US1305340A

US1305340A - Method and means fob propelling graft navigating fluid mediums

Info

Publication number: US1305340A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-06-03
Anticipated expiration: 1936-06-03

Description

L G. BOSTEDO. METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROPELLING cam NAVIGATING FLUID mamums.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3 197- I 1,305,340. PatentedJune 3, 1919.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I v r i m vww ,V/ I 1.

L. G. BOSTEDO. METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROPELLING CRAFT NAVIGATING FLUID MEDIUMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-3. 1917.

Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

r M m v UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

LOUIS G. BOSTEDO, DE LOS 'ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PROPELLING CRAFT NAVIGATING FLUID MEDIUMS. Z

'1' all who) it may concern:

Be it known that 1. Lotus G. Bos'rnno, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods/of and Means for Propclling Craft Nav gat ng Fluid Mediums, of which the followmg 1s a specification.

This invention relates to an improved method of and means for propelling air and water craft; the broad principle of the 1nvention being capable of useful application to the propulsion of air craft and surface and sub-surface water craft.

In the present known devices for effecting the propulsion of both air and water craft, all the propeller blades can do is to bat the molecules of the air or water and recelve the recoil from the molecules which they strike. It is the impact of the recoiling moleculescollectively their pressure-which pushes the craft forward. And a propeller blade is the craft travels, without the intervention of' any motor, engine or propeller blades or any other moving parts.

In its simplest and what might be termed its most rudimentary form, my invention employs a tube that constitutes in effect a gas expansion chamber. This tube has a relatively small inlet for air or oxygen at its front or forward end and a relatively large outlet for the products of combustionor expansion at its rear end, and to this tube,

where the molecules are energized by the heat of combustion, are applied a means for introducing, a ct or spray of fuel preferably in liquid or vapor form to mix with the air or oxygen, and a means for initlally igniting .the combustible charge. When adapted for the propulsion of air craft, theratio of the diameters of the front and rear openings is Specification of Letters Patent.

-front inlet are overcome by Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed August 8, 1917. Serial No. 184,362.

such that, after allowing for the vaporization of the fuelsprayed into the combustion chamber and the expansion of the products of combustion by the heat, the velocity of the outflowing gases is less than the velocity of the tube through space. Because of this, the gases seeking to flow out through the the superior pressure of the atmospheric air which, considered relatively to the tube, same as in an ordinary house furnace, except that in the present case the tube moves through the atmosphere, while the house enters it the furnace is stationary. Or, .in lieu of the latter, a continuous current of a1r or oxygen may be forced into the small end of the tube by means of a fan, positive blower, or air compressor, or by expansionof liquid air or oxygen by the heat of the atmosphere, or, when adapted for the propulsion of water craft, by the heat of the body of water on or in which the craft travels. a

In the simple form above outlined, the efiiciency of such a device would necessarily be somewhat limited for the reason that the volume of air which can pass through the largest tube that a craft could carry would over-cool the combustion chamber and thereby cause incomplete combustion. 'On the other hand, if enough fuel is burned to maintain good combustion, the exhaust gases will carry off too much unused heat.

To overcome'the foregoing objections, I

have devised a form of combustion tube wherein the air is preliminarily heated before entering the combustion chamber of the tube and mingling with the fuel, and Wherein the products of combustion pass from the combustion chamber directly into what I term an expansion chamber wherein they commingle with an additional volume of air entering through the front of the tube, expanding the latter, the exhaust passing in a continuous stream out of the rear end of the expansion chamber. This expansion chamher is preferably of considerable length so as to allow an, expansion of gases within the chamber down to at least the temperature of the surrounding air.

In order to facilitate aclear understanding of the principle of my invention, and to illustrate a practical embodiment thereof as applied tothepropulsion of air craft, reference is made to the accompanying drawings .gramatic form an apparatus by W knowh to and undelstood by those skilled in the art of. internal combustion motors and .the art of fluid fuel burning.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a longitudmal tion broken away between its ends through-the expansion chamber and taken on the line 1-1 of Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sections on the lines 22 and 33 of Fig. 1 respectively. Fig. 4 is a detail view similar to the left hand end of Fig. 1 and illustrating the application of a ositive air feeding device for the combustion chamber.

Referring a tube that constitutes the expansion chamber, this tube having an end wall 6 at its forward end and being open at its rear end, and of such a, length as theory and expenment may determine to afford the highest To and in advance of the forefliciency. ward end wall 6 are secured four

coaxial tubes

7, 8, 9 and 10. The tube 9 is closed at its forward end by the wall 11 and the Walls thereof are lined with fire brick or similar highl refractable material as indicated. Pre erably there is also applied to the outer side of the end wall 11 a protecting shield 12 of heat insulating material designed to permit the end wall 11 of the furnace to remain hot and practically unaffected by the cold air striking the same. The inner tube 10, which is open at its forward end, constitutes an air supply con-' duit and also a protective housing for an oil inlet tube 13 that terminates at its free end in a vaporizer or atomizer 14 designed to spray oil directly into the interior of the tube 9 which constitutes the furnace chamber.- The oil pipe 13 connects with an oil reservoir 15 in which a suitable air pressure is .maintained from a com 'ressed air tank 16, the pressure being a mitted and controlled by a valve 17 in the pipe 18 1 connecting the compressed air tank with so that the air enters the combustion chamber along with the vaporized oil through the open forward end of the inner tube 10.

In the end wall 6 of the expansion chamher are formed a series of openings 20' (Fig;

to the drawings, 5 designates 23 .with a series 0 2) that are disposed between and in alternating relation with the ducts 19, and through these openings the hot products of combustion pass from the combustion chamber into the expansion chamber formed by the tube 5. c

,The end wall 6 of the tube 5 is further formed with a. series of openings 21 through which the larger body of cold air' entering between the tubes 7 and 8 is permitted to flow into the expansion chamber.

Suitable dampers are employed to control the amount of air flowin to the combustion and expansion cham ers respectively. In the drawings I-have indicated a sleeve damper 21 surrounding the combustion chamber tube 9 opposite the ducts 19 and formed with holes 22 which may be brought more or less into register with the outer I ends of the ducts from the operators .seat

.by suitable connections including a link (Fig. 3). Mounted on the inner face of the end wall 6 is a ring damper 24 rotatably mounted in supfporting lugs 25 and formed openings 26 adapted to be brought more or less into register with the holes 21, as shown in Fig. 2, said ring damper being likewise controllablefrom the seat of the operator through suitable con nections including a link 27.

The combustion chamber is further equipped with means for initially igniting the dicated at 28 connected, of course, to a switch-controlled ignition circuit and generator.

e1 such as an ordinary spar plug in- From the foregoing it will be seen that distance to lnsure its being well heated. It

then turns inward through the ducts 19 into the central inlet tube 10, passing the atomizer and mixing with the atomized hot oil as it enters the combustion chamber or furnace This arrangement provides for maintaining a white hot continuous fire in the furnace, whose thick refractory walls do not lose more heat than is required to heat the incoming cold air taken by the inner air tube for the furnace. As stated, the front end of the furnace is shielded by' the cap 12 from the'direct impact of the atmosphere.

The relatively large, expansion and mixing chamber 5 is made large enough to give the cold air entering through the openings 21 time to mix with the hot products of combustion'before the mixture discharges into the atmosphere in the rear. 'To avoid unnecessary waste of heat the walls of the expansion chamber 5 are likewise lined throughout thelr forward portion with heatinsulating material indicated at 29.

The several chambers and passageways are so proportloned as to attain the highest eflican be unduly increased without unduly.

I diminishing the other, and experiment will best determine the proper relative proportions that will yield the highest efficiency. Furthermore, it is desirable to discharge the gases at a temperature as nearly as possible down to that of the atmosphere, this condition being controlled by the insulation and the dimensions of the expansion chamber. It is theoretically possible to allow the discharging gases to acquire a velocity and momentum that will so rarefy them as to lower their temperature below that of the atmosphere; and in this case I propose to' pass them through a rear discharge section with much conducting surface and of good conductin material like aluminum, this being indicated at 5 in Fig. 1. This will permit the atmosphere to supply enough heat to restore thetemperature of discharge to that of the atmosphere, thus maintaining the maximum velocity as well as efiiciency.

' tural conditions will admit.

Since the immediate cause of propulsion is the forward impact of molecules against the inside front ends of the furnace and expansion chamber, it follows that it is desirable to have the heat of combustion energize the gases as near these surfaces as the struc- In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 andthus far described .there has been assumed no pressure upon the inflowing cold air, other than that of the entering draft due to the forward motion of the craft. There are two practical ways by which increased air draft may be secured if found desirable. In the first case, the propulsive device shown and described maybe employed as an auxiliary propeller along with a standard mechanical propeller such as is now used, and in this case the increased speed due to the presence of the standard propeller will create a much stronger air draft, which is equivalent to the mechanical draft of a fan in accelerating the entrance of the air. The other way is to use forced mechanical draft, such as a rotary fan or blower which I have indicated at 30 in Fig. 4, the discharge of such blower being connected directly to the front end of the tube 8 which supplies the air for combustion. With mechanically forced dra'ft, especially if it is of the positive air-compressor type in which the air slip is negligible, the operation can be under higher pressure and intensified. Higher discharge velocities can be utilized,

and the combustion and expansion chambers may be smaller in proportion to thepower developed.

. I claim: v

1. A method of effecting propulsion of a craft or vehicle, which consists in contin uously burning fuel within a combination furnace and expansion cha-In'ber open at its rear or trailing end and of such form and dimensions that the roducts of combustion expand laterally. as t ey flow from the furnace to the exhaust, lowering their temperature to approximately that of the enveloping medium, t ereby applying the latent energy of the fuel to maintaining the workin 'propulsive pressure of the. said products 0 combustion during their expansion, which pressure continuously urges the craft or vehicle and the exhaust products of combustionin opposite directions.

. 2. A method of effecting propulsion of a craft or vehicle, which consists in continuously burning fuel in a heat-insulated furnace carried by the craft or vehicle, conducting the products of combustion directly from the furnace into an expansion chamber and thereby reducingtheir temperature'to approximatelythat of the enveloping medlum whlle maintaining their pressure above that of the enveloping medium, and discharging said products directly from the expansion chamber into the enveloping medium, whereby substantially all of the latent energy of the fuel is-applied' to maintain the working propulsive pressure of they products of combustion at the maximum volume of discharge into the enveloping medium.

3. A method of efiecting propulsion of a craft or veh1cle, whic'h consists in continuously burning fuel in a furnace carried by 1 which the expansionis limited to an extent at'which the temperature will be the most favorable for perfect combustion, and, second, the expansion-chamber stage in which the expansion is sufficient to lower the temperature and condition the velocity to the point of most efficient reaction; thereby applying the fuel energy to maintaining the working pressure of the products of combustion throughout their expansion.

4. A method of effecting propulsion of a craft orvehicle, which consists in maintaining a continuous flow of fuel and a combustion supportin fluid into a furnace carried by the said craft or Vehicle, and a continuous flow of the products of th'eir combustion from the furnace intoand through an expansion chamber, and thence discharging into the envelopin medium at a working pressure substantially constant, but with the entrance pressure kept sufliciently above the exhaust pressure to maintain the required supply of fuel and combustion-supporting fluid; the expansion of the fluids occurring in two stages, namely, first, in the furnace by combustion to a temperature favorable to perfect combustion at the conditioned working pressure, and, second, in the expansion chamberto the volume which will bring the temperature to approximately that of the enveloping medium at the conditioned discharge pressure; thereby converting the maximum portion of the fuel energy into the increased molecular energy ofthe products of combustion -required to maintain their working pressure throughout their expansion.

5. A method of effecting propulsion of a craft or vehicle, which consists in maintaining bycontinuous combustion in a combination furnace and expansion chamber carried by said craft or vehicle the working propulsion pressure of a' continuous stream of fluids which are kept flowing through said furnace and expansion chamber, said fluids comprising fuel and air or oxygen when they enter the furnace, and the products of their combustion plus additional air or oxygen when they enter the expansion chamber; the relative dimensions of the entrance, exit, furnace and expansion chamb enbeing such that the expansion of the stream of fluid in the furnace is just sufficient to condition the temperature of perfect combustion, and in. the expansion chamber the temperature is lowered and the velocity conditioned to the point of most efficient reaction; thus utilizing the utmost portion of the fuel energy in maintaining the maximum volume of the motive fluid at the working propulsion I pressure.

6. A propulsive device for craft navigating a fluid medium, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigidly attached to the craft and closed at its forward end and open at its rear or trailing end, and means for effecting by internal combustion a continuous and substantially uniform expansion of an expansible fluid within said propulsion-tube.

7. A propulsive device for craft navigating a fluid medium, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigidly attached to the craft and open at'its rear or trailing end, means for continuously supplying a combustible fluid to said tube, and means for initially igniting said combustible fluid in said tube.

8. A propulsive device for craft navigating a fluid medium, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigidly attached to the craft and open at its rear. or trailing end, means for continuously supplying fuel and a combustion-supporting agent to said tube, and

means for initially igniting the fuel in said tube. V

9. A propulsive device for craft navigating a fluid medium, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigidly attached to the craft and open at its rear or trailing end, means for continuously supplying acombustible fluid to said tube, and means for initially igniting said combustible fluid in said tube, said tube being of sufficient size to permit the products of combustion to expand down to substantially the temperature of the surrounding fluid medium before being disber to mingle with and be expanded by the products of combustion from said combustion chamber.

11. A propulsive device for air craft, consisting of apropulsion-tube rigid with the craft and open at its rear or trailing end, the forward portion of said tube constitutand constituting an expansion chamber communicating with said combustion chamber, means for supplying a combustible fluid to said combustion chamber, means for initially igniting said combustible fluid, and means for admitting air to said expansion chamber to mingle with and be expanded by the products of combustion from said combustion chamber, said expansion chamber being of suflicient' size to permit the gases therein to expand down to substantially the temperature ofthe surrounding atmosphere before being discharged into the latter.

12. A propulsive device for air craft, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigid with the craft and closed at its forward end and open at its rear or trailing end, the forward portion of saidtube constituting a combustion chamber or furnace and the-rear portion being' of larger diameter and constituting an expansion chamber communicating at its.

forward end with the rear end of said combustionv chamber, .a tube surrounding said combustion chamber and forming with the latter an annular passage for the intake and preliminary heating of air to support combustion, an air conduit leading from said annular passage to the interior of said combustion chamber through the rear end ing a combustion chamber or furnace and the rear portlon belng of larger dlameterv of the latter, means for supplyingfuel to the combustion-chamber, means for lnitially igniting the fuel, and means for admitting air to said expansion chamber to commingle with and-be expanded by the products of combustion therein.

13. A propulsive device for air craft, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigid with the craft and closed at its forward end and open at its rear or trailing end, the forward portion of said tube constituting a combustion chamber or furnace and the rear portion being of larger diameter and constituting an expansion chamber communicating at its forward end with the rear end of said com-- bustion chamber, an air inlet tube extending inwardly of the combustion chamber from the rear end of the latter, a tube surrounding said combustion chamber and forming with the latter an annularpassage for the intake and preliminary heatin of air to support combustion, an air conduit leading from said annular passage to said air inlet tube, an outer tube surrounding the second named tube and forming therewith an annular passage in communication with said expansion chamber and serving to admit atmospheric air to the latter, means for supplying fuel to the combustion chamber, and means for initially igniting the fuel in the combustion chamber.

14. A propulsive device for air craft, consisting of a propulsion-tube rigid with the craft and closed at its forward end and open at its rear or trailing end, the forward portion of said tube constituting a combustion chamber or furnace and the rear portion being of larger diameter and constituting an expansion chamber communicating at its forward end with the rear end of said combustion chamber, an air inlet tube extending expansion chamber and serving to admit atmospheric air to the latter, all of said tubes being arranged coaxially with each other and with said combustion and expan sion chamber, means for supplying fuel within said air inlet tube, means for'controlling the amounts of air admitted to said combustion and expansion chambers, and means for initially igniting the fuel in the combustion chamber.

LOUIS G. BOSTEDO.