Vigriyanov rotary vane engine

A rotary-vane engine design was proposed back in 1910 . It was only proposed to come up with a mechanism for it, allowing the blades to move according to a certain regularity. In the sixties of the last century, the German company Klöckner-Humbold-Deutz ( German Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz ) conducted a study of this engine with a Kauertz mechanism ( German Eugen Kauertz ). The results were negative. One of the negative factors was the operation of the mechanism for converting the movement of the blades.

In 1973, the idea was developed for a new mechanism for converting the movement of the blades. The idea came simultaneously to O. M. Ivanov ( Tomsk ) and a group of people from Berdsk ( Novosibirsk region ) independently of each other. M.S. Vigriyanov had nothing to do with this. ^{[ neutrality? ]} He received information about the possibility of manufacturing a rotary vane engine only in 1978, when Ivanov, upon arrival in Berdsk, made the first prototype of this engine.

The Berd group did not continue to work on the engine due to internal disagreements. Ivanov created a group of three people: O. M. Ivanov - the author of the idea, M. S. Vigriyanov - patent engineer, V. A. Peremitin - locksmith.

At the Berd experimental mechanical plant (BOMZ), a working sample was made, which could not be launched for the simplest reasons, which became clear later. During the work with the sample, some disadvantages of this mechanism became visible. Ivanov proposed a new mechanism for converting movement, which could be easily made using affordable equipment. An engine with this mechanism was manufactured at the Institute of Thermophysics SB RAS . From the defective parts, a layout was demonstrated, demonstrated by Vigriyanov in the photographs.

They were interested in the development in Russia and abroad: Germans, Americans, Brazilians. It was supposed to simply check this circuit for operability, and if the engine worked for only five minutes, it would be completely satisfactory to the authors of the circuit. Tests have shown that, in principle, the engine is operational, but requires large improvements. Ivanov proposed the use of plate seals instead of channel seals in the version of Vigriyanov and made of graphite . The unresolved scheme of seals and lubrication of the shaft ends.

This engine was no longer manufactured. Academician Vladimir Nakoryakov, Director of the Institute of Thermophysics SB RAS, created a joint-stock company for the production of this engine. Ivanov's interests were not present in this case. Without the author, there was no one to modify the motor further. Vigriyanov’s authorship is to some extent called into question, since in fact there were no fundamental changes in the design of the engine, ^{[ neutrality? ]} Moreover, he could not continue development.

Two blades are mounted on a pair of coaxial shafts, dividing the cylinder into four working chambers. Each chamber in one revolution makes four working cycles (a set of working mixture, compression, working stroke and exhaust gas emission). Thus, within the framework of this design, it is possible to implement any four-cycle cycle.

The advantages of the Ivanov (Vigriyanov) engine (a rotary engine with uneven unidirectional (pulsating-rotational) movement of the main working element) are characteristic of any rotary engine:

• lack of a special gas distribution mechanism,
• high power density .

The disadvantages of this type of rotary engine are associated with the principle of organizing work processes in the structural design of processes. The scheme involves the removal of power from two different shafts (each connected to its own "rocker" with blades), moving unevenly - either braking, accelerating, alternating pulses (while somehow catching up, then stopping each other). Removing power from such “pulsating” shafts was extremely difficult. Coordination of their movement relative to each other is also required. Coordination is carried out by an extremely complex and cumbersome synchronization mechanism and a motion-rotation scheme from two shafts. In the photograph, this mechanism is visible on the back of the case - its diameter and width are larger than the disk of the working chamber itself, where work cycles occur. It is this uneven rotation of the two working shafts, their uneven, pulsating motion that determines all the difficulties in creating workable types of this subclass of rotary engines. In the prototypes of these engines created, huge inertial loads quickly destroyed the mechanisms used to coordinate the rotation of two shafts and associated rotor blades. For this reason, really and effectively working models of this type have not yet been created.

The disadvantages include, in particular, the high thermal intensity of the rotor, especially its blades. For powerful radar engines, an effective forced rotor cooling system is required.

In operation, the Ivanov (Vigriyanov) engine is equivalent to an eight-cylinder piston engine, since it implements four duty cycles in one revolution.

In 2002, an article ^[2] appeared in the media that the problem of the mechanism for converting the alternating motion of the blades into a constant motion of the shaft was allegedly solved: it is mentioned that the solution was reached using some kind of "differential mechanism". However, in the article cited there are no strict confirmations of this fact, but it is indicated that the engine could not be manufactured, according to the author, due to lack of finance.

• Rotary engine
• Rotary piston engine