Positive displacement flow separator with combustor

Abstract

A positive displacement flow separator or combustor contains a rotor portion positioned inside a casing portion to act as a least area rotor which captures a volume and moves the volume along the length of the separator. The rotor portion contains a plurality of lobes which interact with grooves in the casing portion, such that the interaction of the lobes and grooves create barriers which capture the volume. The creation of the volume creates a flow barrier between a downstream end of the separator and an upstream end of the separator.

1 . A positive displacement flow device; said device comprising:
 a casing portion having a plurality of grooves formed on an inner surface of said casing portion;   at least one ignition device coupled to said casing portion; and   and a rotor portion having a plurality of lobes formed on an outer surface of said rotor portion, where said rotor portion is positioned adjacent to said inner surface of said casing portion such that said lobes interact with said grooves;   wherein said interaction of said lobes with said grooves creates a plurality of contact points between said lobes and grooves which travel around a perimeter of, and along a length of; said rotor portion as said rotor portion rotates about an axis relative to said casing portion;   wherein said interaction captures a volume of material and moves said volume along a length of said device due to said relative rotation; and   wherein said at least one ignition device combusts said material captured in said volume.   
   
   
       2 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein each of said lobes and said grooves are continuous along a length of said device. 
   
   
       3 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein said interaction of said lobes and said grooves blocks a downstream end of said device from an upstream end of said device. 
   
   
       4 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein there are either N+1 or N−1 grooves, where N is the number of lobes on the rotor portion. 
   
   
       5 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein both the lobes and grooves run along the length of said device in a helical pattern. 
   
   
       6 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 5 , wherein the pitch of the helical pattern of the lobes is different than that of the pitch of the helical pattern of the grooves. 
   
   
       7 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein the number of contact points remains the same regardless of the rotational orientation of the rotor portion within the casing portion. 
   
   
       8 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein both the casing portion and the rotor portion rotate about an axis and the casing portion rotates at a different speed than the rotor portion. 
   
   
       9 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein both the casing portion and the rotor portion rotate about an axis and the casing portion rotates in the same direction as the rotor portion. 
   
   
       10 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein each of said contact points has a gap between an end of said lobes and said grooves such that no physical contact is made at said contact points. 
   
   
       11 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional geometry of said rotor and casing portions is constant along a length of said device. 
   
   
       12 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein the relative rotation of the rotor portion within the casing portion has either a hypocycloidic or epicycloidic geometry path. 
   
   
       13 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional geometry of said rotor and said casing portions form a least area rotor. 
   
   
       14 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein a single rotation of said rotor portion within said casing portion captures said volume. 
   
   
       15 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein N corresponds to the number of lobes and there are N−1 grooves and the ratio of rotational speed between the casing portion and the rotor portion is defined by N/(N−1). 
   
   
       16 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein N corresponds to the number of lobes and there are N+1 grooves and the ratio of rotational speed between the casing portion and the rotor portion is defined by N/(N+1). 
   
   
       17 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein when the number of grooves is N−1, where N is the number of lobes, the number of contact points is defined by the expression (2N)−1. 
   
   
       18 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein when the number of grooves is N+1, where N is the number of lobes, the number of contact points corresponds to the number of grooves, N+1. 
   
   
       19 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one fuel injection device coupled to said casing portion to inject fuel into said volume. 
   
   
       20 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 19 , wherein said at least one fuel injection device is positioned upstream of said at least one ignition device so as to injection said fuel prior to said combustion. 
   
   
       21 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 19 , wherein said volume is in communication with only one of said at least one ignition device and said at least one fuel injection device at any given time. 
   
   
       22 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of volumes are captured by said interaction and at least one ignition device is coupled to each of said captured volumes. 
   
   
       23 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 1 , wherein said material is made up of at least a fuel and an oxidizer and at least one of said fuel and oxidizer enters said positive displacement flow device from a source upstream of said device. 
   
   
       24 . A positive displacement flow device; said device comprising:
 a casing portion having a plurality of grooves formed on an inner surface of said casing portion;   at least one ignition device coupled to said casing portion; and   and a rotor portion having a plurality of lobes formed on an outer surface of said rotor portion, where said rotor portion is positioned adjacent to said inner surface of said casing portion such that said lobes interact with said grooves;   wherein said interaction of said lobes with said grooves creates a plurality of contact points between said lobes and grooves which travel around a perimeter of, and along a length of, said rotor portion as said rotor portion rotates about an axis relative to said casing portion;   wherein said interaction captures a volume of material and moves said volume along a length of said device due to said relative rotation,   wherein said interaction of said lobes and said grooves blocks a downstream end of said device from an upstream end of said device,   wherein there are either N+1 or N−1 grooves, where N is the number of lobes on the rotor portion;   wherein said at least one ignition device combusts said material captured in said volume.   
   
   
       25 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein both the lobes and grooves run along the length of said device in a helical pattern, and wherein the pitch of the helical pattern of the lobes is different than that of the pitch of the helical pattern of the grooves. 
   
   
       26 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein both the casing portion and the rotor portion rotate about an axis and the casing portion rotates at a different speed than the rotor portion. 
   
   
       27 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein both the casing portion and the rotor portion rotate about an axis and the casing portion rotates in the same direction as the rotor portion. 
   
   
       28 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein each of said contact points has a gap between an end of said lobes and said grooves such that no physical contact is made at said contact points. 
   
   
       29 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein the cross-sectional geometry of said rotor and casing portions is constant along a length of said device. 
   
   
       30 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein the relative rotation of the rotor portion within the casing portion has either a hypocycloidic or epicycloidic geometry path. 
   
   
       31 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein the cross-sectional geometry of said rotor and said casing portions form a least area rotor. 
   
   
       32 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein a single rotation of said rotor portion within said casing portion captures said volume. 
   
   
       33 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein N corresponds to the number of lobes and there are N−1 grooves and the ratio of rotational speed between the casing portion and the rotor portion is defined by N/(N−1). 
   
   
       34 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein N corresponds to the number of lobes and there are N+1 grooves and the ratio of rotational speed between the casing portion and the rotor portion is defined by N/(N+1). 
   
   
       35 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein when the number of grooves is N−1, where N is the number of lobes, the number of contact points is defined by the expression (2N)−1. 
   
   
       36 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein when the number of grooves is N+1, where N is the number of lobes, the number of contact points corresponds to the number of grooves, N+1. 
   
   
       37 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , further comprising at least one fuel injection device coupled to said casing portion to inject fuel into said volume. 
   
   
       38 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 37 , wherein said at least one fuel injection device is positioned upstream of said at least one ignition device so as to injection said fuel prior to said combustion. 
   
   
       39 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 37 , wherein said volume is in communication with only one of said at least one ignition device and said at least one fuel injection device at any given time. 
   
   
       40 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein a plurality of volumes are captured by said interaction and at least one ignition device is coupled to each of said captured volumes. 
   
   
       41 . The positive displacement flow device of  claim 24 , wherein said material is made up of at least a fuel and an oxidizer and at least one of said fuel and oxidizer enters said positive displacement flow device from a source upstream of said device.