housing inducing and exhausting two pulses of air per revolution.

[0009] This invention utilizes pulsed charges of air to produce explosions when mixed with fuel and ignited in combustion chambers with arcing ignitions, producing explosive forces that are exhausted from the combustion chambers via nozzles at high velocity.

[0010] This invention also utilizes hybrid boundary layer gas turbine wheels as a means of converting high temperature, high pressure, and high velocity working fluid to shaft horsepower. Conventional boundary layer turbines consist of a series of hybrid disks bolted together with spacers between the disks. The hybrid boundary layer turbine of the present invention uses a solid wheel with grooves machined in its outer surface

[0011] The principles of this invention will be further discussed with reference to the drawings wherein preferred embodiments are shown. The specifics illustrated in the drawings are intended to exemplify, rather than limit, aspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view of a rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump, cavitated housing, slotted rotor, slotted shaft and sliding vane;

Fig. 2 is an end view of a boundary layer gas turbine wheels, showing vanes formed by grooves in the perimeter of the wheel;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of an explosion driven boundary layer gas turbine engine system utilizing pulsed combustion air produced by the rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump and manifolds conveying combustion air to the engines combustion chambers; and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the components of Figs. 1 - 3 assembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump shown in Fig.1 , and two boundary layer gas turbines - one of which is shown in Fig. 2 - are integrated to form an explosion driven gas turbine engine system shown in Figs. 3 - 4.

[0014] Referring to Fig.l, the rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump includes a housing 11 with a slotted rotor 12 mounted on a slotted shaft 13. The housing 11 has a cavity whose center is offset from the center line of the shaft 13, thus forming an eccentric annular space between the rotor 12 and cavity wall. A single mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane 14 is positioned in the slotted rotor 12 so as to extend across the diameter of the housing 11 cavity 15. The vane is sized so that both its ends contact the wall of the cavity as the rotor turns. The cavity wall is approximately cylindrical; however, it may be made slightly non- cylindrical if desired to maintain uniform blade contact at all points.

[0015] An inlet air channel 16 extends from the top of the housing 11 through the cavity 15 wall at 90 degrees. An outlet air channel 17 extends from the top of the housing 11 through the cavity wall 15 at 270 degrees. As the slotted shaft 13 and slotted rotor 12 rotate clockwise, air is positively drawn into the eccentric space by the mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane 14 via the inlet channel 16 and then is positively displaced by the mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane 14 into the inlet channel 17. The rotary reciprocating sliding vane air pump thus produces two charges of air per revolution.

[0016] Referring to Fig. 2, each of the boundary layer gas turbine assemblies includes a circular disk 23 disposed within a closely fitting housing. Central portions on either side of a center plane of the disk are milled out to form a flywheel. The disk has a bore at its center and is mounted on the slotted shaft 13. The periphery of the disk 23 has a series of deep circumferential grooves which form circumferential vanes 24 whose surfaces lie in radial planes. The depth and number of the grooves, and the circumference of the disk 23 determine the total surface area of the vanes.

[0017] As high velocity combusted gases enter into the grooves, frictional drag on the vane walls drives and accelerates the turbine disk 23. As the peripheral speed of the turbine

approaches the speed of the high velocity gases, a boundary layer forms on the vane surfaces, maintaining the speed of the turbine disk 23.

[0018] As Fig. 3 shows, the boundary layer gas turbine 23 is situated within the turbine housing 30. The turbine 23 is mounted on the main shaft 13. Combustion chambers 20 and 21 are mounted on the housing 30, and arc electrodes 31 and 32 are positioned in the combustion chambers 20 and 21. The outlet from the mechanically reciprocated sliding metal vane air pump supplies combustion air to the center manifold 22, which directs the combustion air to the combustion chambers 20 and 21. Fuel injectors 18 and 19 mix fuel with the combustion air as it flows through the Venturis entering the combustion chambers 20 and 21. Arcing electrodes 31 and 32 then detonate the fuel-air mixtures, producing high pressure and velocity working fluid. Gas nozzles 25 and 28 are bored in the housing 30 at an angle that directs combusted high pressure and velocity gases from the combustion chambers 20 and 21 toward the vanes 24 of the boundary layer gas turbine. The gases flow between the vanes 24, creating frictional drag on the vane surfaces. Exhaust gas ports 26 and 27 in the housing 30 are positioned 90 degrees downstream from the nozzles 25 and 28 exhaust manifolds 33 and 33' exhaust the spent gases from the turbines 24 into the atmosphere.

[0019] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the components are assembled with the air pump housing 11 at the center, between two boundary layer gas turbine housings 30 and 30A. Those components and the end bearing plates 37 and 38 are all positioned on a common main shaft 13, separated by spacers 36 and held together with four tie bolts 35 positioned in all corners of the housings 11, 30, 30A, and the end bearing plates 37 and 38. The entire assembly is mounted on a common structure such as a base plate 34 to maintain rigidity.

[0020] Since the invention is subject to modifications and variations, it is intended that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as only illustrative of the invention defined by the following claims.