Fuel injection of coal slurry using vortex nozzles and valves
AssigneeDefense Research Technologies, Inc.
InventorAllen B. Holmes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Injection of atomized coal slurry fuel into an engine combustion chamber is achieved at relatively low pressures by means of a vortex swirl nozzle. The outlet opening of the vortex nozzle is considerably larger than conventional nozzle outlets, thereby eliminating major sources of failure due to clogging by contaminants in the fuel. Control fluid, such as air, may be used to impart vorticity to the slurry and/or purge the nozzle of contaminants during the times between measured slurry charges. The measured slurry charges may be produced by a diaphragm pump or by vortex valves controlled by a separate control fluid. Fluidic circuitry, employing vortex valves to alternatively block and pass cool slurry fuel flow, is disclosed.
Claims28
Apparatus for injecting atomized coal slurry fuel into an engine combustion chamber comprising:
- vortex nozzle means, having an annular chamber with a substantially central outlet port and a peripheral fuel inlet port, for providing output flow from said outlet port, of fluid supplied to said fuel inlet port, in a conical sheet pattern that breaks up into atomized spray;
- metering means for delivering pressurized metered charges of said coal slurry fuel to said fuel inlet port at a pressure that is on the order of approximately five thousand psi or less and is sufficient to produce said conical sheet pattern output flow from said outlet port;
- vortex-inducing means for imparting a tangential flow component to the coal slurry fuel entering said annular chamber via said fuel inlet port;
- and
- mounting means for positioning said vortex nozzle means to issue said conical sheet pattern of coal slurry fuel from said outlet port into said engine combustion chamber.
The apparatus according to claim wherein said control means includes means for issuing pressurized liquid diesel fuel tangentially into said annular chamber.
Apparatus for injecting fluidized coal fuel into an engine combustion chamber comprising:
- nozzle means responsive to application of said fluidized coal fuel thereto, under pressure, for issuing the fuel into said engine combustion chamber;
- and
- vortex valve means for selectively controlling flow of said fluidized coal fuel therethrough to apply measured charges of said fluidized coal fuel under pressure to said nozzle means, said vortex valve means including valve control means for selectively issuing a control fluid i-:to said vortex valve means with a tangential flow component and at a pressure sufficiently high to cut off flow of said fluidized coal fuel through said vortex valve means.
The method of injecting coal slurry fuel into an engine combustion chamber comprising the steps of:
- delivering measured charges of said coal slurry fuel to a vortex nozzle at a pressure of five thousand psi or less;
- and
- issuing each measured charge into said engine combustion chamber in a conical sheet flow pattern that breaks up into atomized particles of the coal slurry fuel in said combustion chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.