Laser Corporation of America

Ztek Corporation

Metalworking Lasers International Ltd.

Avco Everett Research Laboratory, Inc.

Locke Technology, Inc.

Ethan D Hoag

Michael S Hsu

Diarmaid H Douglas-Hamilton

Glenn W Zieders

Henry E Pease

Amotz Ravid

Glenn Zeiders

A natural gas reformer comprising a stack of thermally conducting plates interspersed with catalyst plates and provided with internal or external manifolds for reactants. The catalyst plate is in intimate thermal contact with the conducting plates so that its temperature closely tracks the temperature of the thermally conducting plate, which can be designed to attain a near isothermal state in-plane to the plate. One or more catalysts may be used, distributed along the flow direction, in-plane to the thermally conducting plate, in a variety of optional embodiments. The reformer may be operated as a steam reformer or as a partial oxidation reformer. When operated as a steam reformer, thermal energy for the (endothermic) steam reforming reaction is provided externally by radiation and/or conduction to the thermally conducting plates. This produces carbon monoxide, hydrogen, steam and carbon dioxide. When operated as a partial oxidation reformer, a fraction of the natural gas is oxidized assisted by the presence of a combustion catalyst and reforming catalyst. This produces carbon monoxide, hydrogen, steam and carbon dioxide. Because of the intimate thermal contact between the catalyst plate and the conducting plates, no excessive temperature can develop within the stack assembly. Details of the plate design may be varied to accommodate a variety of manifolding embodiments providing one or more inlets and exit ports for introducing, pre-heating and exhaust the reactants.

Thermally enhanced compact reformer

A turbine power system that includes a compressor for compressing a first medium, and an electrochemical converter in communication with the compressor and adapted to receive the first medium and a second medium. The converter is configured to allow an electrochemical reaction between the first and second mediums, thereby generating electricity and producing exhaust having a selected elevated temperature. The power system further includes a turbine in fluid communication with the electrochemical converter and adapted to receive the converter exhaust, such that the turbine converts the electrochemical converter exhaust into rotary energy and electricity. The system can further include a steam generator and a steam turbine that produces electricity. The electrochemical converter is utilized herein as an electrochemical combustor-replacement (ECCR) or as a fuel cell for combustor-replacement (FCCR).

Ultra-high efficiency turbine and cell combination

Ultra-high efficiency turbine and fuel cell combination

An electrochemical converter assembly that significantly reduces the size of the dedicated thermal processing heat exchangers associated with the converter. This reduction is achieved by heating the input reactants of the electrochemical converter assembly inside the axial manifolds. This heating configuration thus relies upon an effective heat transfer mechanism located within the manifolds, and particularly within the manifold surfaces. In a preferred embodiment, the heating of the reactants occurs at the entrance region of the planar gap formed between the interconnector plates and the electrolyte plates. This heating is facilitated by the conduction of heat through the highly thermally conductive interconnector plate to an extended heating surface disposed within the manifold. This extended surface conducts heat from the fuel cell interior to the axial manifolds to heat the reactants to the converter operating temperature prior to passage through the entrance region and eventually through the reactant passageways of the plates.

Electrochemical converter having internal thermal integration

A heat exchanging apparatus including a working fluid and a structure for exchanging heat between the working fluid and an external environment. The structure includes at least one wall element having an external surface exposed to the external environment and an internal surface exposed to the working fluid such that heat can be exchanged between the environment and the working fluid by conductive heat transfer through the wall element. The apparatus further includes a reservoir element for providing a reservoir for the working fluid and a distribution element for distributing the working fluid along the wall element to provide isothermal heat exchange between the working fluid and the external environment. In one embodiment, the structure can be a double lumen tubular structure having an inner lumen which provides a reservoir for the working fluid, and an lumen where heat is exchanged between the working fluid and an external environment. The inner tube can be a porous structure with a plurality of pores that uniformly distribute the working fluid to the outer-lumen.

Thermal control apparatus

A laser oscillating apparatus has an elongate housing, a pair of discharge electrodes arranged along the longitudinal direction in the interior of the laser housing, and first and second planar folding mirrors arranged at either end in the longitudinal direction of the lasing cavity formed by the discharge electrodes, with the reflecting surfaces of the folding mirror facing the lasing cavity. The folding mirrors are placed with their reflecting surfaces inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to one another. Also in the laser housing are a primary mirror and an output mirror, each of which is arranged with a predetermined spacing in the neighborhood of one of the folding mirrors. At least the primary mirror and the output mirror are arranged so that their attitude is adjustable from the outside of the laser housing.

Laser oscillating apparatus

Light generated in the optical resonator of a gas laser is polarized by disposing an array of fine, parallel, highly light reflective wires in the path of the light beam propagating in the resonator. The wires are cooled by conduction of heat to a heat sink or by causing gas to flow through the array. In one embodiment, the wire array is arranged to be rotated to enable the plane of polarization to be turned to any desired orientation. The difference in absorption by the wire array between two orthogonal components of the flux in the resonator need be only in the order of 1% to cause nearly complete linear polarization of the light emerging from the resonator. The parallel wires, preferably, are spaced so that they are situated at the peaks of the lower order modes in the resonator. In lieu of using fine wires, very fine parallel lines or grooves whose width and spacing are such as to provide a low efficiency diffraction grating may be provided in the surface of an optical element of the resonator.

Wire array light polarizer for gas laser

A pin-shaped discharge electrode is provided which prevents corrosion and promotes stable glow discharge. In order to reduce the occurrence of a large field near the bottom of the electrode, the electrode is embedded in a cavity of an insulating base plate.

Discharge electrode with corrosion-proof structure

A laser oscillating apparatus has a compact, simple structure by utilizing the laser housing itself as an optical bench. Means for thermal expansion and contraction in the longitudinal direction of the laser housing are supported in the laser housing as a united body. The blower which circulates the lasing gases is constructed of a plurality of fans mounted for separate thermal expansion and contraction, enabling the use of high speed fans. Means are provided between the blower and the lasing region for cooling and smoothing the gas flow. The cap of the laser apparatus is arranged at the strength center of the housing to ensure a gas-tight interior.

A laser oscillating apparatus includes a laser housing, means for generating a prescribed gas flow within the housing, a discharge electrodes assembly for carrying out predetermined discharge within the gas flow, and an optical oscillating apparatus for resonating the ray of radiation generated in the discharge. The discharge electrodes assembly includes an insulated substrate, a plurality of pin-shaped electrodes planted on the substrate a ballast capacitor arranged on the rear side of the substrate and connected to the pin-shaped electrodes end and a cooling tube arranged adjacent to the capacitor and the insulated substrate. At least the ballast capacitor and the cooling tube are molded on the rear side of the substrate.

A comb-shaped polarizing device for use in a laser is compact, inexpensive and easily adjusted. The device includes an annular member having a number of comb-shaped teeth projecting opposite similarly shaped teeth from a rectangular aperture. The comb-shaped teeth are arranged in a plane transversing a laser beam which is under oscillation. Cooling water passages are formed in the annular member. In one embodiment the annular member is provided at its periphery with gear teeth which mate with a motor for selection of the direction of polarization of the laser beam.

Comb-shaped polarizing device

An optical resonator for a laser oscillating apparatus has an arrangement of folding mirrors facing one another across the lasing gas medium that radiates the laser beam. The arrangement includes a pair of reflecting surfaces that are approximately orthogonal to one another and effectively face the lasing gas medium as a whole. Also, the laser beam that is incident from the lasing gas medium is caused to be reflected successively from both reflecting surfaces to be emitted in the direction of the lasing gas medium.

Optical resonator for laser oscillating apparatus

A discharge electrode for a gas discharge device has pin-shaped electrodes which are effectively cooled in the gas flow and which promote a stable glow-discharge. The pin-shaped electrodes are made from a wire member which is curled at its end. An extension portion of the electrodes extends a predetermined length from the curled end, and is bent in an approximately L-shape to form a post position. The pin-shaped electrode is disposed in the gas flow so that the extension portion is orthogonal to the gas flow.

Discharge electrode for a gas discharge device

A gas laser of the type in which gas is impelled transversely through a region where lasing of the flowing gas occurs, employs a crossfield blower to propel the gas around a closed loop. The crossfield blower has an elongate impeller that is substantially the same length as the lasing region. The impeller generates at least one vortex in the gas flow. A part of that vortex is situated outside the path of the main gas flow to the lasing region. To remove heat from the gas without appreciably interfering with the main gas flow to the lasing region, cooling means are situated in that part of the vortex that is outside the path of the main gas flow to the lasing region.

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Boston, MA, United States of America

Ethan D Hoag