Glow plug type acoustic resonance igniter
AssigneeOrbital Technologies Corporation
InventorScott M. Munson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An acoustic resonance igniter uses high-pressure helium to heat a resonance cavity so a hot surface of the resonance cavity forms a source of ignition to a combustion chamber. The resonance cavity may be round or may extend linearly to increase the size of the hot surface. The combustion chamber is cooled by arranging a feed of hydrogen and oxygen which is oxygen rich and which becomes more so when ignition occurs. A second combustion chamber receives the combustion chamber output and adds additional hydrogen through ports tangential to the wall of the second combustion chamber to enrich the fuel ratio and cool the second combustion chamber. The acoustic resonance igniter is used to ignite a large rocket engine or to form a rocket thruster.
Claims20
A hot surface acoustic resonance igniter comprising:
- a source of compressed gas having a molecular weight of about 2 to 4;
- a sonic gas nozzle defining an opening and a nozzle axis, the gas nozzle connected to the source of compressed gas;
- a structure supported with respect to the gas nozzle, wherein portions of the structure define a cavity which is configured to form a resonance cavity having an opening in the upper surface which is spaced from the gas nozzle along the nozzle axis, the structure forming a lower surface of the resonance cavity, which is arranged to be heated by gas from the source of compressed gas which is driven to resonate by being emitted from the sonic nozzle;
- a primary combustion chamber defined below the lower surface of the resonance cavity, the primary combustion chamber connected to a source of propellant;
- a secondary combustion chamber separated from the primary combustion chamber by a flow channel, the secondary combustion chamber in combustion gas receiving relation to the primary combustion chamber, the secondary combustion chamber having an elongated chamber wall along which combustion products flow;
- and
- portions of the combustion chamber elongated chamber wall forming secondary propellant injection ports, arranged at least in part tangential to the chamber wall to form a cooling layer of propellant along the combustion chamber wall.
A hot surface acoustic linear resonance igniter comprising:
- a source of compressed hydrogen or helium gas;
- a linearly extending sonic gas nozzle defining a linearly extending nozzle opening, and a nozzle plane centered on the linearly extending opening of the sonic gas nozzle;
- wherein the gas nozzle is connected to the source of compressed hydrogen or helium gas, to form a linear gas jet which extends along the nozzle plane;
- a structure, portions of the structure forming an upper surface, a linearly extending resonance opening and a linearly extending resonance cavity extending away from the linear opening, the linear opening supported spaced from the linearly extending sonic gas nozzle so that the linear opening and the linearly extending resonance cavity extend linearly in the nozzle plane;
- wherein the structure has a lower linear surface external to the resonance cavity and opposite the resonance cavity, which lower surface is arranged to be heated by a resonance produced by the linear gas jet emitted by the linearly extending sonic gas nozzle;
- and
- a combustion chamber defined below the lower surface of the resonance cavity, the combustion chamber connected to a source of propellant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.