CA2335407C - The rotary vane engine - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention comprises a rotary vane engine that can be used in any application in which a piston driven engine is currently being used. Most currently available engines are complicated and have many moving parts dependent upon one another.
The transference of energy from the combustion chamber to the drive shaft is usually not a direct one and often energy is lost.
The Boucher Rotary Vane Engine has very few moving parts and energy is transferred directly from the combustion chamber to the drive shaft resulting in very little energy loss. This means less fuel is used and more useable energy is available.
The simplicity and uniqueness of its design is due mainly to the placement of eccentric rotors and 2 vanes. The engine is made up of 2 halves, a compression half and an expansion half, with similar structure and sharing a single output shaft.

Description

Description:
Technical Field:
This invention relates to a rotary vane engine with two vanes and two eccentric rotors. This engine is designed for use in any application that currently available internal combustion engines are now being used in.
Background of the Invention:
Typically, existing rotary engines are of 3 different types: a rotary engine with vane(s), a rotary engine with toothed gears or the like, and a rotary engine with oscillating motion. Rotary engines having vanes) have many variations, one of which is a rotary vane engine with an eccentric rotor, to which this invention ascribes to.
The main structural features of such an engine are as follows: the cylinder is of cylindrical shape; a shaft is provided at the axis passing the centre of the cylinder; a vane rotating around the axis is disposed radially between the axis and the internal wall of the cylinder; a hollow cylindrical rotor with a longitudinal slot is located eccentrically in the cylinder around said centre shaft, and the external wall of the rotor is tangential to the internal wall of the cylinder;
a combustion chamber, the volume of which changes with the rotation of the rotor, is formed between the external wall of the rotor and the internal wall of the cylinder so as to execute the working cycle of the internal combustion engine.
Such an engine may have a vane or a plurality of vanes, as disclosed in, eg., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,132, 632, 2,969,049 and 3,289,653.
Up to now the rotary engine has not been widely used in practice because it has serious deficiencies and cannot measure up to the requirements for simple, reliable and highly efficient work. In respect to U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,632, the angles between the said vanes are inconsistent during operation, so that these vanes cannot be all fixed on the centre shaft. Power output is achieved through Page 2 of 22 the function of the vanes that move the eccentric rotor. Because of the great stresses endured between the vanes and the slots from which the vanes project during combustive explosions, the slide or sealing member wears out quickly causing the whole engine to fail.
For such an engine with a single vane, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos.

2,969,049 and 3,289,653, although the power output mode in which the vane is fixed with the centre shaft is used, there exist some obvious deficiencies. First, it is necessary for the engine of U.S. Pat. No 2,969,049 to provide a set of special mechanisms to drive the eccentric rotor and the vane to execute the working cycle. Therefore, the eccentric rotor rotates on the internal wall of the cylinder by the action of the drive means, complicating the structure and being difficult to achieve a good seal and adequate lubrication. Moreover, during operation, attrition is produced between the vane and the rotor, thus causing the sealing member to wear out, and resulting in complete engine failure.
Other models of rotary engines such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent numbers 5,352,295, 2,969,049, 3,132632 and 3,289,653 are more complicated, having many more moving parts which makes them less efficient, because power is transferred indirectly to the drive shaft through a sequence of various internal geared parts or oscillating mechanisms before it finally reaches the drive shaft.
The Boucher Rotary Engine transfers power directly to the drive shaft. Because of the simplicity of its design, there are less things to go wrong and less chance of parts breaking or jamming up.
The Boucher rotary engine may have as little as only 6 moving parts and the force of combustion is applied in the direction that the shaft normally rotates in, unlike a conventional piston driven engine where the force of combustion causes the piston to come to a dead stop at the bottom of its stroke.
Page 3 of 22 The Boucher Rotary Vane Engine turns in the direction of the stroke, never coming to a stop, but continuing a smooth rotation. This means less wasted energy and therefore more useable energy available for torque.
The engine fires once per rotation cycle at the same place every time, making the engine timing much easier to synchronistically accomplish.
Summary of the Invention:
An object of this invention is to provide a rotary vane engine simple in structure, with fewer moving parts, and more reliable in operation.
Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary engine with maximum energy utilization and minimal energy loss.
Another object of this invention is to provide a rotary vane engine in which cooling and lubrication can be easily accomplished.
The technical solution of this invention is to introduce a more efficient concept in the basic construction of rotary engines, that being to make the vane independent of the rotor and drive shaft by placing it in a recess in the housing, rather than on the rotor or drive shaft, and to have the vane reciprocate on a radial axis rather than linearly.
This technical solution greatly reduces the surface areas being subjected to friction and permits the rotor to turn easier, with the result of improved efficiency and reduced energy loss.
Brief Description of Drawings:
Figure 1 illustrates the various phases of the engine during a working cycle.
Figure 2 is a view of the front plate that closes off the front of the engine housing.
Page 4 of 22 Figure 3 is a view of the compression rotor and compression vane in the housing.
This is the view you would see if the front plate were removed.
Figure 4 is a view of the mid plate that separates the compression portion of the engine from the expansion portion.
Figure 5 is a view of the expansion rotor and expansion vane in the housing.
This is the view you would see if a section were taken through the engine just after the mid plate.
Figure 6 is a view of the back plate that closes off the back of the engine housing.
Figure 7 is a cutaway view through the side of the engine, showing the compression rotor and vane, the expansion rotor and vane, the front , mid and back plates and the housing of the engine when it is properly assembled.
Description of the embodiment:
The main structural features of the engine are as follows:
There are 2 eccentric rotors 42 & 43, mounted on a shaft 46, the centre of which is the axis the shaft and rotors turn on. One rotor is called the 'compression' rotor 43 and the other is called the 'expansion' rotor 42. When viewed from their ends both rotors resemble a 3/ moon shape, but have an eccentric cylindrical shape laterally. They are fixed to the shaft 180 degrees from each other, so their respective weights are centrifugally counterbalanced when the engine is turning, thus reducing vibration.
From front to back the engine block features a front plate 12, the compression housing 13, a mid plate 11, the expansion housing 21 and a back plate 40. The compression housing 13 and the expansion housing 21 feature an inner cavity that is cylindrical in shape to accommodate the rotors. The front plate 12 and the back plate 40 feature counterbored holes 51, centred relative to the inner cavity, that are fitted with bearings 50, which hold the drive shaft 46 in place at both ends of the engine.
Page 5 of 22 The drive shaft 46 also passes through the mid plate 11 with a rotor mounted on the drive shaft 46 on either side of the mid plate 11. Bolts are inserted in holes 41, which extend through the entire length of the housing, parallel to the drive shaft 46. These, together with bolts inserted in holes 39, which thread into the mid plate, hold the whole assembly together.
The mid plate 11 separates the compression portion of the engine from the expansion portion. The compression portion and expansion portion of the engine each contain a rotor and vane arrangement. The concentric portion of the external working surface 25 of each rotor is fitted to the internal surface of the housings 13 and 21 with just enough minimal clearance to permit rotation.
The eccentric portion of the working surface 24 of each rotor is designed to create a crescent shaped chamber between itself and the cylindrical inner surface of the housing. The chamber rotates with the rotor as the drive shaft 46 is turned.
The housings 13 and 21 also contain a moveable vane for each rotor, which retracts into the housing in an arc movement by pivoting on a pin 28. Each vane is spring loaded with a vane spring wound radially around the pivot pin of the vane with one end 36 biased toward the housing and the other end 35 hooked through a hole in the side of the vane to cause the vane to lift and press against the rotor. A strip of wear resistant material that is called a glide 55, is attached to an external strip on the edge of the vane called the head 56 to maintain a tight seal against the working surface of the rotor, the pressure being dependant on the force of the spring 1. In this way the vane and its glide 55 resting against the rotor form a seal to prevent gasses within the compression or expansion chamber from circumventing them.
At a specific area on the compression side of the engine block, there is an air intake port 15 that permits ambient air to enter the compression chamber.
Page 6 of 22 Similarly, at a specific area on the expansion side of the engine block, there is an exhaust port 22, which permits exhaust gases to be expelled to an exhaust system or to the atmosphere.
A tiny opening called the air transfer hole 7 in the mid plate is provided to allow the compressed air to transfer from the compression chamber 20 to the expansion chamber 3. A spark plug 59 is fitted on the expansion portion of the engine, along with a fuel injector 54 that, at a certain point in the engine's rotation, come into contact with the expansion chamber. The spark plug 59 and the fuel injector 54 may be located at the bottom of the engine, as shown in Figure 5, or they may be located on the back plate 40 for easier access. These are the major parts of the engine.
Figure 1 - The Engine Cycle The working cycle of the engine is best understood by the various stages shown in Figure 1. Although the compression rotor 43 and expansion rotor 42 are mounted on the same shaft, they are shown independently in Figure 1 to facilitate a better understanding of their relationship to each other during the nine illustrated stages of an engine cycle. Both rotors are turning clockwise.
Beginning at Stage E, as the shaft turns, the compression chamber is fully exposed to the atmosphere, filling with ambient air as it rotates past the intake port, shown to the left, through Stages F, G and H. The compression rotor surface gets increasingly closer to contacting the inside surface of the housing at the intake port, until it effectively closes off the intake port from the compression chamber at Stage I. At Stage I, the compression Rotor has blocked off the intake port completely at the point marked 'W'.
Going now to Stage A, Vane 18 comes into play. The shaft continues to turn and the rotating compression chamber begins to decrease in volume as the rotor Page 7 of 22 forces it against compression vane 18. Because the charge is unable to circumvent the vane, it becomes compressed as the chamber volume reduces throughout Stages B, C, D and E during rotation.
A small opening 7 in the mid plate 11, just ahead of the compression vane 18, provides the only means of escape for the compressed charge. At Stage E, the compression rotor 43 has now completed its compression of the charge, which has been forced through the opening into the expansion chamber 3 on the expansion side of the mid plate 11.
At this point the expansion chamber 3 is at its smallest volume, existing that way as a result of the relationship between the expansion rotor 42, expansion vane 30 (identified in the Stage A view) and the cylindrical inside surface of the housing.
At the expansion rotor 42, the spark plug 59 and fuel injector 54 are shown.
At this point, the fuel injector 54 sprays atomized fuel into the expansion chamber, which mixes with the compressed air.
At Stage F, with the Compression Rotor now in a position to prevent any expansion from occurring on the compression side of the engine, the spark plug 59 fires.
The fuel mixture is ignited causing an explosion in the expansion chamber. As the explosion occurs, the expansion chamber 3 has to become larger to accommodate the increase in the volume of the exploding charge.
Because the expanding gases are unable to circumvent expansion vane 30, the impact of the explosion forces the expansion rotor 42 to turn. The expansion rotor 42 turning under the pressure of the explosion, becomes the driving force that rotates the engine shaft as the expansion chamber 3 becomes larger Page 8 of 22 throughout Stages G, H, I, then back to A. During the rotation, it comes into contact with the exhaust port 22 during Stage B at point S. At Stage C the exhaust gases are released into the atmosphere, or an exhaust system. A
second exhaust port 23 exists in the portion of the expansion rotor housing 21 which accommodates the expansion vane 30. This is shown in Figure 5 and Figure 7.
Simultaneously, at the compression rotor 43, the compression chamber 20 is now picking up a new charge of air from the air intake port 15 for the cycle to be repeated. Thus the engine continues to repeat its cycle over and over again.
The momentum and centrifugal force of the rotors turning is more than enough to keep the cycle repeating itself with a surplus of energy in the form of torque, making it possible for the engine to be useful to drive a machine or vehicle.
Figure 2 - The Front Plate The front plate 12 may be made of any ferrous or non-ferrous metal, and features a circular array of cooling holes 52 that alternate with bolt holes 39 or 41 provided to allow the engine parts to be bolted together. Bolt holes 41 require long bolts to pass through the entire length of the engine whereas bolt holes require shorter bolts, which thread into tapped holes in the mid plate 11.
Another set of cooling holes 44, also arranged in a circular array, permit air to flow through the rotors in an intermittent pulse-like manner as the rotor cooling holes 52 align with them during rotation.
At the centre, there is a counter-bored hole 51 designed to hold a bearing 50 through which the drive shaft 46 will pass.
Page 9 of 22 The front plate is also equipped with alignment pins 47 so that when the engine is assembled, it fits together precisely.
The hole 10 may be fitted with a small bearing or oil bushing and is used to support one end of the vane pivot pin 28 that the compression vane 18 pivots on shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3 - The Compression Rotor Shown here is the compression rotor 43 and its vane 18 in place within the compression rotor housing13. The compression rotor 43 is held in place on the larger diameter portion of the drive shaft 45 by means of splines 2. This is a tight press-fit arrangement. The larger diameter 45 of the drive shaft contains the splines 2 and they are present through the entire length of the compression rotor.
The smaller diameter of the drive shaft 46 is sized to fit the bearing 50 on the front plate 12 shown in Figure 2. A recessed rotor end seal groove 8 is positioned around the perimeter of the rotor end plates 6 to accommodate an end seal 4 made of wear resistant material and is centred within the longitudinal rotor wall 5.
Counter weights 31 are situated within the hollow rotor to maintain centrifugal balance. The rotor end plates 6 are identical on each end of the rotor and contain cooling holes 44. The compression rotor housing 13 contains cooling holes 52, which alternate with the bolt holes 41. Bolt holes 39 require shorter bolts, which thread into the mid plate 11. They do not continue through the entire length of the engine because the placement of the vanes would obstruct them.
Louvres 19 are located within the housing 13 to direct air within the intake port 15. A shoe made of wear resistant material called a glide 55 is located on the edge of the vane 18 at the portion of the vane called the pivot head 56 and the Page 10 of 22 glide contact surface 29 makes contact with the working surface 24/25 of the compression rotor 43.
The compression vane 18 also has a vane head seal 60 made of wear resistant material, which sits in a recessed groove 58 on each side of the vane. The vane moves on a pivot pin 28, held in place by holes 10 in the front plate 12 shown in Figure 2 and the mid plate 11 shown in Figure 4.
The compression vane 18 has a tension spring 1 wound radially around pivot pin 28 inside the vane 18, that forces it in the direction of the rotor, so that contact is always maintained between the glide surface 29 and the working surfaces 24/25 of the compression rotor 43.
As the eccentric rotor rotates, it causes the compression vane 18 to move in and out of a pocket 57 in the compression rotor housing 13. Another seal 32 made of wear resistant material and seated within a groove 17 in the housing prevent compressed air from escaping past the vane.
Bolt holes 33 are provided in the housing as a convenience to fasten an intake manifold (not part of this invention) to the intake port. Holes are provided for the alignment pins 47 to maintain proper alignment between the housing 13 and the front plate 12.
An oil pan 37 is bolted to the bottom of the engine that is filled to a certain level 49 with oil. The oil pan features an oil filter 38 and an oil supply line 27 that is equipped with a check valve 48. Oil is drawn up by a suction created by the movement of the vane 18, so that a small quantity of oil 34 remains in the vane pocket 57 to lubricate the vane.
The check valve 48 keeps the oil from receding back into the oil pan. If too much oil accumulates in this area an overflow hole 26 returns it to the oil pan.
Page 11 of 22 A small indent 61 in the housing, lines up with the opening 7 on the mid plate to assist in facilitating the transfer of compressed air from the compression chamber 20 to the expansion chamber 3 in Figure 5.
Several small spring-like devices called laces 16 are fitted into cylindrical slots in the housing. They are thin sheets of spring material and apply moderate pressure to the working surface of the rotor to help spread an even coat of oil across the working surface of the rotor and also prevent 'blow-by', a condition wherein compressed gases may have a propensity to slip through the clearance gap between the rotor and the housing.
Figure 4 - The Mid Plate The mid plate 11 is shown with the compression side facing out. The larger hole 9 in the centre of the plate is the drive shaft clearance hole. Hole 10 shawn on the compression side of the mid plate 11 is not a through hole and is used to support one end of the pivot pin 28 for the compression vane 18. Hole 14, also not a through hole, is likewise used to support one end of the pivot pin 28 for the expansion vane 30 and occurs on the opposite side of the mid plate.
The oddly shaped opening 7 is actually tapered and as it passes through the mid plate and becomes larger on the opposite side. This is the opening through which the compressed air is transferred from the compression chamber on one side of the mid plate to the expansion chamber on the other side.
This opening may be an irregular shape as shown, or it could simply be a round hole. The holes shown as 44 are through holes for cooling purposes as are the holes shown as 52 which alternate with the bolt holes 41, much the same as on the front plate 12 shown in Figure 2 and the back plate 40 shown in Figure 6.
Page 12 of 22 Figure 5 - The Expansion Rotor Shown here is a section through the engine just past the mid plate on the expansion side, showing the expansion rotor 42 and its vane 30 in place as they relate to the expansion rotor housing 21.
In the same way as on the compression rotor 43, the expansion rotor 42 is held in place on the larger diameter portion of the drive shaft 45 by means of splines 53.
The smaller diameter of the drive shaft 46 is sized to fit the bearing 50 on the back plate 40 shown in Figure 6. A recessed rotor end seal groove 8 is positioned around the perimeter of the rotor end plates 6 to accommodate an end seal 4 made of wear resistant material and is centred within the longitudinal rotor wall 5.
Counter weights 31 are situated within the hollow rotor to maintain centrifugal balance. The rotor end plates 6 are identical on each end of the rotor and contain cooling holes 44. The expansion rotor housing 21 contains cooling holes 52 where the housing is solid 21, and cooling pipes 62 rather than cooling holes where the exhaust port 22 is present. Both 52 and 62 alternate radially with the bolt holes 41.
The cooling pipes 62 extend through the length of the expansion housing 21 and link cooling holes 52 in the mid plate 11 with the cooling holes 52 in the back plate 40. The cooling pipes allow the flow of cool air to continue through the engine while simultaneously preventing the exhaust gasses from mixing with the cooling air.
A shoe made of wear resistant material called a glide 55 is located on the edge of the vane 30 at the portion of the vane called the pivot head 56 and the glide Page 13 of 22 contact surface 29 makes contact with the working surfaces 24/25 of the expansion rotor 42.
The expansion vane 30 also has a seal 60 made of wear-resistant material, seated within a recessed groove 58 on each side of the vane. The vane moves on a pivot pin 28, held in place by holes 14 in the back plate 40 shown in Figure 6 and the mid plate 11 shown in Figure 4.
The expansion vane 30 has a tension spring 1 wound radially around pivot pin inside the vane 30 that forces it in the direction of the rotor, so that contact is always maintained between the glide surface 29 and the working surface 24/25 of the expansion rotor 42.
As the eccentric rotor rotates, it causes the expansion vane 30 to move in and out of a pocket 57 in the expansion rotor housing 21. Another seal 32 made of wear resistant material seated within a recessed groove 17 in the housing prevents compressed air from escaping past the vane.
Holes are provided for the alignment pins 47 to maintain proper alignment between the housing 21 and the back plate 40.
Located in the oil pan 37 is an oil filter 38 and another oil supply fine 27 that is also equipped with a check valve 48. Oil is drawn up by a suction created by the movement of the vane 30, so that a small quantity of oil 34 remains in the expansion vane pocket 57 to lubricate the vane. If too much oil accumulates in this area an overflow hole 26 returns it to the oil pan.
Opening 7 on the mid plate 11 is continued in the housing as part of the expansion chamber 3. The firing pin of spark plug 59 enters the opening, as does the fuel injector 54, to provide the elements needed for combustion to take place.
Laces 16 are fitted into cylindrical slots in the expansion housing 21 as well.
Page 14 of 22 Figure 6 - The Back Plate The back plate 40 may be made of any ferrous or non-ferrous metal, and features a circular array of cooling holes 52 that alternate with bolt holes 39 or 41 provided to allow the engine parts to be bolted together. Bolt holes 41 require long bolts to pass through the entire length of the engine whereas bolt holes require shorter bolts, which thread into tapped holes in the mid plate 11.
When a propeller is attached to the drive shaft, it can induce air to flow through these cooling holes which are continuous throughout the other parts of the engine housing to allow air flow to travel through the entire length of the engine.
Another set of cooling holes 44, also arranged in a circular array, permit air to flow through the back plate as the engine is operating.
At the centre, there is a counter-bored hole designed to hold a bearing 50 through which the larger diameter portion of the drive shaft 45 will pass.
The back plate is also equipped with alignment pins 47 so that when the engine is assembled, it fits together more precisely.
The hole 14 is used to support one end of the expansion vane pivot pin 28.
Figure 7 - The Cutaway View The cutaway view reveals the inner parts of the engine previously described, as they would appear when the engine is assembled, but with portions of the housing, front plate, mid plate, back plate and housing cutaway to reveal the workings of the engine. The oil pan and the parts within it were removed for better clarity. The cutaway view also illustrates a case wherein the radial sizes of Page 15 of 22 the compression portion of the engine are not identical to the radial sizes of the expansion portion. In this case, the shorter bolts 39 were used in place of the longer bolts 41. In a case such as this, one or both of the rotors would contain a counterweight to balance them during rotation. This is necessary to reduce engine vibration.
The Item List 1. Vane Spring 2. Compression Rotor Splines 3. The Expansion Chamber 4. Rotor End Seal 5. Rotor Longitudinal Wall 6. Rotor End Plate 7. Mid Plate Air Transfer Hole 8. Rotor End Seal Groove 9. Drive shaft opening in mid plate 10. Recessed hole for compression vane pivot pin 11. Mid Plate 12. Front Plate 13. Compression Rotor Housing 14. Recessed hole for expansion vane pivot pin 15. Air Intake Port 16. Lace 17. Front Vane Seal Groove 18. Compression Vane 19. Stationary Louvre 20. Compression Chamber 21. Expansion Rotor Housing 22. Exhaust Port 23. Exhaust Vent Through Vane Housing Page 16 of 22 24. Eccentric Portion of Rotor Working Surface 25. Concentric Portion of Rotor Working Surface 26. Oil Return From Vane 27. Oil Supply Line 28. Vane Pivot Pin 29. Contact Surface of Glide 30. Expansion Vane 31. Rotor Counter Weight 32. Vane Front Seal 33. Intake Manifold Bolt Holes 34. Oil Level in Vane Pocket 35. Vane Spring Moveable End 36. Vane Spring Stationary End 37. Oil Pan 38. Oil Filter 39. Engine Assembly Half Length Bolt Hole 4D. Back Plate 41. Engine Assembly Full Length Bolt Hole 42. Expansion Rotor 43. Compression Rotor 44. Rotor Cooling Hole 45. Larger Diameter Splined Portion of Shaft 46. Reduced Diameter Portion of Shaft Sized for Bearings 47. Alignment Pins 48. Oil Check Valve 49. Oil Level 50. Bearings 51. Counterbored Bearing Hole 52. Cooling Holes 53. Expansion Rotor Splines 54. Fuel Injector Page 17 of 22 55. Glide on Vane Head 56. Vane Pivot Head 57. Vane Pocket 58. Vane Head Seal Groove 59. Spark Plug 60. Vane Head Seal 61. Compression Chamber Recess 62. Cooling Pipes Page 18 of 22 _....._.~.~..~.. . .,.r _._...~.~ . _. ._.. _ . W . .m...~.
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Claims (5)

1. A rotary vane engine, comprising a compression portion consisting of a hollow rotor with half of its radial perimeter being concentric in relation to its axis point, the other half of its radial perimeter being eccentric in relation to the same axis point, a compression rotor housing with a concentric cylindrical opening having the same axis point as the concentric portion of the said rotor, said opening having a slightly larger radius than the concentric portion of the said rotor, a single vane held in place on the compression portion of the engine housing by means of a pivot pin, so as to allow the said vane to pivot and reciprocate within a pocket in the housing, said vane containing a tension spring to keep its movement biased in the direction of the rotor, said vane also having a wear resistant strip attached to it on the edge closest to the rotor so that the said strip maintains contact with the radial surface of the rotor forming a compression chamber between the said vane, said rotor and said portion of the engine housing, a concentric drive shaft having the same axis point as the concentric portion of the said rotor with said rotor being longitudinally secured in place on the said drive shaft by means of splines, said drive shaft extending through the compression portion and the expansion portion of the engine, said shaft being rotatable about its axis while being held in place at each end by bearings recessed in the engine housing; an expansion portion consisting of a hollow rotor with half of its radial perimeter being concentric in relation to its axis point, the other half of its radial perimeter being eccentric in relation to the same axis point, an expansion rotor housing with a concentric cylindrical opening having the same axis point as the concentric portion of the said rotor, said opening having a slightly larger radius than the concentric portion of the said rotor, a single vane held in place on the expansion portion of the engine housing by means of a pivot pin, so as to allow the said vane to pivot and reciprocate within a pocket in the housing, said vane containing a tension spring to keep its movement biased in the direction of the rotor, said vane also having a wear resistant strip attached to it on the edge closest to the rotor so that the said strip maintains contact with the radial surface of the rotor forming an expansion chamber between the said vane, said rotor and said portion of the engine housing, a previously mentioned concentric drive shaft, shared with the compression portion of the engine, said drive shaft having the same axis point as the concentric portion of the said rotor with said rotor being longitudinally secured in place on the said drive shaft by means of splines, said rotor being radially positioned 180 degrees relative to the rotor in the compression portion of the engine; an engine housing being comprised of five separate parts which consist of a front plate, a compression portion, a mid plate, an expansion portion and a back plate, said mid plate longitudinally separating the compression portion from the expansion portion and containing an opening, such that when all the engine parts are assembled in place, it would allow the passage of gases from the compression chamber in the compression portion to the expansion chamber in the expansion portion, said compression portion comprising longitudinal vents for the intake of ambient air, said expansion portion comprising longitudinal vents for the expulsion of spent combustion gases, said expansion portion and back plate containing ports to accommodate a fuel injector nozzle and a spark plug as parts of the ignition system, extending into the sealed expansion chamber where combustion takes place.

2. The rotary vane engine as set forth in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned plates identified as the front plate, mid plate, and back plate each have cooling ports arranged intermittently on a common radius sharing the same central axis point as that of the drive shaft, said cooling ports being of equal size and shape, lining up laterally with each other on all three aforementioned plates, said rotors also having an identical arrangement of cooling ports so that during rotation they intermittently come into line with the cooling ports of the three aforementioned plates, said drive shaft extending beyond the engine housing at both of its ends, one end having a propeller fixed solidly to it to induce air flow intermittently through the cooling ports longitudinally throughout the entire length of the engine, as the said cooling ports of the aforementioned plates and rotors come into line with one another several times during rotation of the said rotors within the said housing during each engine cycle.

3. The rotary vane engine as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a hollow oil pan filled with oil is fastened to the lowest point of the said engine housing, said oil pan having a gasket located between its upper rim to isolate it from the said engine housing, said oil pan containing a hollow tube within it extending downward to a filter comprised of porous material, said filter being fastened to the lowest end of the said tube, said tube extending upward to deliver oil to parts of the engine, said oil being induced to flow up the said tube by means of a vacuum naturally formed during normal operation of the engine, said tube having an inline check valve to prevent the said oil from reciprocating back into the oil pan.

4. The rotary vane engine as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the compression rotor is a different size in relation to the expansion rotor, said rotors having balanced counterweights fixed within them to compensate for any centrifugal imbalance during high speed rotation so as to minimize engine vibration and maintain equilibrium.

5. The rotary vane engine as set forth in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the compression housing or the expansion housing contain tiny strips of sheet metal spring material called laces, fastened within thin longitudinal grooves in the housing at various points around the perimeter of the interior longitudinal housing surface in such a manner as to allow one longitudinal edge of the said laces to protrude slightly beyond the interior surface of the housing and intermittently come in contact with the concentric portion of the external longitudinal surface of the rotor to evenly spread lubricating oil along the rotor surface, thereby assisting in preventing "blow-by" from occurring during combustion.