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US 9,101,898 B2Granted
Portable gas generating device
OwnerRobert M. Zubrin, David Kenneth Strott +3inventors
InventorsRobert M. Zubrin, David Kenneth Strott, Anthony Curtis Muscatello, Nicholas F. Jameson, Emily Bostwick-White
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and devices for generating gas from nitrous oxide are provided as well as downstream uses for the product gas. Reactor devices of the invention are compact and incorporate a novel heat-exchange/regenerative cooling system to optimize N2O decomposition and reactor durability.
Claims23
A gas generator for nitrous oxide decomposition comprising:
- a reaction chamber for accepting nitrous oxide at a first port and for releasing gas from the nitrous oxide decomposition at a second port, the reaction chamber having an interior and an exterior chamber wall, the interior chamber wall for constraining the nitrous oxide decomposition reaction and the exterior chamber wall defining a jacket between it and the interior chamber wall;
- and
- the jacket at least partially enveloping the reaction chamber, an interior surface of the exterior chamber wall and an exterior surface of the interior chamber wall defining one or more channels between the interior chamber wall and the exterior chamber wall, the one or more channels for transporting the nitrous oxide within the jacket from the first port of the reaction chamber and for facilitating the transfer of heat generated during the nitrous oxide decomposition to an incoming source of nitrous oxide, wherein the size and shape of the one or more channels are configured to provide a residence time of the nitrous oxide in the jacket that is shorter than the reaction time of nitrous oxide in the jacket, the incoming source of nitrous oxide being preheated to more efficiently decompose within the gas generator;
- and
- a catalyst configured to reduce the temperature required for the nitrous oxide decomposition;
- wherein the reaction chamber is regeneratively cooled by the incoming source of nitrous oxide.
3 more elements
A gas generator for nitrous oxide decomposition comprising:
- a reaction chamber for accepting nitrous oxide at a first port and for releasing gas from the nitrous oxide decomposition at a second port, the reaction chamber having an interior and an exterior chamber wall, the interior chamber wall for constraining the nitrous oxide decomposition reaction and the exterior chamber wall defining a jacket between it and the interior chamber wall;
- and
- the jacket at least partially enveloping the reaction chamber, an interior surface of the exterior chamber wall and an exterior surface of the interior chamber wall defining one or more channels between the interior chamber wall and the exterior chamber wall, the one or more channels for transporting the nitrous oxide within the jacket from the first port of the reaction chamber, the channels further regeneratively cooling the reaction chamber during nitrous oxide decomposition by facilitating heat removal from the gas generator while facilitating the preheating of nitrous oxide prior to nitrous oxide decomposition;
- and
- a catalyst configured to reduce the temperature required for the nitrous oxide decomposition;
- wherein the length and volume of the one or more channels are configured to provide a residence time of the nitrous oxide in the jacket that is shorter than the reaction time of nitrous oxide in the jacket.
3 more elements
A gas generator for nitrous oxide decomposition comprising:
- a reaction chamber for accepting nitrous oxide at a first port and for releasing gas from the nitrous oxide decomposition at a second port, the reaction chamber having an interior and an exterior chamber wall, the interior chamber wall for constraining the nitrous oxide decomposition reaction and the exterior chamber wall defining a jacket between it and the interior chamber wall;
- a catalyst to reduce the temperature required for the nitrous oxide decomposition within the reaction chamber, wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of rhodium, ruthenium, platinum, copper, iridium, nickel, magnesium oxide and zirconium oxide, and
- the jacket at least partially enveloping the reaction chamber, the jacket at least partially defining one or more channels between the interior chamber wall and the exterior chamber wall, the one or more channels for transporting the nitrous oxide within the jacket from the first port of the reaction chamber and for facilitating the transfer of heat generated during the nitrous oxide decomposition to an incoming source of nitrous oxide, the incoming source of nitrous oxide being preheated to more efficiently decompose within the gas generator, and
- wherein the reaction chamber is regeneratively cooled by the incoming source of nitrous oxide.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.