Engine for power on demand generator

An engine for obtaining kinetic rotational energy from the explosive decomposition of an energetic material, comprising:

• a) an annular piston track comprising a stationary wall section and a rotating wall section, the rotating wall section being free to rotate around the axis of the annulus;
• b) fixed to the rotating wall section, a piston fitting closely within the annular piston track and traveling within the annular piston track as the rotating wall section rotates;
• c) on the side of the rotating wall section exterior to the annular piston track and facing the axis of the annulus, regularly spaced gear teeth arranged so that the rotating wall section is capable of serving as an annular gear;
• d) a gear train, comprising a pinion gear operatively engaged with the annular gear, and an output shaft driven by the gear train;
• e) a one-way clutch operatively engaged with the output shaft;
• f) a flywheel operatively engaged with the one-way clutch, the one-way clutch being oriented to transmit torque from the output shaft to the flywheel;
• g) a power flow entry tube adapted at its near end to receive expanding gases produced by the explosive decomposition of the energetic material, and terminating at its distal end in an attached partition, the partition having a port that passes through the partition and delivers the expanding gases into the annular piston track behind the piston, so as to propel the piston forward and around the annular piston track;
• h) a pivot integrated into the power flow entry tube, which enables the distal end of the power flow entry tube and the attached partition to be rotated between a first state in which the partition seals the annular piston track, and a second state in which the partition is entirely clear of the annular piston track;
• and
• i) a movable stop pawl, operatively linked to the partition and movable into and out of the annular piston track;
• wherein distal end of the power flow entry tube and the attached partition are configured to rotate from the first state to the second state when displaced by the piston, so as to permit passage of the piston, and configured to rotate back into the first state after passage of the piston;
• wherein the rotation of the partition into the second state causes the stop pawl to move into the annular piston track and halt the movement of the piston;
• and
• wherein the stop pawl is configured to move out of the annular piston track when the flow entry tube and the partition rotate back into the first state after passage of the piston.