Fluid handling – With heating or cooling of the system – Air heated or cooled
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-10-16
Chambers, A. Michael (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
With heating or cooling of the system
Air heated or cooled
C137S56100R, C239S500000, C239S502000, C239S590500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302142
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to supersonic gas flow devices, and more specifically to short length, low weight and volume supersonic diffusers suitable for converting low-pressure supersonic gaseous flows to high-pressure subsonic gaseous flows in such devices.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In mobile chemical laser systems, the gas providing optical amplification is usually flowing at a supersonic velocity. Supersonic diffusers are used to convert the low-pressure and high-velocity gaseous flow (supersonic flow) to a high-pressure and low-velocity gaseous flow (subsonic flow). The primary function of the diffuser is to decelerate the gaseous flow from a maximum velocity to a much lower velocity, and to recover as much as possible of the flow's original kinetic energy in the form of increased pressure. The flow mechanism most typically relied upon is the normal shock structure that requires a duct length on the order of 10 duct heights to facilitate a gradual flow deceleration and associated pressure increase without causing large energy losses and flow unsteadiness. Generally, the normal shock is generated when the supersonic flow existing outside a diffuser wall boundary layer, shocks the downstream flow from supersonic to subsonic. Because the boundary layers cannot withstand the attendant large pressure rise which causes them to separate from the diffuser wall, an effective expanding flow channel having a supersonic core flow region results.
Because mobile gas laser systems must be transportable, diffuser designs for such systems must have the shortest length, and lowest weight and volume possible without compromising the diffuser's pressure recovery abilities.
What is needed therefore is a system that includes a compact supersonic diffuser having increased pressure recovery capabilities and reduced length, weight, and volume.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The preceding and other shortcomings of the prior art are addressed and overcome by the present invention which provides, in a first aspect, a gas flow device including an inlet section providing a channel for a supersonic gaseous flow, a flow of supersonic gas through the channel, and a diffuser means for receiving the supersonic flow from the channel and converting the supersonic gas flow from a low-pressure and high-velocity flow to a high-pressure and low-velocity gas flow utilizing a series of interacting shocks.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3998393 (1976-12-01), Petty
patent: 4909914 (1990-03-01), Chiba et al.
patent: 4911805 (1990-03-01), Ando et al.
patent: 5735469 (1998-04-01), Rodriguez et al.
patent: 6098897 (2000-08-01), Lockwood
Chambers A. Michael
McShane Thomas L.
TRW Inc.
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