Viscous fluid type heat generator with an additional chamber for storing viscous fluid

摘要

A viscous fluid type heat generator including a housing assembly defining a heat generating chamber and an additional chamber communicated through fluid passageway means with the heat generating chamber, these chambers forming a fluid-tight chamber for accommodating a viscous fluid, and a heat receiving chamber for permitting a heat exchanging fluid to circulate therethrough to receive heat from the heat generating chamber. A rotor element is mounted on a drive shaft for rotation together therewith in the heat generating chamber with a gap defined between the inner wall surfaces of the heat generating chamber and the outer faces of the rotor element. The fluid passageway means includes a fluid withdrawing passageway for withdrawing the viscous fluid from the gap into the additional chamber and a fluid supply passageway for supplying the viscous fluid from the additional chamber into the gap. The fluid withdrawing passageway includes a withdrawing channel formed along one of the inner wall surfaces of the heat generating chamber. The withdrawing channel extends up to and opens to an outer peripheral region of the heat generating chamber to communicate the outer peripheral region with the additional chamber.