Method for producing mechanical work
Technical Field
The invention pertains to the field of power plant engineering (power
engineering) and may be applied to convert kinetic and thermal energy of a
working medium into mechanical work.
Background Art
There are known methods for converting kinetic energy of a working
medium into mechanical energy in an engine with rotary motion of the
working element. For example, Patents US3282560, 11.01 .1966, CH669428,
15.03.1989, and RU2200848, 20.03.2003, cover methods for producing
mechanical energy in a gas turbine, where compressed gas energy is
converted in the blade system into mechanical work of the shaft. The working
medium is at the same time fed into the channels of the turbine rotor and
accelerated at the outflow from the channels, the rotation of the rotor being
provided.
Low efficiency of converting the internal energy of the working
medium into thermal energy and low efficiency of converting the thermal
energy of a compressed working medium into mechanical energy are common
drawbacks of known methods. The low efficiency of converting the thermal
energy of a compressed working medium into mechanical one is explained, in
particular, by the fact that (in the frames of a known principle of operation of
a heat engine) according to the second law of thermodynamics, the efficiency
factor of a heat engine does not depend upon its design and the type of the
working medium; rather, it is determined by the temperature difference of the
working medium inside the heat engine and at its outflow.
One of the feasible and effective techniques of utilizing the thermal
energy of a working medium to a fuller extent is its regeneration after being
used in a power turbine. In gas-turbine engines of conventional design,
however, regeneration of the thermal energy takes place in the heat exchanger
and does not result in a significant effect.
There are known methods for converting thermal energy into
mechanical work that consist in additional conversion of the internal heat of
the working medium into its kinetic energy, and further into mechanical
energy. The complementary kinetic energy is generated in this case from a
portion of heat that during known thermodynamic cycles is removed into the
heat receiver.
In other known methods, the complementary kinetic energy of a
working medium is extracted by means of directional spatial orientation of its
micro-volumes (Patent RU2 134354, 10.08.1999). According to methods
covered by Patents RU2006589, 30.01 .1994 and RU203 1230, 20.03. 1995, the
thermodynamic state of the working medium is changed before the latter is
introduced into the turbine, and rotary motion is imparted to the working
medium at different angles to the turbine rotor shaft. The flow conditions
created in this case for the working medium (in particular, specified
distribution of peripheral velocities of the working medium micro-volumes is
provided depending on the distance to the rotor shaft) are such that a portion
of its heat would spontaneously generate an increment to the rotary motion of
the working medium itself.
A known method for converting thermal and kinetic energies of a
working medium into mechanical work covered by Patent RU2084645,
20.07.1997, consists in the fact that before reaching the blades of a centripetal
turbine, the pre-compressed working medium is spirally swirled in a guide
assembly and then directed to an acceleration chamber to be expanded and
cooled, and after the dynamic pressure acts on the turbine blades, the working
medium is compressed. In this case a higher efficiency factor of conversion is
achieved by selecting an optimal angle of swirl for the working medium flow
in the guide assembly so as to ensure an increase in the velocity of a unit mass
of the working medium on approaching the axis of rotation. According to the
inventor, this is an essential condition for partial heat transition to rotary
motion without enlarging the volume of the working medium, and thus for a
higher efficiency factor of conversion.
The efficiency factor gain in the described method may turn out to be
less significant because of the need to match the blade shapes of the guide
assembly and the turbine.
Disclosure of Invention
The technical result which this invention is aimed at consists in the
development of an economical method for producing mechanical energy with
its relatively easy implementation.
The defined technical result is achieved by the fact that in the method
for producing mechanical work, which includes swirling of a pre-compressed
working medium, its expansion in an actuating device to produce mechanical
work in the form of rotation of the shaft of the actuating device, and discharge
of the working medium from the said device, the working medium is swirled
directly in the actuating device along a spatial trajectory in the form of a
conical helix, the projection of which on a plane positioned at an angle to the
axis of rotation is a curve having at least two breakpoints. A segment of the
curve may be shaped as a hyperbolic spiral. The lead of the conical helix in a
frontal plane passing through the axis of rotation may be made variable. The
working medium may be a liquid or a gas. The discharge of the working
medium from the actuating device may be accomplished by at least two jets.
In a particular case, the working medium is discharged to a closed shell. In a
particular case, the shell is made in the form of a blade turbine and mounted
with a capability of rotating.
According to the canonical analytic geometry, space trajectory of a
working medium as any second-order 3D curve can be uniquely represented
by its plane projection at an angle to the rotation axis wherein every point of
the curve on the plane corresponds with a point of the space curve. For that
reason in order to make an algorithm of execution of an announced trajectory
it is convenient to represent the space curve as its projection at an angle to the
rotation axis, particularly as its orthogonal projection (at a right angle to the
axis of rotation) shown in Fig. 1.
The conical spiral with at least two breakpoints represents a piecewise
smooth curve composed of three parts each described with following
canonical parametric equations:
1st part: a segment of the conical spiral (0< <ί )
= *b + ye2 +ze3 , (1)
x=at cos t, y=at sin t, z=bt,
where: e , e2, e3 are basis vectors,
x,y,z, t are temporaries,
a,b are constants chosen for maximum efficiency
ti,t2 are conical spiral breakpoints
2nd part: a segment of a straight line between inflection points (tit2) with the equation same as
(1)
Any segment of the curve mentioned above can be made in a shape of a
hyperbolic spiral. When the working medium moves along the hyperbolic
spiral an additional "vortex source" with considerable energy potential is
created. As a rule it is appropriate to do tail ends of the trajectory in this
manner, where the working medium jet outcome of the swirler takes place.
In this case a segment of the curve is described with the following
equation:
= £ , y =a ³ , z= bί , (3)
where: , b are constants chosen for maximum efficiency.
The distinctive feature of the suggested method is the fact that the
trajectory of the working medium move has breakpoints. The breakpoints on a
conical spiral are responsible (as the applicant reasonably affirms) for
discontinuous change in quantum-mechanical state of the system the working
environment represents. This change initiates the processes mentioned above
which impart additional heat release in the vortex and lead to the suggested
technical result.
The essence of the suggested method is the fact that the increment
velocity of the rotary motion is provided by generating the rotary motion from
a portion of heat removed to the heat receiver during implementation of
known thermodynamic cycles.
The method is based on a statement (proved scientifically and
experimentally) that heat release in a gas vortex is capable of inducing largescale
azimuthal motion, increasing the total flow circulation (Yusupaliyev U.
et al. "Heat Release as a Mechanism of Self-Sustaining of Gas Vortex Flow",
Applied Physics, 2000, No. 1, p. 5-10) [1]. This work analyzes the
mechanism of converting latent thermal energy into the kinetic energy of a
vortex flow and demonstrates the connection of the conversion factor with the
rotary velocity of the flow and the size (geometry) of the operating region of a
heat source.
The efficiency of converting thermal energy into the kinetic energy of
azimuthal motion is expressed as:
D ? c T , '
where DK- kinetic energy increment
AQ —thermal energy increment
Q - thermal energy
r 1 r2 - heat source boundaries (i.e., a heat source of T0 ocp
f(r) volume density is acting in a region confined by r < r < r2)
To- temperature of the heat receiver
cp - heat capacity of the working medium
It is also shown that the spatial spectrum of the rotary velocity of the
vortex core is determined by function f(r) in which r is a polar coordinate of
the heat disturbance region.
The suggested model gives a good description of processes occurring in
a vortex (tornado), where heat is released as a result of recombination and
aggregation of molecules.
On the other hand, the work by Akhiyezer A.I. and Berestetsky V.V.
"Quantum Electrodynamics", Moscow, Nauka, 1969 [2] demonstrates that
complementary energy may be released in the form of heat as a result of
production and destruction of electron-positron or other pairs of elementary
particles occurring in the process of creation of quantum-mechanical
resonance with the positron state of the Dirac's matter. As a trigger action
aimed at putting the system that contains the working medium into the
mentioned quantum-mechanical resonance, a required energy density per
volume unit of the working medium is created, as well as a required density
of momentum or of its moment. This is achieved by directional spatial
orientation of the motion of the working medium micro-volumes with the
provision of a step change in the quantum-mechanical state of the mentioned
system. Such forced motion of the working medium along defined trajectories
in the quantum-mechanical meaning of this concept provides phase changes
in the working medium micro-volumes near the trajectory breakpoints.
Therefore, heat release in the vortex is transformed into the rotary
motion of the working medium micro-volumes leading in its turn to additional
heat release. An avalanche process develops that results in imparting an
additional torque to the shaft and thus increases the efficiency of producing
the mechanical work.
The additional torque is imparted to the shaft as well by the working
medium outflow from the actuating device in at least two jets tangential to the
circumference in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shaft. The
dynamic pressure of the jets allows the internal energy of the working
medium to be used to the fullest extent.
The actuating device is enclosed in a rotatably mounted shell with the
formation of an annular space that maintains the working medium in full
volume for the purpose of its further regeneration in order to arrange a closed
work cycle of producing the mechanical work. If the shell and the actuating
mechanism mounted on the same shaft are rigidly coupled, energy loss may
be caused by the fact that according to the angular momentum conservation
law, the net torque created on the rotor is compensated for by a reciprocal
moment produced by deceleration of the used working medium on the inner
surface of the shell.
Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention
The method for producing mechanical work may be implemented in an
apparatus the best embodiment of which is described in this section. Fig. 2
represents the functional diagram of the apparatus. Fig. 3 represents a
schematic image of the actuating device design shown in section along the
axis of rotation of the shaft.
The basic element of the apparatus is actuating device 1 containing
guide assembly ("swirler") 2 that forms space trajectory for the working
medium. Swirler is a linear bushing with several channels in its body (two in
this particular device), each representing a conical spiral with two
breakpoints.
As has been mentioned above, the form of each of the channels is
described with expressions (1), (2) and (3), given predetermined values of
constants, swirler dimensioning specifications and the necessity to reach the
highest efficiency factor.
For the same reasons the step of the conical helix may be chosen as
variable.
On the basis of working formulae mentioned above the applicant
created a program under which a device with numerical control produces
mechanical work over a work piece in order to make channels of a required
form in its body.
Swirler 2 is rigidly secured on shaft 3, which is the axis of the
apparatus, and is enclosed in rotatably mounted shell 4. The shell of the
actuating device in a particular case is made in the form of a blade turbine.
There is a clearance between swirler and the shell allowing the working
medium to outflow from its channels. The actuating device is equipped with
inlet pipe branch 5 for the working medium and outlet nozzle 6 to discharge
the working medium from the actuating device.
Mechanically coupled to the shaft of the actuating device are
mechanical energy sink shaft 7 (for example, rotor shaft of an electric
machine) and compressor shaft 8. The compressor outlet closes on the inlet
pipe branch of the actuating device, while its inlet closes on the outlet pipe
branch for providing a closed cycle of producing mechanical energy.
In order to simplify the process of channels 9 implementation in the
work piece body, the latter may be composed of two parts.
The method for producing mechanical work is implemented as follows.
The working medium (water, viscous fluid, gas) pre-compressed in
compressor 8 is supplied via inlet pipe branch 5 of the actuating device to
swirler 2, where it is swirled along a trajectory determined by the shape of
channels 9 in its body. The working medium outflows through each of the
channels at a tangent to the circle lying in the plane perpendicular to the axis
of rotation of the shaft, generating reaction forces that impart torque to the
actuating device.
Heat released due to working momentum move on a calculated path
representing a conical spiral with breakings imparts additional torque to the
actuating device.
At high rate the flow enters a cavity enclosed in the shell and interacts
with the shell through friction. Lower friction loss is achieved by making the
shell capable of rotating or in the form of a blade turbine.
The rotation of the actuating device shaft causes the rotation of the
shaft of a mechanical user sink like the electric motor.
Used working medium returns from outlet nozzle 6 to the inlet of the
compressor for recycling.
Industrial Applicability
The method may be applied industrially to produce mechanical energy
in power engineering, transport and other industries for which the efficiency
of heat engines plays a major role.

Claim
1. A method for producing mechanical work, which includes swirling
of a pre-compressed working medium, its expansion in an actuating device to
produce mechanical work in the form of rotation of the shaft, and discharge of
the working medium from said device which is different that the working
medium is swirled in the actuating device along a spatial trajectory in the
form of a conical helix, the projection of which on a plane positioned at an
angle to the axis of rotation is a curve having at least two breakpoints.
2. A method according to claim 1, in which a segment of said curve is
shaped as a hyperbolic spiral.
3. A method according to claim 1, in which the lead of the conical helix
in a frontal plane passing through the axis of rotation is made variable.
4. A method according to claim 1, in which the discharge of the
working medium from the actuating device is accomplished by at least two
jets.
5. A method according to claim 4, in which the working medium is
discharged to a closed shell.
6. A method according to claim 5, in which said shell is made in the
form of a blade turbine and mounted with a capability of rotating.