Abstract

Although rotary engines can potentially be used as hydrogen fuel engines, the contact condition between the casing and the apex seal on the triangular rotor impacts sealing performance, which then directly affects leakage problems. In this paper, therefore, a rotary engine’s internal gas flow characteristics are investigated by using the CFD package FLUENT to construct a fluid analysis model. For comparative convenience, assuming that the simulated gas is air, and then, using a set circular radius outside the casing, analyze three different cases with various geometric design parameters (the K factor) and their effects on the internal pressure, streamlining, and leakage. The results indicate that the K factor design produces different rotor profiles with different working chamber volumes: the lower the K factor, the larger the working chamber volume. Nevertheless, although this design can improve the combustion and compression efficiencies, it may lead to increased internal pressure variation and raised pressure. In addition, when the clearance is small, it may result in a larger leakage problem, negatively affecting rotary engine performance.

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