The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 24, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 17, 1999
Shawn P. Lawlor, Redmond, WA (US);
Ramgen Power Systems, Inc., Bellevue, WA (US);
Abstract
Fuel air mixing apparatus, and a method for design and operation of fuel-air mixing apparatus. An axial inlet air fan provides inlet air to an annular passageway having therein fuel supply structures through which fuel such as low pressure natural gas is injected. Vortex generators on the fuel supply structures create vortices to mix the inlet air with the injected fuel. Mixing is provided according to a pre-selected formula to control the ratio of transverse momentum to axial momentum, to thoroughly mix the fuel and the air, so as to provide a uniformly mixed inlet gas stream. This stream is fed to an unshrouded ramjet inlet which captures and compresses the mixed inlet gas stream by utilizing inlet structures and an adjacent housing sidewall structure. Fuel is oxidized in the combustion chamber(s) to produce expanding combustion gases. Such gases escape out through a ramjet nozzle, acting against outlet structures and an adjacent housing sidewall, rotating the ramjet at supersonic velocities, and producing shaft energy. Efficient mixing of the oxidant and fuel prior to entry into the ramjet combustor, and the short residence times in the combustion chamber, minimize the formation of undesirable oxides of nitrogen.