Design and dynamic characteristic prediction of air-powered twin-rotor piston engine

Abstract

A novel air-powered twin-rotor piston engine (ATPE) utilizing a differential velocity driving mechanism to achieve a high output torque was proposed. The ATPE had eight separated rotary cylinders which can dynamically enlarge the engine displacement as a result of the special driving mechanism, which was named dynamic volume expansion. The mathematical model of ATPE comprising a dynamic model and a thermodynamic model was established under the assumption of no mechanical friction. The model was numerically simulated in Matlab. The results show that shortage of low output torque confusing traditional air-powered engines can be overcome. The average output torque sharply increases to 100 N·m, which is about three times that of traditional air-powered engines with equal cylinder displacement under the pressure of 0.6 MPa at 480 r/min. ATPE can be used to drive vehicles directly without transmission box, therefore the energy transfer efficiency of ATPE can be increased. Furthermore, benefitting from the novel gas distribution system, the engine shows an ability in self-adjusting under different loads. The arrangements of air ports automatically adjust the open interval of air ports according to the load, which may simplify the speed control system.

Keywords

air-powered engine / twin-rotor piston engine / numerical simulation / dynamic characteristics

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