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US 6,955,052 B2Granted
Thermal gas compression engine
OwnerIndru J. Primlaniinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power generation method and apparatus includes a plurality of gas reactors that combust fuel and an oxygen-containing gas under substantially adiabatic conditions such that hot high pressure combustion gases flow alternately and substantially continuously from each reactor to a work-producing device wherein the combustion gases are expanded to provide work. A portion of the expanded gases, or ambient air can be mixed with the combustion gases to form a mixture of gases fed to the work-producing device.
Claims28
A method for producing power from combustion of a fuel which comprises:
- a. feeding a pressurized Oxygen-containing gas and then a combustible fuel to a first combustion zone of constant volume to form a combustible mixture therein combusting said combustible mixture in said first combustion zone under substantially adiabatic conditions to form gaseous combustion products and exhausting said gaseous combustion products from said first combustion zone at a first predetermined range of elevated temperature and pressure in a first cycle;
- b. feeding a pressurized Oxygen-containing gas and then a combustible fuel to a second combustion zone of constant volume to form a combustible mixture therein combusting said gaseous combustible mixture in said second combustion zone under substantially adiabatic conditions to form gaseous combustion products and exhausting said gaseous combustion products from said second combustion zone at said first predetermined range of elevated temperature and pressure in a second cycle;
- c. feeding said exhausted gaseous combustion products from each of said combustion zones to a mixing zone, forming in said mixing zone an admixture of said exhausted gaseous combustion products and a secondary gas at a second predetermined range of temperature and pressure lower than said first predetermined range;
- and expanding said admixture in a work-producing zone whereby work is generated by said expansion;
- d. alternately repeating said first and second cycles, each of said cycles being operated to provide a substantially continuous stream of exhausted gaseous combustion products sequentially from said first and second combustion zones to said mixing zone;
- and
- e. feeding the admixture of said exhausted gaseous combustion products and said secondary gas to said work producing zone.
4 more elements
Apparatus for producing power from combustion of fuel, which comprises:
- a. a plurality of gas reactors, each said gas reactor having an elongated sealed housing of constant volume, inlets and outlets at opposite ends thereof, means for thermally insulating said housing and means for propagating a modulated flame within said housing;
- b. first conduit means communicating with said inlets for feeding a pressurized Oxygen-containing gas and then a combustible fuel to the interior of each of said reactors to form a combustible mixture therein;
- c. second conduit means communicating with said outlets for exhausting gaseous combustion products from aid reactors;
- d. means for producing work by expansion of gases, said work-producing means having inlets and outlets and third conduit means providing fluid communication between aid gas reactor outlets and said work-producing means inlets;
- e. first control means for operating said gas reactors to provide a substantially continuous flow of exhausted gaseous combustion products to said work producing means alternately and sequentially from said gas reactors;
- and
- f. mixing means for admixing a secondary gas with said combustion products to form an admixture of gases at a second predetermined range of temperature and pressure lower than said first predetermined range, said mixing means being between said gas reactors and said work-producing means, and means for feeding said admixture to said work-producing means.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.