Microwave ignition of electrically operated propellants
US10808649B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 18, 2016 |
| Grant date | Oct 20, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 22, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF02K9/94
- WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Microwave energy is used to ignite and control the ignition of electrically operated propellant to produce high-pressure gas. The propellant includes conductive particles that act as a free source of electrons. Incoming microwave energy accumulates electric charge in an attenuation zone, which is discharged in the form of dielectric breakdowns to create local randomly oriented currents. The propellant also includes polar molecules. The polar molecules in the attenuation zone absorb microwave energy causing the molecules to rapidly vibrate thereby increasing the temperature of the propellant. The increase in temperature and the local current densities together establish an ignition condition to ignite and sustain ignition of an ignition surface of the attenuation zone as the zone regresses without igniting the remaining bulk of the propellant.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.