665 results about "Ramjet" patented technology

A combined-cycle engine having at least one core engine and at least one ramjet engine. The ramjet utilizes a novel swirl generator for rapidly and efficiently atomizing, vaporizing, as necessary, and mixing a fuel into an oxidant. The swirl generator converts an oxidant flow into a turbulent, three-dimensional flowfield into which the fuel is introduced. The swirl generator effects a toroidal outer recirculation zone and an inner central recirculation zone, both of which are configured in a backward-flowing manner that carries heat and combustion byproducts upstream where they are employed to continuously ignite a combustible fuel / oxidizer mixture in adjacent shear layers, which accelerate flame propagation throughout the core flowfield. The swirl generator provides smooth combustion with no instabilities and minimum total pressure losses and enables significant reductions in the L / D ratio of the combustor. Other benefits include simplicity, reliability, wide flammability limits, high combustion efficiency and high specific thrust performance.

A single-stage hypersonic vehicle is comprised of a low-speed and a high-speed propulsion system. The low-speed propulsion system propels the single-stage vehicle to a threshold velocity, after which the high-speed propulsion system then takes over. The low-speed propulsion system includes a combined-cycle engine featuring a swirl generator that is integrated into a turbojet engine to provide a compact turbojet and swirl afterburner-ramjet propulsion system. The high-speed propulsion system includes a hypersonic engine that is operable at the threshold takeover velocity and beyond. In various embodiments, the high-speed propulsion system comprises a scramjet, rocket, or scramjet / rocket engine depending requirements. Benefits of the swirl generator design include its ability to rapidly and efficiently atomize, vaporize, mix and burn the fuel and oxidizer for the low speed propulsion system, significantly reduce length, weight, cooling requirements and complexity for both propulsion systems, while maintaining high propulsion performance and reducing propulsion and launch costs.

An apparatus (100) for generation of mechanical and electrical power. Ramjet type thrust modules (102a, 102b) operate at supersonic speeds (preferably Mach 3 to 4) at the distal or tip ends (116a, 116b) of a low aerodynamic drag rotor (106). Rotor (106) is affixed at a hub means (114) to a power output means including central rotating upper (104a) and lower (104b) shaft portions. Rotor (106) is a structural member which transmits the thrust generated by the thrust modules (102a, 102b) to the shaft portions (104a, 104b). The ramjet thrust modules (102a, 102b) capture and compress a supplied free air stream, which is mixed with and oxidizes a convenient liquid or gaseous fuel such as natural gas from fuel supply means (103). Combustion gases expand to create thrust to rotate the thrust modules (102a, 102b), which are constrained by the rotor (106), to rotates about the axis defined by the shaft (104a, 104b) at supersonic thrust module velocities, producing shaft energy. Escaping exhaust gases (160) may be cooled by passing them through an enthalpy extraction section (162) to heat a secondary heat transfer fluid (166). If the secondary heat transfer fluid (166) is water, the steam may be used directly for its thermal energy, or the steam sent to a steam turbine to produce additional shaft energy. Combustion gases (160) may also be directed through a reaction turbine (1002) to utilize remaining kinetic energy to generate shaft energy. The apparatus and method is particularly useful for generation of electrical and mechanical power at substantially improved efficiency rates when compared to conventional, prior art power plants.

A ramjet powered device that utilizes a novel swirl generator for rapidly and efficiently atomizing, vaporizing, as necessary, and mixing a fuel into an oxidant. The swirl generator converts an oxidant flow into a turbulent, three-dimensional flowfield into which the fuel is introduced. The swirl generator effects a toroidal outer recirculation zone and an inner central recirculation zone, both of which are configured in a backward-flowing manner that carries heat and combustion byproducts upstream where they are employed to continuously ignite a combustible fuel / oxidizer mixture in adjacent shear layers and stabilizes flame propagation and accelerates combustion throughout the entire combustor. The swirl generator provides smooth combustion with no instabilities and minimum total pressure losses and enables significant reductions in the L / D ratio of the combustor. Other benefits include simplicity, reliability, wide flammability limits and high combustion efficiency and thrust performance.