Liquid slug projector apparatus
OwnerAdrien P. Pascouetinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The liquid slug projector apparatus (9) comprises a generator (10) having a main housing (13) whose main port (17b) fluidly communicates with a liquid body (12). A first shuttle (26) and a second shuttle (61a) are slidably mounted inside the main housing. The first shuttle forms with the main housing a slug chamber (23) for confining therein a liquid slug (22). Force-producing means (8) cyclically cause the shuttles (26, 61a) to move relative to or in locked condition with each other, thereby applying during each cycle of operation an abrupt propulsion force to the confined liquid slug which becomes expelled as a very high-velocity liquid jet (22a) through the main port.
Claims10
In a liquid slug projector apparatus (9) including a generator (10) having a housing (13) defining a main port (17b) adapted to be submerged in a liquid body (12) for generating acoustic energy therein, and a first shuttle (26) forming with said main housing a slug chamber (23) for confining therein a liquid slug (22), the improvement comprising:
- a second shuttle (61a);
- said first and second shuttles being slidably mounted inside said housing;
- and
- cyclical force-producing means (8) operatively coupled with said shuttles to cause said shuttles during each cycle to move separately from each other and in locked condition with each other, whereby said first shuttle applies during each cycle an abrupt propulsion force to said confined liquid slug and expels said slug through said main port.
A liquid slug projector apparatus (9) comprising:
- a generator (10) having a housing (13) including a first bore (16) a bottom stop wall (17) defining a main port (17b), a second bore (66a), and a top stop wall (68) defining a top port (68');
- a first shuttle (26) having a first piston (20), a second piston (27), and a push rod (26a) interconnecting said first and second pistons;
- a second shuttle (61a) having a third piston (60), a fourth piston (61), and an interconnecting push rod (61b) defining a third bore (29) therein;
- said first piston being slidably mounted in said first bore, said second piston being slidably mounted in said third bore, said third piston being slidably mounted in said first bore, and said fourth piston being slidably mounted in said second bore;
- said second shuttle having a sleeve (15) slidably and sealingly extending from said fourth piston through said top port (68');
- said first bore defining a slug chamber (23) for containing a liquid slug (22) between said bottom stop wall and said first piston, and a vent chamber (24) between said first piston and said third piston;
- said second bore defining:
- a return chamber (58) between said fourth piston and said top stop wall, a trigger chamber (31) between said second and fourth pistons, and a main reservoir chamber (35) between said first and second shuttles;
- a pneumatic unit (45c) including a normally-closed valve (43) for coupling a pressurized gas (100) to said main reservoir chamber;
- a hydraulic fluid (102) in said main return chamber;
- a first, normally-closed, electrically-operated valve (50) coupling said reservoir chamber to said trigger chamber, said valve (50) when open causing said pressurized gas to abruptly propel said first shuttle to execute a forward stroke which expels said liquid slug;
- said hydraulic fluid (102) causing said second shuttle to move toward and lock to said first shuttle, thereby compressing said gas in said main reservoir chamber;
- and
- said hydraulic fluid (102) and said gas (100) causing said locked shuttles to return to said rest position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.