Patent Application
20100077753
This application relates generally to propulsion devices, and in particular, to a system and method for generating propulsion utilizing the energy provided when liquid nitrogen undergoes a phase change from liquid to gaseous nitrogen.
Various systems have been developed to meet the ever increasing demands for power of the modern world. These systems typically use combustible fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal. Typically, the fossil fuel is burned to generate thermal energy that, in turn, is converted to mechanical energy. While fossil fuel systems are adequate for their intended purpose, these types of systems have two inherent problems. First, the burning of fossil fuels may produce environmentally damaging by-products. Second, the natural supplies of fossil fuels used in these systems are rapidly becoming depleted. Consequently, it has become necessary to develop alternative sources of energy and methods for harnessing these sources.
In order to overcome the inherent problems associated with the use of fossil fuels, various alternative-energy systems have been developed. For example, solar energy systems and systems utilizing wind power are presently in use. Also, bio-fuels made from growing vegetation have also been developed. However, these systems also have certain limitations inherently associated with their use. For example, these systems often require large, expensive, and non-permanent energy-gathering structures such as windmills or solar panels to generate sufficient energy for uses that have modest to high power demands. Hence, given the size requirements of such systems, they are impractical for use in products such as motor vehicles.
Furthermore, other types of systems have been developed that convert heat energy into mechanical energy by circulating a liquefied gas in a closed cycle. In most of these systems, the liquefied gas, during circulation, exchanges heat with heat energy of another substance. Once again, while liquefied gas systems are functional for their intended purpose, these systems are complicated and require specialized equipment in order for the systems to function properly. For example, a known method may include the steps of inserting a liquefied gas in a closed container at a temperature and pressure less than the critical temperature and pressure of the gas. The liquefied gas is heated to the critical temperature and above the critical pressure. The gas is subjected to a heat exchange with another medium thereby heating the gas and cooling the medium. The gas expands to a predetermined pressure, and thereafter, valves open to allow the gas to flow into a high-pressure tank wherein the pressure of the gas is regulated. When the pressure of the gas exceeds a predetermined threshold, a valve on the high-pressure tank is opened and the gas flows to a means such as a turbine that transforms the expansion of the gas into mechanical energy and that reduces the temperature of the gas below the critical temperature. Typically, a portion of the power generated is used to effect the flow of all of the fluids in the system. Thereafter, the gas is liquefied and returned to the closed container. It can be appreciated that the complexity and resulting expense of such a device renders the device close to impractical for many applications.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method that overcomes such shortcomings in the art. The present invention addresses these and other needs.
The present invention describes an engine for providing a propulsive force and propulsive motion. In a preferred embodiment, the engine comprises a casing with a forward terminal end and a rearward terminal end. The casing has a hollow interior defined by a bore that has an axis of symmetry, the bore extending continuously along the axis from the forward end to the rearward end. The bore includes a flow constriction at a location between the forward end and the rearward end. A center body is positioned within the bore and sized such that the bore is not completely obstructed at any point between the forward end and the rearward end. The center body is shaped to have a highly aerodynamic shape, in order to allow an airstream to move across its outer surface with a minimum of drag. The center body includes a forward hub, a middle hub, and a rearward hub, the middle hub being flanked by the forward hub and the rearward hub, wherein the forward hub and the rearward hub are connected to each other by a rod extending rotationally freely through the middle hub. Under this configuration, the forward hub and the rearward hub are configured to rotate in unison while the middle hub remains rotationally stationary. A forward fan is attached to the forward hub, and a rearward fan attached to the rearward hub. The rearward fan is configured to drive the forward fan, and the forward fan is configured to draw air from outside the casing into the bore. The forward fan, the rearward fan, and the bore are configured in relation to each other such that air drawn into the casing is propelled through the bore in a continuous stream from the forward end to the rearward end.
A plurality of support elements are also provided, each support element being connected to the casing at a first portion of the support element, and to the middle hub at a second portion of the support element. The support elements are collectively configured to support the middle hub in relation to the casing. At least one delivery tube is provided. The delivery tube extends from a first location outside the casing to a second location in the bore of the casing, the delivery tube being configured to deliver liquid nitrogen from the first location to the second location.
Under this configuration, air may be initially drawn into the bore of the casing at the forward end by an independently operating fan or motor, and expelled out of the casing at the rearward end. The engine derives its propellant force from the effect of liquid nitrogen that is delivered into the bore via the delivery tube. The relatively warmer air that comes into contact with the liquid nitrogen in the bore causes the liquid nitrogen to rapidly evaporate, and thus to expand by a factor of many hundreds of times. Because air is streaming through the bore and being expelled from the rearward end, initially under independent propulsive force, the expanding nitrogen gas is driven through the bore and is also expelled from the rearward end of the bore, thereby providing a forward propellant force to the engine, and importantly, a force applied to the rearward fan that is sufficient to rotate the interconnected forward fan. The forward fan draws more air into the forward end of the bore, and sets up a steady state of flow under which a constant stream of air passes through the bore from forward end to rearward end, and a propulsive force is constantly applied to the engine for as long as the supply of liquid nitrogen lasts.
In a further aspect of the invention, the at least one delivery tube comprises a hollow bore extending within one of the support elements. Furthermore, the bore extending within one of the support elements connects to a bore extending within the middle hub, and the bore extending within the middle hub opens onto an external surface of the middle hub. As a result, the passage for the liquid nitrogen is configured to emerge on an outer surface of the center body, thereby positioning it conveniently for evaporation by air streaming over the center body.
In another aspect of the invention, the at least one support element is connected to the casing at the first portion of the support element through a first rotationally movable bearing, and is connected to the middle element at the second portion of the support element through a second rotationally movable bearing. This allows the center body to be movable along the axis of the bore while being supported by the support elements. This movability allows the user to adjust the size of constriction in the bore, and also allows the user to adjust the longitudinal position of the openings in the bore in relation to the constriction. These adjustment capabilities conveniently permit the user to adjust to environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, and humidity, by moving the openings closer of further from the constriction, and also by permitting adjustment in the size of the constriction. Thus, the flow constriction in the bore includes the center body positioned to partially obstruct a portion of the bore, and movement of the center boy permits adjustment in the size of the constriction.
In two different embodiments of the invention, in a first embodiment the forward fan is configured to drive air perpendicularly across a diameter of the fan, and in a second embodiment the forward fan is configured to drive air parallel with a diameter of the fan, or radially outward from the center of the casing.
The present invention is also reducible to a process, or method, for providing propulsive power to an engine. The method of the invention comprises providing an engine casing having a bore extending from a forward terminal end of the casing to a rearward terminal end of the casing. Air is forced in a continuous stream through the bore from the forward end, to emerge from the bore at the rearward end. Liquid nitrogen is injected into the bore at the same time that air is being forced through the bore. The effect of the air on the liquid nitrogen is to evaporate the liquid nitrogen into gaseous form in the presence of the air. The resulting mixture of air and liquid nitrogen is expelled from the rearward end of the casing thereby providing a forwardly propulsive force to the casing. In aspects of the invention, the step of forcing air through the bore includes rotating a first fan inside the bore using, as a rotational propellant, the nitrogen mixed with air being expelled from the casing, and thereby rotating a second fan connected to the first fan so that the second fan draws air into the casing. Under this arrangement, a steady state flow may be established under which air is constantly drawn in the front of the casing bore, and expelled from the rear along with the evaporated nitrogen. This steady state may be maintained for as long as the liquid nitrogen supply lasts.
In one aspect of this invention, forcing air through the bore includes forcing the air past a constriction in the bore, thereby accelerating the air in the vicinity of the constriction, furthermore, forcing air past a constriction includes forcing the air past a reduction in an internal diameter of the bore to facilitate the evaporation of the liquid nitrogen. Additionally, forcing air past a constriction may include forcing the air around an aerodynamically shaped element located within the bore. By forcing the air past a constriction in the bore, a reduction in pressure head in the air is achieved, thereby facilitating the rapid evaporation of liquid nitrogen.
In a preferred aspect, injecting liquid nitrogen into the bore includes injecting the liquid nitrogen to a location in the bore that coincides with the location of the constriction in the bore, and moreover, it may further include electively changing the size of the constriction in the bore. This may be accomplished by moving the aerodynamically shaped object along the axis of the bore to alter the amount of partial obstruction, or constriction, of the bore.
Thus, a system and method of providing a convenient, environmentally friendly, and inexpensive motor is described, over which the user has the ability to respond to changing environmental factors. The fuel for the motor is provided by liquid nitrogen which is abundantly available in the atmosphere.
These and other aspects of the invention may be more fully understood with reference to the drawings, and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
With reference to the figures which are provided by way of exemplification and not limitation, an engine having preferred features of the present invention is described. As may be seen in the figures, the engine of the present invention has some of the features of a typical Brayton cycle engine, but has differences that provide novel and useful features of an engine.
As may seen with reference to
Positioned along the first axis A-A of the casing, and within the casing, is a center body 20 that is configured to have a highly efficient aerodynamic shape, whereby air flowing through the casing is subjected to a minimum amount of turbulence and interference. The center body 20 is symmetrical about a second longitudinal axis that extends coaxially with the first axis of symmetry A-A of the casing.
The center body is split into three components, a rotatable forward hub 22, a rotatable rearward hub 24, and a rotationally fixed middle hub 26. The middle hub is sandwiched, or flanked, between and adjacent to each of the forward hub and the rearward hub. The middle hub 26 is configured with a tubular bore 28 extending along the second axis. The forward hub 22 and the rearward hub 24 are connected to each other by a rod 30, extending along the bore 28, that causes the forward and rearward hubs to rotate in unison when they rotate. A first set of fan blades 32 is attached to the forward hub 22, and a second set of fan blades 34 is attached to the rearward hub 24.
The center body 20 is preferably supported centrally within the bore 13 of the casing in the following manner. Tubular support elements 36 are provided that initially penetrate the casing 12 from the outside and extend into the casing to penetrate the middle hub 26 of the center body. The support elements 36 are supported on the casing preferably by cylindrical bearings 40 that are positioned within mating cylindrical sockets in the casing. The support elements 36 pass through the cylindrical bearings so that if a backward or forward force (as indicated by arrow F1 in
In another aspect of the invention, some of the support elements 36 may be a hollow tube defining a bore 37 (best seen in
In use, the engine 10 of the present invention operates as follows in a preferred embodiment. The forward fan blades 32 may be initially made to rotate under an external influence such as a starter fan (not shown) blowing, or sucking, air into the forward opening 15 of the casing so that the air passes through the bore 13 and out of the back opening 17. Alternatively, the forward fan blades 32 may themselves be directly rotated by motor (not shown) with the same effect. It will be appreciated that the intermediate portion 18 of the casing, combined with the presence of the center body 20 in the bore 13 of the casing, reduces the diameter of the channel through which the air is moving, thereby making the air flow faster through what is in effect a venturi constriction. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill, following the principle of Bernoulli, that the velocity head of the air will be a maximum, and the pressure head of the air will be a minimum, where the constriction in the bore is the greatest. It will also be understood that the location of the greatest constriction along the axis A-A of the bore 13 will depend on both the profile of the center body 20 and the internal shape of the bore 13 extending through the casing 12. It will also be appreciated that this location along the axis A-A may be mechanically altered by moving the center body 20 backwards or forwards, which may be achieved by applying a force to the portions of the support elements 36 lying outside the casing. It will be further appreciated that the size of the greatest constriction in the bore may also be altered by moving the center body which will have the effect of increasing or decreasing the size of the bore at the constriction. Preferably the center body 20 is shaped, and the surface openings 45 in the center body are positioned, so that the surface openings 45 can be translationally moved (with the center body 20) to coincide with the location of greatest constriction in the bore, or may be moved away from that location to a location of lesser constriction. This ability to alter both the size and the location of the greatest constriction in the bore 13 in relation to opening 45 on the center body 20 allows a user to optimize air flow, air density, air pressure, and other parameters associated with air flowing through the casing 12, thereby allowing the user to adjust for temperature, altitude, and other external factors affecting the operation of the engine.
Continuing with the method of operation, as soon as air is flowing at an adequate speed through the bore 13 of the casing as described above, liquid nitrogen may be introduced onto the external surface of the center body through the openings 45, via those support elements 36 that include a tubular bore 37. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill that the pressure head of the moving air at the openings 45 will be much lower than atmospheric pressure, due to the venturi effect taking place in the bore of the casing. This low pressure head condition will cause the liquid nitrogen to evaporate extremely rapidly to produce gaseous nitrogen, to the extent that the resulting near instantaneous evaporation (or, effectively, flash evaporation) will have an effect similar to that of an explosion in which gases suddenly develop from solid or liquid form, and expand. It is well known that the volume of a liquid (in this case liquid nitrogen) expands when it changes from liquid to a gaseous phase, so that the gas occupies a space many hundred times the volume it occupied as a liquid. However, because the air moving through the bore of the casing is directed rearwards, the expansive force of the effective explosion in nitrogen volume will be to direct the resultant nitrogen gas out of the back opening 17 of the casing, thus (a) propelling the engine 10 forwards under an exchange of momentum, and (b) causing the rearward fan blades 34 to rotate. The rotation of the rearward fan blades 34 causes the forward fan blades 32 to rotate in unison (being connected together via rod 30), and the rotation of the forward fans, combined with the forward movement of the casing, draws more air into the front opening 15 of the casing so that a steady state condition is established for a time, in which air is drawn into the forward opening 15 of the casing, liquid nitrogen introduced from outside the casing flash evaporates in the bore 13 and escapes from the rear opening 17 of the casing mixed with air. Thus, once the liquid nitrogen evaporates and escapes under a steady state, any external motor for rotating the forward fan blades 32 may be switched off, leaving the forward fans 32 to be rotated as a result of the escaping evaporated nitrogen and the air mixed with the nitrogen.
In an advantageous aspect of the described configuration, the air that is caused to flow through the casing has a temperature that is substantially higher than the temperature of the liquid nitrogen introduced into the bore 13 via the tubular support elements 36. This steady flow of warmer air contributes to the energy needed to cause the nitrogen to change phase from liquid to gas. Without the air flow, the casing may tend to cool down to a point where the liquid nitrogen might not evaporate with sufficient rapidity. Thus, the arrangement, as described, provides for a continuous flow of relatively warm air through the casing, evaporation of liquid nitrogen, and forward thrust of the engine for as long as the supply of nitrogen lasts.
The embodiment described has other features that are preferred. Two banks of support elements 36, each bank comprising three support elements, preferably provide stability to the center body 20. A forward bank 50 stabilizes the forward end of the center body, and a rearward bank 52 stabilizes the rearward end of the center body. The support elements in a single bank are preferably arranged around the casing at 120 degree intervals, radiating away from the axis A-A. Furthermore, each stabilizer of one set of stabilizers may be fashioned to include a tubular bore 37 for transporting liquid nitrogen into the casing 12.
The engine thus described may be used in a number of capacities. It may be used as a booster propulsion means to a vehicle with an existing propulsion means, or it may be used as the exclusive propulsion means. The engine is light, comprising only one rapidly moving part in the form of the two connected sets of fan blades 32 and 34. The engine is simple to construct, and therefore inexpensive. The fuel, nitrogen, is a gas that is readily available in the atmosphere. When exhausted back into the atmosphere, it does not cause harmful effects to the environment, but passes back into the atmosphere without damaging effect.
Turning now to a second embodiment of the invention,
The second embodiment of the engine 10′ may also be supported by support elements 36 as in the first embodiment, that are configured to allow the center body to move translationally back and forth along center line A′-A′, and that also deliver liquid nitrogen to the bore 13′ of the casing. However,
In operation, the second embodiment of the engine 10′ shown in
Thus, it is seen that the system and structure of the present invention provides novel and useful features for an alternative form of motive propulsion by engine. The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiment are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.
This application claims priority from provisional U.S. Application No. 61/101,766, filed Oct. 1, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61101766 | Oct 2008 | US |
