Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Quantum Energy Technologies LLC

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Megatech Corporation

Supercritical Combustion Corporation

Charles W Haldeman

Brian S Ahern

John T Preston

Adam A Brailove

Keith H Johnson

Vahan V Basmajian

Eugene E Covert

There is provided a water-hydrocarbon mixture. In one example, the mixture includes low-molecular weight hydrocarbon and between about 5% and about 70% water. The mixture is in the gaseous state, and is at a pressure that is below the critical pressure of the mixture. The mixture temperature is above about 28&deg; C. less than the boiling point temperature of water at the mixture pressure and is below about 450&deg; C. The mixture provides a local environment of water molecules, tending to limit hydrocarbon polymerization and other undesirable side reactions and keeping the hydrocarbon from precipitating from the mixture, for a faster, more complete combustion cycle characterized by lower emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and volatile organic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbon preferably includes hydrocarbon micro-droplets of a diameter of no more than about 1 &mgr;m.

Sub-critical water-fuel composition and combustion system

There is provided a water-hydrocarbon mixture. In one example, the mixture includes liquid hydrocarbon and between about 5% and about 70% water. The mixture is at a pressure that is below the critical pressure characteristic of the mixture and is at a temperature that is at least the greater of about 250&deg; C. and about the boiling point temperature of water at the mixture pressure. The mixture provides a local environment of water molecules, tending to limit hydrocarbon polymerization and other undesirable side reactions and keeping the hydrocarbon from precipitating from the mixture. This provides for a faster, more complete combustion cycle that is characterized by lower emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and volatile organic and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbon preferably includes hydrocarbon micro-droplets of a diameter of no more than about 1 &mgr;m. The water in the mixture is preferably in a gaseous state, and one or more hydrocarbon constituents in the mixture are also preferably in a gaseous state. In one embodiment, both the water and the hydrocarbon of the mixture are in a gaseous state.

Highly efficient engine. The system includes an internal combustion engine having at least one piston in a cylinder, the cylinder including a cylinder head. The engine operates on an unsymmetrical expansion and compression cycle wherein the expansion portion of the cycle is greater than the compression portion of the cycle. The piston and cylinder head are lined with an insulating material having a selected thermal diffusivity. Apparatus is provided for injecting a supercritical mixture of fuel and water into the cylinder of the engine. The combination of these aspects results in a highly efficient engine.

Engine system employing an unsymmetrical cycle

Supercritical water fuel composition and combustion system. In one aspect, the invention is a composition of matter comprising a mixture of 5-50% water and a hydrocarbon wherein the water/hydrocarbon mixture is near the critical point such that the mixture is a homogeneous single phase. A suitable temperature is 400.degree. C. and a suitable pressure is 4,000psi. In another aspect, the invention is a fuel system including structure containing a water/hydrocarbon fuel mixture near the critical point such that the mixture is a homogeneous single phase. Structure is provided for delivering the mixture for combustion. Combustion may occur in an internal combustion engine, turbine engine or other burner.

Supercritical water fuel composition and combustion system

The load balancer incorporates link coil circuits that inductively couple to induction heating coils, which are connected in parallel across a power source. A capacitor is electrically connected in the link coil circuit. By varying degree to which the link coil is inductively coupled to the heating coil or by changing the capacitance, either using a variable capacitor or switching among different capacitors, changes in the amount of reactance coupled into the heating coil are effected. Thus, the current in the corresponding heating coil can be varied, enabling adjustment of the heating of the workpiece. Accordingly, the resulting system is efficient since only a single coil rather than multiple series coils are used. This aspect can be enhanced when litz cable is used in coil construction. Further, the system is compatible with active control.

Induction load balancer for parallel heating of multiple parts

A fluid cooled RF transmission cable, transformer primary or secondary winding, and induction heating coil incorporating litz cable is disclosed. The heating coil comprises: a litz cable including a bundle of mutually electrically insulated, intermixed wire filaments, and a coolant tube, surrounding the litz wire, for conveying a fluid for removing heat generated by the litz cable. Also a combined coolant and electrical connector for providing an electrical connection and coolant to an inductive heating coil including a coolant tube and a litz cable housed inside the coolant tube is described. The connector comprises a tubular conductive member having an inner bore extending through the member, a distal end of the member sealably joining a terminal end of the coolant tube, to place the inner bore in communication with inside of the coolant tube, the litz cable extending into the inner bore and terminating in a low resistance electrical connection to the member, a proximal end of the member adapted for connection to one of a coolant source and a coolant intake.

Fluid cooled litz coil inductive heater and connector therefor

A process for producing a workpiece by compacting powder material, includes the steps of applying compression to the material along selected preferably orthogonal axes in compression steps, each compression step causing a volume reduction selected to produce the desired final compaction and orientation of material in the workpiece for that axis.

Molding polytetrafluoroethylene

A PVC conduit about 4' in diameter and a little more than 40 feet long is adapted for being seated in a hole in the earth and surrounds a coaxial copper tube along its length that carries Freon between a heat pump and a distributor at the bottom. A number of wavy conducting tubes located between the central conducting tube and the wall of the conduit interconnect the distributor with a Freon distributor at the top arranged for connection to the heat pump. The wavy conducting tubing is made by passing straight soft copper tubing between a pair of like opposed meshing gears each having four convex points in space quadrature separated by four convex recesses with the radius of curvature of each point slightly less than that of each concave recess.

Wavy tube heat pumping

Apparatus for demonstrating the operation of a closed loop nuclear steam electric generating plant includes a transparent boiler assembly having immersion heating elements, which may be quartz lamps or stainless steel encased resistive immersion heating units with a quartz iodide lamp providing a source of visible radiation when using the encased immersion heating units. A variable voltage autotransformer is geared to a support rod for simulated reactor control rods for controlling the energy delivered to the heating elements and arranged so that when the voltage is high, the rods are withdrawn from the boiler to produce increased heating and illumination proportional to rod position, thereby simulating nuclear reaction. A relief valve, steam outlet pipe and water inlet pipe are connected to the boiler with a small stainless steel resistive heating element in the steam outlet pipe providing superheat. This heater is connected in series with a rheostat mounted on the front panel to provide superheat adjustments and an interlock switch that prevents the superheater from being energized when the steam valve is off with with no flow through the superheater. A heavy blue plastic radiation shield surrounds the boiler inside a bell jar.

Nuclear power demonstrating

An ablative material for use with reentry vehicles and characterized by having a low plasma electron density. The material is a laminated composite composed of about 15.6 percent by weight carbon, 3.4 percent by weight phenolic resin, and 81 percent by weight polytetrafluoroethylene.

Ablative protective material for reentry bodies

A new vacuum cleaning nozzle described includes a conventional vacuum cleaner suction nozzle typically used for cleaning streets or carpets and in addition short airfoils at incidence or vortex generating air nozzles supported from the nozzle and directed downward ahead of the suction nozzle to form a series of vortices for providing very high local velocities effective in dislodging debris while avoiding propelling the particles dislodged far from the suction zone.

Vacuum cleaning

High frequency electrical coils are commonly made out of Litz wire. If the coil is baked and an aqueous phenol solution is pumped through a nylon tube making up the structural core of the Litz wire, the tube will be dissolved out, thereby yielding an unobstructed opening through which a cooling fluid may be pumped. The resultant coil has a vastly improved heat conduction and can tolerate substantially higher currents.

Growing community of inventors

Concord, MA, United States of America

Charles W Haldeman