US6006519A - Compressed air-powered engine- Google Patents US6006519A - Compressed air-powered engine- Google Patents Compressed air-powered engineInfo Publication number US6006519A US6006519A US08/986,367 US98636797A US6006519A US 6006519 A US6006519 A US 6006519A US 98636797 A US98636797 A US 98636797A US 6006519 A US6006519 A US 6006519A Authority US United States Prior art keywords engine air compressed air open chamber means Prior art date 1997-12-08 Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.) Expired - Fee Related Application number US08/986,367 Inventor Jack V. Original Assignee Hormell, Jr.; Jack V. Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.) 1997-12-08 Filing date 1997-12-08 Publication date 1999-12-08 Application filed by Hormell, Jr.; Jack V. Filed Critical Hormell, Jr.; Jack V. An internal combustion engine is disclosed that runs efficiently on compressed air supplied by air compressors.
The preferred power plant for the instant invention air powered engine is the Wankel-type rotary engine. The air compressors which supply the air 'fuel' to the engine chamber where the air is re-compressed to provide the force for 'pushing' the rotors within the chamber which rotational movement provides the power to turn the drive shaft. These air compressors may be electrically and/or mechanically driven. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1.
Construction Notes for the Mini-2V CO2 compressed air engine. 9/9/2003 Page 3 of 8 © David Kerzel, 2003, all rights reserved. Drill 2 holes to start side flutes and mill. Engine, a compressed air engine uses pressure from atmospheric air stored in a compressed air tank as a fuel to provide the require pressure to move the piston.According to Lampton (n.d.), “compressing a gas into a small space is a way to store energy, when the gas expands again, that energy is released to do work” (p.
Field of the InventionThis invention relates generally to compressed air engines. Particularly, it relates to such an engine capable of maintaining the pressure in its supply tank at a pre-determined level for efficient and continuous operation. More particularly, one embodiment of the instant invention relates to an adaptation of the Wankel-type rotary engine which adaptation enhances engine efficiency for using compressed air as its force of propulsion.2. Description of Related Art (Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98)In spite of their many benefits, internal combustion engines for powering motor vehicles and fossil fuel burning plants used in energy producing operations throughout the industrialized nations have been under attack for many years because of their inherent characteristics which produce air and other pollutants.
This is due, of course, to the nature and required volumes of the fossil fuel needed to produce the necessary power for the various uses to which the engines are put, not the inherent design of the engine itself. Much research has been devoted to increase the combustion efficiency and filter the exhaust from these power plants with a view to 'saving' the atmosphere through more efficient and cleaner burning.
In particular, various steps have been taken by the automotive industry to reduce fuel consumption by automobiles. For example, computer monitoring of internal combustion engine functions and fuel flow has resulted in the production of a more complete combustion of the air fuel mixture after it enters the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. Once the gas is burned and subsequently exhausted, it is then filtered through a catalytic converter which removes additional pollutants before the exhaust is expelled into the atmosphere. The relative successes of such operations, however, have been incrementally slow and limited.One of the approaches taken in the production of a completely clean power plant is the design of an air powered engine which is, of course, completely pollution free, since there are absolutely no combustion gasses generated and released into the atmosphere. However, design in this area has been somewhat limited because of the reduced power output capable for such engines and because of their somewhat inefficient and complex operations.
The air engine, therefore, has seen only limited use in some cases as an auxiliary power plant with a combustion engine as the primary power source, or more often it has been abandoned entirely in favor of other systems because of the auxiliary power needed to maintain an adequate supply of air pressure for the system.Various attempts to successfully develop commercial air engines include:U.S. (a) an engine block comprising an external wall having air intake manifolds connected therewith for receiving compressed air, an internal wall defining an open chamber therein which is further defined by multiple confined areas, which are defined by the internal open chamber wall and multiple rotateably moveable elements within said open chamber, whereby the expansion of compressed air within said confined areas causes movement of said moveable elements, wherein the open chamber is trichoidal in shape and the moveable elements are rotors. The engine of claim 1 wherein the engine starting means is a 12 volt battery and a starter.
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