Other

Firestar Engineering, LLC

Gregory S Mungas

David J Fisher

Christopher Mungas

Larry R Buchanan

Jose T Banzon, Jr

Kenneth Clark Doyle

Gregory Alan Peters

Implementations described herein provide a high efficiency steam cycle that includes a steam turbine cycle coupled to output of a high performance steam piston topping (HPSPT) cycle. The HPSPT cycle includes a piston-cylinder assembly that extracts work from an expanding fluid volume and operates in a thermal regime outside of thermal operational limits of a steam turbine. The steam turbine cycle utilizes heat, transferred at the output of the HPSPT cycle, to generate turbine work.

High performance steam cycle

The presently disclosed technology relates to carbon-on-carbon (C/C) manufacturing techniques and the resulting C/C products. One aspect of the manufacturing techniques disclosed herein utilizes two distinct curing operations that occur at different times and/or using different temperatures. The resulting C/C products are substantially non-porous, even though the curing operation(s) substantially gasify a liquid carbon-entrained filler material that saturates a carbon fabric that makes up the C/C products.

Carbon-on-carbon manufacturing

A high efficiency energy conversion system disclosed herein incorporates a piston assembly including a sealed cylinder for storing a working fluid and an energy conversion element attached to the piston assembly. A kinematic mechanism such as a cam lobe or a scotch yoke may be used as the energy conversion element. In one implementation, the kinematic mechanism may be configured to provide rapid piston expansion in a manner so as not to allow the expanding working fluid inside the piston to achieve thermodynamic equilibrium. In an alternate implementation, the kinematic mechanism is further adapted to generate a compression stroke in a manner to provide the working fluid inside the piston to achieve thermodynamic equilibrium conditions throughout the compression stroke.

High efficiency energy conversion

A throttleable exhaust venturi is described herein that generates strong suction pressures at an exhaust outlet by accelerating an incoming ambient fluid stream with the aid of a venturi to high gas velocities and injecting a combustion exhaust stream into the ambient fluid stream at an effective venturi throat. A mixing element downstream of the venturi throat ensures that the mixed fluid stream recovers from a negative static pressure up to local atmospheric pressure. A physical and the effective throat of the venturi are designed to promote mixing and stabilize the ambient fluid flow to ensure that high velocity is achieved and the effective venturi is operable over a variety of combustion exhaust stream mass flow rates.

Throttleable exhaust venturi

An apparatus and system disclosed herein provides detonation wave arrestor including a detonation wave deflector and a burst element. The detonation wave arrestor disclosed herein attenuates and defects the propagation of a detonation wave characterized by a supersonic flame front propagation. The detonation wave arrestor provides deflection of detonation wave towards the burst element. The rupture of the burst element provides venting of hot gases remaining from the detonation, thus providing separation and attenuation of combusted gas residuals. The detonation wave arrestor disclosed herein may be used in a combustible fuel delivery system.

Detonation wave arrestor

Propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that is designed for effective and safe ignition and sustained combustion of the propellants. By integrating a micro-fluidic porous media element between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable propellant injector head may be implemented that is capable of withstanding transient combustion and detonation waves that commonly occur during an ignition event. The micro-fluidic porous media element is of specified porosity or porosity gradient selected to be appropriate for a given propellant. Additionally the propellant injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.

Microfluidic flame barrier

Rocket engine injectorhead with flashback barrier

High performance propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that allows for effective and safe thermal decomposition and/or combustion of the propellants. By integrating a sintered metal component between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable fuel injector head may be implemented. Additionally the fuel injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.

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Mojave, CA, United States of America

Gregory S Mungas