Power plants – Combustion products used as motive fluid
Patent
1994-04-26
1998-04-28
Freay, Charles G.
Power plants
Combustion products used as motive fluid
203 11, 203DIG20, 60 3926, 60 3955, F02C 300
Patent
active
057430802
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a vapor-air steam engine which operates at high pressure and utilizes a working fluid consisting of a mixture of compressed air, fuel combustion products and steam. The invention is further directed to processes for producing electrical energy in a fuel burning system at high efficiency and low specific fuel consumption. The invention is still further directed to the production of potable water while generating electrical power without significantly reducing the efficiency or increasing the fuel consumption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Internal combustion engines ("ICEs") are generally classified as either constant volume or constant pressure. Otto cycle engines operate by exploding volatile fuel in a constant volume of compressed air near top dead center while diesel cycle engines burn fuel in a modified cycle, the burning being approximately characterized as constant pressure.
External combustion engines ("ECEs") are exemplified by steam engines and turbines and some forms of gas turbines. It has been known to supply a gas turbine with a fluid heated and compressed from an external fluid supply source and to operate various motor devices from energy stored in this compressed gas.
It is also known to burn fuel in a chamber and exhaust the combustion products into a working cylinder, sometimes with the injection of water or steam in accordance with the rising temperature. These may also be classified as ECEs.
Some other devices have been proposed in which combustion chambers are cooled by addition of water or steam internally rather than employing external cooling. Still another form of apparatus has been proposed for operation on fuel injected into a combustion cylinder as the temperature falls, having means to terminate fuel injection when the pressure reaches a desired value.
Each of these prior engines has encountered difficulties which have prevented their general adoption as a power source for the operation of prime movers. Among these difficulties have been the inability of such an engine to meet sudden demand and/or to maintain a constant working temperature or pressure as may be required for efficient operation of such an engine.
Furthermore, control of such engines has been inefficient, and the ability of the gas generator to maintain itself in standby condition has been wholly inadequate. In all practically applied engine configurations the requirement for cooling the confining walls of the work cylinders has resulted in loss of efficiency and a number of other disadvantages previously inherent in ICEs.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art described above. First, the requirement of air or liquid external cooling is eliminated by injecting water into the combustion process to control the temperature of the resulting working fluid. When water is injected and converted into steam in this way, it becomes a portion of the working fluid itself, thus increasing the volume of working fluid without mechanical compression. The working fluid is increased when excess combustion gas temperature is transformed into steam pressure.
In the present invention, independent control of the combustion flame temperature and fuel to air ratio is used in order to accommodate the requirements of a working engine. Control of the flame temperature also prevents the formation of NO.sub.x, and the disassociation of CO.sub.2 as described below.
The present invention also utilizes high pressure ratios as a way of increasing efficiency and horsepower while simultaneously lowering specific fuel consumption ("sfc"). When water is injected and converted into steam in the combustion chamber of the present invention, it acquires the pressure of the combustion chamber. It should be noted that this pressure of the combustion chamber is acquired by the steam irrespective of the pressure ratio of the engine. Thus, a higher pressure ratio can be obtained in the engine without expending additional work for performing compression for new steam or wa
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Freay Charles G.
Ginter Vast Corporation
Kleinberg Marvin H.
Lerner Marshall A.
Ram Michael J.
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