Spark-integrated propellant injector head with flashback barrier
AssigneeFirestar Engineering, LLC
InventorsGregory Stuart Mungas, David James Fisher, Christopher Mungas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
High performance propellants flow through specialized mechanical hardware that allows for effective and safe thermal decomposition and/or combustion of the propellants. By integrating a sintered metal component between a propellant feed source and the combustion chamber, an effective and reliable fuel injector head may be implemented. Additionally the fuel injector head design integrates a spark ignition mechanism that withstands extremely hot running conditions without noticeable spark mechanism degradation.
Claims26
A combustion system comprising:
- a housing defining a cooling chamber and a combustion chamber separated by a flame barrier, wherein the cooling chamber is disposed around an electrode assembly, and the flame barrier comprises fluid paths with a diameter of less than about 10 microns, the electrode assembly comprises an interface sheath encompassing an insulating tube which encompasses an electrode;
- and
- a fuel inlet tube is disposed through the housing into the cooling chamber.
A combustion system comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber having distal and proximal ends;
- the housing defining a cooling chamber at the proximal end, a combustion chamber at the distal end and a flame barrier between the cooling chamber and the combustion chamber;
- an electrode assembly disposed through the proximal end of the housing through the cooling chamber and through the flame barrier terminating at a surface of the flame barrier adjacent the combustion chamber, wherein the electrode assembly comprises an electrode disposed within an insulating tube, and wherein the insulating tube is disposed within an interface sheath;
- and
- a fuel inlet tube disposed through a side of the housing into the cooling chamber.
A method of preventing flashback between a combustion chamber and a feed propellant and for providing regenerative cooling of an electrode assembly comprising:
- providing a propellant inlet into the cooling chamber, wherein a cooling chamber circumscribes the electrode assembly;
- providing a micro-fluidic flame barrier to separate the cooling chamber and a combustion chamber, wherein the micro-fluidic flame barrier comprises fluid paths having a diameter of about 5 microns or less, and
- running feed propellant through the fuel inlet, into the cooling chamber and through the flame barrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.