Rotating fluid machine

Abstract

A rotating fluid machine has first energy converting means including cylinders and pistons, and second energy converting means including vanes emerging from and submerging into a rotor in the radial direction. A gaseous phase working medium having leaked out of the higher pressure first energy converting means to a reservoir is effectively utilized instead of being discarded wastefully by feeding the leaked gaseous phase working medium to the lower pressure second energy converting means via a one-way valve and a junction chamber. Moreover, when the pressure in the reservoir is lower than that in the junction chamber, the one-way valve obstructs the gaseous phase working medium from flowing back, thereby preventing the efficiency of the second energy converting means from deteriorating.

1 . A rotating fluid machine provided with at least first energy converting means and second energy converting means, capable of functioning as an expander which integratingly supplies mechanical energy generated by each of the first and second energy converting means by inputting a gaseous phase working medium having pressure energy into the first and second energy converting means to convert the pressure energy into mechanical energy, and capable of functioning as a compressor which integratingly supplies pressure energy of the gaseous phase working medium generated by each of the first and second energy converting means by inputting mechanical energy into the first and second energy converting means to convert the mechanical energy into the pressure energy of the gaseous phase working medium, 
 wherein a gaseous phase working medium having leaked out of the first or second energy converting means, whichever is higher in pressure, is fed to the energy converting means lower in pressure via a one-way valve.    
   
   
       2 . The rotating fluid machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second energy converting means consecutively operate in succession on a common gaseous phase working medium.  
   
   
       3 . The rotating fluid machine according to  claim 1 , wherein the first energy converting means comprises cylinders radially formed in a rotor rotatably accommodated in a rotor chamber and pistons sliding within these cylinders, and the second energy converting means comprises vanes which emerge from and submerge into the rotor in the radial direction and their outer circumferential faces are in sliding contact with the inner circumferential face of the rotor chamber.