초록 ▼

A radial, two-stroke uniflow internal combustion (IC) cylinder and multiple cylinder engine, the cylinder having a cylinder wall and a cylinder head, the cylinder head having an exhaust port, a fuel injector, and a spark means disposed through the cylinder head, a piston reciprocally mounted in the

A radial, two-stroke uniflow internal combustion (IC) cylinder and multiple cylinder engine, the cylinder having a cylinder wall and a cylinder head, the cylinder head having an exhaust port, a fuel injector, and a spark means disposed through the cylinder head, a piston reciprocally mounted in the cylinder for movement alternately through compression and power strokes, and an inlet swirl port disposed through the cylinder wall providing fluid communication into the cylinder chamber, and having an annular exhaust air manifold in exhaust gas communication with each exhaust ports, and an exhaust-driven radial in-flow turbine that drives the inlet air compression.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A radial two-stroke, uniflow, internal combustion (IC) engine including a plurality of cylinders arranged radially around a common engine axis, each cylinder including: a cylinder wall and a cylinder head having an exhaust port, an exhaust valve disposed in the exhaust port, a fuel injector and a

1. A radial two-stroke, uniflow, internal combustion (IC) engine including a plurality of cylinders arranged radially around a common engine axis, each cylinder including: a cylinder wall and a cylinder head having an exhaust port, an exhaust valve disposed in the exhaust port, a fuel injector and a spark means disposed through the cylinder head, a piston mounted in the cylinder for reciprocal movement between a top dead center (TDC) position and a bottom dead center (BDC) position, and through a compression stroke and a power stroke, at least one swirl inlet port passing through the cylinder wall at the bottom of the cylinder, the at least one swirl inlet port oriented tangential to an axial centerline of the cylinder, wherein the at least one swirl port is covered and uncovered in response to the reciprocal movement of the piston; and further including a high pressure inlet air compressor that discharges to an inlet air manifold, an annular exhaust air manifold in exhaust gas communication with each exhaust port, and an exhaust-driven radial in-flow turbine that drives the air compressor. 2. The radial two-stroke, uniflow IC engine according to claim 1 wherein the inlet air manifold includes an annular inlet air manifold in inlet air communication with each of the at least one swirl inlet port in each of the plurality of cylinders. 3. The radial two-stroke, uniflow IC engine according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic control module to control the timing and quantity of fuel delivery, relative to the amount (mass) of inlet air within the cylinder chamber, to provide a lean burning fuel air mixture. 4. The IC engine according to claim 1 wherein the at least one swirl port directs inlet air into the cylinder in a tangential, turbulent, unidirectional flow, and the fuel injector is oriented in the cylinder head to inject fuel in a spray pattern downstream along a tangential pathway in the direction of the tangential, turbulent, unidirectional flow of the inlet air, with a fuel rich center in the spray pattern. 5. The IC engine according to claim 4 wherein the spark means is a spark igniter is positioned directly downstream of the fuel injector, along the pathway of the fuel rich center of the spray pattern. 6. The IC engine according to claim 5 wherein the cylinder head includes a thermal barrier coating on an inside of cylinder head to reduce heat loss. 7. The IC engine according to claim 6 wherein the thermal barrier coating is a ceramic matrix composite (CMC). 8. A method for operating a radial internal combustion (IC) engine that includes a multiple, radially-arranged reciprocating two-stroke uniflow cylinders, the IC engine including a high pressure supercharger inlet air system that includes a high pressure compressor, and each cylinder includes a cylinder wall and a cylinder head, the cylinder head having an exhaust port, a fuel injector and a spark means disposed through the cylinder head, a piston reciprocally mounted in the cylinder for movement alternately through compression and power strokes, and an air inlet including one or more swirl ports disposed through the cylinder wall and entering the cylinder chamber tangentially with respect to the axial centerline of the cylinder, and wherein the one or more swirl ports are opened and closed in response to movement of said piston, the method comprising repeating a cylinder cycle, the cycle comprising the steps of: a) compressing ambient air and passing the pressurized inlet air in a circumferential direction into an annular inlet air manifold, b) directing a portion of the pressurized inlet air out of the annular inlet air manifold, through an uncovered swirl port, and into the cylinder with the piston proximate the bottom of its reciprocal stroke within the cylinder, and swirling the inlet air in tangential, turbulent, unidirectional flow within the cylinder, c) maintaining the exhaust port in an open position while the inlet air ports are uncovered to provide scavenging of the cylinder by the inlet air, d) advancing the piston upward to cover the inlet ports, e) closing the exhaust port, f) compressing the inlet air between the piston and the cylinder head, g) dispersing a fuel near the end of the compression stroke at a lean burning fuel to air ratio of about 0.2 to about 0.8, relative to a stoicheometric fuel to air ratio of 1:1, the fuel being dispersed in the same tangential direction as the flow of the turbulent, swirling air, to obtain a stratified charge and intimate air-fuel mixing, h) spark igniting and combusting the stratified charge of the air-fuel mixture to initiate the power stroke, i) opening the exhaust port near the end of the power stroke to exhaust pressurized combustion gases, and j) uncovering the inlet ports as the piston approaches the bottom of its power stroke. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cycle further comprises the steps of: passing the pressurized combustion gases as exhaust gases in a circumferential direction into an annular exhaust manifold, and passing the exhaust gases from the annular exhaust manifold into an inlet of a high pressure inflow turbine that drives the high pressure compressor. 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of driving a power turbine with the exhaust gases from the high pressure inflow turbine, and powering the crankshaft of the IC engine with the power turbine. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the fuel to air ratio is about 0.6. 12. The method according to claim 8 wherein the stratified charge of the fuel comprises dispersing the fuel in a spray pattern having a fuel rich center portion, and wherein the spark ignition of the stratified charge comprises ignites the fuel rich center portion of the spray pattern, despite an overall lean fuel to air ratio. 13. The method according to claim 12, further providing a step of including a thermal barrier coating on an inside of cylinder head to reduce heat loss through the cylinder head. 14. A method for operating a reciprocating two-stroke uniflow multiple cylinder internal combustion (IC) engine with a low pressure positive displacement inlet air compressor that provides an outlet:inlet pressure ratio of up to 4:1, the engine including a plurality of a cylinder that includes a cylinder wall and a cylinder head having an exhaust port, an exhaust valve disposed in the exhaust port, a fuel injector and a spark means disposed through the cylinder head, a piston mounted in the cylinder for reciprocal movement between a top dead center (TDC) position and a bottom dead center (BDC) position, and through a compression stroke and a power stroke, and at least one swirl inlet port passing through the cylinder wall at the bottom of the cylinder, and oriented tangential to an axial centerline of the cylinder, wherein the at least one swirl port is covered and uncovered in response to the reciprocal movement of the piston; the method comprising repeating a cylinder cycle, the cycle comprising the steps of: a) passing low pressure inlet air through the uncovered one or more swirl ports and into the cylinder with the piston proximate the bottom of its reciprocal stroke within the cylinder, and swirling the inlet air in tangential turbulent unidirectional flow within the cylinder wherein the mass quantity of inlet air is proportional to the engine revolution speed, b) maintaining the exhaust port in an open position while the inlet air ports are uncovered to provide scavenging of the cylinder by the inlet air, c) advancing the piston upward to cover the inlet ports, d) closing the exhaust port, e) compressing the inlet air between the piston and the cylinder head, preferably to a compression ratio of about 8:1 to about 12:1, f) dispersing a fuel near the end of the compression stroke at a lean burning fuel to air ratio in the range of about 0.2 to about 0.8, relative to a stoicheometric fuel to air ratio of 1:1, the fuel being dispersed in the same tangential direction as the flow of the turbulent, swirling air, to obtain a stratified charge and intimate air-fuel mixing, g) spark igniting and combusting the stratified charge of the air-fuel mixture to initiate the power stroke, h) opening the exhaust port near the end of the power stroke to exhaust pressurized combustion gases, and i) uncovering the inlet ports as the piston approaches the bottom of its power stroke. 15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of driving a power turbine with low the pressurized combustion gases, and powering the crankshaft of the IC engine with the power turbine. 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the fuel to air ratio is about 0.6. 17. The method according to claim 14 wherein the stratified charge of the fuel comprises dispersing the fuel in a spray pattern having a fuel rich center portion, and wherein the spark ignition of the stratified charge comprises ignites the fuel rich center portion of the spray pattern, despite an overall lean fuel to air ratio. 18. The method according to claim 17, further providing a step of including a thermal barrier coating on an inside of cylinder head to reduce heat loss through the cylinder head. 19. The method according to claim 14 wherein the exhausting of pressurized combustion gases comprising directing the pressurized combustion gases tangentially into an annular exhaust gas manifold.