US3000174A - Process for effecting the propulsion of rocket and jet engines - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 3,000,174 PROCESS FOR EFFECTING THE PROPULSION 0F ROCKET AND JET ENGINES Richard S. Vose, 225 N. Princeton Ave., Swarthmore, Pa. No Drawing. Filed Feb. 18, 1954, Ser. No. 411,250 2 Claims. (Cl. 60-354) This invention relates to fuels or propellants for rocket and jet engines and to the method of preparation and use. The fuels are applicable to the class called airstream engines, in which oxygen is taken from the surrounding atmosphere by compression of the air or by other means. The fuels are also applicable to the group designated as the true rocket motors wherein oxygen is supplied in the form of liquid oxygen or as some compound readily giving up oxygen.

The air stream engines are commonly operated by burning gasoline or kerosene with air delivered into the combustion chamber by means of a rotary compressor for the turbojet engines, or the atmospheric oxygen is compressed by ram effect in the ramjet engines. For example, fuel such as either ANF 28 gasoline or NAF 34 kerosene has been used with well-known turbojet engines to power the new jet aircraft in this country. The solid propellant rocket motors commonly use composite solid propellants of the monopropellant type and the liquid propellant rocket systems use liquid dipropellants comprising oxidizer and fuel adapted to liquid bipropellant rocket motors.

Comparative energy release studies show that liquid hydrogen is the most powerful of them all, the maximum theoretical jet or exhaust velocity of hydrogen and oxygen being 17,000 feet per second. But liquid hydrogen is not as ideal a rocket fuel as this figure may seen to indicate, principally because, with its boiling point approaching the temperature of absolute zero and its latent heat being small, there is excessive loss from evaporation even with the best of thermal insulation. Of great theoretical value has been rnonatomic hydrogen. If some way could be found to liquefy hydrogen in its monatomic state, and preserve its monatomic nature until it could be burned in a rocket motor, it would be of great practical value, and there would be a tremendous gain over ordinary liquefied diatomic hydrogen. The conversion from monatomic hydrogen to ordinary diatomic hydrogen would alone produce heat-energy corresponding to a theoretical jet velocity of 67,000 feet per second. Strong indications, moreover, are that metallic compounds will replace current types of fuel in jet and rocket engines, thereby offering an increase of combustion efficiency of up to twenty times that of conventional fuels. Only the eventual use of atomic energy appears to offer more promise than metallic compounds. The metallic compounds that are known for this use are based on boron and aluminum.

One object of this invention is to prepare a fuel that contains large quantities of liquefied hydrogen that can be stored in its liquefied state without the usual losses due to its boiling. A further object is to prepare a fuel that contains liquefied hydrogen in its monatomic state and preserves its monatomic nature for a reasonable length of time until it can be utilized in a rocket or jet propulsion engine. Another object is to prepare a fuel that contains alkali metals. These metals are the opposite of those whose use has been noted. The boron and aluminum referred to were used not as free elements but rather as compounds, whereas the alkali metals can be used as elements. When used as elements, the alkali metals have the largest atomic volumes whereas boron and aluminum have the smallest atomic volumes. This is often taken to mean that the constituent particles of these elements with the largest atomic volumes approximate more nearly the condition of the particles of a gas. More-. over, the alkali metals in their elemental form manifest an unusual affinity for oxygen, thus being free from the usual ignition requirements for metallic fuels that are compounds rather than being elemental in nature. Among other objects that will be hereinafter apparent there is the modification of these liquefied hydrogen and metallic fuels to further increase their power and efficiency. My invention relates to the treatment with sodium of petroleum, petroleum distillates and petroleum residues with the object in mind of preparing therefrom a metallic fuel containing liquefied hydrogen; with a large excess of alkali metal, carrying out the treatment in such a manner that the principal result is the liquefaction by adsorption of large quantities of hydrogen gas that is liberated from the oil by the alkali metal. I have discovered the surprising fact that examination of the alkali metal and the liquefied hydrogen subsequent to the preparation and adsorption of the hydrogen indicates a quantity of hydrogen that can be best explained as being due to the presence of monatomic hydrogen that was liquefied by adsorption as formed in its nascent state.

The use of metallic sodium for the purpose of improving the qualities of hydrocarbon fuels and lubricating oils is known, but such processes involve the subsequent removal of the metallic sodium particles. The known use of sodium is as a refining agent for the hydrocarbon liquid, and as is illustrated in my earlier process described in Vose Patent No. 2,055,210, for Process of Producing Lubricating Oil, the products produced by the processes are characterized by the refining action imparted to the hydrocarbon liquids. So far, however, as my process involves, broadly, as a single step thereof, the production of a hydrocarbon material containing metallic sodium, that is not, per se, the invention herein described; nor is the removal of the metallic sodium contemplated, but on the contrary it is of necessity retained in the ultimate product.

My process for preparing metallic fuels containing large quantities of liquefied hydrogen, part of which, or most of which, is monatomic hydrogen, involves the use of a comparatively large amount of metallic sodium at a temperature above its melting point. Previously, as in the case of the Vose patent referred to above, in treating heavy oils such as lubricating oils with sodium metal there was evidence of not only dehydrogenation of some of the constituents of the oil but also subsequent hydro-v genation of the oil. My present process requires, as a differentiating feature from my prior process, that the hydrogenation step be substantially completely eliminated, thereby producing new products not previously known in my prior process. It also requires that the sodium be used in a finely divided or colloidal state in order to furnish the required surface area of alkali metal for rapid adsorption of hydrogen gas so as to liquefy it as produced in the nascent state. This process of preparing hydrogen and liquefying it with alkali metals is simple. No recovery of sodium for re-use is required. No other effects on the oil than dehydrogenation are required and in the absence of the step of hydrogenation new and useful products not known in my prior process are obtained. There are other differences between my prior process and my present process that involve the steps of separation of the products formed in the processes. It has been found that new steps of separation produce new separation products.

The present process comprises mixing petroleum, petroleum distillate, petroleum residue or other hydrocarbon oil with the proper amount of sodium, heating the mixture to the temperature required to melt the sodium,

Patented Sept. 19, 1961 say about 250 F., and then passing the oil-sodium mixture through a colloid mill, magnetic oscillator, or homogenizer to reduce the sodium to colloidal form, by which I mean to include a quasi-colloidal form. While the preferred temperature to which the hydrocarbonsodium mixture is heated is, as stated, about 250 F., it may vary within the range 200 F. up to but preferably not above the temperature to which it is subsequently heated.

It is necessary, in order to secure substantial dehydrogenation, to have the sodium in colloidal or quasicolloidal suspension in the oil. It is preferred, if not necessary, in order to secure the maximum dehydrogenation, to use 250 to 1000 grams of sodium per liter of oil; or 250 to 1000 parts by volume of sodium to 1000 parts by volume of oil; or 250 to 1000 parts by weight of sodium to 900 parts by weight of oil.

Another marked difierence between the production of my new ignitable oil sodium-adsorbed hydrogen mixture is that the process as practiced in my earlier patent required a time varying from three times to ten times as long. The result of this longer treatment was that while, in my patented process, an initial and transitory point in the process doubtless imparted to the mixture a markedly oxidizable and ignitable state because of dehydrogenation and adsorption of hydrogen by the sodium, the subsequent continued treatment swung the mixture back through the stability of the initial state and into a markedly non-ignitable and non-oxidizable state because of hydrogenation. In my present process I discovered that if the time factor was markedly reduced to the point that there would be, so to speak, no substantial back swing of the pendulum, a mixture would be produced capable of releasing enormous energy by oxidation or by thermo; nuclear ignition.

To this statement I should add the fact that in the patented process oxidation tests were applied both to the final lubricating oil and to the mixture before filtration to efiect removal of the sodium and hydrogen. Neither product was found to be an oxidizable fuel. Both were markedly resistant to oxidation and ignition.

In my patented process, how much adsorbed hydrogen was in the unreacted sodium is a matter of uncertainty and speculation. That some hydrogen was so adsorbed is stated in the patent, but no ratios are given. In fact, the context indicates that the amount, in the product before separation of the sodium and hydrogen, was so small its presence was asserted more by inference and logic than by any quantitative determination of its quantity and ratio. In my new composition it was determined that the ratio of adsorbed hydrogen to sodium metal is never less than 360 to 1 by volume and may be as high as about 980 to 1 by volume.

The mixture is then passed through a heater wherein it is heated to the temperature at which it is desired to have the reaction take place. This temperature may be within the range 200 F. to not above the boiling point of the hydrocarbon, but is preferably and conveniently in the neighborhood of 400-450 F. Since the upper limit of temperature is the boiling point of the hydrocarbon, this upper limit of temperature at which it is desired to have the reaction take place is dependent upon the pressure under which the reaction takes place. The higher the pressure the higher is the boiling point of the hydrocarbon and hence the higher is the upper limit of the temperature that can be used. By the use of suitable high-pressure equipment, reaction conditions can be produced so that there is no temperature above which the reaction cannot go. The heated mixture is then passed into a reaction chamber and maintained at this temperature until the adsorption from the hydrocarbon oil of hydrogen by the alkali metal is complete. The length of time for the hydrogen preparation varies according to the type of oil being used. Upon completion of the reaction step by dehydrogenation of the hydrocarbon oil with the simultaneous adsorption of the hydrogen by the sodium, the mixture of unreacted oil, sodium and hydrogen is passed to a centrifugal filter or filter press, from which is obtained the sodium metal containing condensed hydrogen and admixed oil. This step of filtration is applied for one or two purposes, the purpose depending upon whether the sodium is in true colloidal form or in quasi-colloidal form. If the sodium is in true colloidal form, the step of filtration has the purpose of removing from the mixture of true colloidal sodium containing condensed hydrogen and admixed oil all other matter that can be filtered out and thus leave the colloidal sodium-hydrogen-oil fuel clean and free from matter that would clog or otherwise interfere with the use of the fuel as a component of a liquid dipropellant in the propellant lines and orifices of a liquid bipropellant rocket motor. 0n the other hand, if the sodium is in quasi-colloidal form, the step of filtration has the purpose of concentrating in the form of a filtercake the quasi-colloidal sodium-hydrogen-wetting oil fuel in a solid form that is suitable to act as a matrix in which to cast solid oxidizer particles so as to prepare a composite solid monopropellant for use in solid propellant rocket motors. Filtration may be carried out after the mixture is cooled to 75 F., but hot filtrations in the case of heavy oil mixtures are preferable. The temperature of filtration varies according to the type of oil being used.

Particular oils for starting hydrocarbon materials are 26 API catalytic cycle stock, 5 API residue from 26 API catalytic cycle stock, 26 API vapor phase cracking stock, 8 API residue from 26 API vapor phase cracking stock, 26 API regular thermal cracking stock, 8 API residue from 26 API regular thermal cracking stock, 20 API regular thermal cracking stock, 5 API residue from 20 API regular thermal cracking stock, 14 API regular thermal cracking stock, 8 API residue from 14 API regular thermal cracking stock, 14 API viscosity breaking stock, 5 API residue from 14 API viscosity breaking stock. The preferable time of treatment with sodium is approximately 4 hours for 5 API residues, 6 hours for 8 API residues, 10 hours for 14 API charge stocks, 13 hours for 20 API charge stocks and 20 hours for 26 API charge stocks. Hot filtration involves a temperature of about -182 F. when the furol viscosity at 122 F. is less than 30, 143- 199 F. when 30-40, 148-205 F. when 4045 and 210-265 F. when 45-300.

The procedure that has been described may be a batch process. Iit is to be understood, however, that the process can be carried out in a continuous manner. For instance, oil and sodium in the proper proportions may be kept in the reaction chamber until a sample of the sodium upon withdrawal shows that it has reached the degree of hydrogen condensation desired. When the sodium has reached such a state, fresh sodium-oil mixture may be continuously charged to the reaction chamber at a slow rate while reacted sodium-oil mixture is continuously withdrawn from the reaction vessel at the same rate that the fresh mixture is charged. The reacted sodium-oil mixture may then be continuously passed through a filter.

Two examples of the process as applied to a fresh charge and to a recycle cracking stock are as follows:

From what has been hereinbefore stated it will be understood that any of the alkali metals or alloys of these metals such as NaK may replace sodium, but sodium is preferred. Beryllium resembles lithium in enough respects so that it too may be the equivalent of sodium and the alkali metals, as also may magnesium which is closely related to beryllium. This property of adsorbing hydrogen that was discovered in this process to be the equivalent to that adsorption of hydrogen that takes place with palladium black is also shown by platinum black, but to a less extent than with sodium and with palladium. This property of sodium in this process is shown, although to a less marked degree, also by iron, cobalt and nickel.

The fuel composed of finely divided sodium and liquefied hydrogen wet with oil may be modified. For example, carbon may be added in the form of powdered coal, coke or charcoal. As another modification, sulfur in any form, including flowers of sulfur, may be added to the mixture. The products of combustion of carbon and sulfur are gaseous and produce high exhaust velocities.

It has been stated hereinbefore that to secure the maximum dehydrogenation the ratio of sodium to oil should not be less than 250 grams of sodium per liter of oil. The upper limit of the percentage range of sodium to oil cannot be quantitatively defined, because it varies with numerous conditions, such as with temperature,

times of heating and reaction, and notably with the degree of subdivision of the sodium. The maximum ratio of Sodium to oil is restricted by the fact that the sodium must not reach that amount at which the mixture would become plastic, gel-like or solid, the upper limit being thus governed by the fluidity requirements of the mixture. It should retain its fluidity during the step of treating and cooling. It should be understod, however, that when the mixture forms a filter cake as above described it does not possess fluidity but is a solid instead. With the above qualification the starting mixture should contain 250 to 1000 parts by volume of sodium to 1000 parts by volume of oil, or 250 to 1000 parts by weight of sodium to 900 parts by weight of oil.

It will of course be understood that the oil-alkali metalhydrogen fuel herein described, when used as a propellant for rocket and jet engines, is oxidized, preferably by combination with a dipropellant oxidizing agent, by which I mean any oxidizing agent that is suitable in combination with hydrogen, hydronitrogens, hydrocarbons and other fuels to form a liquid propellant that is adaptable to a bipropellant rocket or jet engine that contains oxidizer tank, fuel tank, thrust chamber and lines connecting the propellant tanks to the thrust chamber. By dipropellant oxidizing agent I mean to include gaseous or liquid oxygen, gaseous or liquid air, gaseous or liquid ozone, the peroxides, the higher oxides as well as the unstable basic oxides of the type of those of copper, silver and gold, the oxy-acids including nitric, nitrous, chromic, chloric and the other oxy-acids of the halogens and their salts, the halogens including iodine, fluorine, chlorine and bromine, permanganic acid and its salts, potassium ferricyanide, tetranitromethane, and chlorine trifluoride, all in a fluid form. When in fluid form, these are all dipropellant oxidizing agents and they comprise the oxidizer component of dipropellants of which the second component is the fuel herein described.

It will thus be understood that the term oxidizing agen is not intended to include any substance possessing such oxidizing properties that it can either become oxidized or engender oxidation, but is intended to be limited to substances that can only engender oxidation. It will thus be understood that while, in the practice of my invention, any oxidizing agent, as I have defined that term, can be used, it is not intended to include any substance possessing oxidizing properties as I have defined that term.

A dipropellant is a liquid propellant that is especially 75 adapted for use in liquid propellant rocket systems or jet power plants. The two components of a dipropellant are kept separate, one in the oxidizer tank of the rocket or jet engine and the other in the adjacent fuel tank, until such time as they are transferred separately through different propellant lines to the thrust chamber where they are mixed with resultant combustion. The term hypergolic designates dipropellants that are self-igniting upon being mixed in the thrust chamber, as opposed to dipropellants that must be sparked to start the firing process upon the mixing of the component propellants in the thrust chamber.

In contrast, a monopropellant is a solid propellant that is especially adapted for use in solid propellant rocket motors. A monopropellant is a heterogeneous mixture, consisting of inorganic oxidizer particles cast in a matrix of organic fuel. The grain size, shape and porosity of the cast monopropellant determine whether it is a slow-burning propellant or a fast-burning one.

As has been stated above, when the sodium is in colloidal form and the oil-alkali metal-hydrogen fuel is the clarified liquid filtrate resulting from the filtration step, said fuel is especially adapted for liquid bipropellant rocket systems and jet power plants. But on the other hand, when the sodium is in quasi-colloidal form and the oil-alkali metal-hydrogen fuel is the solid filter-cake resulting from the filtration step, said fuel is especially adapted for solid propellant rockets when mixed with solid nitrate oxidizer, solid chlorate oxidizer, and with any other of the dipropellant oxidizing agents listed above that can be obtained in the solid state, by casting the solid oxidizer particles in a matrix of the solid oil-alkali metal-hydrogen fuel, the resultant monopropellant then being formed into grains of suitable size, shape and porosity to give a slow burning propellant or a fastburning one as desired.

The simplest molecular hydrogen is diatomic hydrogen. There are three isotopes that have the chemical properties of hydrogen: ordinary hydrogen, H; deuterium, D; and tritium, T. Consequently, with three isotopes, H, D and T, the following molecules are possible: HH, DD, TI, HD, HT, DT. 0f these the simplest, HH, consists of two types: ortho- (symmetricalor alpha-) and para- (antisymmetricalor beta-), which differ slightly in physical properties; as, specific heat; vapor pressure. The types are explained by the different spins of the two nuclei; moreover, orthohas even rotation quantum numbers whereas para has odd numbers. At room temperature hydrogen consists of 25% ortho-hydrogen and para-hydrogen.

So far as concerns the claims directed to the fuel, my invention contemplates the inclusion in the mixture of hydrogen of any of the types and isotopes above described.

By the specific illustrative process hereinbefore described, hydrogen is absorbed in the monoatomic form and it is also absorbed in the molecular form. It should be understood, however, that any mixture of oil, alkali metal and any type and isotope of hydrogen is an oxidizable mixture possessing decided advantages over known oxidizable fuel.

The percentage of adsorbed hydrogen in the final prodnot will vary considerably with the variable factors of ratio of sodium to oil in the starting mixture, with the temperature and time of heating and reaction, and with the degree of subdivision of the sodium. The sodium will usually adsorb between 360 to 980 times its volume of hydrogen, but the volume of adsorbed hydrogen may be outside this range under some operative conditions.

It will also be understood that, starting with any given percentage of sodium to oil the percentage of sodium to oil will be somewhat higher in the finished product, since some oil will be lost with the sludge. The permissible range of sodium to oil may be approximately stated to be: by volume, 250 to 1000 parts of sodium to 1000 7. parts of oil; by weight, 250 to 1000 parts of sodium to 900 parts of oil.

While the process as hereinbefore described contemplates the adsorption of hydrogen by the sodium by heating the oil-sodium mixture, it is possible to introduce hydrogen into the oil-sodium mixture by other means. Thus, deuterium, D, and tritium, T, may be dispersed as a gas in the mixture and be adsorbed by the sodium. Such a mixture containing deuterium and tritium requires no oxidizing agent to make it function as a fuel.

The ignition required to eifect a fusion reaction with the hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium is obtainable by means known in the art, for example, by the use of a thermonuclear propulsion pile.

Thus there have been described above three forms of fuels or propellants for rocket and jet engines: (1) solid monopropellant consisting of ordinary hydrogen, H, that is adsorbed in sodium wet with oil to give a matrix of fuel wherein is cast solid oxidizer particles; (2) liquid dipropellant consisting of ordinary hydrogen, H, that is adsorbed in sodium wet with oil to give a liquid fuel, said fuel being subsequently mixed with a liquid oxidizer in a thrust chamber with either simultaneous spark ignition or hypergolic ignition; (3) atomic propellant consisting of deuterium, D, and tritium, T, adsorbed in sodium wet with oil to give a fuel that is either liquid or solid as desired, said fuel being used without an oxidizer by means of its ignition by a thermonuclear propulsion pile. In addition to these above three forms of propellants, there is a fourth form: (4) atomic working fluid for thermonuclear pile propulsion. The atomic working fiuid consists of ordinary hydrogen, H, adsorbed in sodium wet with oil, said working fluid being usable without an oxidizer, the impulse of the working fluid being derived from the energy liberated by the thermonuclear propulsion pile and from the conversion into diatomic form of that part of the adsorbed hydrogen that is in the monatomic form.

It is to be understood that for the case of these four forms of propellants and working fluids that in the fuel component consisting of hydrogen adsorbed in sodium wet with oil, the hydrogen may comprise the three isotopes H, D and T and the six molecules HH, DD, TT, HD, HT, and DT.

In each of the four forms of propellants and working fluid, the hydrogen component may comprise, and by preference should comprise, the nine variants of hydrogen shown. Therefore, the differences in the four forms of fuel may result, and preferably should result, from the preponderance of one form of hydrogen, although the eight other forms of hydrogen are present, the preponderating form in each of the four fuels being ordinary hydrogen H; or deuterium, D, with relatively small quantity of tritium, T, to serve as a booster to speed up the ignition. However, the important fact is that all nine forms may be present in all four embodiments of the invention. The preponderating form only was mentioned because by so doing there was provided a means of classification of the four fuels.

The four forms of fuel are essentially identical for the reason that the hydrogen content may not differ in kind but only in the proportions of the nine variants of hydrogen present. Thus by varying the proportions of the variants of hydrogen so as to provide the optimum conditions for the desired adaptability, solid fuel may be used with oxidizer as in (1) with chemical ignition, and also without oxidizer as in (3) with thermonuclear ignition. Moreover, liquid fuel may be used with chemical ignition with oxidizer as in (2), with thermonuclear ignition without oxidizer as in (3), and without ignition and without oxidizer as in (4) with thermonuclear impulse plus self impulse. However, all these mixtures are in fact oxidizable and ignitable.

The hydrogen in the fuels may be the same in kind but different in proportions of variants of hydrogen in order to provide for two different kinds of ignition and also for the case of no ignition. In the case of the three propellants (1), (2) and (3) the results may be the same regardless of difierences in the kind of ignition used. In the case of the working fluid (4) the result is different, but only because there is no ignition of the fuel.

This new fuel in any of its four forms of adaptability that were described for illustrative purposes is capable of release of energy that varies in power according to the composition of the hydrogen, but under all conditions of variation it is indeed a powerful fuel. For example, when the hydrogen comprises its variants in the proportion to give the optimum release, the fuel may be ignited either with or without an oxidizer with a release of power that may be catastrophic. On the other hand, when the hydrogen comprises its variants in proportion that attenuates the power release, it may be ignited either with or without an oxidizing agent with a controllable release of power that may be put to new and useful purposes.

When the optimum variant composition of the hydrogen in this new fuel is present, for the sake of safety, it is desirable to dispense with oxidizing agents and thus limit its ignition to thermonuclear or other atomic energy devices. When the composition of the hydrogen is suitable for attenuated release of power, the use or nonuse of an oxidizing agent is preferable according to the comparative conveniences and availabilities of the devices for handling oxidizing agents or for applying thermonuclear energy for the ignition. However, it must be kept in mind that the enhanced power of this new fuel is so marked that its use for any purpose must be carried out with precautions that are not necessary for less powerful fuels.

An explanation that may in part explain the heightened power of the fuel, apart from known facts about the hydrogen isotopes, is that adsorbed, intensely active hydrogen is combined with colloidal, intensely energetic sodium metal, or its equivalent, to produce a combined activity that has been enhanced greatly over the sum of the two intensified activities comprising the combined one. This unexpected augmentation by combination of known activities is new, and useful for power purposes, particularly for propulsion.

An example of this new fuel in attenuated form and used with an oxidizing agent is given below, and a comparison with known jet propulsion fuels is given also as an aid in understanding the new fuel.

Fuel JP-l ZIP-3 New Process Oxidizer Liquid Liquid Liquid Oxygen Oxygen Oxygen Chamber Presa, p.s.i.g 300 300 300 Chamber Temp., F 5, 470 5, 020 6, 000 Oxidizer Fuel Wt. Ratio 2. 5 3. 0 3.0 Specific eat Ratio 1. 22 1. 22 1. 22 Effective Exhaust Velocity: c=gl=it.

sec 7, 780 7, 090 9, 660 Specific Impulse: I=lb. thrust/1b. iuel/ sec.=c.lg.=lb.-sec./lb 242 220 300 Aromatic Content, vol. percent 15 29 6 Availability, percent of bbl. of crude oil- 10 5O 50 It will be understood that in the final composition (before liberation of energy as hereinbefore described) the ratio by volume of each ingredient relative to the other two will vary dependent upon whether the product is in solid or liquid phase. In the solid product, produced as described, the ratio of oil to sodium and the ratio of oil to hydrogen would be much in excess of those ratios in the liquid fuel, with no necessary difference in the ratio of sodium to hydrogen. comparison is informative:

Liquid fuel Hydrocarbon oilzsodium metal 1000:250 to 1000 Sodium metalzadsorbed hydrogen 1:0.42 to 1.15 Hydrocarbon oilzadsorbed hydrogen 1000:105 to 1150 Solid fuel Hydrocarbon oilzsodium metal 1000:1250 to 2000 Sodium metalzadsorbed hydrogen 1:0.42 to 1.15 Hydrocarbon oil: adsorbed hydrogen..- 1000:525 to 2300 In the above table the ratio of hydrogen is expressed in liquid phase. Expressed in gas phase the ratio would be about 850 times that specified. It cannot be assumed that all the hydrogen may be liquid phase. It will be understood, therefore, that the ratio of sodium to hydrogen is that specified or its equivalent in mixed phase.

In referring to sodium I mean to include and be limited to sodium in colloidal or quasi-colloidal form and in referring to colloidal sodium I mean to include quasicolloidal sodium as an equivalent.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 177,761, filed August 4, 1950, for Fuel Especially Adapted for Rocket and Jet Engines, now abandoned.

What is claimed is:

1. The process of effecting the propulsion of rocket and jet engines which comprises preparing a mixture of a hydrocarbon oil and sodium in the proportion of 250 to 1000 parts by volume of sodium to 1000 parts by volume of oil, heating the mixture to a temperature within the range of 200 F. to below the boiling point The following 1'0 of the hydrocarbon oil until the adsorption by the sodium of the hydrogen produces a mixture of sodium, hydrogen and oil in which the ratio of sodium to hydrogen is within the range 1 to 0.42 and 1 to 1.15, depositing the sodium-oil-hydrogen mixture so produced in the engine and by admixture therewith of an oxidizing agent liberating the energy of the mixture to eifect propulsion.

2. The process of effecting the propulsion of rocket and jet engines which comprises preparing a mixture of a hydrocarbon oil and sodium in the proportion by volume of 250 to 1000 parts of sodium to 1000 parts of oil, heating the mixture to a temperature within the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Vose Sept. 22, 1936 Hansley et a1. Dec. 18, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Journal of the American Rocket Society, No. 72, December 1947, pages 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 32. (Copy in Scientific Library.)