Glycerin fueled afterburning engine

An engine for producing mechanical power by utilizing high viscosity, high auto ignition temperature, liquid fuel;

• said engine using the heat from the combustion products of said fuel with air in a sequential counterflow process consisting of 1) converting said fuel to a superheated vapor, 2) providing indirect air heating to a power generation unit to both produce mechanical power and to raise the temperature of said air above said auto-ignition temperature of said fuel and 3) preheating said fuel;
• whereby said sequential process meets the objective of providing fuel and air to the combustion process at a hypergolic condition;
• said engine comprising:
• a. said power generation unit for producing mechanical power using an indirectly fired brayton cycle, said power generation unit comprising:
• i. a compressor for receiving ambient air and increasing the pressure of said air,
• ii. an air heater for indirectly heating said compressed air by heat exchange from hot combustion products,
• iii. an expander for producing said mechanical power by expanding said heated and compressed air to a lower pressure and temperature while still maintaining the temperature of said air above the auto ignition temperature of said fuel,
• iv. a means for conveying said mechanical power to at least one device selected from the group containing mechanical power take-offs and electrical generators, while also providing sufficient mechanical power to operate said compressor;
• b. a fuel system for utilizing said high viscosity, high auto ignition temperature, liquid fuel to generate a controlled flow of fuel vapor heated to a temperature above said auto ignition temperature, said fuel system comprising:
• i. a liquid fuel supply container,
• ii. a means for pressurizing said liquid fuel while also controlling both flowrate and pressure,
• iii. a fuel pre-heater for pre-heating said pressurized liquid fuel to reduce the viscosity of said pressurized liquid fuel by indirect heat exchange with said hot combustion products,
• iv. a fuel vaporizer for converting said pressurized, low viscosity, liquid fuel to a superheated fuel vapor at a temperature above said auto ignition temperature by indirect heat exchange with said hot combustion products;
• c. a burner for combining said air from said expander and said fuel vapor from said fuel vaporizer, both at a temperature above said auto ignition temperature, wherein said combined air and fuel vapor ignite hyperpergolicly to produce said hot combustion products;
• and
• d. a means for starting said engine comprised of:
• i. a means for combining ambient temperature air and an easily ignitable fuel and further igniting said combination of ambient temperature air and said easily ignitable fuel to form said hot combustion products to allow said air heater, fuel pre-heater, and fuel vaporizer to be brought to operating temperature before starting the flow of said high viscosity, high auto ignition temperature, liquid fuel,
• ii. a means for causing the power generation unit of said engine to begin rotating until continued rotation becomes self-sustaining;
• whereby the prior-art difficulties of using said high viscosity, high auto ignition, temperature, liquid fuels are overcome to produce said mechanical power and whereby the mechanical portions of said power generation unit are not exposed to corrosive combustion products contained in said combustion products so that said mechanical portions will have a favorable operating environment.