WO1999061274A1

WO1999061274A1 - Power unit for transport means

Info

Publication number: WO1999061274A1
Application number: PCT/IB1998/000791
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zisis Gazos; Valentin Nazarov
Original assignee: Otarid Consult Limited
Priority date: 1998-05-25
Filing date: 1998-05-25
Publication date: 1999-12-02
Also published as: AU7227898A

Abstract

The present invention relates to wheel-caterpillar transport means, particularly to cars, and can be applied for movement of trucks, buses, motorcycles, tractors and other wheel-caterpillar vehicles. The invention, characterized in that the power unit, disposed inside the body, comprises an engine (1) coupling with an active driver, representing a duct (2), which is formed as a closed contour, inside of which a supercharger (3) of a fluid working medium and at least one thermogasdynamic airfoil (7) are disposed. With flowing about said airfoil (7) by the fluid working medium lifting, control and propulsive forces are created and transmitted via the duct body (9) to the automobile body as active motive force, that allows to exclude out of the structure of the power unit clutch, gear box, transmission, differential with semiaxles, which were used for the transfer of the torque from the engine to the driving wheels of a vehicle.

Description

Power unit for transport means Technical field

The invention concerns to wheel-caterpillar transport means, particularly to cars, and can be used for movement of trucks, buses, motorcycles, tractors and other wheel- caterpillar vehicles.

Prior art It is known, that the motion of current transport means is provided by use of jet force irrespective of that, which kind of an engine is a source of this force. It is also known that for various transport means one can use different terms: for water vessels is propeller or water-jet propeller, for aircrafts is propulsor, for autotransport is mover or driver etc. The essence of all these terms is the same. They means some devices to get move transport means with use of a jet principle of propulsion. So later, relating to the invention we will use the term "driver".

Rocket and some propulsion jet engines concern to engines of a direct jet thrust, as create a thrust by throwing out a working medium, and thus they are drivers themselves.

Turboprop engines and their varieties concern to engines of indirect jet thrust which provide a thrust by use of such drivers as the lifting rotor of a helicopter, propeller of a plane etc.

On a similar jet principle a number of internal combustion and electric engines is actuated with such drivers, as a propeller of a vessel, wheel, caterpillar of ground transport means.

The general peculiarity is a characteristic of current transport means: a complex, multistage system of conversion of potential and kinetic energy of a fluid working medium to mechanical work on a torque transmission from a source of energy to a driver. With such complex power units are arranged practically all automobiles, including cars.

The systems "engine - driver" at cars are known, particularly at cars as follows: Mercedes-Benz E320 4 MATIC with the full drive, Subary Legacy Outback with the full drive, Ford Taurus 3.0 with the front drive (cf. Magazine Motor N 5, 1997, JSC Motor- Press, pages 33, 59, 75). Despite of design differences of their power units, the movement of these transport means is implemented because of jet principle.

A system of use of a gas turbine engine as a part of a power unit of ground vehicle, including a car, is known (cf. EP N 0 104 921 A3, Int. Cl. F 02 7/36. Date of publication of application: 04.04.84 Bulletin 84/14). "A gas turbine engine system for powering a ground vehicle such as an automobile, truck, bus or other vehicle, is provided with a continuously- variable transmission in the form of declutchable toroidal traction drive, whose two drive 5 lobes are coupled through reduction gearing respectively to the shaft of a gas generator section of the engine system and to the output shaft of a free power turbine driven by the high-energy combustion gases of the gas generator section. A clutch is provided for... mechanical power transfer between the free power turbine and the gas generator."

A power unit of transport means, in particular cars, is also known (cf. US Patent N

10 5267623, Int. Cl. B 60 K 5/12, US Cl. 180/58, Patented: Dec.7, 1993). The known device in a form of the power unit ensuring multistaged conversion of energy of the engine to a work of a driver - wheel, as close on a technical essence to the present power unit of transport means, is accepted as the prototype.

According to the classic scheme, a power unit is mounted in a front portion of an automobile body and includes an engine and a transmission, a differential is mounted in a rear portion of the automobile body. The above patent proposes a usual step in the development of this scheme. "A drive train system for an automobile includes a power unit, a differential and a rigid frame coupling the power unit and the differential. The drive train system is oriented so that it extends in the lenghtwise direction of the automobile, and has an engine mounted near the front end of the automobile body and providing the automobile with rear wheel drive". The automobile is provided with classical set: a drive shaft, axle shafts, a gear box, a dutch etc. Said drive train system is intended for the torque transfer through a number of rotating joints.

The wheel - driver, to which the torque is transmitted, is actuated on a known jet principle: pushing away a rigid surface in any direction, the driver moves the automobile in an opposite direction.

The known power units of transport means have a number of essential drawbacks: 1. The complex design concept of transfer of a torque from the engine to the driver, consisting of the multistage system of rotated joints, 0 2. Low efficiency, as the thermal energy of the engine during conversion to mechanical work in a large degree is expended at numerous stages of transfer of a torque, and also is spent for producing of jet force of wheels - driver and on a friction between a wheel and rigid surface,

3. Large fuel and lubricating materials consumption,

4. Ecological damage from exhaust gases and other hydrocarbon waste while in service and maintenance service of the automobile,

5. Necessity of organization of a number of industrial divisions for manufacturing of supply parts and spares, voluminous metal and energy consumption and labour input,

6. A complex engineering of manufacturing, assembly and balancing of the power unit, 7. Complexity of maintenance service, operation and repair of the automobile.

The present invention substantially eliminates drawbacks of the prototype.

Description of the invention This invention has as its object to produce a power unit distinguished in essence from the engines of the current art with operational characteristics, which: - eliminates transfer of a torque from the engine to the driver;

- increases efficiency of the power unit;

- reduces consumption of fuel and lubricating materials;

- reduces discgarge of exhaust gases;

- reduces metal, power consumption and labour input at manufacturing of the power unit;

- simplifies maintenance service, operation and repair of transport means, for example, automobile.

The active driver principle is put in the basis of the invention. By active driver it is meant a device by means of which the total energy of a working medium is transformed to driving (motive) forces in the process of direct interaction of high energetic fluid working medium posessing a kinetic energy ( speed and mass ), potentional energy ( pressure and temperature ) and internal energy ( molecular interaction forces ) with thermogasdynamic airfoils disposed in ducts of open and/or limited and/or closed contours.

Thermogasdynamic airfoils should be regarded as a surface, producing lift, control and propulsive forces at its flow by compressed fluid working medium at the expense of conversion of all components of total working medium energy (kinetic, potential and internal) in local zones of the streamline deformation in a limited space. The interaction of surfaces with a working medium implements in the form of: accelerations and/ or decelerations, heating and/ or cooling, compression and / or expansion of a molecular structure of working medium. The structure of the energy carrier - working medium can be various both on physical and on chemical properties. It can be gases: an air, argon, oxygen and others, it can also be two-phase and multiphase mixtures of gases with vapours of fluids. The application of a working medium consisting of air and in a mixture with it products of reaction of hydrocarbon fuel oxidation is widely widespread in the current engine. If as a working medium air is used only at standard atmospheric parameters, it is accepted to name aerodynamic those forces which are obtained as a result of interaction thermogasdynamic airfoils with a working medium.

Thus it is necessary to take into account, that in the field of aviation the aerodynamic processes proceed in open unlimited space and a wing only has energy ( kinetic ) and an air is in balanced energy condition. When a wing produces air disturbance potential energy of air is transfered in the lift and the jet thrust.

In other words, the upwind (lower) surface of a wing, moving with the high speed at angle of attack , depresses air and pushes its mass downwards. Thus under the law of action and counteraction , only half of a wing energy is spent for useful lift, and the second half of a wing energy is dispersed in a space as kinetic energy of the thrown off air.

In the duct of limited or closed or even open contour this energy is not lost, it is converted into the useful work by means of the themogasdynamic airfoil disposed in the duct of a power unit.

For the solution of the posed problem the power unit for transport means comprising an engine is mounted inside a body of an automobile and comprises an active driver representing a duct in a form of a closed contour, inside of which a supercharger of a fluid working medium and at least one thermogasdynamic airfoil are disposed.

As a variation at least one said airfoil is bilaterally attached at its transversal axis in the cross-section of the duct with the capability to adjust its angle of attack in relation to the direction of the flow of the fluid working medium. As a sample of said airfoil the known airfoil NASA-0012, symmetrical in relation to its longtitudinal axis, can be used. Said supercharger, for instance compressor, produces and constantly maintains said flow of fluid working medium, for example air, which at high velocity circulates right along the closed contour of the duct and in said local zones, where said airfoils are disposed, produces on them propulsive efforts comparable with lift forces arising on a wing of a plane but in contradistinction to them all forces produced by interaction of thermogasdynamic airfoils and the flow, according to the present invention, are directed not upwards but in parallel with a fore-aft axis of the automobile body and along its direction of movement providing those horizontal motive forces, which are indispensable and sufficient for a movement of transport means. Said active driver is more preferred in a shape of a spiral, which is conducive to uniform and directional high-speed flow circulation in the duct. Said spiral can be formed as at least one coil depending on required motive forces.

Said active driver is coupled with the engine and is attached to the body of transport means providing the transfer of forces arising on said airfoils via the duct body to the body of the automobile and their direct conversion into the motive forces.

Brief description of the drawings The present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a schematic perspective view showing a drive train system disposed in an automobile body in accordance with the prior art;

Fig.2 is a schematic perspective view showing changes in a drive system as a result of the application of the active driver;

Fig.3 is a schematic side view of a power unit with a section of a duct of an active driven Fig.4 is a plan view of the power unit with a section of the duct of the active driver; .

Fig.5 is a section of the duct of the active driver, as seen from a rear side of the automobile;

Fig.6 is a schematic perspective view of the duct with an airfoil disposed in it; Fig.7 is a scheme of producing of a system of forces in the duct at engine start; Fig.8 is a scheme of producing of a system of forces in the duct for driving forwards;

Fig.9 is a scheme of producing of a system of forces in the duct for driving backwards and for braking;

Fig.10 is a plan view of the duct of the active driver in the engine mode shown in fig. 8;

Fig.11 is a plan view of the duct in the engine mode shown in fig. 9; Fig.12 is a partial cutaway side view of the front portion of the automobile body with the power unit according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the preferred embodiment

The power unit of transport means, for example, automobile contains the engine 1 and active driver, which consists of a duct 2 and supercharger 3 of a fluid working medium. The engine 1 is kinematicly coupled with a generator 4.The duct 2 is formed as a closed contour, inside of which the supercharger 3 is disposed, which can be axial and/or centrifugal compressor 5 with the drive from an electromotor 6. Inside the duct 2 the thermogasdynamic airfoils 7 with a capability to turn around their transversal axis and to adjust their angle of attack in relation to the direction of a flow of a fluid working medium 8 are disposed.

The power unit disposition is determined in view of design of a chosen transport means, in this case in a front portion of the car body 9. The power unit is operated by the following way:

The engine 1 starts to rotate the generator 4, which by the known way powers current fo the electromotor 6 of the supercharger 3. The electromotor 6 starts to rotate the axial and/or centrifugal compressor 5, which directs the flow 8 (in this case air). The flow with high speed moves along the duct 2, flowing about said airfoils 7, a number of which is determined by a dimension of the duct 2 and by the given motive parameters of an automobile. In this case seven airfoils are disposed, fig. 5, configuration of which is simmetrical in relation to their longtitudinal axis, fig. 7. With acceleration of the engine 1 the supercharger 3 holds optimum speed of flow 8 in the duct 2. In this case the speed V =

250 m/sec. With flowing about said airfoils 7, disposed in parallel with the direction of the flow 8, i.e. when an angle of attack of said airfoilsα 0, the lift forces Y are not formed, as said airfoils are symmetrical ones and their factor of propulsive (lift) forces Cy = O.The thrust is absent and the automobile is in quiescency.

For the producing of forces of the thrust, sufficient for movement of transport means said airfoils 7 are turned on their transversal axis on an angle of attack øC in relation to the direction of the flow 8. When an angle of attack becomes unequal zero the arising propulsive forces Y, directed in the lenghtwise of the fore-aft axis of the automobile body 9, provide the movement of the automobile forwards, fig. 10,and backwards, fig. 11. By change of an angle of attack^ the value of lift force Y is adjusted that allows to receive required thrust forces, which are transfered via joints of attachment in a system the airfoils - the duct - the power unit - the body of the automobile, providing its motion.

For motion of a transpor means forwards the airfoils 7 are turned on their transversal axis in relation to the flow 8 at angle of attack in the range from 0 up to +10 degrees, fig. 8, 10. In this case lift force Y is directed along the fore-aft axis of the automobile body 9 and imparts the motion forwards to it. For motion backwards the airfoils 7 are turned on their transversal axis in relation to the flow 8 at angle of attack in the range from 0 up to -10 degrees, fig. 11. In this case lift force Y is directed backwards providing the motion of the automobile in the same direction. The turn of the airfoils 7 at angle of attack more than + or- 20 degrees conducts the sharp drop of lift forces Y on said airfois 7 in accordance with the thermogasdynamic characteristics of the airfoils and the present invention makes no provision for such a case.

The value of lift forces Y of said airfois 7 is calculated by a way, conventional for lift surfaces, under the formula: Y = Cy - 9--?-- S, where: Cy is factor of lift forces Y dependent on a configuration of an airfoil and angle of attacko (in this case the factor Cy varies in range from 0 up to 0,7), JD is density of a working medium, V is velocity of the flow of the fluid working medium, S is area of the airfoil.

Every airfoil 7 with flowing about by the fluid working medium produces lift forces, and the summarized value of these forces determines motive characteristics of transport means. The value and the direction of the lift forces Y does not depend on conditions of an environment, since the airfoils 7 are disposed and attached inside the duct 2, which is formed as a closed contour.

On all modes of motion of the automobile 9 rotational speed of the engine 1 of said power unit remains constant, that provides steady mode of operation of the engine 1 . The change of the motive characteristics of the automobile is implemented by the turn of airfoils 7 on various angles of attack in range from +10 up to -10 degrees.

In order to pull up the automobile one can use any kind of known braking systems, but in special cases (in case of emergency, unsatisfactory condition of a road: rough road, ice, snow, any other unexpected obstacles) the turn of airfois 7 at the angle of attack up to -10 degrees with the motion forwards and +10 degrees with the motion backwards produces required lift force Y, which provides short stop.

Before the motion renewal the airfoils 7 are returned in the starting position, i.e. on an angle of attacked 0, and the engine 1 is actuated.

For increase of thrust characteristics of the present power unit it is preferably to develop the duct 2 of the active driver, which can be made as a spiral of closed contour having three coils. This variation is suitable for automobiles like those mentioned above as analogs of the present invention. In this case it is expediently to dispose in the duct of the active driver 2, fig. 12, twenty three airfoils of total area S=0,23 m , which with the flowing about them with speed V = 250 m\sec produces thrust efforts at the expense of directional lift forces not less than 5,8 kN, or 600 kg applied to a point, disposed higher of a plane of wheels rotation in parallel with a fore-aft axis of the automobile body 9, fig. 12.

The present invention allows to exclude out of the automobile constructure and its power unit some assemblies as follows:a clutch, a gear box, a transmission with a cardan shaft, a gimbal suspension, a differential and other relevant parts.

Industrial applicability The present power unit with the active driver can be applied to any kind of transport means with the effectiveness, which can not be reached by means of gradual improvements of the current power units.

The analysis of wind tunnel testings of models of said airfoils practically confirms perfomance of the present power unit, as it was declared above. Simultaneously this analysis has confirmed a capability of creation of new generation highly effective and ecologically pure transport means, the power units of which are based on the application of the active driver. in a table below the comparison of some characteristics of aforesaid automobiles and those, which can be produced on the basis of application of the present invention are presented.

Table

As it is shown in the table, simultaneously with the decreasing of the power of the source of energy (the engine) more than 10 times the motive force of the active driver is increased more than 2 times. The main prospects of industrial applicability of the present invention is obviously consisted in this data. Ten times decerase of the fuel consumption is followed by the substantial reduction of the natural resources, for instance hydrocarbons, consumption. It is known, that, for example the aviation industry is responsible for less than two percent of global gaseous and particulate emissions of CO, HC.NOx and visible smoke, ships and trains are shared twenty percent of pollution, emissions of works and plants is less than twenty percent, whereas autotransport is resposible for sixty percent emissions. Only stated here advantages of the present invention are enough for its wide industrial application.

It is to be understood that although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to preferred embodiment thereof, various other embodiments and variations may occur to those skilled in the art which fall within the scope and the spirit of the invention. It is intended that such other embodiments and variations be covered by the following claims.

Claims

1. The power unit for transport means is mounted inside a body and comprises an engine, characterized in that the power unit comprises an active driver representing a duct in a form of a closed contour inside of which a supercharger of a fluid working medium and at least one thermogasdynamic airfoil are disposed.

2. The power unit accordingly to Claims 1 , characterized in that the duct in the form of the closed contour of the active driver is formed in a spiral shape having at least one coil.

3. The power unit accordingly to Claims 1-2, characterized in that at least one thermogasdynamic airfoil bilaterally attached at its transversal axis in the cross-section of the duct with the capability to adjust its angle of attack in relation to the direction of the flow of the fluid working medium.

4. The power unit accordingly to Claims 1-3, characterized in that the active driver is coupled with the engine and is attached to the body of transport means providing the transfer of lift forces arising on said thermogasdynamic airfoil via the duct body to the body of the transport means and their direct conversion into the motive forces.