Roxan Saint-Hilaire, et al.: QuasiTurbine rotary engine ---
articles & 2 patents

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**[rexresearch.com](../index.htm)**

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**Roxane SAINT-HILAIRE, *et al.***

**Quasiturbine**

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[**http://www.quasiturbine.com**](http://www.quasiturbine.com)

Quasiturbine Agence (Promotional Agent)   
Casier 2804, 3535 Ave Papineau,   
Montreal Quebec H2K 4J9 CANADA   
(514) 527-8484   
Fax (514) 527-9530   
email: info@qtqc.com

[**http://www.qtusa.com**](http://www.qtusa.com)

Quasiturbine Agency (Promotional Agent)   
Suite 173 - 1316 NE Carlaby Way   
Hillsboro, OR 97124 USA   
514-527-8484

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![](qurbine.jpg)

**The Quasiturbine Combustion Cycle:**   
**Intake (aqua), Compression (fuchsia), Ignition (red),
Exhaust (black). Spark Plug (green)**

![](qtanim.gif)

**Description**

The Quasiturbine engine is a type of Rotary engine, invented by
the Saint-Hilaire family, with patents awarded in 1996 and 2003.
The engine uses a four-sided articulated rotor that turns within
a stator, creating regions of increasing and decreasing volumes
as the rotor turns. The Quasiturbine design can also be used as
an air motor, steam engine, gas compressor, hot air engine, or
pump. It is capable of burning fuel using photo-detonation, an
optimal combustion type.

The Quasiturbine (Qurbine) or Kyotoengine is a pressure driven
continuous torque deformable spinning wheel; a no-crankshaft
rotary engine having a 4-faced articulated rotor with a free and
accessible centre, rotating without vibration or dead time, and
producing a strong torque at low RPM under a variety of modes
and fuels. The Quasiturbine can be used as air motor, steam
engine, Stirling engine, compressor and pump. The Quasiturbine
is also an optimization theory for extremely compact and
efficient engine concepts.

**How It Works**

In the Quasiturbine engine, the four strokes of a typical cycle
de Beau de Rochas - Otto cycle are arranged sequentially around
a near oval, unlike the reciprocating motion of a piston engine.
In the basic single rotor Quasiturbine engine, an oval housing
surrounds a four-sided articulated rotor which turns and moves
within the housing. The sides of the rotor seal against the
sides of the housing, and the corners of the rotor seal against
the inner periphery, dividing it into four chambers. In contrast
to the Wankel engine where the crankshaft moves the rotary
piston face inward and outward, the Quasiturbine rotor face
rocks back and forth with reference to the engine radius, but
stays at a constant distance from the engine center at all time,
producing only pure tangential rotational forces. Because the
Quasiturbine has no crankshaft, the internal volume variations
do not follow the usual sinusoidal engine movement, which
provides very different characteristics from the piston or the
Wankel engine.

As the rotor turns, its motion and the shape of the housing
cause each side of the housing to get closer and farther from
the rotor, compressing and expanding the chambers similarly to
the "strokes" in a reciprocating engine. However, whereas a four
stroke cycle engine produces one combustion stroke per cylinder
for every two revolutions, i.e. one half power stroke per
revolution per cylinder, the four chambers of the Quasiturbine
rotor generate four combustion "strokes" per rotor revolution;
this is eight times more than a four-stroke piston engine.

![](steam.jpg)  
**Quasiturbine Steam Engine**

**Advantages**

Quasiturbine engines are simpler, and contain no gears and far
fewer moving parts. For instance, because intake and exhaust are
openings cut into the walls of the rotor housing, there are no
valve or valve trains. This simplicity and small size allows for
a savings in construction costs. Because its center of mass is
immobile during rotation, the Quasiturbine tends to have very
little or no vibration. Due to the absence of dead time between
strokes, the Quasiturbine can be driven by compressed air or
steam without synchronized valve, and also with liquid as
hydraulic motor or pump. Other claimed advantages include high
torque at low rpm, combustion of hydrogen and compatibility with
photo-detonation mode in Quasiturbine with carriages, where high
surface-to-volume ratio is an attenuating factor of the violence
of the detonation.

**History**

The Quasiturbine was conceived by a group of 4 researchers lead
by Dr. Gilles Saint-Hilaire, a thermonuclear physicist. The
original objective was to make a turbo-shaft turbine engine
where the compressor portion and the power portion would be in
the same plane. In order to achieve this, they had to disconnect
the blades from the main shaft, and chain them around in such a
way that a single rotor acts as a compressor for a quarter turn,
and as an engine the following quarter of a turn.

The general concept of the Quasiturbine was first patented in
1996. Small pneumatic and steam units are available for
research, academic training and industrial demonstration.
Similar combustion prototypes are also intended for
demonstration. In November 2004, a Quasiturbine engine was
demonstrated on a go-kart. Precommercial pneumatic and steam
units are available for sale in 600 cc and 5 liters displacement
sizes.

**Potential Applications**

The Quasiturbine's high power-to-weight ratio makes it
exceptionally suitable for aircraft engine and its no-vibration
attributes make it suitable for use in, for example: chainsaws,
powered parachutes, snowmobiles, jet skis and other watercraft,
aircraft,etc. Variations on the basic Quasiturbine design also
have applications as air compressors and as turbochargers.
Rotary expander applications include gas pipeline pressure
recovery, low thermal heat recovery, heat pumps, pneumatic air
energy storage and recovery... It is well suitable to recover
the pressure energy of hydrogen storage while recovering the low
heat energy generated by fuel cells.

**Wankel Comparison**

The Quasiturbine is superficially similar to the Wankel engine,
but is quite distinct from it. The Wankel engine has a single
rigid triangular rotor synchronized by gears with the housing,
and driven by a crankshaft rotating at three times the rotor
speed, which moves the rotor faces radially inward and outward.
The Wankel attempt to realize the four strokes with a
three-sided rotor, limits overlapping port optimization, and
because of the crankshaft, the Wankel has near sinusoidal volume
pulse characteristics like the piston. The Quasiturbine has a
four-sided articulated rotor, rotating on a circular supporting
track with a shaft rotating at the same speed as the rotor. It
has no synchronization gears and no crankshaft, which allows
carriage types to shape "almost at will" the pressure pulse
characteristics for specific needs, including achieving
photo-detonation.

The Wankel engine divides the perimeter into three sections
while the Quasiturbine divides it into four, for a 30% less
elongated combustion chamber. The Wankel geometry further
imposes a top dead center residual volume which limits its
compression ratio and prevents compliance with the
Pressure-Volume diagram. The Wankel has three 30 degree dead
times per rotor rotation, while the Quasiturbine has none which
allows continuous combustion by flame transfer, and allows it to
be driven by compressed air or steam without synchronized valves
(also by liquid as a hydraulic motor or pump). During rotation,
the Wankel apex seals intercept the housing contour at variable
angles up to from -60 to +60 degrees, while the Quasiturbine
contour seals are almost perpendicular to the housing at all
time. While the Wankel engine requires dual (or more)
out-of-phase rotors for vibration compensation, the Quasiturbine
is suitable as a single rotor engine, because its center of mass
is immobile during rotation. While the Wankel shaft rotates
continuously, the rotor does not, as it stops its rotation (even
reverses) near top dead center, an important rotor angular
velocity modulation generating strong internal stresses not
present in the Quasiturbine.

The Quasiturbine circumvent 3 major Wankel deficiencies: (1)
The excessive exhaust-intake overlap, Wankel trying to make
4-stroke with a 3 side rotor, while the Quasiturbine is making 4
stroke with a 4 side rotor with no overlap. (2) The Wankel
chamber geometry does not close properly at TDC (unable to
gather the gas in one location, leaving it spreaded around the
chamber). This is a similar (or worse) situation as that of a
flat surface piston with a flat cylinder head (where the gas is
not gathered in one location - Such a piston geometry is showing
a similar problem as the Wankel). The Quasiturbine chamber
closes at TDC in gathering most of the gas in one location, like
the modern piston does. (3) The Wankel chamber minimum volume is
not constant as it is reduced during rotation, which prevents
the applicability of the P-V efficiency diagram.

**Photo-Detonation**

Detonation is a phenomenon that occurs when an air/fuel mixture
is compressed well past the point of thermal-self-ignition. This
is commonly called knocking in piston engines and is generally
not desired in conventional sinusoidal pressure pulse type
engines. Detonation is a very efficient combustion mode, a mode
that has this far not been successfully exploited in piston or
Wankel engine designs. Diesel combustion (without detonation) is
driven by thermal ignition of a fuel pulverized into very hot
air; gasoline piston engine combustion is driven by a relatively
slow, controlled, thermal combustion wave through an homogeneous
mixture; "knocking" detonation also happens in an homogeneous
mixture, driven by a supersonic shock wave, or ultimately by
radiation as photo-detonation.

Supersonic shock wave detonation is accidentally seen in
gasoline engines, because the vaportzation of micro-droplets is
only partially completed at the time of maximum compression. To
actually achieve photo-detonation, a fast and narrow pressure
pulse like that achieved in the Quasiturbine is necessary to
rapidly skip straight through the sequence of events
(thermo-ignition and shock waves), and rapidly access that mode.
Little information or research is available regarding this
phenomenon because engineers first need to control the less
demanding shock wave detonation. Photo-detonation (designation
specific to fuel mixture) is today mainly a curiosity among
scientists, but the special pulse characteristics of the
Quasiturbine will help bring this phenomenon into actual
application.

Because the Quasiturbine has no crankshaft and can have
carriages, the pressure pulse can be shaped like the minuscule
cursive letter " i ", with a high pressure tip 15 to 30 times
shorter than the piston or Wankel volume pulse, and with rapid
linear rising and falling ramps. This kind of pressure pulse is
self-synchronizing and reduces the immense stresses by
shortening the high pressure duration.

**Efficiency at Low Power**

The modern high-power piston engine in automobiles is generally
used with only a 15% average load factor. The efficiency of a
200 kW gas piston engine falls dramatically when used at 20 kW
because of high vacuum depressurization needed in the intake
manifold, which vacuum becomes less as the power produced by the
engine increases. Photo-detonation engines do not need an intake
vacuum as they take in all the air available, and mainly for
this reason, efficiency stays high even at low engine power.

The development of a photo-detonation engine may provide a
means to avoid that low-power-efficiency penalty; may be more
environmentally friendly as it will require low octane
additive-free gasoline or diesel fuel; may be multi-fuel
compatible, including direct hydrogen combustion; and may offer
reduction in the overall propulsion system weight, size,
maintenance and cost. For these reasons it could be better than
or competitive with hybrid car technology.

**Hybrid Alternative**

It is the purpose of the hybrid car concept to avoid the low
efficiency of the Otto cycle engine at reduced power. There is a
50% fuel saving potential, of which about half could be
harvested the hybrid way. But getting extra efficiency this way
requires additional power components and energy storage, with
associated counter-productive increases in weight, space,
maintenance, cost and environmental recycling process. The
development of a photo-detonation engine like the Quasiturbine
would provide more direct means to achieve the same or better.

**Links**

[**http://auto.howstuffworks.com/quasiturbine.htm**](http://auto.howstuffworks.com/quasiturbine.htm)
--- "How Quasiturbine Engines Work"   
**<http://www.iaea.or.at/programmes/inis/ws/d2/r1785.html>**  
**<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasiturbine>**  
**<http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/the_quasiturbin.php>**
--- Treehugger (June 22, 2006)   
[**http://www.americanantigravity.com/documents/Quasiturbine-Interview.pdf**](http://www.americanantigravity.com/documents/Quasiturbine-Interview.pdf)
--- American Antigravity   
**<http://www.gizmag.com/go/3501/>**
--- Gizmag (Nov. 27, 2004)   
**<http://www.futureenergies.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=32>**
--- Future Energies (Oct.20, 2000)   
**<http://groups.google.com/group/quasiturbine>**
- English   
**<http://groups.google.com/group/qurbine>**
- Francais

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**US Patent #  6,164,263**

**Quasiturbine Zero Vibration-Continuous
Combustion Rotary Engine Compressor or Pump**

**( December 26, 2000 )**

**Roxan Saint-Hilaire ,   et al.**

**Abstract**

While most rotary engines use the principle of volume variation
between a curve and a moving cord of fixed length, this new
engine concept uses a four degrees of freedom X, Y, .theta.,
.PHI. rotor, confined inside an internal housing contour, and
does not require a central shaft or support. The invention is an
assembly of four carriages supporting the pivots of four
pivoting blades forming a variable-shape rotor. This rotor rolls
just like a roller bearing on the surface of an housing internal
contour wall shaped like a skating rink. During the rotation,
the rotor pivoting blades align alternatively in a lozenge and a
square configuration. All ports are radial in the housing and/or
axial on the lateral side covers. Since the compression and
expansion strokes start and end simultaneously, an ignition
flame transfer slot is used to maintain a continuous combustion
while four strokes are completed in every rotation. A central
shaft is not needed for the engine to operate, but can be added
and driven by the blades, through a mechanical arms coupling.
The device incorporates few parts, does not need a crankshaft or
a flywheel, and can be made strong enough to meet the criteria
of photo-detonation and direct hydrogen combustion.

Inventors:  Saint-Hilaire; Roxan (Montreal, QC, CA),
Saint-Hilaire; Ylian (Montreal, QC, CA), Saint-Hilaire; Gilles
(Montreal, QC, CA), Saint-Hilaire; Francoise (Montreal, QC, CA)

Current U.S. Class:  123/241 ; 418/270   
Current International Class:  F02B 53/02 (20060101); F02B
53/00 (20060101); F01C 1/44 (20060101); F01C 1/00 (20060101);
F02B 75/02 (20060101); F02B 053/00 ()   
Field of Search:  123/241 418/270   
References Cited: U.S. Patent Documents

3228183 -  January 1966 - Feller   
3442257 - May 1969 - Walker   
3614277 - October 1971-  Kobayashi   
3933131 - January 1976 - Smith   
3996899 - December 1976 - Partner   
4068985 - January 1978 -  Baer   
4144866-  March 1979 - Hakner   
4308002 - December 1981 - Di Stefano   
4434757 - March 1984 - Walker   
4548171 - October 1985 - Larson   
4741154 - May 1988  - Eidelman   
5036809 - August 1991 - Goodman   
5305721 - April 1994 - Burtis   
5399078 - March 1995 - Kuramasu   
5404850 - April 1995 - La Bell

Foreign Patent Documents

DE 2448828  Apr., 1976   
DE 3027208  Oct., 1981

**Description**

**FIELD OF THE INVENTION**

This invention relates generally to internal combustion engines
and relates specifically to a rotary internal combustion engine
having a four degrees of freedom rotor, confined into a
calculated housing internal contour wall. As a perfectly balance
device without crankshaft, this invention is a true rotary
engine, by opposition to rotary piston engine. This device also
relates to compressors, and pressure or vacuum pumps.

**DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART**

Many rotary engine concepts have been proposed including a
pressure energy converter, rotary engine or compressor as in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,068,985, 3,996,899; a rotary disk engine as in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,850; a rotary planetary motion engine as in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,078; a rotary detonation engine as in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,741,154; a rotary combustion engine as in DE Pat. No.
2,448,828, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,131, 4,548,171, 5,036,809; the
Wankel type engine as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,228,183, 4,308,002,
5,305,721, and a continuous combustion engine as in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,996,899. Most rotary engines, and particularly the Wankel
and those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,442,257, 3,614,277,
4,144,866, 4,434,757, DE Pat. No. 3,027,208 are based on the
principle of volume variation between a curve and a moving cord
of fixed length as a sliding single piston-object. This
invention does not use this principle, since the housing contour
wall has four zones of maximum curvature, and the maximum volume
as well as the compressed volume, are both located in a minimum
curvature area.

**OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION**

The object of this invention is to provide a new engine concept
making use of a four degrees of freedom rotor, confined inside
an internal housing contour wall, constituting an hybrid
piston-turbine engine where the rotor acts alternatively and
similarly as a compressor turbine and a power turbine, unifying
in one, both of the turbines in a conventional gas turbine
engine.

An other object of this invention is to provide a low noise,
perfectly balanced, zero vibration, low rpm engine, making use
of a more efficient and less NO.sub.x productive asymmetric
pressure cycle, giving less time to compression and exhaust
stroke, and allowing more time and volume to the intake and
combustion stroke.

A further object of this invention is to provide a fast
accelerating, zero dead time engine, and to provide an engine
almost universal in relation to energy sources, which can run
efficiently on pneumatic, steam, hydraulic, liquid and gas fuel
internal combustion, and due to its short pressure peak and cold
intake area characteristics, is as well suitable for
photo-detonation mode and pure hydrogen fuel combustion.

An other further object of this invention is to provide a high
weight and volume density engine, compressor or pump, without
need of any valve, check valve or obstruction, and with neither
a crankshaft or a flywheel.

In order to achieve those objects, the present invention uses a
four degrees of freedom rotor X, Y, .theta., .PHI., confined
into a calculated housing internal contour wall, which does not
require any central shaft or support for most applications. This
concept has an optimum efficiency like the piston, because the
maximum expansion volume at the end of each stroke is exactly
equal to the volume generated by the movement of the tangential
surface of push over a rotation.

The rotor is composed of four inter-linked pivoting blades, the
pivoted ends of which are supported by a set of four carriages,
free to rock on those same pivots. The assembly of the four
blades and four carriages forms the rotor which is confined
within the housing internal contour wall. Two plane side covers
close the engine end. Intake, sparkplug and exhaust ports are
made either radial in the housing, or axial in the side covers,
or both.

Sealing with the side covers is effected by a system of linear
and pellet type seals in contact with the plane side covers, and
a spring loaded housing contour seal (apex) sitting on each
carriage located in-between its set of wheels, and always
perpendicular to the housing contour wall. The chamber is
defined by two successive contour seals, and extend between the
housing contour wall, and the related pivoting blade.

Rotation of the rotor bring successively the pivoting blades
farther and closer of the housing contour wall, thus producing
the compression needed by the engine, with possibility of very
high compression ratio. Since there are four pivoting blades
simultaneously involved in the four strokes cycle, this engine
fires four times every revolution, with no dead time. The
central engine area is empty, but can have a central shaft,
linked to the four pivoting blades, or hold other devices such
as an electric generator, a jet blades, a blower or a pump.

**BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS**

A more complete appreciation of the invention will be readily
apparent when considered in reference to the accompanying
drawings wherein:

**FIG. 1** is an exploded perspective view of a rotary
internal combustion engine according to the present invention
(seals not shown);

![](6164-1.jpg)

**FIG. 2** is a longitudinal blow up sectional view for two
different rotor angle positions, showing a square blades
rotation arrangement on the left, and a lozenge arrangement on
the right.

![](6164-2.jpg)

**DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT**

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary rotary internal combustion
engine according to the present invention is shown and is
designated generally by reference numeral 10. The rotary engine
10 includes a housing 11 with a particular internal contour wall
12 and two lateral plane covers, containing a rotor composed of
four pivoting blades 13 and four rocking carriages 17 and wheel
18. Each pivoting blade 13 has a filler tip 14 and a traction
slot 15, and their two ends pivots 16 sit on their respective
rocking carriages 17.

The basic geometry of the rotor is shown on the FIG. 2 blow up,
for two different rotor angle positions. The rotor is composed
of four (one more blade 13 is shown due to blow up) pivoting
blades 13 playing a similar role as the pistons or turbine
blades, one end of each pivoting blade having a hook pivot 16
and the other end a cylinder pivot 16. Each pivot 16 sits into
one of the four rocking carriages 17 (one more carriage 17 is
shown due to blow up). Each carriage 17 is free to rotate around
the same pivot 16 in such a way as to be continuously and
precisely in contact with the housing contour 12. Each rocking
carriage 17 carries a housing contour seal of one of different
design 24, 25, 26 midway between the wheel axes 19. The chamber
is defined by two successive contour seals 24 or 25 or 26, and
extends between the housing contour wall 12, and the related
pivoting blade 13. There are four variable volume chambers
forming two quasi-independent consecutive circuits, each
producing a compression and an expansion stroke, which start and
end simultaneously. In the four stroke engine operation, the
first circuit is used to compress and to expand after
combustion, the next circuit is used to expel the exhaust and to
intake the air.

A central shaft 32 is not needed for the engine to operate.
However a central shaft 32 can be driven through a set of
coupling arms 33 as shown in FIG. 2, attached to the blades 13
by means of the traction slots 15 and through a set of arm
braces 34, the ends of which are linked to the central shaft.
Those link braces 34 are also useful to remove the RPM harmonic
modulation on the shaft. Notice from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the
central shaft assembly 32, 33, 34 is a sliding plug-in unit,
easily removed through the back cover central hole 23 without
dismantling the engine. In some applications, a central bearing
attachment not shown is used to diminish the load pressure on
the carriages 17 and against the opposite housing contour wall
12. When a central bearing is used, carriage wheels 18 can be
replaced by rubbing pads since their role is then only to
maintain the carriages 17 properly aligned for adequate contour
seal 24, 25, 26 angle. No tensioning device has been proven
necessary to keep all carriages 17 in good contact with the
housing contour wall 12.

The assembly of carriage 17 and wheels 18 must be voluminous
but not necessarily heavy, in order to fill a substantial volume
in the chamber. Pivoting blades 13 are shaped with a filler tip
14 to allow the control of the residual volume in the upper and
lower chambers at maximum pressure square configuration, as seen
on FIGS. 1. and 2. left. The top of the filler tip 14 must be
shorten such to permit an adequate compression ratio, and to
insure that only a fraction of the gas is in the tiny
interstices at the time of fire. Because the pressure pulse at
top dead center is much shorter than in piston engine, the shape
of the combustion chamber is much less critical. Carriage wheels
18 should be wide to reduce contact pressure with the contour
wall 12. To distribute wear, the front and back wheels 18 of the
same carriage 17 are positioned off line with overlapping paths.
For smoother operation, roller bearing are inserted in the
blade's 13 hooks pivot 16, to link friction free the cylindrical
end of each pivoting blade 13 to the carriage 17 pivot surface.

A lateral seal for the low pressure applications is used on
each side cover 21,22, and is made of a compression ring along
the pivot 16 path 20. This quasi-elliptical seal is made of a
slight deformation of a flexible metal sheet jacket (not shown).
For high-pressure application, standard gate like linear seals
28 in the rotor blades 13 are provided. At pivots 16, the
lateral sealing is assumed by a set of arc blade pellets 29,
circular blade pellets 30, and carriage grooved pellets 31, all
pressing against the side covers 21, 22. The large blade pellet
30 gains to have a hole (not shown) in the center to prevent
pressure push back.

Spring loaded housing contour seals 24, 25, 26 of different
possible designs are incorporated in a groove in the carriages
17 between the axes 19 of the two wheels 18 to insulate the
chambers. Each housing contour seal 24, 25 26 sits on a rocking
carriage 17 in such a manner as to be always perpendicular to
the engine housing contour wall 12. For intermediary pressure
applications, a sliding gate type seal 24 is used. A butterfly
type seal 25 suitable for low to moderate pressure applications
is made of a stack of flat springs, which has the advantage of a
minimal course during the rotation, but may be subject to
excessive friction at high pressure. An advanced split contour
seal 26 design suitable for very demanding applications uses a
sloped groove in the carriage 17, and the internal chamber
pressure to help maintaining itself in place at all time. This
split contour seal design 26 uses the flat springs 27 anchored
in the carriage 17 wheel area 18 also to oppose the tangential
force. The split contour seal 26 contact point with the housing
contour wall 12 is off the carriage 17 groove sloped plane for a
positive pressure contribution.

For counter-clockwise rotation as a four strokes combustion
engine, the four chambers are used in a sole circuit and the
cycle is: intake, compression, expansion, exhaust. One of the
left upper ports 37, 38 is fitted with a spark plug. The top
right port 39 is closed with a removable plug 40. Ports 41, 42
are intakes from a conventional carburetor or must be fitted
with a gas or diesel injector. Exhaust is expelled at ports 43,
44. In order to pass along the flame and make a continuous
combustion engine, a small channel 36, located along the
internal housing contour wall 12 next to the spark plug 35 at
port 37, allows a voluntary flow back of hot gas into the next
ready-to-fire combustion chamber when each of the contour seals
24, 25, 26 passes over 36. The amount of flow can be controlled
by screwing or unscrewing the spark plug 35. This channel 36 is
called the ignition transfer cavity or slot, and permits
continuous combustion like in a turbine engine and in the same
time generates a dynamically enhanced compression ratio in the
almost ready-to-fire combustion chamber, allowing for a more
complete and faster combustion. Furthermore, the four housing
contour seals 24, 25, 26 are at variable distances during
rotation, such as to permit an additional geometric volume
pressure enhancement. The additional compression may lead to
desirable or not photo detonation (kicking) and diesel pressure
level when a diesel injector is located at spark plug 35
positions 37 and/or 38. In the ports 38 of the side cover 21,
22, the spark plug cavity is made large enough to withhold a
small quantity of hot gas until the next ready to fire mixture
comes up, which does allow for continuous combustion but without
the dynamically enhanced compression ratio. Lateral ports 38,
42, 44 of the side cover 21, 22 offer better air-tight
conditions while crossing in front of the ports due to the large
carriage 17 lateral surface. An ignition timing advance can be
built-in by slightly shifting the effective position of the
spark plug 35 and/or the channel location 36. By blowing high
pressurized air into the spark plug holes 37, 38 or into the
ignition transfer cavity 36, the rotor accelerates until the
self-starting point is reached. No synchronization of the sparks
is required, and continuous high-frequency sparks or glow plug
do. The exhaust in the side covers 21, 22 is progressive through
a long arc port 44 which could allow, by flowing early exhaust
through a standard Venturi, to produce a depression helping the
late exhaust cleanup. This rotary engine 10 can also run as two
parallel two strokes engine circuits, compression-expansion and
compression-expansion, by blowing the exhaust with an intake
mixture available from an external blower as in the conventional
multi pistons two strokes engines.

As an additional feature, this rotary engine 10 requires few
parts compared to a piston engine. Due to the continuous
combustion and to its self-synchronized capability, this engine
10 is suitable for applications where high reliability is
required. Average angular rotation speed of each pivot 16 (back
and forth) of the pivoting blade 13 is about one third of the
central shaft 32 RPM, while carriage wheels 18 rotate at 6 times
the central shaft 32 RPM. This engine 10 central shaft 32
rotates at only a fraction of the maximum RPM of a piston engine
except in detonation mode, with an idle under 200 RPM. Having a
much better torque continuity than the piston engine, this
engine 10 does require less flywheel effect and less gear box
ratio for most applications.

To help cooling and reduce lubrication, at least one of the
lateral side covers 21, 22 has a large central hole 23 exposing
the pivoting blades 13 central area of the rotor such that all
parts of the engine 10 are external, except for the carriage 17
and wheels 18 which are always in good thermal contact with the
housing contour 12. A simple way to lubricate is to use a
mixture of fuel and oil even in the four strokes engine mode,
but more sophisticated applications could incorporate
pressurized oil distribution systems. Since the seals are the
only friction surfaces, the need of lubrication is minimized by
an optimal choice of anti-friction materials.

Movement of the wheels 18 on the inner housing wall 12 allows
for heat transfer and distribution to the whole housing 11. The
pivoting blades 13 are cooled by lateral contact, and by
ventilating wings (not shown) located toward the central engine
area. Since this engine 10 does not have any oil pan or inactive
room, it is suitable for operation in all orientations, and in
submerged or hostile environments. Furthermore, due to the
continuous combustion, this engine 10 can be used under water as
a self contained pump or jet propulsion unit, or in electrically
conductive environments.

In addition to the internal combustion engine, this engine 10
can be used as a compressed fluid pneumatic, steam, or hydraulic
energy converter motor. The engine 10 then uses the two quasi
independent symmetrical chamber circuits in parallel, with all
port plugs 40 removed. For counter-clockwise rotation, intakes
are housing ports 37, 41 and exits are ports 39, 43. Torque is
generated symmetrically in the two opposed expansion chambers
and adds up, and the rotor is almost self-starting. Except when
ports are in the sides covers 21, 22, the direction of rotation
can be reversed by reversing the direction of the flow. When
used as a flow meter, the device 10 also works in both
directions. Mechanically driven, this fluid energy converter
motor 10 becomes a compressor, or a pressure or vacuum pump,
with the same two quasi independent circuits working their own
cycle. In compressor mode, this device 10 builds up pressure by
adding four chamber volumes per revolution and per chamber
circuit, without making use of a limiting check valve, providing
that some temporary back flow is acceptable. Total pumped volume
can reach up to 70% of the contour 12 volume per rotation. The
housing 11, the pivoting blades 13, and the carriages 17 can be
made of metal, glass, ceramic or plastic, the later mostly for
compressor, pump or water hydraulic engine applications.

Calculation of the SAINT-HILAIRE's (from the name of the
physicist who made the calculation) housing contour family of
curves 12 is quite complex. To achieve the desired
characteristics and to distribute stress and constraints on the
housing 11, a proper selection of distances between wheel axes
19 (Distw), wheel diameter 18 (Dw) and carriage 17 height (H)
must be made. At first it is not obvious that such a contour
exists, particularly a monotone one without lobes, but it does
in practice within an interesting range of the deformation
parameters (P) defined as the ratio of the minimum lozenge
diagonal (LDmin) to the maximum (LDmax). As the rotor rotates,
pivoting blades 13 align in a square configuration as in FIG. 1
and in the left arrangement of FIG. 2, with the upper and lower
chamber at top dead center. At that moment, the two upper and
lower carriages 17 tend to align themselves almost horizontally.
The carriages 17 angle (Gsq) with the horizon in the square
configuration, determines whether or not the rotor will need a
central bearing support to stabilize lateral motion. To avoid
the central support, we have selected for the housing contour 12
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a deformation parameter (P) of 0.800,
which leads to an angle Gsq of 28.00 degrees. For the current
case (P=0.800), lozenge corner angle varies from 90.000+/-12.680
degrees.

A numerical spreadsheet application has been developed to
calculate the contour family of curves. The method constrains
the symmetry of the contour 12 only through the central housing
axis and first calculates the profile (not a contour at this
stage) of the centers of the carriage wheels 19. Calculations
start with an approximate profile of the wheel 19 centers and
calculate the profile 20 of the carriage pivots 16, which is
imaged through the lozenge transformation into a quality control
profile 20 of the pivots 16 about 90 degrees out of phase.
Profile of the wheel centers 19 are then modified by Monte Carlo
random perturbations method or convergent algorithm, until those
two calculated profile 20 of the carriage pivots 16 and the
profile 20 of quality control pivots 16 become identical and in
coincidence. Close analytic mathematical match of the profile of
the wheel centers 19 "cw" has been found to be of the following
form, with three adjustable parameters (A, B, C):

Where Z is a generating angle, not the actual angle of the
profile of the wheel centers 19 position. Error using this
formula does not exceed 0.4%; a second order correction reduces
this error by almost ten folds. Exact mathematical profiles do
not exist except for some particular parameters selection. The
length of the pivoting blade (Lz for lozenge side) is measured
from the center of the cylindrical pivot 16 at one extremity to
the center of the hook pivot 16 at the other. The following sets
of parameter values, normalized to the pivoting blade 13 length
(Lz), generate acceptable final profile of the wheel centers 19.
Corresponding parameters values are given below for 3 values of
the deformation P:

Lozenge deformation parameter P=(LDmin/LDmax):

\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ 0.800 0.750 0.700
Lozenge side (Lz) pivot to pivot 1.000 1.000 1.000 Distance
between carriage wheel (Distw) 0.607 0.578 0.551 Carriage wheel
diameter (Dw) 0.303 0.289 0.276 Height of the carriage (H) 0.152
0.144 0.138 Square carriage angle (Gsq) 28.00 22.62 16.72
Lozenge corners angle: 90 degrees +/- 12.68 16.26 20.01 Larger
final profile diameter 2.258 2.245 2.231 Smaller final profile
diameter 1.901 1.809 1.720 Constant A 1.048 1.036 1.022 Constant
B 1.029 1.021 1.015 Constant C 0.422 0.586 0.778
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

For P<0.760, the profile 19 of the wheel centers and of the
housing contour 12 start to show lobes. Those solutions are also
mathematically acceptable, but do generate higher stress on the
rotor. Housing contours 12 have also been calculated for two
interesting limit cases:

a) instead of a carriage 17, only one wheel, centered at the
pivots 16 of the pivoting blades 13 (distance between wheel axes
Distw=0, and carriage height H=0); and

b) no wheel at all, meaning that the pivot 16 of the pivoting
blade 13 are rubbing on the housing contour wall 12 (additional
constraint of wheel diameter Dw=0).

These configurations require in practice a central bearing
support.

Final housing contour 12 is the profile of the wheel centers 19
enlarged by a wheel radius (Dw/2) all around, plus the thickness
of any replaceable sleeve if used. The selection of an optimum
contour is done for a high radius angular variation rate near
top dead center, and such as the final expansion volume is near
the volume generated by the movement of the variable tangential
surface of push. Those wheel center 19 profiles and housing
contours 12 generally look like a rounded corner parallelepiped
with four zones of maximum curvature, or two lobes with six
zones of maximum curvature at higher eccentricity, and contrary
to vane devices these contours 12 allow for high-pressure ratio
without any intake volume reduction.

> ---

**US Patent #  6,899,075**

**Quasiturbine (Qurbine) Rotor with Central
Annular Support and Ventilation**

**( May 31, 2005 )**

**Roxan Saint-Hilaire ,   et al.**

**Abstract**

The Quasiturbine (Qurbine in short) uses a rotor arrangement
peripherally supported by four rolling carriages, the carriages
taking the pivoting blade pressure-load of the blades forming
the rotor, and transferring the load to the opposite internal
contoured housing wall. The present invention discloses a
central, annular, rotor support for the rotor geometry defined
by the pivoting blades and associated wheel-bearings, while
still maintaining the important center-free engine
characteristic. The pressure-load on each pivoting blade is
taken by its own set of wheel-bearings rolling on annular tracks
attached to the central area of the lateral side covers forming
part of the stator casing. This central, annular, rotor support
could generally apply to all the family of Quasiturbine rotor
arrangements and particularly to the limit case here considered,
where the previous carriage design is replaced by a cylindrical
pivoting blade joint as presented in the present patent, and for
which an efficient solution of the five bodies rotary engine
sealing problem is given.

Current U.S. Class:  123/241 ; 418/270; 475/226; 475/227   
Current International Class:  F02B 55/14 (20060101); F02B
55/00 (20060101); F02B 55/02 (20060101); F02B 53/00 (20060101);
F02B 053/00 (); F01C 001/44 ()   
Field of Search:  123/241 418/270 475/227,226,333   
References Cited:   
U.S. Patent Documents

 716970  December 1902  Werner   
 1164769  December 1915  Walter   
 3196854  July 1965  Novak   
 3369529  February 1968  Jordan   
 3387596  June 1968  Niemand   
 4890511  January 1990  Pedersen   
 4916978  April 1990  Razelli et al.   
 6164263  December 2000  Saint-Hilaire et al.   
 2002/0189578  December 2002  Szorenyi   
 2003/0062020  April 2003  Okulov

Foreign Patent Documents

 2 493 397  May., 1982  FR   
 WO 8600370  Jan., 1986  WO   
 WO 0190536  Nov., 2001  WO

**Description**

**FIELD OF THE INVENTION**

This invention relates generally to a perfectly balanced, zero
vibration, rotary device, and specifically to rotary engines,
compressors, and pressure or vacuum pumps.

**DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART**

The patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263 discloses a general rotary
device called the Quasiturbine (Qurbine in short), which uses
four pivoting blades and four rolling carriages to make a rotor
of variable diamond-shaped geometry, the rotor mounted within a
internal contoured housing wall formed along a Saint-Hilaire
confinement profile shaped somewhat like a skating rink, the
sides of the internal contoured housing wall closed by lateral
side covers. That Quasiturbine device uses four peripheral
rolling carriages to hold the rotor in place within the internal
contoured housing wall and to transfer the pivoting blade radial
load-pressure to the opposite part of the internal contoured
housing wall, in such a manner as to remove all load pressure
from the center, making the Quasiturbine a center-free engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263 also discloses an effective but simple
rotor-to-shaft differential linking mechanism and further
provides a general method for the precise calculation of the
Saint-Hilaire confinement profile family of curves for the
internal contoured housing wall. In most rotary engines, the
sealing at the pivot connection or apex between two adjacent
blades must be done simultaneously with the internal contoured
housing wall and also with the two lateral side covers which is
a critical and difficult five-bodies sealing problem. This
sealing problem was satisfactorily solved in patent U.S. Pat.
No. 6,164,263 through a male-female pivot design overlapped by
the carriage. Results of theoretical simulation and some
experimental data revealed exceptional engine characteristics
for the Quasiturbine device, and in particular the possibility
of a shorter pressure pulse with a linear ramp
compression-pressure raising-falling slope near top dead center.

In the present context, this invention is not an improvement of
the Quasiturbine device in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263, but instead
discloses a "central, annular, rotor support" applicable to all
the family of Quasiturbine rotor arrangements for similar or
other applications, where pivoting blades, wheel-bearings, and
annular tracks are located within the rotor, while maintaining a
center-free engine characteristic for direct power takeoff. To
illustrate the central, annular, rotor support, an embodiment of
the Quasiturbine has been used which employs a rotor made up of
four blades incorporating simple cylindrical pivoting joints
between adjacent blades without rolling carriages. The pivoting
joint includes an underneath holding finger at the male end, and
efficiently solves the five bodies sealing problem. The device
of the present invention includes wheel-bearings and lateral
side covers carrying the annular tracks to take the
pressure-load applied by the blades. The invention also provides
a precise parametric calculation method and criteria for unique
selection of the appropriate Saint-Hilaire confinement profile
so as to satisfy the optimum engine efficiency of the PV
(Pressure-Volume) diagram; and this geometry permits the
Quasiturbine to be scaled-up to provide power in excess of 100
MW and more. This new rotor arrangement further allows the
insertion of annular power sleeves each linking each pair of two
opposite blades with or without clutch centrifuge weights, on
the external surface of the sleeves. A Modulated Inner Rotor
Volume (MIRV) allows pumping-ventilating action and is
particularly useful to cool the 90 interior of the rotor in an
internal combustion engine mode. The MIRV is also generally
applicable to the Quasiturbine design disclosed in patent U.S.
Pat. No. 6,164,263. Finally, on the interior wall of the annular
power sleeve, differential washers make a tangential linking
with the power disk and shaft. Due to a shorter confinement time
and a faster linear ramp compression-pressure raising-falling
slope, a new combined Otto and Diesel QTIC-cycle mode is made
possible, and is photo-detonation compatible.

The following rotary engine prior arts, either ignored the need
or fail to provide the necessary strong mechanism needed to
withstand the radial high pressure load on the rotor, fail to
include a differential compensation device to smooth out the
power shaft RPM from the strong rotational harmonics generated
by the rotor components variable angular speeds, and none
consider the most important engine efficiency criteria for
rejection or selection of the internal contoured housing wall
among multiple geometric possibilities, which render most of
those concepts impracticable as such. Finally, none achieved the
most useful empty center engine characteristics: Okulov (Pub
Number US 2003/0062020 A1) discloses a balanced rotary internal
combustion engine or cycling volume machine. Szorenyi (Pub
Number U.S. 2002/0189578 A1) discloses a hinged rotor internal
combustion engine. Niemand (U.S. Pat. No. 3,387,596) discloses a
combustion engine with revolution pistons. Jordan (U.S. Pat. No.
3,369,529) discloses a rotary internal combustion engine. Novak
(U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,854) discloses a rotary engine. Werner et
al. (U.S. Pat. No. 1,164,769) disclose a differential gearing
for motor vehicles. Razelli et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,978)
disclose a differential device of the limited slip type.
Pedersen (U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,511) discloses a friction
reduction in a differential assembly. Contiero (Patent Number WO
86/00370 A1) discloses a cyclic volume machine.

Beaudoin (Patent Number WO 01/90536 A1) discloses a
poly-induction energy turbine without back draught. Ambert
(Patent Number FR 2 493 397 A) discloses a rotary vane internal
combustion engine having prismatic chamber of specified shape
containing rotary shaft with articulated vanes.

**OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION**

The object of this invention is to provide a Quasiturbine
central, annular, rotor support using pivoting blades,
wheel-bearings, and lateral side covers carrying annular tracks
(or alternatively the canceling out of the pressure-load in the
fluid energy converter mode through the annular power sleeves)
generally applicable to all the family of Quasiturbine rotor
arrangements and other rotary engines, compressors or pumps, and
particularly to an embodiment of the Quasiturbine which employs
four blades incorporating simple cylindrical pivoting joints
between adjacent blades without carriages, all this while
maintaining a large empty area in the center of the engine for
direct power takeoff and preserving most previously claimed
Quasiturbine characteristics.

Another object of this invention is to provide a "Saint-Hilaire
confinement profile calculation method" of the internal
contoured housing wall appropriate to the chosen Quasiturbine
design arrangement, minimizing the surface to volume ratio in
the compression chambers and reducing the flow turbulence. This
calculation method includes criteria for engine optimum
confinement profile selection from the family of curves to
generate the internal contoured housing wall.

A further object of this invention is to provide a low
friction, pivoting blade, joint design which is particularly
suitable for non-metallic material like plastic, ceramic or
glass, the joint allowing for maximum air-tightness; space for
gate-type, near zero in-groove movement with single or multiple
contour seals; higher maximum RPM; and suitable for very
high-pressure applications with the seals designed accordingly.
A compression ratio tuner can replace the sparkplug in high
compression ratio photo-detonation combustion engine mode.

Another further object of this invention is to provide a
Modulated Inner Rotor Volume (MIRV) producing annular
pumping-ventilating action between the inner surfaces of the
moving pivoting blades and the outer surfaces of the annular
power sleeves, with or without clutch centrifuge weights. The
Modulated Inner Rotor Volume (MIRV) is particularly useful to
cool the interior of the rotor in an internal combustion engine
mode, while allowing for the insertion of the differential
washers on the inner surface of the annular power sleeves,
making a tangential linking with the power disk and shaft.

Yet another further object of this invention is to provide a
new combined Otto and Diesel Quasiturbine operation in an
Internal Combustion QTIC-cycle mode, this due to the possible
shorter confinement time and the faster linear ramp
compression-pressure raising-falling slope, which is photo
detonation compatible.

In order to achieve these objects, the Quasiturbine rotor
arrangement makes use of an appropriate internal contoured
housing wall calculated to receive the present, pivoting blades,
rotor geometry, with a set of contour and lateral seals (linear
gate type and pellets) engineered for the selected rotor
arrangement.

**BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS**

A more complete appreciation of the invention will be readily
apparent when considered in reference to the accompanying
drawings wherein:

**FIG. 1** is a perspective exploded view of the
Quasiturbine device with an internal contoured housing wall and
the four interconnected pivoting blades shown in a square
configuration. Ports positioning are for fluid flow mode.

![](6899-1.jpg)

**FIG. 2** is a top view with the lateral side covers
removed, the four interconnected pivoting blades shown in a
diamond configuration. Ports positioning are for internal
combustion mode. Alternate lateral side cover port positions for
fluid flow mode are also shown.

![](6899-2.jpg)

**FIG. 3** is a detail perspective exploded view of the
Quasiturbine showing interior details, where the internal
contoured housing wall and two of the pivoting blades have been
removed for better viewing.

![](6899-3.jpg)

**DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT**

The U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263 patent disclosed a Quasiturbine
rotor arrangement using four rolling carriages to take the
pivoting blade pressure-load and transfer it to the opposite
internal contoured housing wall. The present invention discloses
a Quasiturbine rotor arrangement without carriages, where the
pressure-load on each pivoting blade is taken by its own set of
wheel-bearings located in a power transfer slot in the inner
side of blade, the wheel-bearings rolling on annular tracks, one
track attached to the central area of each lateral side cover.
This rotor supporting configuration can apply to all the
Quasiturbine family of designs, and is here illustrated on a
specific Quasiturbine embodiment without rolling carriages. This
Quasiturbine rotor arrangement reduces the number of components,
reduces the friction surface, reduces the total wall surface in
the compression chambers, and is particularly suitable for
non-metallic pivoting blades, the blades being made instead from
material such as plastic, ceramic or glass. Furthermore, this
rotor arrangement allows for single or multiple contour seals
with a near zero in-groove movement, and eliminates the need of
a cooling system for carriages. This invention applies generally
to rotary engines, compressors, or pressured or vacuum pumps.

The present Quasiturbine invention is generally referred on
FIG. 1 as number 10, and comprises a stator casing 12 made of a
internal contoured housing wall 14 and two lateral side covers
16, one on each side of the internal contoured housing wall 14,
and a rotor 18 of four or more pivoting blades 20 confined
within this casing. Each pivoting blade 20 carries a power
transfer slot 22 on its inner surface 24 in which wheel-bearings
26 are located. The lateral side covers 16 each have an annular
track 28, not necessarily circular, on their inner surface 30 to
support the wheel-bearings 26 carried by the pivoting blades 20,
the wheel-bearings rolling on the tracks. Multiple notches 32
are provided on the external perimeter of the covers 16 where
cooling fins 34 can be inserted. Liquid cooling is also easily
feasible. Radial intake 36 and exhaust 38 ports are located in
the internal contoured housing wall 14, or axial ports 126, 128,
130, 132 in the lateral side covers 16. In combustion mode, the
alternate lateral sparkplug or compression ratio tuner is screw
in port 128, which position can be moved angularly to permit
proper timing. Intake and exhaust ports may have different
angular locations for different applications as seen by
comparing positioning of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. A check-valve port
40 can be located through each pivoting blade 20 to benefit from
the centrifuge intake pressure. A compression ratio tuner 42 can
replace the sparkplug 44 at high compression ratio
photo-detonation mode.

One end of each pivoting blade 20 carries a male connector 46
and the other end carries a complementary female connector 48,
the male and female connectors of adjacent blades connected to
provide a low friction pivot joint 50 as shown in FIG. 2. The
cylindrical male connector 46 carries a contour seal groove 52
and has a rounded outer portion that acts as a guiding-rubbing
pad 54 with the internal contoured housing wall 14, with
provision for a hard metal or ceramic insert in that
guiding-rubbing area. The pivoting blades 20 also have a lateral
pellet hole 56 in the male connector 46 at the joints 50, and
lateral seal grooves 58 along their sides extending between the
connectors 4648. The set of seals used in the pivoting blades is
made up of contour seals 60; linear or slightly curved gate-type
lateral seal 62 (which can be made continuous when located in a
groove within the lateral side covers 16), and small pellet
seals 64 in the male connector 46 at the pivoting blade joint
50. All the seals have a back spring, and in addition the
contour seal 60 sits on a contour seal damper made of a rubber
band lying in the bottom of its groove to help extend the seal
life from hammering against the internal contoured housing wall.

Two annular power sleeves 66, 68 are provided, as shown in FIG.
3, each linked to the axels 70 of the wheel-bearings 26 in two
opposed pivoting blade power transfer slots 22 by opposed rings
72 on each sleeve. The sleeves 66, 68 leave a large circular
hole in the engine center for the shaft power disk, a direct
power takeoff or other uses. The annular power sleeves 66, 68
can carry their own set of lateral side cover seals (not shown)
to insulate their inward central area from their outward area.
Furthermore, the inner surface 74 of the annular power sleeves
66, 68 carries several grooves 76 from which any mechanism
enclosed by the sleeves can be driven. Clutch centrifuge weights
78 are located between the inner surface 24 of the pivoting
blades 20 and the outer surface 80 of the annular power sleeves
66, 68, a clutch centrifuge weight 78 located adjacent each side
of each of the power transfer slots 22. A tangential linking on
the inner surface 74 of the annular power sleeves 66, 68 is made
of several (from two to twelve or more) differential washers 82
linking the annular power sleeves 66, 68 to the central power
disk 84 and the shaft 86. A calculation method for the stator
casing Saint-Hilaire confinement profile of the internal
contoured housing wall 14 is disclosed for the chosen
Quasiturbine rotor arrangement, with a set of optimum engine
internal contoured housing wall 14 selection criteria

**FIG. 1** shows the four interconnected pivoting blades 20
in a square configuration within the internal contoured housing
wall 14, guided by the solid guiding-rubbing pads 54 provided by
the male connectors 46 at the joints 50 between adjacent blades.
The wheel-bearings 26 of the blades 20 roll on the annular
tracks 28 carried by the lateral side covers 16. The port
locations 36, 38 shown are the ones used when the Quasiturbine
is operated as a fluid energy converter or compressor. The spark
plug 44 is positioned as for the internal combustion mode. For
clarity, the clutch centrifuge weights 78 are not shown on FIG.
1.

**FIG. 2** shows the four interconnected pivoting blades 20
in a diamond configuration. FIG. 2 also shows details of the
interconnecting pivot joint 50 including details of the male 46
and female 48 connectors; the contour 60 and lateral arched
seals 62 and pellet seal 64; the wheel-bearings 26 and annular
track 28 positioning; and the guiding-rubbing action of the pad
54 in the cylindrical male joints 50. The compression ratio
tuner 42, the flame transfer slot-cavity 88 and one of the
pivoting blade check valve ports 40 with the central area are
shown. The port locations 36, 38 shown in FIG. 2 are the ones
used when the Quasiturbine is operated in an internal combustion
engine mode with counterclockwise direction of rotation. FIG. 2
also shows the Modulated Inner Rotor Volumes (MIRV) 90. Annular
pumping action is provided by the varying size of the volumes
90, each located in between the inner surface 24 of the pivoting
blades 20 and the outer surface 80 of the annular power sleeves
66, 68. It will be seen that the clutch centrifuge weights 78
are located within the volumes 90 and move along the outer
surface 80 of the power sleeves 66, 68.

**FIG. 3** shows details of the Quasiturbine with the
internal contoured housing wall 14 and two of the pivoting
blades 20 removed. It also shows details of the clutch
centrifuge weights 78, which weights could possibly pivot around
the closest wheel-bearings, the annular power sleeves 66, 68 and
the differential washers 82 making a tangential linking with the
power disk 84 and shaft 86.

The four pivoting blades 20 are attached to one another as a
chain in forming the rotor 18 and show a variable diamond-shaped
geometry while moving in a Saint-Hilaire-like confinement
profile of the internal contoured housing wall 14 calculated to
confine the rotor 18 at all angles of rotation. Contour seals 60
between the pivoting blades 20 and the internal contoured
housing wall 14 are located at each pivot joint 50. The
expansion or combustion chamber 92 is defined by the volume
in-between the outer surface 94 of a pivoting blade 20 and the
inner surface 96 of the internal contoured housing wall 14 and
extends from one pivot joint contour seal 60 to the next.
Referring to FIG. 2, as the rotor 18 turns, it does make minimum
combustion chamber 92 volumes at the top and bottom (TDC), and
maximum volumes at left and right (BTC). During one rotation,
each pivoting blade 20 goes through four complete engine
strokes, so that a total of sixteen strokes are completed in
every rotation. Furthermore, as an expansion stroke starts from
a horizontal pivoting blade 20 and ends when it gets vertical,
the next following pivoting blade 20 is immediately starting a
new expansion cycle without any dead time, which means that the
Quasiturbine is a quasi-continuous flow engine at intake and
exhaust, both of which can be located either radially in the
internal contoured housing wall 14 or axially in the lateral
side covers 16. Several removable intake and exhaust plugs 98
may be used to convert the two parallel compression and
expansion circuits into a sole serial circuit. The two
quasi-independent circuits are used in parallel with all plugs
removed, for operation as a two stroke internal combustion
engine, fluid energy converter, compressor, vacuum pump and flow
meter. The two quasi-independent circuits are used in serial by
plugging intermediate ports, to make a four stroke internal
combustion engine as shown in the port arrangement of FIG. 2.
Notice that the intake and exhaust ports have different
locations for different applications and their position can be
time advanced or delayed for exhaust and intake as shown in FIG.
2. The load-pressure force exercised by the compressed fluids on
each pivoting blade 20 is taken by the wheel-bearings 26 rolling
on the annular tracks 28 attached to their respective lateral
side covers 16. With this geometrical arrangement, even with
heavy pressure-loads on the pivoting blades 20, the
diamond-shaped deformation of the rotor 18 requires only very
little energy, and the rubbing pads 54 located in the vicinity
of the pivot joints 50 and contour seals 60 guide the rotor 18
during its diamond-shaped deformation. During rotation, the
wheel-bearings axels 70 are not moving at a constant angular
velocity and for this reason, a differential linkage must be
built within the annular power sleeves 66, 68 to drive the power
disk 84 and shaft 86 at constant angular velocity.

The stator casing 12 and the lateral side covers 16 are
centered on the engine rotor axis. The lateral side covers 16
have annular tracks 28 receiving the wheel-bearings 26 carried
by the blades 20, which tracks are not necessarily circular.
FIG. 1 shows a central hole 100 in the lateral side covers 16
that can be made large enough so that the power disk 84 and the
differential washers 82 can be slide in-and-out without having
to dismantle the engine. A cap bearing-holder can be inserted in
the large side cover hole 100. Intake and exhaust ports 36, 38
are located either radially in the stator casing 12 or axially
(not shown) in the lateral side covers 16. For the Modulated
Inner Rotor Volume (MIRV) 90, the lateral, side covers 16 carry
a set of ventilation ports 102 for cooling the rotor 18. A
sparkplug 44 can be located at a variable angle on the top of
the stator casing 12, and also at bottom (not shown) in the two
stroke engine mode, and replaced, when in a very high
compression ratio photo-detonation mode by a small threaded
piston called a "compression ratio tuner" 42, which can be
feedback controlled to optimize combustion chamber conditions
for different fuels or running operation. The surface of contact
between the stator casing 12 and the lateral side covers 16
carry a fix gasket 104.

The annular tracks 28 are circular only if the wheel-bearings
26 are on the line joining the axis of two successive blade
pivots. The central opening in the rotor 18 could be made
smaller or larger by moving the wheel-bearings 26 towards or
away of the outer surface 94 of the pivoting blades 20, out of
alignment with pivot joints 50, but then the annular track 28 in
the side covers 16 will no longer be a perfect circle, but be
elliptical-like in shape. The wheel-bearings 26 are located on
each side of the pivoting blade 20 and carry roller or needle
bearings 106. The blade rubbing pads 54, located in the vicinity
of the contour seals 60, can be formed by the pivoting blade
male connector 46 itself, or it can be formed by a little insert
(not shown) containing the contour seal 60 so as to prevent the
hardening of the whole pivoting blade 20. In this arrangement,
hard inserts can, alternatively, be used to make the complete
pivoting blade joint 50. Pressure in the combustion chamber 92
does not generate a significant torque around the wheel-bearings
axles 70 carried by the pivoting blades 20 and consequently the
combustion chamber pressure has little effect on the rubbing pad
54 pressure against the internal contoured housing wall 14. The
rubbing pad pressure is essentially due to the small rotor
deformation, which is quite independent of the pressure-load.
However, this same pressure-load gives a great tangential
rotational force on the whole rotor. The combustion chamber 92
can be enlarged by cutting the pivoting blade 20 and the very
high compression ratio photo-detonation mode makes use of a
"compression ratio tuner" 42 instead of a sparkplug 44. The
manufacturing method allows for the entire stator casing and
rotor to be made out of a cylindrical disk, the internal
contoured housing wall being formed in the interior of the disk
and the pivoting blades being formed in the outer periphery.
Alternatively, the internal contoured housing wall 14 can be
shaped by precision forging and the pivoting blades 20 can be
metal cast or metal powder pressed. Similar techniques and molds
will also work for plastic or ceramic.

The pivoting blades 20 can be made all alike with a male
connector 46 and a female connector 48 to form the pivot joints
50. Alternatively, half the blades 20 can have two female
connectors and the other half two male connectors. A good
"five-bodies" sealed joint design is quite important and must
satisfy an extensive force vector analysis. The blade pivot
joint 50 of the present invention must be strong enough to take
some load-pressure and all the tangential push-and-pull forces
of the torque, while allowing independent low-friction
rotational movement of the two connected pivoting blades 20.
Simultaneously, the joint must be leak proof within itself, the
internal contoured housing wall 14 and with the two lateral side
covers 16. This pivot joint 50 has space, if needed, to enclose
a bearing to further reduce the required rotor energy
deformation. Extensive research has led to a double chisel joint
pivot concept detailed on FIG. 2, where the male connector 46
has two different contact surfaces 124, 108 of corresponding
radii on its main body 110 and a finger 112 spaced from the main
body 110 for use in holding the pivoting blades together. The
female connector 48 has also two different surfaces 114, 116 of
corresponding radii located on an extending arm 122, the radii
surface 114, 116 cooperating with the radii surface 124, 108 on
the male connector 46 when the arm 122 is mounted between the
main body 10 and the finger 112, and preventing the connectors
46, 48 from opening up. As the rotor torque increases, the
joints 50 get tighter and tighter, and still more leak proof.

The contour seals 60 are single or multi-pieces drawer type
seals located in the axial direction along the pivoting blade
male connector 46 and have a near zero in-groove displacement,
making a contact angle almost perpendicular to the internal
contoured housing wall 14 at all times, departing only slightly
from -6,35 to +6,35 degrees for the selected arrangement.
Consecutive multiple pieces contour seals (not shown) can be
used to prevent two successive chambers to be in contact with
one another at the time the joint 50 passes in front of the
ports 36, 38. This multi-seals configuration would also insure
that at least one of the seals is at all times moving inward in
its groove, while the others may be moving outward. In addition,
the contour seal sits on a contour seal damper made of a rubber
band lying in the bottom of its groove 52 or between the springs
to help extend the seal life from hammering against the internal
contoured housing wall. The pivoting blades 20 seal with the
lateral side covers 16, on each side, by a linear or slightly
curved gate-type lateral seal 62 and a pellet type seal 64 at
the end of the male connector 46. The seal grooves are at
different depth levels, so that the pressure gas behind the
seals cannot propagate. A non-mandatory linear intra-pivot seal
can be incorporated in the female connector 48 from one lateral
side cover to the other, if required. When the pivoting blades
20 are made of smooth or fragile material like plastic, ceramic
or glass, there is room for a metal insert to be placed at each
pivoting blade joint 50 for proper movement and friction
control. When shaped as an arc, the pivoting blade lateral seal
grooves 58 are easy to make on a lathe. This arched seal,
positioned near the edge of the outer surface of the pivoting
blade 20 traps a minimum volume in combustion mode, and being at
the far reach of the rotor, it keeps the high-pressure in the
outer area of the covers 16, which reduces the total
pressure-force on them. A continuous elliptical-like seal,
shaped like a slightly shrunken confinement internal contoured
housing wall profile, and incorporated into the lateral side
covers 16 is also a simple alternative to the multi-components
lateral seal set described. All seals 60, 62, 64 have a back
spring to maintain them at all time respectively in contact with
the internal contoured housing wall 14 and the lateral side
covers 16. The low-friction wheel-bearings 26, the pivot joint
50 design, and the described seal set, allow the Quasiturbine to
withstand high-pressure-load, while maintaining an excellent
leak proof condition.

Many Quasiturbines may benefit in having some type of
centrifuge clutches. The Quasiturbine geometry permits it to
have the clutch centrifuge weights 78 within the rotor 18, each
weight located between the wheel-bearings 26 and a blade end,
in-between the pivoting blades 20 and the outer surface 80 of
the annular power sleeves 66, 68 within the volumes 90 well
ventilated by the Modulated Inner Rotor Volume (MIRV) annular
central pump effect. The clutch centrifuge weights 78 can pivot
around the wheel-bearings axis 70. As with any centrifuge
clutches, the weights 78 will contribute slightly to increase
the rotor inertia. The clutch centrifuge weights 78 can be used
to drive clutch friction pads (not shown) located either on the
outer surface 80 of the annular power sleeves 66, 68; or within
the power disk 84 where the angular rotational speed is uniform;
or externally to the Quasiturbine. Notice that with such a
centrifuge clutch in place, a conventional starter must be used
to drive the Quasiturbine rotor and not the power shaft 86,
unless some kind of clutch-locking is provided.

Because each pair of opposed wheel-bearings 26 does not rotate
at constant angular velocity, two 400 distinct but identical
central annular power sleeves 66, 68 are used side-by-side along
the engine axis as shown on FIG. 3, each one linking two
different opposite wheel-bearings axis 70 by opposed rings 72.
Each annular power sleeve 66, 68 is in the form of an annular
ring with the two outer opposed rings 72 on the outer surface 80
taking the torque from the opposite pivoting blades 20 via the
wheel-bearings axis 70. As an alternative of the two outer
opposed mounting rings 72 on the annular power sleeves 66, 68,
conventional centrifuge clutch pads (not shown) linked to the
centrifuge weights 78 could be inserted between the two
consecutive wheel-bearings 26 and the outer surface 80 of the
annular power sleeves 66, 68. Inside the annular sleeves 66, 68
are multiple grooves 76 in the inner surface 74 in which the
differential washers 82 can be attached, via washer pins 118
thereon. The differential washers 82 are rotably attached to the
surface of the power disk 84 via power disk pins 120 to link the
power disk 84, via an oscillating movement of the washers 82
around the power disk pins 120, to the power sleeves 66, 68. In
the design shown, the maximum relative angular variation of the
annular power sleeves 66, 68 is 6.35 degrees ahead and behind
their respective average angular position, for a maximum
differential angle of 12.7 degrees, which produces a +/-15
degrees oscillation of the differential washers 82. In the case
of the pressurized fluid energy converter mode, like pneumatic
or steam, where both the upper and lower chambers are
symmetrically pressurized, the annular power sleeves 66, 68 can
take and cancel out the mutual pressure-load of the two opposite
pivoting blades 20, possibly suppressing in this case the need
to use the wheel-bearings 26 and the lateral side cover annular
tracks 28.

To power the shaft 86 by the two side-by-side annular power
sleeves 66, 68, the shaft power disk 84 or the large diameter
shaft have multiple radial extending disk pins 120 on which sits
the set of differential washers 82. Each differential washer 82
has two opposite radially extending washer pins 118, each one
fitting into its own internal groove 76 on power sleeve 66, 68
respectively. The thicker, or wider, that the Quasiturbine
design is, the greater can be the diameter of the differential
washers 82, however, fewer differential washers can be setup on
the circumference of the power disk 84, except if one accepts a
partial overlapping, which is well possible. Practically, the
numbers of differential washers 82, the number of power disk
pins 120 and the corresponding grooves 76 in the power sleeves
66, 68 can vary from two to twelve or more. In the design shown,
the differential washers 82 angular oscillation around the disk
pin 120 is +/-15 degrees, which requires a little play between
the power disk 84 and the internal surface 74 of the annular
power sleeves 66, 68 to account for the differential washer
being slightly off shaft axis during oscillation. Alternatively,
if the power disk 84 external surface is shaped as part of a
sphere of the same diameter, the differential washer 82 can sit
perfectly on it if also shaped accordingly and furthermore,
since the washer pins 118 on the differential washers 82 need to
be cylindrical only on a 15 degree arc, the two pins shape can
be elongated toward the washer center for better strength. Each
radially extending disk pin 120 can be part of the differential
washer itself, and can carry a bearing. This set of differential
washers 82 makes a tangential linking between the two annular
power sleeves 66, 68 and the unique power disk 84, and
suppresses the rotational harmonic for a constant and uniform
rotational speed of the output shaft. Another differential
design is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263, and most other
conventional differential designs can work, but the above
described tangential linking design is more convenient because
it works at a high radius, where the torque-force is minimal; it
takes up little space; and it leaves a large central-free engine
area for power take-off. Furthermore, it allows the large shaft
diameter or the power disk-shaft 8486 assembly to slide
in-and-out of the Quasiturbine engine without it being
disassembled. Like for the Quasiturbine rotor, this differential
design has a fixed center of gravity during rotation and
maintains the zero vibration engine characteristics. The power
disk can hold a conventional feed-through shaft, or can carry,
or be part of, a very large diameter thin wall tube shaft. This
tube shaft may enclose a propeller screw for a water jet or
pumping, or an electrical generator or else. It can also carry
an axial thrust bearing at least at one end, and an engine crank
starting device at either ends.

Each Modulated Inner Rotor Volume (MIRV) 90 is generally
triangular in shape, each volume formed by the inner surfaces 24
of adjacent pivoting blades 20 extending from their common pivot
50 to their respective transfer slots 22 and the outer surface
80 of the annular power sleeves 66, 68. The volumes 90 vary as
the rotor 18 rotates. The volumes 90 are forty five degrees out
of phase with the outer combustion chambers 92, and make an
integrated efficient annular pump or ventilating device,
displacing a total of 8 times its volume in every rotation.
Ventilating ports 102 are located in the lateral side covers 16
near the external surface of the annular track 28 in the
vicinity of the wheel-bearings 26 when the rotor is in its
maximum diamond length configuration. The geometry permits
pulsing ventilation if all the ventilating ports 102 in the
lateral side covers 16 are open, or two different one-way
ventilation circuits in the same or opposed axial direction, if
proper ventilation ports 102 are selected on both sides of the
engine. When the side covers 16 have only a
crossed-symmetrical-through-center set of ventilation ports 102,
as shown in FIG. 1, entrances occur only from one engine side
and exits to the other, while consecutive ports on the same side
covers would make the entrances and exits on the same engine
side. Using a radial check valve 40 across and through the
pivoting blade body could allow transfer to-and-from the
chambers with the central area, which may be of interest for
example in the Quasiturbine-Stirling-Steam engine, compressor,
or enhanced mixture intake by the gas centrifuge force through
the central engine area. The Modulated Inner Rotor Volumes
(MIRV) 90 forms a well-integrated annular pump and can be used
as such in many applications, or to ventilate and cool the rotor
in engine mode. They can also form a second stage low flow
high-pressure device when in compressor mode, or to provide the
pressure fluctuation required by a standard carburetor diaphragm
fuel pump. Furthermore, a very high-pressure can be obtained
from the scissor-pivoting-blade effect at the joint 50 when the
guiding male finger 112 moves in and out of position. Similarly,
other piston-like devices can be incorporated in this scissor
action to produce high-pressure pumping effect like a Diesel
fuel pump to drive the fuel injectors. Ultimately, the Modulated
Inner Rotor Volumes (MIRV) 90 can also be made to work as an
Inward Rotor Engine Quasiturbine (IREQ), while the Quasiturbine
outward rotor is used as a compressor, a pump, or for other
applications.

A new Quasiturbine Internal Combustion QTIC-cycle mode is made
possible, combining Otto, Diesel and eventually photo-detonation
mode. Otto engine cycle intakes and compresses a sub-atmospheric
manifold pressure air-mixture for uniform combustion, while the
Diesel engine cycle always intakes and compresses atmospheric
pressure air-only, which gives a non-uniform injected fuel
combustion. Due to the possibility of a shorter confinement time
and a faster linear ramp compression-pressure raising-falling
slope, the new Quasiturbine Internal Combustion QTIC-cycle mode
consists of intaking, at atmospheric pressure, a continuous
air-fuel mixture for uniform combustion, thereby combining Otto
and Diesel modes. This mode is not possible with a piston
engine, because the sine-wave shape of the maximum compression
ratio poorly defines the top dead center by making an
unnecessary long confinement time, consequently requiring a
reliable external trigger source such as a sparkplug or a fuel
injector. The Quasiturbine Internal Combustion QTIC-cycle can
work at a moderate compression ratio with a sparkplug 44, or
without it at a very high compression ratio for almost any fuel,
the photo-detonation being auto synchronized by its very short
linear ramp pressure pulse tip. A regular piston cannot stand
photo-detonation because it keeps the mixture confined too long,
and because the relatively small piston mass required by the
severe accelerations at both strokes ends prevent making a
stronger piston. The upward piston momentum aggravates the
effect of knocking, while the homo-kinetic rotation of the
Quasiturbine allows for relatively more massive pivoting blades
making the passage at top dead center almost without momentum
change. This QTIC-cycle mode only requires a non-synchronized
fuel pulverization and vaporization in the Quasiturbine
atmospheric intake continuous airflow, suppressing the need of
conventional vacuum carburetor or synchronized fuel injector and
sparkplug timing in photo-detonation mode, and allows for a much
higher RPM than the conventional mode due to continuous intake
flow without valve obstruction and faster photo-detonation
chemistry combustion. The photo-detonation being a fast
radiative volumetric combustion, it leaves much less unburnt
hydrocarbon that has plenty of extra time left for completing
the combustion. Furthermore, due to the possibility of shorter
confinement time, the combustion chemistry does not have enough
time-pressure to produce the NO.sub.x before expansion begins,
producing a cleaner exhaust, including with the hot hydrogen
combustion in presence of nitrogen. Because of the zero dead
time, the Quasiturbine can provide continuous combustion by
using an ignition transfer slot-cavity 88 cut into the internal
contoured housing wall 14 for flame transfer from one chamber to
the following one. This ignition flame transfer slot-cavity 88
also allows the injection of high-pressure hot burning gas into
the following, ready-to-fire, chamber, producing a dynamically
enhanced compression ratio, since near top dead center, a little
volume change in the combustion chamber makes a large change in
the compression ratio. For better multi-fuel capability, a
compression ratio tuner 42 made of a simple small threaded
piston in a tube is used in place of the sparkplug 44, and
allows compression ratio fine-tuning as needed, and can be
dynamically feedback controlled.

The Quasiturbine can be generally used as an engine, compressor
or pump, and sometimes in a dual mode. To name a few
applications, it is suitable for small or very large units in
steam, pneumatic and hydraulic mode (including use in reversible
waterfall hydroelectric stations), and in a combined
engine-turbo-pump mode where one intake port and its
corresponding exhaust port are used in a compressed fluid energy
converter engine mode while the other intake and exhaust ports
can be used as a positive or vacuum pump or compressor. The
Quasiturbine can be used as an internal combustion engine in
Otto or Diesel in two or four stroke mode. The Quasiturbine
engines in photo-detonation mode with a high compression ratio
(20 to 30:1) are particularly suitable for natural gas and other
fuels that are hard to burn to environmental standards like jet
fuel or low specific energy gases, in which case the fuel is
simply mixed to the atmospheric pressure intake without any
synchronization means. It can be further used in a continuous
combustion mode with a flame transfer cavity 88 at the forward
contour seal 60 near top dead center. It can be used in a
Quasiturbine-Stirling-Steam rotary engine mode with pressurized
gas or phase change liquid-steam, with the hot poles alternating
with the cold poles, a device which is reversible and can be
used as a heat pump. Most of the previous engine modes allow
operation without a sparkplug (no electromagnetic field), with a
plastic or ceramic engine bloc and with low noise level, all
qualities most suitable for low signature stealth military
operation. Furthermore, those previous modes permit very energy
efficient operation and more complete internal combustion than
conventional piston engines to meet the most severe
environmental standards of the future. The Quasiturbine can also
be used as an engine to drive a turbo-jet engine-compressor,
allowing the suppression of the hot-power-turbine and its
associated limitations in temperature, efficiency and speed. In
the opened or closed Brayton mode, a cold Quasiturbine can act
as compressor while a second hot Quasiturbine possibly on the
same shaft can produce power in a pneumatic mode, in order to
make a jet engine without jet (no gas kinetic energy
intermediary transformation is involved, which makes it almost
insensitive to dust particles). The second hot Quasiturbine can
be suppressed and the system used as a high flow hot gas
generator. It can be used in a vacuum engine mode, including
with imploding Brown gas. Many applications do not require the
Quasiturbine to have its own power disk 84 and/or shaft 86,
since the shaft attachment differential washers 82 can be fixed
directly on the accessory shaft (of a generator, a gearbox, a
differential shaft, by way of example) and the Quasiturbine
simply slides over the accessory shaft to mount it without any
need for shaft alignment. The empty center of the Quasiturbine
is particularly suitable to locate a propeller therein and makes
a self-integrated marine jet propulsion system, or a liquid or
gas turbine-like pump, where the complete engine can be
submerged. This empty center is also suitable to locate
electrical components for a lightweight compact electrical
generator or electrical motor for a compressor or pump. The fast
acceleration resulting from the absence of the flywheel and the
high engine specific power density allows the use of the engine
in strategic applications, as in heavy load soft landing
parachuting. Improved engine intake characteristics allow the
Quasiturbine to run better than piston engines in rarefied-air
as in high altitude airplane operation. Its low sensitivity to
photo-detonation and potentially oil-free operation make it most
suitable for hydrogen fuel operation, including with lateral
intake stratification and natural atmospheric aspiration. Since
the Quasiturbine has no oil pan and does not require gravity oil
collection, it can run in all possible orientations, and even
out in space in micro-gravity. The Quasiturbine has a favorable
geometry where lubricant is not needed for cooling, where no
internal parallax forces exist, and where no seal is under
internal stress and subject to hydrogen fragilisation. Several
Quasiturbines in different modes can be stacked side-by-side on
a single common power shaft through simple ratchet coupling for
torque addition. The Quasiturbine can also be used as a general
replacement engine, compressor or pump in most present and
future applications, and with most principles or processes where
modulated volume is required.

The internal contoured housing wall 14 is derivate from an
empirical generating equation of the variable diamond geometry
of the rotor for all rotation angles. The internal contoured
housing wall 14 is not unique but part of a family of curves,
and selection must be done according to an engine efficiency
criteria. Before calculating the Saint-Hilaire confinement
profile for the internal contoured housing wall 14, one must
calculate the blade pivots joint 50 profile curve. Since this
profile does require only symmetry across the central engine
axis, any initial arbitrary pivot movement from 0 to 45 degrees
(or 1/8 of a turn in a non-orthogonal axis situation) does
determine the complete pivot point curve. This empirical 0 to 45
degree curve must meet three constraints: be parallel to the
y-axis at 0 degree angle x-crossing; be matching at the
diamond-square configuration corners; and furthermore, the slope
at those corners must be continuous. Assuming Rx the pivot
profile radius on the x-axis, and Ry the pivot profile radius on
y-axis, and R45 the pivot profile radius at 45 degrees where the
rotor is in square configuration, the modified M(.theta.) linear
radius variation between 0 and 45 degree could be empirically of
the form (pivot profile, not the actual internal contoured
housing wall 14):

Where the modifying parametric function M(.theta.) has the
form:

The pivot profile in the 45 (R45) to 90 (Ry) degrees interval
is simply given by the Pythagoras diamond-lozenge formula. The
two constants A and P provide a parametric adjustment of the
radius variation where +/- A controls the amplitude and affects
mostly the axis areas, and +/-P controls the angular maximum
variation position and affects the wideness of the overlap zone
near 45 degree from the x- axis. This empirical representation
has been found adequate to explore most of the family of pivot
profiles of interest, including the very high eccentricities
leading to two lobes confinement profiles. The internal
contoured housing wall 14 presented in FIGS. 1 and 2 is obtained
from the pivot concave eccentricity limit profile curve, enlarge
by the rubbing pad 54 radius all around. This enlargement must
be perpendicular to the local pivot profile tangency at all
angles. Furthermore, in order for the engine to be described by
the most efficient Pressure-Volume PV diagram, the final
expansion volume of the engine chamber must be equal to the
volume generated by the variable surface of tangential push,
which is proportional to the radius difference of two successive
contour seal 60 positions during rotation. These criteria permit
to select a subfamily for the optimum engine mode efficient
internal contoured housing wall 14. A good way to fine-tune the
value of the A and P parameters is to control the smoothness of
the calculated confinement wall radius of curvature. This radius
of curvature continuity can be easily achieved for the no-lobe
limit case with both A and P positive and less than 0.09, but it
is not progressive here as other profiles previously reported in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,263. Great care must be taken not to be
mislead by the appearance of this internal contoured housing
wall 14 which is far more complex than an ellipse. For the
example presented here, where the pivot to pivot length is
L=3.5" and the pivot rubbing pad 47 diameter is D=0.5", the
internal contoured housing wall 14 radius of curvature in one
quadrant goes from 2.67" near the x-axis, down to 2.05" near 33
degrees, up to 4.50" near 65 degree, and finally down again to
2.60" near the y-axis, which indicates a relative flat zone
between 33 and 65 degree. This flat zone internal contoured
housing wall 14 structure is not as obvious in U.S. Pat. No.
6,164,263, but demands a high precision calculation method. An
additional interesting exploratory profile parameter is the
exponent of M(.theta.) in the 0.3 to 3 range, which is not
detailed here. Notice that the profile complexity depends
greatly on the selected pivoting blades diamond eccentricity
(here Ry/Rx=0.8).

The Saint-Hilaire internal contoured housing wall 14 presented
on the FIGURES uses nearly the same rotor pivot eccentricity
(Ry/Rx=0.8) as the Quasiturbine in patent U.S. Pat. No.
6,164,263. One should notice that increasing the radius of the
joint-rubbing pad centered on each pivot tends to attenuate the
high curvature in the corners of the Saint-Hilaire "skating
rink" confinement profile, but contributes to increase the
maximum torque, with no net penalty on the specific power and
weight density of the Quasiturbine, without however achieving as
stiff a linear ramp pressure that the rolling carriages design
permits. If the rotor can be made of strong material like steel,
the pivot rubbing pad 54 radii can be made relatively small and
lead to the selected internal contoured housing wall 14 shown,
which is a near optimum Quasiturbine specific power and weight
density. It is hard to notice by looking at the internal
contoured housing wall 14 that the radius of curvature
fluctuates along the profile. Inside the rotor 18, one notices a
triangular shaped-like chamber making a Modulated Inner Rotor
Volume (MIRV) 90 in-between the inner surface 24 of the pivoting
blades 20 and the outer surface 80 of the annular power sleeves
66, 68 at every rotor pivot 50 location. Changing the shape of
the rotor 18 for the purpose of producing internal central
volume variation for an annular pumping application would need
no rotor rotation, but only a steady on-site "oscillating rotor
deformation", possibly driven by a rotating external confinement
profile, or by a x- or y-axes movement. The rotor deformation
could also be driven from an alternating pressurization of these
Modulated Inner Rotor Volumes (MIRV) 90, such as to make an
Internal Rotor. Engine Quasiturbine (IREQ). This calculation
method does not require profile symmetry through x- and y-axes,
but only through the central point, which means that the axes
may not be orthogonal with this same calculation method, in
which case the confinement profile could be, asymmetrical,
producing an interesting Quasiturbine with different intake and
exhaust volume characteristics, and with only minor rotor
change.

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