Patent Grant
7313916
The present invention relates to a power producing apparatus and method of use thereof. A preferred apparatus can include a liquid fueled combustion chamber supplying heat to a power conversion device outputting up to 5,000 watts of mechanical and/or electrical power.
The need to power portable electronics equipment, communications gear, medical devices and other equipment in remote field service has been on the rise in recent years, increasing the demand for highly efficient, mobile power systems. These applications require power sources that provide both high power and energy density, while also requiring minimal size and weight, low emissions and cost.
To date, batteries have been the principal means for supplying portable sources of power. However, due to the time required for recharging, batteries have proven inconvenient for continuous use applications. Moreover, portable batteries are generally limited to power production in the range of several milliwatts to a few watts and thus cannot address the need for significant levels of mobile, lightweight power production.
Small generators powered by internal combustion engines, whether gasoline- or diesel-fueled have also been used. However, the noise and emission characteristics of such generators have made them wholly unsuitable for a wide range of mobile power systems and unsafe for indoor use. While conventional heat engines powered by high energy density liquid fuels offer advantages with respect to size, thermodynamic scaling and cost considerations have tended to favor their use in larger power plants.
In view of these factors, a void exists with regard to power systems in the size range of approximately 50 to 500 watts. Moreover, in order to take advantage of high energy density liquid fuels, improved fuel preparation and delivery systems capable of low fueling rates are needed. Additionally, such systems must also enable highly efficient combustion with minimal emissions.
A combustion device wherein fuel is atomized by an ultrasonic atomizing device is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,822. According to this patent, atomizers have been proposed wherein fuel is supplied to a combustion chamber in fine droplets to accelerate vaporization of the fuel and reduce the combustor residence time required to achieve acceptable combustion efficiency.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,822 patent proposes an arrangement wherein fuel is supplied at 5 cc/min and the fuel is atomized into droplets having a Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of 40 μm. Other atomizing techniques are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,095,436 and 6,102,687. An ultrasonic atomizer for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,248.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,396 proposes a fuel aerosolization apparatus wherein a hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil, kerosene, etc.) is dispensed into a condensation area with the intention of forming an aerosolized fuel of relatively even sized droplets less than 1 μm in diameter.
The aerosolized fuel is intended to be mixed with air to provide a desired air-to-fuel ratio and combusted in the combustion area of a heating burner and a heat exchanger transfers heat from the combusted fuel to a heat-carrying medium such as air, gas or liquid.
A fuel-vaporizing device said to address problems associated with incomplete combustion of fuel aerosols in internal combustion engines is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,645. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,645, because aerosol fuel droplets do not ignite and combust completely in internal combustion engines, unburned fuel residues are exhausted from the engine as pollutants such as hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and aldehydes with concomitant production of oxides of nitrogen (NOX). The proposal of U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,645 is intended to improve combustion of aerosol fuels by breaking liquid fuel down into an air-fluid stream of vaporized or gas-phase elements containing some unvaporized aerosols containing hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight, the lighter fuel distillates said to quickly evaporate to the gas phase, mix with air and are to be fed to an internal combustion engine while the heavier fuel portions are said to be transformed into a gas-phase vaporized state before they exit a cyclone vortex device and enter the intake manifold of the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,404 proposes an apparatus for supplying aerosol fuel droplets mixed with air to an internal combustion engine or burner, the fuel droplets said to have sizes of 0.5 to 1.5 μm. The liquid fuel in aerosol form is intended to be mixed with air in a air-to-fuel ratio of about 18:1 so as to produce the least CO, HC and NOx emissions from the engine.
Various devices have been proposed for heating fuels into a vaporized fuel that is combusted by a burner. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,193,755; 4,320,180; and 4,784,599.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,416 discloses a fuel-metering device intended for use in a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system is intended to be self-regulating, producing power at a predetermined level. The proposed fuel metering system includes a capillary flow control device for throttling the fuel flow in response to the power output of the fuel cell, rather than to provide improved fuel preparation for subsequent combustion. Instead, the fuel is intended to be fed to a fuel reformer for conversion to H2 and then fed to a fuel cell. In a preferred embodiment, the capillary tubes are made of metal and the capillary itself is used as a resistor, which is in electrical contact with the power output of the fuel cell. Because the flow resistance of a vapor is greater than that of a liquid, the flow is throttled as the power output increases. The fuels suggested for use include any fluid that is easily transformed from a liquid to a vapor phase by applying heat and flows freely through a capillary. Vaporization appears to be achieved in the manner that vapor lock occurs in automotive engines.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,347 proposes a supercritical or near-supercritical atomizer and method for achieving atomization or vaporization of a liquid. The supercritical atomizer of U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,347 is said to enable the use of heavy fuels to fire small, light weight, low compression ratio, spark-ignition piston engines that typically burn gasoline. The atomizer is intended to create a spray of fine droplets from liquid, or liquid-like fuels, by moving the fuels toward their supercritical temperature and releasing the fuels into a region of lower pressure on the gas stability field in the phase diagram associated with the fuels, causing a fine atomization or vaporization of the fuel. Utility is disclosed for applications such as combustion engines, scientific equipment, chemical processing, waste disposal control, cleaning, etching, insect control, surface modification, humidification and vaporization.
To minimize decomposition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,347 proposes keeping the fuel below the supercritical temperature until passing the distal end of a restrictor for atomization. For certain applications, heating just the tip of the restrictor is desired to minimize the potential for chemical reactions or precipitations. This is said to reduce problems associated with impurities, reactants or materials in the fuel stream which otherwise tend to be driven out of solution, clogging lines and filters. Working at or near supercritical pressure suggests that the fuel supply system operate in the range of 300 to 800 psig. While the use of supercritical pressures and temperatures might reduce clogging of the atomizer, it appears to require the use of a relatively more expensive fuel pump, as well as fuel lines, fittings and the like that are capable of operating at these elevated pressures.
Power conversion arrangements are proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,638,172; 5,836,150; 5,874,798; 5,932,940; 6,109,222; and 6,198,038. Of these, U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,172 proposes a direct current generator operatively coupled to a small internal combustion engine, the generator said to output between 4 volts (V) and 150 milliamperes (mA) to 110 V and over 250 mA. U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,150 proposes a micro thrust and heat generator that can be used as a thrust source for a micro machined turbo-electric generator. U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,798 proposes a micro-turbine generator device wherein air is fed into the device to generate electricity for use with portable electronic products. U.S. Pat. No. 5,932,940 proposes a micro-gas turbine engine including a combustion chamber used to drive a microgenerator which is intended to output 10 to 30 watts of electrical power for replacement of batteries in portable electronic devices while producing 20 times the power for the same weight and volume (e.g., replacing batteries for portable computers, radios, telephones, power tools, heaters, coolers, military applications, etc.). U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,222 patent proposes a micro heat engine that is intended to generate 10 to 30 watts of electrical power wherein a free piston is reciprocated by a periodic combustion process.
One object is to provide a small power generator having a fuel preparation device with the ability to form small fuel droplets and/or vapor, operate at low fuel supply pressures, have low parasitic power loss characteristics and provide for the control of fouling, clogging and gumming.
Another object is to provide a small power generator having a fuel preparation device capable of reducing the ignition energy requirements of the generator.
It is a still further object to provide a small power generator having a fuel preparation and delivery system that can produce vaporized streams of fuel with a very short warm-up time.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred forms set out below and now summarized as follows:
A preferred form of the apparatus and method for producing power from a source of liquid fuel is intended to accomplish at least one or more of the aforementioned objects. One such form includes at least one capillary flow passage, the at least one capillary flow passage having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end in fluid communication with the source of liquid fuel, a heat source arranged along the at least one capillary flow passage, the heat source operable to heat the liquid fuel in the at least one capillary flow passage to a level sufficient to change at least a portion thereof from a liquid state to a vapor state and deliver a stream of substantially vaporized fuel from the outlet end of the at least one capillary flow passage, a combustion chamber for combusting the stream of substantially vaporized fuel and air, the combustion chamber in communication with the outlet end of the at least one capillary flow passage and a conversion device operable to convert heat released by combustion in the combustion chamber into mechanical or electrical power.
According to one preferred form, the capillary flow passage can include a capillary tube and the heat source can include a resistance-heating element, a section of the tube heated by passing electrical current therethrough. Further, in another preferred form, the conversion device includes a micro-turbine, a micro-turbine with electrical generator, a Stirling engine, a Stirling engine with electrical generator, a thermoelectric device or a thermophotovoltaic device that outputs up to about 5,000 watts of power. An igniter can be provided to ignite the vaporized fuel upon start-up of the apparatus. The fuel supply can be arranged to deliver pressurized liquid fuel to the flow passage at a pressure of preferably less than 100 psig, more preferably, less than 50 psig, even more preferably 10 psig, and most preferably less than 5 psig. The preferred form can be operated with low ignition energy upon start up of the apparatus since it can provide a stream of vaporized fuel which mixes with air and forms an aerosol in the combustion chamber having a mean droplet size of 25 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less.
Another preferred form can include a heat exchanger which includes an exhaust duct through which exhaust gases removed from the combustion chamber are circulated and an air passage through which air is circulated, the heat exchanger preheating the air in the air passage by transferring heat from the exhaust gases in the exhaust duct to the air. This preferred form can also include an air blower, the air blower supplying air under pressure to the combustion chamber such that the pressurized air mixes with the vaporized fuel in a desired air-fuel ratio suitable for combustion of the air-fuel mixture. Further, the heat source can include a heat exchanger which includes an exhaust duct through which exhaust gases removed from the combustion chamber are circulated and a fuel passage through which the liquid fuel is circulated, the heat exchanger preheating the liquid fuel in the fuel passage by transferring heat from the exhaust gases in the exhaust duct to the liquid fuel. While many fuel supply arrangements can be used, the fuel supply can include a fuel pump and a regulation valve, the regulation valve supplying the liquid fuel to the flow passage at a desired flow rate.
One preferred form of the present invention provides a method of generating power. The method includes supplying liquid fuel to at least one capillary flow passage, causing a stream of substantially vaporized fuel to pass through an outlet of the at least one capillary flow passage by heating the liquid fuel in the at least one capillary flow passage, combusting the vaporized fuel in a combustion chamber; and converting heat produced by combustion of the vaporized fuel in the combustion chamber into mechanical and/or electrical power using a conversion device such as a micro-turbine, a micro-turbine with electrical generator, a Stirling engine, a Stirling engine with electrical generator, a thermoelectric device or a thermophotovoltaic device.
To address problems associated with the formation of deposits during the heating of liquid fuel, one preferred form provides a method and means for cleaning deposits formed during the operation of the apparatus.
The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred forms of the invention, given only by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Reference is now made to the embodiments illustrated in
The present invention provides a power producing apparatus which advantageously combusts a high energy density liquid fuel. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus includes at least one capillary sized flow passage connected to the fuel supply, a heat source arranged along the flow passage to heat liquid fuel in the flow passage sufficiently to deliver a stream of vaporized fuel from an outlet of the flow passage, a combustion chamber in which the vaporized fuel is combusted, and a conversion device which converts heat produced by combustion in the combustion chamber into mechanical and/or electrical power.
The flow passage can be a capillary tube heated by a resistance heater, a section of the tube heated by passing electrical current therethrough. The capillary flow passage also is characterized by having a low thermal inertia, so that the capillary passageway can be brought up to the desired temperature for vaporizing fuel very quickly, e.g., within 2.0 seconds, preferably within 0.5 second, and more preferably within 0.1 second. The capillary sized fluid passage is preferably formed in a capillary body such as a single or multilayer metal, ceramic or glass body. The passage has an enclosed volume opening to an inlet and an outlet either of which may be open to the exterior of the capillary body or may be connected to another passage within the same body or another body or to fittings. The heater can be formed by a portion of the body such as a section of a stainless steel tube or the heater can be a discrete layer or wire of resistance heating material incorporated in or on the capillary body.
The fluid passage may be any shape comprising an enclosed volume opening to an inlet and an outlet and through which a fluid may pass. The fluid passage may have any desired cross-section with a preferred cross-section being a circle of uniform diameter. Other capillary fluid passage cross-sections include non-circular shapes such as triangular, square, rectangular, oval or other shape and the cross section of the fluid passage need not be uniform. The fluid passage can extend rectilinearly or non-rectilinearly and may be a single fluid passage or multi-path fluid passage.
A capillary-sized flow passage can be provided with a hydraulic diameter that is preferably less than 2 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm, and most preferably less than 0.5 mm. The “hydraulic diameter” is a parameter used in calculating fluid flow characteristics through a fluid carrying element and is defined as four times the flow area of the fluid-carrying element divided by the perimeter of the solid boundary in contact with the fluid (generally referred to as the “wetted” perimeter). For a tube having a circular flow passage the hydraulic diameter and the actual diameter are equivalent. In the case where the capillary passage is defined by a metal capillary tube, the tube can have an inner diameter of 0.01 to 3 mm, preferably 0.1 to 1 mm, most preferably 0.15 to 0.5 mm. Alternatively, the capillary passage can be defined by transverse cross sectional area of the passage that can be 8×10−5 to 7 mm2, preferably 8×10−3 to 8×10−1 mm2 and more preferably 2×10−3 to 2×10−1 mm2. Many combinations of a single or multiple capillaries, various pressures, various capillary lengths, amounts of heat applied to the capillary, and different shapes and/or cross-sectional areas will suit a given application.
The conversion device can be a Stirling engine, micro-turbine or other suitable device for converting heat to mechanical or electrical power with an optional generator capable of producing up to about 5,000 watts of power. The liquid fuel can be any type of hydrocarbon fuel such as jet fuel, gasoline, kerosene or diesel oil, an oxygenate such as ethanol, methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether, or blends of any of these and the fuel is preferably supplied to the flow passage at pressures of preferably less than 100 psig, more preferably less than 50 psig, even more preferably less than 10 psig, and most preferably less than 5 psig. The vaporized fuel can be mixed with air to form an aerosol having a mean droplet size of 25 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less, thus allowing clean and efficient ignition capabilities.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, liquid fuel is delivered via a heated capillary tube (e.g., a small diameter glass, ceramic or metallic material such as stainless steel tube having an inner diameter of 3 mm or less) to a combustion chamber in which the vaporized fuel is mixed with preheated or unheated air. The vaporized fuel can be mixed with air at ambient temperature, which is drawn into air supply passages leading into the combustion chamber. Alternatively, the vaporized fuel can be mixed with air that has been preheated such as by a heat exchanger that preheats the air with heat of exhaust gases removed from the combustion chamber. If desired, the air can be pressurized such as by a blower prior to mixing with the vaporized fuel.
During vaporization of liquid fuel in a heated capillary passage, deposits of carbon and/or heavy hydrocarbons may accumulate on the capillary walls and flow of the fuel can be severely restricted which ultimately can lead to clogging of the capillary flow passage. The rate at which these deposits accumulate is a function of capillary wall temperature, the fuel flow rate and the fuel type. While it is thought that fuel additives may be useful in reducing such deposits, should clogging develop, the fuel vaporizing device of the present invention advantageously provides a means for cleaning deposits formed during operation.
In accordance with the present invention, the air-fuel mixture is combusted in a combustion chamber to produce heat that is converted into mechanical or electrical power. The power-producing device provides reliable liquid fuel delivery and atomization of vaporized fuel prior to combustion.
The heated capillary flow passage has the ability to form an aerosol of small fuel droplets (e.g., 25 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less) when the vaporized fuel mixes with air at ambient temperature, operating at liquid fuel pressures below 100 psig, preferably less than 50 psig, more preferably less than 10 psig, and even more preferably less than 5 psig. The present invention possesses the ability to combust fuel at low air supply pressure (e.g., below 2 inch H2O), starts rapidly, provides for control of fouling, clogging and gumming, operates at reduced levels of exhaust emissions and requires low ignition energy to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
One advantage of the apparatus according to the invention is its ignition energy requirement characteristics. Minimum ignition energy is a term used to describe the ease with which an atomized fuel/air mixture can be ignited, typically with an igniter such as a spark ignition source. The device according to the invention can provide vaporized fuel and/or aerosol with droplets having a Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of less than 25 μm, preferably less than 10 μm and more preferably less than 5 μm, such fine aerosols being useful to improve the start-up characteristics and flame stability in gas turbine applications. Additionally, very significant reductions in minimum ignition energy can be achieved for fuels having values of SMD at or below 25 μm. For example, as discussed in Lefebvre, Gas Turbine Combustion (Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, 1983) at page 252, Emin, a term that correlates the ease with which an atomized fuel/air mixture may be ignited, is shown to sharply decrease as SMD decreases. Minimum ignition energy is roughly proportional to the cube of the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of the fuel droplets in the aerosol. SMD is the diameter of a droplet whose surface-to-volume ratio is equal to that of the entire spray and relates to the mass transfer characteristics of the spray. The relationship between Emin and SMD for various fuels is shown in Lefebvre to be roughly approximated by the following relationship:
logEmin=4.5(logSMD)+k;
According to Lefebvre, heavy fuel oil has a minimum ignition energy of about is 800 mJ at a SMD of 115 μm and a minimum ignition energy of about 23 mJ at a SMD of 50 μm. Isooctane has a minimum ignition energy of about 9 mJ at a SMD of 90 μm and a minimum ignition energy of about 0.4 mJ at a SMD of 40 μm. For a diesel fuel, when SMD is equal to 100 μm, Emin is about 100 mJ. A reduction in SMD to 30 μm would yield a reduction in Emin to about 0.8 mJ. As may be appreciated, ignition system requirements are substantially reduced for SMD values below 25 μm.
The power conversion apparatus according to the present invention has been found to exhibit highly desirable low ignition energy requirements. A low ignition energy requirement improves the power producing benefits of the present invention by reducing the weight of the overall system and maximizing the power output through the reduction of the parasitic power losses associated with the ignition system.
In view of the benefits hereinabove described, low energy spark ignition devices are preferred for the igniter of the power producing apparatus. Preferred are small piezo-electric ignition devices capable of providing a spark energy in the range of about 5 to 7 millijoules (mJ). Such devices are known to be simple, compact and present no parasitic load issues. The ultra-fine fuel vaporization provided by the apparatus of the invention cooperates to provide excellent ignition characteristics with low energy piezo-electric ignition devices.
The emissions characteristics of liquid-fueled combustion devices are known to be sensitive to the quality of the fuel droplet size distribution. High quality, fine sprays promote fuel evaporation and enhance mixing, thereby reducing the need for fuel-rich combustion and the often-attendant generation of smoke and soot. Small droplets follow flow streamlines and are less prone to impact against burner walls. Conversely, large droplets can impact burner walls and cause CO and hydrocarbon emissions and carbon deposits. This problem is more noticeable in devices where the flames are highly confined.
The heat produced during combustion of the vaporized fuel can be converted to electrical or mechanical power. For instance, the heat could be converted to any desired amount of electrical or mechanical power, e.g., up to 5000 watts of electrical power or mechanical power. Compared to portable battery technology which can only provide approximately 20 W for a few hours or a noisy, high emissions, internal combustion engine/generator producing above 1 kW, the apparatus according to one preferred embodiment of the invention offers a quiet, clean power source in the few hundred watt range.
Various technologies exist for conversion of heat produced in the combustion chamber according to the invention into electrical or mechanical power. For instance, in the 20 to 5000 watt range, at least the following technologies are contemplated: Stirling engines for conversion of heat into mechanical power which can be used to drive a generator, micro-gas turbines which can be used to drive a generator, thermoelectric for direct conversion of heat into electricity, and thermophotovoltaics for direct conversion of radiant energy into electricity.
The thermoelectric devices offer advantages in terms of being quiet and durable, and coupled with external combustion systems, offer the potential for low emissions and flexibility as to fuel. Various types of thermoelectric generators, which can be used as the conversion device, include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,563,368; 5,793,119; 5,917,144; and 6,172,427, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The thermophotovoltaic devices offer advantages in terms of being quiet, providing moderate power density, and coupled with external combustion systems offer the potential for low emissions and flexibility as to fuel. Various types of thermophotovoltaic devices, which can be used as the conversion device, include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,512,109; 5,753,050; 6,092,912; and 6,204,442, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,442, a heat radiating body can be used to absorb heat from combustion gases and heat radiated from the heat radiating body is directed to a photocell for conversion to electricity, thus protecting the photocell from direct exposure to the combustion gases.
Micro-gas turbines could be desirable in terms of high specific power. Microturbine devices, which can be used as the conversion device, include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,836,150; 5,874,798; and 5,932,940, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Stirling engines offer advantages with respect to size, quiet operation, durability, and coupled with external combustion systems offer the potential for low emissions and flexibility as to fuel. Stirling engines that can be used as the conversion device will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Referring now to
Fuel vaporizing device 10 also includes means for cleaning deposits formed during the operation of the apparatus of the present invention. The means for cleaning deposits shown in
One technique for oxidizing deposits includes passing air or steam through the capillary flow passage. As indicated, the capillary flow passage is preferably heated during the cleaning operation so that the oxidation process is initiated and nurtured until the deposits are consumed. To enhance this cleaning operation, a catalytic substance may be employed, either as a coating on, or as a component of, the capillary wall to reduce the temperature and/or time required for accomplishing the cleaning. For continuous operation of the fuel vaporizing device, more than one capillary flow passage can be used such that when a clogged condition is detected, such as by the use of a sensor, fuel flow can be diverted to another capillary flow passage and oxidant flow initiated through the clogged capillary flow passage to be cleaned. As an example, a capillary body can include a plurality of capillary flow passages therein and a valving arrangement can be provided to selectively supply liquid fuel or air to each flow passage.
Alternatively, fuel flow can be diverted from a capillary flow passage and oxidant flow initiated at preset intervals. Fuel delivery to a capillary flow passage can be effected by a controller. For example, the controller can activate fuel delivery for a preset time period and deactivate fuel delivery after the preset amount of time. The controller may also effect adjustment of the pressure of the liquid fuel and/or the amount of heat supplied to the capillary flow passage based on one or more sensed conditions. The sensed conditions may include inter alia: the fuel pressure, the capillary temperature or the air-fuel ratio. The controller may also control one or more capillary flow passages to clean deposits.
The cleaning technique may be applied to combustion devices having a single flow passage. However, if the combustion device is intermittently shut down during the cleaning operation, the energy supplied to the flow passage during cleaning would preferably be electrical. The time period between cleanings may either be fixed based upon experimentally determined clogging characteristics, or a sensing and control device may be employed to detect clogging and initiate the cleaning process as required. For example, a control device could detect the degree of clogging by sensing the fuel supply pressure to the capillary flow passage.
As indicated, the oxidation cleaning technique may also be applied to fuel vaporizing devices that are required to operate continuously. In this case, multiple capillary flow passages are employed. An exemplary multiple capillary flow passage fuel-vaporizing device for use in the present invention is illustrated in
Reference is made now to
In operation, the fuel vaporizing device of the apparatus according to the present invention can be configured to feed back heat produced during combustion such that the liquid fuel is heated sufficiently to substantially vaporize the liquid fuel as it passes through the capillary reducing or eliminating or supplementing the need to electrically or otherwise heat the capillary flow passage. For example, the capillary tube can be made longer to increase the surface area thereof for greater heat transfer, the capillary tube can be configured to pass through the combusting fuel or a heat exchanger can be arranged to use exhaust gas from the combustion reaction to preheat the fuel.
As will be appreciated, the fuel vaporizing device and attendant system depicted in
In order to clean deposits formed during operation of fuel vaporizing device 200, an axially movable rod 232 is positioned through opening 236 of end cap 234 of device body 230 so as to be in axial alignment with the opening of inlet end 214 of capillary flow passage 212. Packing material 238 is provided within the interior volume of end cap 234 for sealing. Referring now to
In general, the power conversion apparatus could include a liquid fuel source, at least one flow passage (e.g., one or more heated capillary tubes) through which fuel from the fuel supply is vaporized and delivered to a combustion chamber wherein the vaporized fuel is combusted, and heat produced in the combustion chamber is used to drive a Stirling engine or other heat conversion device. A heat exchanger can be used to preheat air as the air travels through air passages in the heat exchanger thereby maximizing efficiency of the device, i.e., by preheating the air mixed with the vaporized fuel to support combustion in the chamber, less fuel is needed to maintain the Stirling engine at a desired operating temperature. The exhaust gas can travel through exhaust ducts in the heat exchanger whereby heat from the exhaust gas can be transferred to the air being delivered to the combustion chamber.
The combustion chamber can incorporate any suitable arrangement wherein air is mixed with the vaporized fuel and/or an air-fuel mixture is combusted. For example, the fuel can be mixed with air in a venturi to provide an air-fuel mixture and the air-fuel mixture can be combusted in a heat-generating zone downstream from the venturi. In order to initiate combustion, the air-fuel mixture can be confined in an ignition zone in which an igniter such as a spark generator ignites the mixture. The igniter can be any device capable of igniting the fuel such as a mechanical spark generator, an electrical spark generator, resistance heated ignition wire or the like. The electrical spark generator can be powered by any suitable power source, such as a small battery. However, the battery can be replaced with a manually operated piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric current when activated. With such an arrangement, current can be generated electro-mechanically due to compression of the transducer. For instance, a striker can be arranged so as to strike the transducer with a predetermined force when the trigger is depressed. The electricity generated by the transducer can be supplied to a spark generating mechanism by suitable circuitry. Such an arrangement could be used to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
Some of the electrical power generated by the conversion device can be stored in a suitable storage device such as a battery or capacitor, which can be used to power the igniter. For example, a manually operated switch can be used to deliver electrical current to a resistance-heating element or directly through a portion of a metal tube, which vaporizes fuel in the flow passage and/or the electrical current can be supplied to an igniter for initiating combustion of the fuel-air mixture delivered to the combustion chamber.
If desired, the heat generated by combusting the fuel could be used to operate any types of devices that rely on mechanical or electrical power. For instance, a heat conversion source could be used to generate electricity for portable electrical equipment such as telephone communication devices (e.g., wireless phones), portable computers, power tools, appliances, camping equipment, military equipment, transportation equipment such as mopeds, powered wheelchairs and marine propulsion devices, electronic sensing devices, electronic monitoring equipment, battery chargers, lighting equipment, heating equipment, etc. The heat conversion device could also be used to supply power to non-portable devices or to locations where access to an electrical power grid is not available, inconvenient or unreliable. Such locations and/or non-portable devices include remote living quarters and military encampments, vending machines, marine equipment, etc.
Tests were performed wherein JP 8 jet fuel was vaporized by supplying the fuel to a heated capillary flow passage at constant pressure with a micro-diaphragm pump system. In these tests, capillary tubes of different diameters and lengths were used. The tubes were constructed of 304 stainless steel having lengths of 1 to 3 inches and internal diameters (ID) and outer diameters (OD), in inches, as follows: 0.010 ID/0.018 OD, 0.013 ID/0.033 OD, and 0.017 ID/0.025 OD. Heat for vaporizing the liquid fuel was generated by passing electrical current through a portion of the metal tube. The droplet size distribution was measured using a Spray-Tech laser diffraction system manufactured by Malvern.
The apparatus according to the present invention also produced measurable single and bimodal spray distributions. Measurements revealed a single mode SMD of 2.3 μm and bimodal SMD of 2.8 μm, the single mode providing aerosol droplet sizes of mostly between 1.7 and 4.0 μm whereas the bimodal spray distribution provided 80% or more of the aerosol droplets in the range of 1.7 to 4.0 μm with the remainder of droplet sizes in the range of 95 to 300 μm.
Tests were performed using a commercial grade gasoline that was vaporized by supplying the fuel to a heated capillary flow passage at constant pressure with a micro-diaphragm pump system. In these tests, capillary flow passages of different diameters and lengths were used. The following table shows empirical findings for various capillary tube configurations.
Tests were conducted to demonstrate the effect of fuel pressure on fuel flow rate.
Tests were conducted to demonstrate the benefits of the oxidation cleaning technique on a heated capillary flow passage using an unadditized, sulfur-free base gasoline known to produce high levels of deposit formation. The capillary flow passage employed for these tests was a two-inch long heated capillary tube constructed of stainless steel, having an inner diameter of 0.023 inch. Fuel pressure was maintained at 10 psig. Power was supplied to the capillary to achieve various levels of R/Ro; where R is the heated capillary resistance and Ro is the capillary resistance under ambient conditions.
After substantial clogging was experienced, fuel flow was discontinued and air at 10 psig substituted. Heating was provided during this period and, in as little as one minute later, significant cleaning was achieved, with flow rates returning to prior levels.
This example demonstrates that clogging is far less severe in the heated capillary flow passage of Example 4, when a commercial-grade gasoline employing an effective additive package is employed. As shown in
To compare various gasolines and the impact of detergent additives on clogging, five test fuels were run in the heated capillary flow passage of Example 4. The fuels tested included an unadditized base gasoline containing 300 ppm sulfur, an unadditized base gasoline containing no sulfur, the sulfur-free base gasoline with a commercially available after-market additive (additive A) added and the sulfur-free base gasoline with another commercially available after-market additive (additive B) added.
As shown in
This example compares the operation over time of a capillary flow passage operating on an unadditized jet fuel (JP-8) to the same capillary flow passage operating on an unadditized No. 2 diesel fuel operated in a capillary flow passage having an I.D. of 0.014 inch and a two inch length. Fuel pressure was set to 15 psig. Power was supplied to the capillary to achieve a level of R/Ro of 1.19; where R is the heated capillary resistance and Ro is the capillary resistance under ambient conditions.
As shown in
Tests were conducted to assess the efficacy of the oxidation cleaning technique on a heated capillary flow passage using an unadditized, No. 2 diesel fuel known to produce high levels of deposit formation. The capillary flow passage employed for these tests was a two-inch long heated capillary tube constructed of stainless steel, having an inner diameter of 0.014 inch. Fuel pressure was maintained at 15 psig. Power was supplied to the capillary to achieve a level of R/Ro of 1.19; where R, once again, is the heated capillary resistance and Ro is the capillary resistance under ambient conditions.
In a second run, after five minutes of operation, fuel flow was discontinued and air at 10 psig substituted for a period of five minutes. Heating was also provided during this period. This procedure was repeated every five minutes. As shown in
Tests were conducted to assess the effect of a commercial grade anti-fouling detergent additive blended with the No. 2 diesel fuel of Example 8 on fuel flow rate over time in a heated capillary flow passage. The capillary flow passage employed for these tests, once again, was a two-inch long heated capillary tube constructed of stainless steel, having an inner diameter of 0.014 inch. Fuel pressure was maintained at 15 psig and power was supplied to the capillary to achieve a level of R/Ro of 1.19.
While the invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the invention.
This patent application claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/367,131, filed on Mar. 22, 2002, and is related to the following patent applications that are hereby incorporated by reference: “Fuel Injector for an Internal Combustion Engine”, by R. O. Pellizzari et al., filed concurrently on May 10, 2002, herewith as U.S. application Ser. No. 10/143,250, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,513; and “Apparatus and Method for Preparing and Delivering Fuel,” by R. O. Pellizzari, filed concurrently on May 10, 2002, herewith as U.S. application Ser. No. 10/143,435, Now U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,792.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 60367131 | Mar 2002 | US |
