US 4,224,790 AGranted

Jet engine

OwnerRaymond G. Christenseninventor

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Abstract

An engine particularly adapted to travel at high supersonic and hypersonic velocities. The engine has a forward turbine positioned at the engine inlet and a rearwardly positioned compressor driven by the turbine through an interconnecting longitudinal shaft. In a first embodiment, a cryogenic fuel, such as hydrogen, is introduced into the engine at a location between the turbine and the compressor, with vaporization and heating of the fuel causing a reduction in the compressor inlet temperature and a consequent increase in compressor discharge for a given turbine power shaft input. The resulting fuel/air mixture passes through the compressor and then into a rearwardly positioned combustion chamber where it is ignited, with the combustion products then being expanded from the compressor discharge pressure to atmospheric pressure through an outlet nozzle as jet exhaust. In other embodiments, additional heat exchange means are provided between the turbine and compressor, with fuel injection combustion occuring forward of the turbine and also rearwardly of the compressor. In a fifth embodiment, the principle of operation of this engine is incorporated in a fan jet engine.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A jet engine particularly adapted for use in an aircraft traveling at high supersonic or hypersonic velocities, said engine comprising:

a. a housing structure having an upstream inlet end to receive intake air and a downstream exhaust end to discharge jet exhaust,
b. a supersonic inlet arranged to receive air and reduce said air to a subsonic velocity,
c. a subsonic turbine mounted rearwardly of said inlet and arranged to be driven by subsonic air from the inlet, with the air expanding as it passes through said turbine,
d. a compressor mounted in the housing downstream of the turbine to compress air discharged from the turbine, said compressor having a drive connection to the turbine so as to be driven thereby,
e. said housing comprising means defining a combustion chamber located downstream of said compressor to react a fuel/air mixture and direct the resulting combustion products through the discharge end of the housing,
f. said housing further defining a heat exchange zone located upstream of the compressor and downstream of the turbine to receive air discharged from the compressor,
g. air cooling heat exchange and injecting means to place fuel for the engine in heat exchange relationship with air in the heat exchange zone to lower the temperature of the air and to inject said fuel into air passing through the engine for combustion therewith in the combustion zone.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.