Aerodyne Research, Inc.

Gas Research Institute

Avco Everett Research Laboratory, Inc.

Avco Corporation

Gas Research, Inc.

David B Stickler

Kurt D Annen

Jaime A Woodroffe

Victor Goldfarb

Paul L Kebabian

Jack L Kerrebrock

Charles W Von Rosenberg, Jr

Jagdish A Agarwal

Richard Gannon

Richard E Gannon

Michael Agnese

Andrew W McClaine

Judith E Reich

Isaac Sadovnik

Roger Putnam

Victor M Goldfarb

Leonard F Westra

Alexander Ballantyne

Ashok Chatwani

Joseph Stancato

Daniel W Swallom

Kyu-Man Jeong

Jaime Woodroffe

This invention provides a coil and magnet assembly that is operatively interconnected with an oscillating free piston that moves along an axis. A coil mounting disk is operatively connected to a coil assembly. A magnet assembly is mounted on a magnet base. The magnet assembly is coaxial with respect to the coil assembly. The coil assembly and the magnet assembly are in oscillating motion with respect to each other in conjunction with oscillating motion of the free piston. A spring assembly comprising a plurality springs, symmetrically positioned about the axis, extend between the magnet base and the coil mounting disk, so as to move in conjunction with the oscillating motion along the axis. At least some of the springs are conductive and electrically connect the mounting disk to the magnet base. The piston can reside in a casing that is part of either a two-stroke engine or a fluid pump.

Free piston pump and miniature internal combustion engine

This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a power generating system particularly suitable for field use in remote locations, which is fuel-efficient, relatively quiet, tolerant of dust, capable of operating on low grade logistics and diesel-like fuels and capable of generating between 500 W and 2 KW of continuous electrical power. This generator employs a miniature internal combustion engine/generator (MICE) having a piston moving within a cylinder arranged for two-cycle operation, and an interconnected, axially arranged piston shaft that oscillates an alternator coil within a magnetic core. The piston shaft is opposed by a strong, multiple-helix spring. The cylinder head, in which the piston operates, is cooled by moving (electrically pumped) fluid in a cooling head, or by another heat-transfer mechanism. The MICE generator's intake arrangement includes a preheater heated by a heated fluid flow thereon. The MICE generator is vibration-isolated using a base that supports the MICE on a plurality of soft coil springs. The MICE generator is encased in an acoustic enclosure having a shell composed of sheet metal or another stiff material extending from the base plate and being covered by a top side. Holes in the enclosure top are covered by porous discs that allow exhaust gasses from the internal muffler to pass therethrough. The acoustic enclosure resides in a large, typically portable, external package enclosure.

Power generating system

A portable self-contained power pack is described including a miniature internal combustion motor/alternator combination with an attached fuel supply. The electrical output from the motor/alternator is rectified and controlled to provide a DC output. The DC output is used to charge batteries and/or capacitors. The power pack is designed to be of a weight and size so that it may be carried while in use on the person of the user. The DC output and the batteries and/or capacitors are connected and power personal items. These personal items include, but are not limited to, cell phones, portable radios, laptops, stand alone computers, music and video players and recorders, personal electronic organizers, games and cordless power tools.

Power pack for cordless tools and electronics

A miniature, two cycle engine with a linear electrical generator is presented. The piston attaches to the spring and a moving coil is also attached to the spring and/or rod assembly distal from the cylinder head. The spring is formed with an integral end fitting from one piece of preferably titanium stock. A permanent magnet is arranged where the coil moves within the magnet air gap to produce electrical power. The system operates at the resonant frequency of the spring and active mass. A glow plug provides the ignition source and hydrocarbon fuel is used. The package is about an inch wide and about 2-3 inches long, and it weighs about 30 grams.

Miniature generator

Diagnostic methods for determining an instantaneous rate of pollutant formation in a combustion system are based on measurement of chemiluminescence intensity generated simultaneously with the formation of the pollutant. The chemiluminescent signal is generated by an analog reaction which occurs in parallel with a key step in the formation of a specific pollutant of interest. The connection between the analog reaction and the pollution reaction is such that the chemiluminescent signal indicates the local, instantaneous formation rate of the pollutant of interest.

Method for measuring pollutant formation

An evaporatively cooled rotor for a gas turbine engine. Each rotor defines an internal cavity which includes a vaporization section that corresponds generally to the blade section of the rotor and a condensing section that corresponds generally to the hub section of the rotor. A radial array of circumferentially disposed capture shelves is provided in the vaporization section for capturing cooling fluid contained within the internal cavity and flowing radially outward under the centrifugal field generated during rotation of the rotor. A barrier disposed along the inner surface of the rotor wall in the condensing section slows or temporarily stops the flow of cooling fluid prior to reaching the vaporization section and a perforated baffle attached to the capture shelves prevents cooling fluid from splashing out of the shelves.

Evaporatively cooled rotor for a gas turbine engine

Heterogeneous fuel compositions suitable for use in hybrid rocket engines and solid-fuel ramjet engines, The compositions include mixtures of a continuous phase, which forms a solid matrix, and a dispersed phase permanently distributed therein. The dispersed phase or the matrix vaporizes (or melts) and disperses into the gas flow much more rapidly than the other, creating depressions, voids and bumps within and on the surface of the remaining bulk material that continuously roughen its surface, This effect substantially enhances heat transfer from the combusting gas flow to the fuel surface, producing a correspondingly high burning rate, The dispersed phase may include solid particles, entrained liquid droplets, or gas-phase voids having dimensions roughly similar to the displacement scale height of the gas-flow boundary layer generated during combustion.

Heterogeneous fuel for hybrid rocket

A particle suspension furnace having an upper injector section, an intermediate combustion section and a lower separation section. The injector section comprises a central fuel conduit for supplying a rich fuel/air mixture to a burner at the base of the injector section, and a concentric annular mixing chamber for supplying a mixture of reactive or meltable batch particles and oxygen to the burner. The fuel-rich burner flame diffuses radially-outwardly to consume the peripherally-supplied oxygen and form an oxygen/fuel combustion mixture having a predetermined selected stoichiometry which is variable above and below 1:1 stoichiometry depending upon whether a reducing or oxidizing atmosphere is desired. The suspended particles absorb heat to quench the burner temperature and reduce the NO.sub.x pollutant formation.

Annular batch feed furnace and process

A system for reducing the formation of NO.sub.x pollutants during the combustion of liquid fuel in a gas turbine engine. The system comprises introducing an externally modulated, rapidly-pulsed, oscillated or sinusoidal fuel flow delivery rate (generically referred to as 'modulated') to produce a controlled degree of combustor air input flow oscillation and bulk flow oscillation within the combustor which enhances the fuel-air mixing rate and homogeneity within the combustor, decreases the residence time of transition fuel/air mixtures prone to NO.sub.x formation, and substantially decreases the NO.sub.x concentration in the resulting combustion gas product without creating a net pressure gain throughout the combustion chamber.

Pulsed fuel injection system for reducing NO.sub.x emissions

A supersonic combustion air breathing jet engine and method of igniting fuel. The engine has means for providing a spatially controlled combustion distribution of fuel with an ignitor that provides a volumetrically diffuse discharge of energy to initiate a controlled relatively rapid combustion of fuel in a combustion zone such that combustion distribution in relatively high speed gas flows through the combustion zone can be initiated and controlled without dependence upon a flame holder or relatively high local static gas temperature in the combustion zone.

Supersonic combustion engine and method of combustion initiation and

Process and apparatus for the rapid efficient melting of solid ferrous metal scrap without direct exposure to water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, using natural gas and/or other caloric gaseous fuels. The apparatus includes a furnace having a refractory base, means for introducing ferrous metal such as solid steel scrap to the well area, means for providing a slag layer over the solid steel scrap, and gas burner means for emitting one or more forced gas flames for superheating the slag layer to a liquid which covers the scrap and for agitating and circulating the molten slag to form a highly-efficient heat-transfer medium for melting and refining the steel scrap while it is insulated against contact with gases, particularly water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases. The process may operate continuously and can recover heat for scrap preheating, turbine power and other efficient uses.

Gas-fired steelmelting process

Process and apparatus for the rapid efficient melting of solid ferrous metal scrap without direct exposure to water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases, using natural gas and/or other caloric gaseous fuels. The apparatus includes a furnace having a refractory base, means for introducing ferrous metal such as solid steel scrap to the wall area, means for providing a slag layer over the solid steel scrap, and gas burner means for emitting one or more forced gas flames for superheating the slag layer to a liquid which covers the scrap and for agitating and circulating the molten slag to form a highly-efficient heat-transfer medium for melting and refining the steel scrap while it is insulated against contact with gases, particularly water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen or oxygen-containing gases. The process may operate continuously and can recover heat for scrap preheating, turbine power and other efficient uses.

Gas-fired steelmelting apparatus

A method of an apparatus for heat processing of glass and/or glass forming material wherein cullet and/or the raw materials needed to form glass are heated while suspended in a high temperature gas stream which may comprise products of combustion. The particles heated both in and downstream of a burner, for example, together with products of combustion are accelerated out of the burner, preferably downwardly, through a nozzle and against a closely spaced impact surface in a separation chamber. Upon impact, the particles and/or molten droplets are separated from the products of combustion by adhering to the impact surface and form a continuous flowing layer which flows from the impact surface, over a flow surface and as a molten layer into a pool of molten glass product at the bottom of the separation chamber.

Method and apparatus for the heat processing of glass and glass forming

A method of producing a glass product requiring minimum fining wherein finely pulverized glass batch material is heated very rapidly in suspension in a hot gas stream to at least about its melting temperature in a heating chamber and directing it through a nozzle to impact on an impact surface in a separation chamber where the glass batch material is separated from the hot gas stream by adhering to the impact surface. Upon impact, the particles and/or molten material form a continuously flowing layer which flows over a flow surface as a molten layer into a pool of molten glass product in a collection zone. The melt flow over the flow surface is controlled to effect the immigration of gas therein to and then leave the exposed surface of the melt flow and simultaneously effect at least substantial reaction of the glass batch material before it reaches the collection zone.

Growing community of inventors

Carlisle, MA, United States of America

David B Stickler