Closed cycle Brayton propulsion system with direct heat transfer
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorPaul M. Dunn
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid metal fueled Brayton cycle power system with a direct contact heat exchanger. In this invention, a compressor compresses the working gas. A regenerator preheats the compressed working gas and passes the working gas to a reactor/storage tank with liquid metal fuel stored therein. An oxidant is injected into the reactor/storage tank to react with the liquid metal fuel. The compressed working gas bubbles through the liquid metal fuel in the reactor/storage tank and is heated by direct contact with the fuel-oxidant mixture. A turbine expands the heated working gas and thereby withdraws power from the system. The spent working gas exits to the regenerator where it warms the compressed gas. A cooler reduces the working gas temperature and recirculates the gas to the compressor.
Claims12
A closed Brayton cycle power system for powering an underwater craft comprising:
- a liquid metal fuel;
- an oxidant chemically reactive with said liquid metal fuel;
- a working gas chemically stable and inert with respect to said oxidant and said liquid metal fuel;
- a reactor/storage tank containing said liquid metal fuel therein and having a working gas inlet and a working gas outlet, to allow said working gas to bubble through said liquid metal fuel, for heating said working gas by direct contact with said liquid metal fuel;
- an oxidant supply tank for storing said oxidant therein at high pressure;
- an injector disposed within said reactor/storage tank below the surface of said liquid metal fuel therein, said injector being in communication with said oxidant supply tank for injecting said oxidant into said liquid metal fuel;
- a turbine having a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet, said turbine inlet being in communication with said working gas outlet of said reactor/storage tank for expanding said working gas and extracting power from said high pressure, high temperature working gas;
- a regenerator having a hot side inlet, a hot side outlet, a cold side inlet, and a cold side outlet, said hot side inlet being in communication with said turbine outlet for receiving hot, expanded working gas from said turbine, said cold side outlet being in communication with said working gas inlet of said reactor/storage tank for preheating said compressed working gas;
- a compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, said compressor outlet being in communication with said cold side inlet of said regenerator for compressing said working gas;
- a cooler having a cooler inlet and a cooler outlet, said cooler inlet being in communication with said hot side outlet from said regenerator, said cooler outlet being in communication with said compressor inlet;
- and
- a drive shaft mechanically connected to said turbine between said compressor for delivering power from said turbine to said compressor and said underwater device.
A direct contact reactor/storage apparatus comprising:
- a tank;
- a liquid metal fuel contained within said tank;
- an injector disposed in said housing below the surface of said liquid metal fuel;
- an oxidant provided to said injector for injection into said liquid metal fuel;
- an inlet bubbling tube having a multiplicity of apertures therethrough along the length thereof disposed below the surface of said liquid metal fuel in said reactor/storage tank;
- a working gas provided to said inlet bubbling tube at high pressure for dispersion through said liquid metal fuel via said multiplicity of apertures in said inlet bubbling tube;
- and
- a working gas outlet disposed in said tank above the surface of said liquid metal fuel for allowing said heated working gas to exit said tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.