WO2009154507A1

WO2009154507A1 - Alternative current generator and hypersonic pulsating jet engine based on

Info

Publication number: WO2009154507A1
Application number: PCT/RU2009/000171
Authority: WO
Inventors: Aleksey Vladimirovich Danilin
Original assignee: Aleksey Vladimirovich Danilin
Priority date: 2008-06-18
Filing date: 2009-04-07
Publication date: 2009-12-23

Abstract

The sphere of application for this invention is power industry, transportation, aviation and astronautics, namely generation of electric power for the independent power supply of mobile and fixed devices, such as electric heating and illumination of the homes, rotation of the electric engine of a car, generation of the effective jet thrust of aerospace flying vehicles with the help of electromagnetic accelerator of ionized fuel combustion products. Invention has the purpose to generate electric power from the chemical reaction of the detonation combustion of the fuel with high efficiency - more than 50% - and high specific power of more than 5 kW/kg, as well as the possibility to convert energy generated in the kinetic ener of the reaction products with the speed of escape of more than 50 km/s.

Description

Alternative current generator and hypersonic pulsating jet engine based on it.

The sphere of application for this invention is power industry, transportation, aviation and astronautics, namely generation of electric power for the independent power supply of mobile and fixed devices, such as electric heating and illumination of the homes, rotation of the electric engine of a car, generation of the effective jet thrust of aerospace flying vehicles with the help of electromagnetic accelerator of ionized fuel combustion products.

There is a known method and device of transforming a flow of an ionized substance into electric power by the patent RU 2109393 C1 (class H02K 44/00, 1995). According to the said method, an ionized gas flow is formed through interaction with combustion chambers as high pressure areas moving in a circle carrying charges of the opposite polarity. Electric power is taken from magnetic core windings connected through electromagnetic inductive forces with moving volume charges. The said device contains a toroidal channel, combustion chambers, thermoelectrodes connected through positive feedback with magnetic core exciting windings. The described method of generating electric power is the closest to the claimed method, but requires more fuel consumption, has lower efficiency and specific power values. The prototype device has a complex structure comprising not less than six combustion chambers connected to the toroid channel.

There is a known device of a pulsating jet engine by the patent RU 2300005 C2 (class F02K 7/04, 2006). The said device contains a cylindrical combustion chamber, cavity pipe, inlet pipes placed oppositely, an injector and spark plug, a vortex prechamber in the front part of the combustion chamber. The device operates due to the intensified mass transfer in the combustion chamber resulting in the accelerated quasi-detonation combustion. The drawbacks of the device are low pulsating frequencies and insufficient pressure surges due to the incomplete combustion of a portion of the fuel mixture in the detonation mode.

Alternative fuel cells have a greatly higher cost, a more complex structure, a heavier weight per unit of power. There are no procedures for generating a powerful jet thrust with the use of an electromagnetic charged particle accelerator.

The objective of the invention is to set up conditions for fuel combustion in the detonation mode and to transform thermal energy into electrical one, and further into the energy of an electromagnetic jet thrust having the efficiency of over 50% with the specific weight of the proposed devices below 0.2 kg/kW, the pulsating frequency above 600 Hz, the escape speed of the reaction products above 50 km/sec. This objective is solved in the following way. The fuel components such as hydrogen and air are supplied under pressure into mixing chambers and though fast-acting valves into detonation combustion chambers placed facing each other and connected though nozzles and the working channel into a single unit. The reaction products are removed through a symmetrical exhaust system in the electric power generator or through a charged particle accelerator. The fuel mixture is combusted in the detonation mode attained with the specific speed of the shock wave in the working channel. A high-temperature catalyst in the form of a catalytic electrode facilitates detonation with the lower speed of the shock wave, and ionization of the reaction products during the operation of the generator. The high pressure area of the shock wave during the detonation combustion of a portion of the fuel mixture gains additional energy as a pressure surge 20 - 60 MPa and moves to the opposite combustion chamber, and the pressure of gases in this combustion chamber becomes lower than the pressure of the mixing fuel components before the valve, which makes it open and admit a new portion of the fuel mixture. The quantity and quality of the supplied fuel mixture depends on the input pressure of the fuel components and is designed to provide the speed of the shock wave in the active chamber not below the speed of initiation of the detonation in all operation modes of the device, except startup.

A number of electrons are separated from ions by an electromagnetic pulse in the magnetic core encompassing the combustion chambers due to the supply of a voltage pulse to its input winding at the moment of the detonation combustion of the fuel mixture. This pulse corresponds to the time of the detonation combustion of the fuel and the escape of the reaction products from the combustion chamber and amounts to several dozens of milliseconds, the force of the electromagnetic induction having such a direction that it accelerates ions toward the escape from the combustion chamber and free electrons toward the catalytic electrode which has at this moment high positive voltage supplied from the high-voltage winding of this magnetic core. The other end of the high-voltage winding is switched on to the thermionic emission electrode in the exhaust system where the exhaust gases are deionized. The removal of the electrons from the combustion chambers forms in the high pressure area of the shock wave a positive volume charge which reciprocally moves along the working channel and induces alternating voltage in the output windings of several magnetic cores encompassing this channel. The higher the value of the electric power consumed the more the electromagnetic induction force impedes the passage of ions along the working channel axis, which facilitates accumulation of a higher volume charge over several cycles of the generator operation. To compensate for a very high electric field with charges of 1 coulomb and more, a number of ring isolated capacitor coatings are installed in the working channel which are connected in parallel by an external electric circuit. This connection allows the compensating negative charge in the conductor to easily pass from one coating to another through the external circuit, whereas the positive charge moved by the shock wave passes through the magnetic cores and generates electric current in the respective output windings.

The structure of an alternator contains a fuel component pressure control, mixing chambers, quick-acting valves, detonation combustion chambers connected through nozzles with the working channel, an exhaust system, magnetic cores with output windings, magnetic cores of the combustion chambers having input and high-voltage windings, catalytic and thermionic emission electrodes, balancing capacitor coatings. Combustion chambers, nozzles, and the fuel channel are made of dielectric with effective (mirror) reflection of heat inside the housing. Balancing capacitor coatings are isolated from a volume charge in such a way that their capacity might be as high as possible. The device is actuated by initiating detonation combustion by electric discharges of the required power and frequency obtained when switching the output of the high-voltage winding connected with the thermionic emission electrode, to the electrically conductive valve casing or to starting electrodes introduced to the combustion chamber for that purpose.

The claimed body of operations, elements, and connections allows the set objectives of generating electric power to be solved through optimizing thermal power transformation. Heat losses in a combustion chamber are low, for the reaction progresses very quickly, and the temperature of the walls can be maintained at a level somewhat lower than that of the fuel mix self-ignition. Further on, the reaction products pass in a diverging nozzle, transforming their thermal power into kinetic one. In the described process, with the optimization of the geometry, shape, and the housing internal surface, thermal power losses will be less than 40% of the total combustion energy. The ionization of the high pressure area of the shock wave facilitates a reduction in losses due to gas viscosity. The transformation of the reciprocal motion of the shock wave carrying a volume charge into electric power takes place with the efficiency of over 90%, as in an alternating current transformer. Thus, the total heat losses of the total fuel combustion energy in this device amount to less than 50%, and the efficiency of transformation of thermal energy into electric one is above 50%, which solves the fist claimed objective of the invention.

The weight of the device is mainly comprised of the weight of the housing with the gas channels and the weight of the magnetic core. The specific weight of the housing of heat-resistant, dielectric, composite materials will be less than 0.05 kg/kW. The weight of the magnetic core able to operate at the frequency of an alternating electromagnetic field over 600Hz with high efficiency will be less than 0.15 kg/kW, which in the aggregate results in the specific weight of the entire device less than 0.2 kg/kW and solves the second claimed objective of the invention. The design of a hypersonic pulsating jet engine differs from an alternator in the structure of the exhaust system. One of the internal detonation combustion chambers is joined with an output detonation combustion chamber and further, with an exit nozzle, therewith setting up a reactive exhaust system. The internal detonation combustion chambers maintain the shock wave velocity in the fuel channel at a level required for initiating detonation combustion of fuel mixture portions newly supplied to them, and for initiating detonation combustion of fuel in the exit chamber. The exit nozzle is connected with an electromagnetic charged particle accelerator in the form of a pipe section of dielectric material encompassed by several magnetic cores with windings, to each of which voltage pulses are induced with such phase displacement so that the passage of the gas high pressure areas carrying a positive volume charge might be accelerated. Thus, the energy of the electromagnetic braking of an ionized shock wave in the working channel transforms into the energy of the electromagnetic acceleration of such a wave in the exit channel. For a volume charge of a high magnitude to pass, in the exit devices of such an engine ring capacitor coatings are installed interconnected through an external electric circuit and connected with the thermionic emission electrode at the exit of the device. When the weight of the ionized gas passing in the working channel exceeds the weight of the ionized gas in the exit channel ten times, the velocity of ions at the exit of the charged particle accelerator will be more than 50 km/sec, which solves the third objective of the proposed invention. The said weight ratio is attained through changing critical cross-sections in the combustion chambers.

The claimed body of operations, elements, and connections allows the set objectives of the invention to be solved through optimizing transformation of thermal energy into electric and kinetic energy.

When studying the known technical solutions in this sphere the body of features distinguishing the claimed invented has not been identified. This technical solution substantially differs from the known ones, does hot clearly ensue from the state of the art and, correspondingly, has a level of invention.

Because the claimed solution can be realized with modern means and materials, it is exploitable.

The enclosed drawings explain the essence of the proposed method and the device for its realization.

Fig. 1 shows the basic components of the alternator transforming the energy of the motion of shock waves into electric energy. Fig. 2 shows the basic components of the hypersonic pulsating jet engine. As an example, a mixture of hydrogen and air is used as fuel. The following is marked on the drawings:

1 - fuel component pressure regulation system,

2 - compressed air jet,

3 - compressed hydrogen jet,

4 - mixing chamber,

5 - fast-acting valve,

6 - internal detonation combustion chamber,

7 - catalytic electrode,

8 - high-voltage winding,

9 - high-voltage switchboard,

10 - electric power control and transformation device,

11 - input winding,

12 - combustion chamber magnetic core,

13 - internal nozzle, 14 -working channel, 15 - exhaust system,

16 - thermionic emission electrode,

17 - exhaust system jet, 18 - magnetic core,

19 - output winding,

20 - atmospheric air compression device,

21 - balancing capacitor coating,

22 - exit detonation combustion chamber,

23 - exit nozzle,

24 - exit channel,

25 - charged particle accelerator magnetic core with winding.

The alternator shown in Fig.1 contains pressure regulation system 1 through which fuel components are supplied to corresponding jets 2 and 3. Further on, the fuel components are mixed in mixing chamber 4. Fast-acting valve 5 has a movable stop component of a light and strong material. Fuel mixture enters internal detonation combustion chambers 6, where with the help of catalytic electrode 7 and an electrical discharge of the required power the mixture is burned in the detonation mode. To form electric discharges, high-voltage winding 8 is used, one of the outputs of which during the startup is switched to the valve body though high-voltage switchboard 9. Voltage pulses are supplied from the electric power control and transformation device 10 to input winding 11 of the magnetic core of combustion chamber 12. At the very beginning of startup, electric discharges in two detonation combustion chambers occur with a frequency depending on the distance between these chambers which determines the initial resonance frequency of the device startup.

Two detonation combustion chambers are connected through nozzles 13 and working channel 14 into a single unit. In the process of starting up the device energy is accumulated in the working channel in the form of a reciprocal shock wave the speed of which is increased through raising simultaneously the pressure of the fuel components and the repetition rate of electric discharges. The shock wave speed is increased in the course of less than several seconds to such minimal necessary speed at which the energy of the passage of this wave is sufficient for compression, ignition, and pulsed explosive combustion of a newly supplied portion of the fuel mixture. At this moment the high-voltage switchboard is opened, and the device goes into the mode of initiating detonation combustion with the aid of a shock wave. For the mixture of hydrogen with air, in the absence of a catalyst, the minimum speed of a shock wave in the fuel channel will amount to 2.5M of the local speed of sound, where M is the Mach number.

When detonation combustion of fuel occurs in any of the chambers, the control system sends a voltage pulse several dozens of milliseconds long to the input winding of the magnetic core of this combustion chamber. Inside the chamber an electromagnetic induction force occurs which speeds up ions toward the working channel, and the electrons toward the catalytic electrode at which at the time there is high positive voltage. The catalytic properties of the electrode in combination with electromagnetic forces make it possible to remove the electrons into the device exhaust system 15 through thermionic emission electrode 16 where the spent gases are deionized. The cross section of exhaust system jet 17 is rated, based on the maximum power of the device, so that the value of the averaged pressure in the working channel does not exceed the set value.

A shock wave in the form of an ionized area of high pressure of gases moves reciprocally and interacts with magnetic core 18 due to the electromagnetic induction force inducing alternating voltage in output winding 19. The pulses of the pressure of gases in the exhaust system or part of the generated electric power are used to compress atmospheric air in corresponding device 20. To eliminate the strong electric field brought about by the volume charge, balancing capacitor coatings 21 are installed and connected through an external circuit with each other, and also with the thermionic emission electrode.

The hypersonic pulsating jet engine shown in Fig. 2 is different due to the structure of the exhaust system. One of the internal detonation combustion chambers is connected with exit detonation combustion chamber 22. The surges of the pressure of the reaction products in this chamber are transformed into kinetic energy with the help of exit nozzle 23. In output channel 24 the shock waves carrying a positive volume charge are additionally sped up through supplying voltage pulses to the windings of the magnetic cores of charged particle accelerator 25 in the respective phase.

To realize the proposed devices, housings are made of a non-magnetic, heat-resistant, non-porous, dielectric material. Balancing capacitor coatings are isolated with a material of high dielectric permeability and heat resistance. For the inducing windings of combustion chambers the ferrite cores are used. Magnetic cores of the working channel are made of amorphous iron. Catalytic electrodes are produced based on the high-temperature catalyst, such as nickel. Modern radio components are used in the system of control and energy conversion. These basic materials are cost-effective and available for the mass production. Separate assemblies have been designed and modeled for the claimed invention. The best fuel for the devices presented is hydrogen, because it has the highest combustion speed and ecological safety.

The simplicity of design and high frequency of the generated electric current, more than 600 Hz at the length of the working channel of less than 1 m, allow to reduce many fold the weight and dimensions of the devices, which are used as the independent electric power generators. The jet thrust with the additional electromagnetic accelerator allows reaching the Solar system planets with higher speed at less volume of consumed actuating medium, and the movement around the Earth can be done at the hypersonic speed using hydrogen and oxygen located on board of a space-plane as a fuel.

Claims

Claim 1. The method of direct transformation of the energy of pulsed detonation combustion of fuel into electric energy based on taking energy from the passing substance flow differing with that into detonation combustion chambers the fuel mixture is supplied the ignition and detonation combustion of which are ensured with the help of a shock wave passing reciprocally in the working channel with the speed higher than necessary for initiating detonation combustion and carrying in itself a positive volume charge that induces through electromagnetic induction forces in the output windings of one or several magnetic cores encompassing the working channel the alternating voltage supplied to electric power consumers.

Claim 2. An alternator transforming the energy of the reciprocal motion of a shock wave carrying a volume charge into electric energy, containing the working channel and the system of supplying fuel components differing with that the fuel components are supplied through fast-acting valves into detonation combustion chambers facing each other and connected through nozzles and the working channel into a single device manufactured from a dielectric material with efficient internal reflection of thermal power, including an exhaust system in which surges of gas pressure are used for compression of atmospheric air, containing a system of removal of electrons from the combustion chamber to the exhaust system through a catalytic electrode, high-voltage winding of the magnetic core of the combustion chamber and a thermionic emission electrode for forming in the working channel a positive volume charge the electric field of which is compensated by isolated capacitor coatings connected in parallel with an external electric circuit that is connected with thermionic emission electrodes, containing magnetic cores encompassing the working channel, with output windings, a high-voltage switchboard and a system for forming electric discharges in the detonation combustion chambers with electrodes located near the bottom of these chambers, for actuating the alternator.

Claim 3. A hypersonic pulsating jet engine based on an alternator with detonation combustion of fuel differing with that an exit nozzle, or an exit combustion chamber with such a nozzle is connected to the detonation combustion chamber of the alternator, therewith setting up a reactive exhaust system including isolated balancing capacitor coatings connected in parallel through an external electric circuit, the extension of the exit nozzle is an exit channel in which the speed of passing ionized shock waves is increased with the help of an electromagnetic charged particle accelerator containing one or several magnetic cores with windings encompassing this channel, at the exit of the charged particle accelerator one or several thermionic emission electrodes are installed and connected with the balancing capacitor coatings and the outputs of the high-voltage windings forming a volume charge inside the housing.