US2992527A

US2992527A - Reaction motor power plant with auxiliary power producing means

Info

Publication number: US2992527A
Application number: US469352A
Authority: US
Inventors: Masnik Walter; Amboy Perth; Richard P Kirkup
Original assignee: Specialties Development Corp
Current assignee: Specialties Development Corp
Priority date: 1954-11-17
Filing date: 1954-11-17
Publication date: 1961-07-18
Anticipated expiration: 1978-07-18

Description

y 1 1961 w. MASNIK ET'AL REACTION MOTOR POWER PLANT WITH AUXILIARY POWER PRODUCING MEANS Filed Nov. 17, 1954 F (/5 L SUPPLY FUEL SUPPLY mwk CFUMP 5 19. m n w P M a n a United States Patent 2,992,527 REACTIQN MOTOR POWER PLANT WITH AUX- HJARY POWER PRODUCING MEANS Walter Masnik, Perth Amhoy, and Richard P. Kirkup,

Paclrauack Lake, NJ, assignors to Specialties Development Corporation, Belleville, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Nov. 17, 1954, Ser. No. 469,352 4 Claims. (Cl. 60--35.6)

This invention relates to reaction motors such as jet engines and rocket motors, and, more particularly, to a method of and a system for producing auxiliary power in connection with such motors.

Heretofore, in the production of auxiliary power for the operation of fuel pumps, hydraulic pumps, air compressors, generators and the like, it has been customary to draw the fuel required for the production of such power from an auxiliary supply or from the main fuel supply for the production of motive power. In either instance, the fuel used for the production of auxiliary power did not contribute to the production of motive power along with the main fuel supply, wherefore, in addition to the main fuel supply necessary for the generation of motive power, such systems necessitated the provision of a heavy, space consuming amount of auxiliary fuel stored together with the main fuel supply or separately thereof. Another difliculty heretofore inherent in certain types of reaction motors has been the lack of reliability in starting and in sustaining combustion.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to overcome the foregoing difficulties and disadvantages.

Another object is to provide an auxiliary power system for reaction motors wherein that portion of fuel which is used for the production of auxiliary power is also employed for the production of motive power.

Another object is to provide a continuous pilot flame to insure ignition of the main fuel supply in the combustion zone and to minimize the possibility of flameouts.

Another object is to provide such a system wherein a portion of the fuel supply is vaporized under pressure, is expanded to provide auxiliary power and is burned to provide motive power.

Another object is to provide such a system wherein auxiliary power is generated with only a negligible weight and space penalty for fuel therefor.

A further object is to provide such a system which is simple and compact in construction and efficient and reliable in operation. 7

A still further object is to provide a method of producing such auxiliary power for a reaction motor.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a schematic View of a system illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a reaction motor 10 of the ram jet type including a combustion zone 11 and conventional fuel injectors 12 for the delivery of fuel to the combustion zone. The fuel is pumped to the injectors from a receptacle or tank 14 through a main fuel supply conduit 15 by a pump 16.

The auxiliary power system comprises a source of fuel such as a tank 14, a fuel pump 17 provided with a return flow line 18, a speed control mechanism 20, a heat exchanger 21 and a turbine 24.

The speed control 20 may be any conventional apparatus for controlling the flow of fuel through the conduit 19 to maintain the desired turbine speed, and in this embodiment of the invention, the heat exchanger 21 consists of a coiled conduit disposed within the combustion zone 11.

In operation, fuel is delivered from the tank 14 through the conduit 15 and the injectors 12 into the combustion zone 11 where it is burned to provide motive power in the usual manner.

In accordance with the invention, fuel from the tank 14 is also conducted by the

conduits

15 and 19 to the pump 17, where it is placed under a desired head of pressure, through the speed control mechanism 20 and to the heat exchanger 21 in the combustion zone 11 where sufficient heat is absorbed to vaporize the fuel. In its vaporized state, the fuel is then delivered to the turbine 24 by the conduit 22. The vaporized, pressurized fuel is expanded in the turbine to operate the same to produce auxiliary power and is then delivered, still in its vaporized state, through the conduit 25, to the combustion zone 11 where it is burned to provide motive power and to supply heat to the heat exchanger 21.

The return flow line 18 serves to return a portion of the fuel from the downstream side of the pump 17 to the supply side thereof in case the pump delivers more fuel than the speed control 20 allows to pass.

Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawing, there is illustrated a system similar to that of FIG. 1, except that the heat for effecting vaporization is not derived from the combustion zone 11.

The pump 16 delivers fuel from the tank 14 through the conduit 15 to the injectors 12 and the auxiliary pump 17 delivers fuel from the conduit 15 through the connecting conduit 19, the speed control 20, the heat exchanger 21, the conduit 22 and the turbine 24, and the conduit 25 to the combustion zone 11. The pump 17 is provided with a return flow line, as described heretofore.

The heat required to efiect vaporization of the fuel is supplied to the heat exchanger 21 through a conduit 26 connecting the same with a decomposition chamber 27 which in turn is connected by a valved conduit 29 to a pressurized secondary fuel receptacle 30 for containing a suitable mono-propellant fuel.

In operation, fuel is supplied to the injectors 12 in the usual manner, and fuel from the same source is also pressurized by the pump 17 and vaporized in the heat exchanger 21, expanded in the turbine 24 and delivered to the combustion zone 11 where it is burned to provide motive power. In the present embodiment, heat for eifecting vaporization of the fuel is provided by permitting the pressurizedmono-propellant fuel to flow from the receptacle 30 through the valved conduit 29 to the chamber 27 Where it is decomposed to generate heat. The hot products of decomposition are then delivered through the conduit 26 to the heat exchanger 21, to vaporize the fuel to be supplied to the turbine 24, and thence through a conduit 31 to the combustion zone where they are burned to provide motive power.

In order to start the unit illustrated in FIG. 1, a portable heater may be inserted into the combustion zone 11 to provide heat for the vaporization of the fuel in the heat exchanger and the auxiliary devices such as the pump 17 may be temporarily operated by external power. As soon as suflicient fuel is vaporized to operate the turbine 24, the portable heater and the external power supply may be removed. Alternatively, a supply of pressurized, burnable gas may be injected into the conduit 22 to operate the turbine 24. The discharge of such gas into the combustion zone 11 may be ignited to provide heat for the vaporization of suflicient fuel to operate the turbine, whereupon the supply of pressurized burnable gas may be removed.

To start the unit illustrated in FIG. 2, it is merely necessary to provide a temporary source of external power for operation of the fuel pump 17 while decomposition of the secondary fuel is commenced by allowing the same to flow into the chamber '27 and heating the chamber, or by providing a suitable catalyst therein to promote decomposition of the fuel. The external power for the pump 17 may be removed when the turbine is in operation and providing auxiliary power and the external heat or the catalyst may be removed when the decomposition becomes self-sustaining.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple and compact auxiliary power system for reaction motors which is efficient and reliable in operation and wherein that portion of the fuel which is used to provide auxiliary power is also used to supply motive power with only a negligible weight and space penalty therefor. It will also be seen that the present invention provides a pilot flame to insure ignition of the main fuel supply and to minimize the possibility of flame-outs.

In addition to providing auxiliary power, the present system may be used as a starter. For example, where the reaction motor is of the turbo-jet type, the turbine may be employed to drive the main air compressor until sufficient air is provided in the combustion zone to support combustion of the main fuel supply after which the turbine may be disengaged from the compressor.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not many limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In a power plant, the combination of a source of liquid fuel, a reaction motor having a combustion zone wherein liquid fuel is burned, means for delivering a major portion of the fuel from said source to said motor and injecting the same into said zone wherein it is ignited to provide motive power, fuel throttling means, means for pressurizing a minor portion of the fuel and conducting the same from said source to said throttling means, means connected to said throttling means for vaporizing the throttled fuel, auxiliary power producing means connected to said vaporizing means to be driven by the expansion of the vaporized fuel, said throttling means being operated by said auxiliary power means, and means for conducting the expanded vaporized fuel from said power producing means to said motor and injecting the same into said zone concurrently with the first mentioned injected fuel and into the path thereof wherein it is ignited to provide additional motive power and a pilot flame for the first mentioned injected fuel.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said fuel vaporizing means includes a second source of fuel, means for decomposing fuel from said second source to produce heat, heat exchanger means for transferring heat from the decomposed fuel to said minor portion of the fuel from said first source, and means for conducting the products of decomposition of the second fuel from said heat exchanger means and injecting the same into said zone to provide additional motive power.

3. In a power plant, the combination of a source of liquid fuel, a reaction motor having a combustion zone wherein liquid fuel is burned, means for delivering a major portion of the fuel from said source to said motor and injecting the same into said zone wherein it is ignited to provide motive power, means for withdrawing a minor portion of the fuel from said source and pressurizing the same, means in fluid flow communication with said pressurizing means for throttling the pressurized fuel, means in fluid flow communication with said throttling means for vaporizing the throttled fuel, auxiliary power produc ing means in fluid flow communication with said vapon'z ing means and driven by the expansion of the vaporized fuel, said pressurizing means and said throttling means being operated by said auxiliary power means, and means for conducting the expanded vaporized fuel from said auxiliary power means to said motor and injecting the same into said zone concurrently with the first mentioned injected fuel and into the path thereof wherein it is ignited to provide additional motive power and a pilot flame for the first mentioned injected fuel, said vaporizing means being positioned to receive heat from the combustion of said vaporized fuel.

4. In a power plant, the combination of a source of liquid fuel; a reaction motor having a combustion zone wherein liquid fuel is burned; means for delivering a major portion of the fuel from said source to said motor and injecting the same into said zone wherein it is ignited to provide motive power; fuel vaporizing means; means for delivering a minor portion of the fuel from said source to said vaporizing means; auxiliary power producing means connected to said vaporizing means to be driven by the expansion of the vaporized fuel; and means for conducting the expanded vaporized fuel from said power producing means to said motor and injecting the same into said zone concurrently with the first mentioned injected fuel and into the path thereof wherein it is ignited to provide additional motive power and a pilot flame for the first mentioned injected fuel, said fuel vaporizing means including a second source of fuel, means for decomposing fuel from said second source to produce heat, heat exchanger means for transferring heat from the decomposed fuel to said minor portion of the fuel from said first source, and means for conducting the products of decomposition of the second fuel from said heat exchanger means and injecting the same into said zone to provide additional motive power.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS