Gas powered fluid gun with recoil mitigation
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorsMark C. Grubelich, Gerold Yonas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas powered fluid gun for propelling a stream or slug of a fluid at high velocity toward a target. Recoil mitigation is provided that reduces or eliminates the associated recoil forces, with minimal or no backwash. By launching a quantity of water in the opposite direction, net momentum forces are reduced or eliminated. Examples of recoil mitigation devices include a cone for making a conical fluid sheet, a device forming multiple impinging streams of fluid, a cavitating venturi, one or more spinning vanes, or an annular tangential entry/exit.
Claims14
A fluid gun system for propelling a stream or slug of a fluid at a high velocity towards a target, the system comprising:
- a gun barrel having a central bore, an open front end, an open rear end, a side, and an opening through the side for conveying fluid into the central bore;
- a fluid storage tank for containing a fluid that is pressurized with a gas at a pressure greater than ambient pressure;
- a fluid supply line for supplying pressurized fluid from the fluid storage tank to the opening in the side of the gun barrel;
- a fluid ejection valve disposed in the fluid supply line, for controlling flow of the pressurized fluid from the fluid storage tank to the opening in the side of the gun barrel;
- and
- a device attached to the open rear end that changes the pressure of fluid exiting the open rear end;
- wherein the device comprises an annular tangential entry/exit structure for converting the rearward-moving stream into a rotating, swirling stream that rapidly breaks-up.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.