GB2165310A

GB2165310A - Using ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications

Info

Publication number: GB2165310A
Application number: GB08425012A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Taha Khalil Aldoss; Yousef Salameh Hussein Najjar
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-10-03
Filing date: 1984-10-03
Publication date: 1986-04-09
Also published as: GB8425012D0; GB2165310B

Abstract

Two ramjets 1 located diametrically opposite, move on a circular rail 7 and turn the driven machine 43 through a gearbox 46. Airfail shaped support arms 2 create sufficient lift to compensate for the weight of engine and arms and reduce turning resistance due to drag. The power producing system is enclosed in a circular structure 13 with a suction fan 15, to provide intake air, fan supports 42 acting as guide vanes and cooling air flow around gearbox and load. An exhaust system comprises a volute casing 16 (Fig. 6) with an exhaust pipe 17. A rotating joint 10 (Fig. 5) is installed to enable transferring the electrical and fuel supplies from stationary sources to the relevant devices in the rotating system. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Using ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications This invention relates to using ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications.

Although the gas turbine and the reciprocating engines have served the industrial fields, they still have their own drawbacks. The ramjet is similar to the turbojet engine. It compresses the incoming air by ram pressure, adds heat at high pressure, converts the thermal energy to velocity and produces thrust.

Thus the ramjet is able to operate without mechanical compressor or other moving parts.

However, the ramjets have been used in the aeronautical field only. Moreover, they use costly aviation fuels. Thus, using ramjets as prime movers in the nonaeronautical applications will invoke their advantages of having non-rotating elements, simplicity of construction and installation and the consequent reduction in the initial and running costs, less operating problems and higher specific power than the currently used prime movers such as the reciprocating and gas turbine engines. Furthermore, it will be insensitive to fuel type. The simplicity of its design will not require very skilled manpower for installation, operation and maintenance.

According to the present invention, two ramjets are located diametrically opposite and move on a circular rail. Two arms of airfoil section connecting them drive the shaft of the generator, pump or ship propeller. This airfoil shape serves the purpose of reducing drag resistance of the connecting arms plus creating enough lift to compensate for the weight of both arms and the engines. These arms are moderately twisted to take care of the radial change of their linear velocity. A small turbojet engine could be used for starting each of the ramjets. The overall system is enclosed inside a cylindrical structure, to which fresh air is continuously fed by a suction fan, with guide vanes to straighten the flow, at the top of the structure thus serving two purposes: supplying inlet air to the ramjets and cooling the gearbox and the driven machine.The exhaust of the engines is collected circumferentially in a volute casing leading to the exhaust pipe. This will take care of getting rid off the exhaust gases and leaving the air at the core of the circular structure clean and not contaminated with the burned gases good for engines intakes. Fuel and low voltage electrical supplies to their relevant systems pass through a rotating joint concentric with the driven shaft.

These supplies will continue through the shaft, the overhead module and the connecting arms to the engines. The electrically driven fuel pump is installed in the module. The system could use crude fuel oil.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to accompaying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the elevation view of the arrangement; Figure 2 shows the supporting mechanism and the rail; Figure 3 shows the lower side of the driving shaft with the rotating joint; Figure 4 shows a sectional plan view A-A in Fig. 1 which depicts the volute exhaust casing; Figure 5 shows the details of the rotating joint; Figure 6 shows a sectional plan view B-B in Fig. 7 of the module; and Figure 7 shows a detailed drawing of the module.

In the ramjet the air is compressed into two stages. External supersonic compression is considered the most important. The subsonic compression inside the diverging section of the diffuser is smaller but bears on the ramjet structure and actually transmits the thrust force from the air to the ramjet. As the combustion gases leave the exit nozzle, their temperature and velocity are several times higher than those of the entering air.

The two ramjets 1 are connected by two moderately twisted arms 2 as shown in Fig 1.

To enable the ramjets to turn the driven shaft 3, they move from static conditions by a small turbojet engine 4 for each, to maintain the balance of the rotating system. The ramjets have supports 5 with rollers 6 to facilitate their rotation on a circular rail 7. The details of this support are shown in Fig. 2. The fuel and low voltage electrical supplies 8 and 9 pass through a rotating joint 10. This is shown in Fig. 3. Both lines pass through the driving hollow shaft 33 to a module 11 which contains an electrically driven fuel pump 12.

Both supplies then continue through the connecting arms to the engines. The electrical supply will feed the igniters and the fuel supply will feed the atomizers of both the ramjets and the starting turbojets.

The ramjets operate inside a cylindrical structure 13. The fresh air is continuously introduced through circumferential set of apertures 14 by a suction fan 15 installed at the top of the structure. The fan's supportings 42 are used as guide vanes to promote matching of the rising air flow with the fan. This will cool down the driven machine 43 and the gearbox 44 in addition to supplying fresh air to the engines. The gearbox is carried by scantlings 50 supported by the circular structure.

The exhaust system comprises a volute casing 16, which leans on resilient pads 52 and ducts the exhaust gases to an exahust pipe 17 then to a silencer 18. This leaves the intake air uncontaminated. Fig. 4 shows a sectional plan view A-A in Fig. 1 which depicts the volute exhaust casing.

-Fig. 5 shows the details of the rotating joint. The low voltage electrical cable 9 is connected to a stationary cupper ring 19. The rotating carbon brush 20 then transmits the electric current from the cupper ring 19 to cable 21 which continues its way to the electrical auxiliaries. The carbon is maintained in contact with the cupper ring by a spring 48 and nut 49. Fuel from the supply tank (not shown) flows through a stationary pipe 8 to the rotating pipe 28 then to the engines. To prevent fuel leakage, a mechanical seal is used. It consists of a rotating disc 34 and a stationary carbon ring 26 with lapped mating surfaces. An adjusting mechanism for the seal comprises a nut 23, steel ring 35, steel cup 25 and a spring 24. The mechanical seal housing 31 and its cover 30 encompasses the joint arrangement.O-ring 21 is used to prevent fuel from leaking through the gap between the carbon ring 21 and pipe 8. The thrust ball bearings 29 help the fuel pipe 28 to rotate easily with respect to the stationary pipe 8.

The rotating joint arrangement is fixed to the gear box housing 44 by a flanged tube 46 as shown in Fig. 3. The two parts of the rotating fuel pipe are joined by a coupling 47 to facilitate dismantling the rotating joint for inspection and maintenance. The upper part of the rotating fuel pipe is fixed and concentric with the hollow driving shaft.

Fig. 6 shows a sectional plan B-B in the detailed drawing of the module (Fig. 7). The module consists of two hollow halves of a cylinder 36 and 37, each welded at the end of a connecting arm. An electrically driven fuel pump 12 is installed inside the cavity 38.

Cover 39 eases maintenance and replacement of the fuel pump. The bottom part 40 connects the module with the driving shaft 33 through a flange 41. All the four parts are connected together with strong bolts.

Claims

1. Remjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications comprise two ramjets located diametrically opposite and move on a circular rail. The airfoil shape of the two arms serves the purpose of reducing drag resistance of the connecting arms plus creating enough lift to compensate for the weight of both the arms and the engines.

2. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 wherein a circular structure with a chimney encompasses the above arrangement with a suction fan at the top. Thus helping to provide continuously fresh air for breathing the engines and cooling the driven machine and the gearbox.

2. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 2 wherein a circular structure encompasses the above arrangement with a suction fan to provide continuously fresh air for breathing the engines and cooling the driven machine and the gearbox.

3. The supportings of the suction fan as claimed in claim 2 are used as guide vanes to promote matching of the rising air flow with the fan.

4. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the hot exhaust gas from the remjets are collected in a volute type casing installed around the engines path and then drafted out to the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe. Thus preventing the contamination of the intake air of the engines.

5. Ramjets as prime movers nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 and 4 wherein a silencer at the top of the exhaust pipe is provided to supress the noise of the discharged exhaust gases.

6. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 wherein a small turbojet engine is installed with each of the ramjets as a starter. This will maintain balance of the rotating system.

7. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 wherein a rotating joint is installed to help in connecting electrical and fuel supplies from a stationary fuel tank and a stationary electrical source to their relevant devices which are parts of the rotating system, such as fuel pump, atomizers, starters and igniters.

8. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 or claim 7 wherein the fuel pump is installed in the module, outside the rainjets, thus facilitating the pump maintenance and replacement.

9. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as claimed in claim 1 wherein a proper gearbox is used to step down the speed of the driving shaft to a speed convenient for the driven machine.

10. Ramjets as prime movers in nonaeronautical applications as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS New claims or amendments to claims filed on 11.5.85.

Superseded claims 2, 5, 9.

New or amended claims: