Combustion of nanopartitioned fuel
US5992354A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 18, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 30, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 18, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/12
- WIPO fieldEngines, pumps, turbines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The invention provides a scheme for combusting a hydrocarbon fuel to generate and extract enhanced translational energy. In the scheme, hydrocarbon fuel is nanopartitioned into nanometric fuel regions each having a diameter less than about 1000 angstroms; and either before or after the nanopartitioning, the fuel is introduced into a combustion chamber. In the combustion chamber, a shock wave excitation of at least about 50,000 psi and with an excitation rise time of less than about 100 nanoseconds is applied to the fuel. A fuel partitioned into such nanometric quantum confinement regions enables a quantum mechanical condition in which translational energy modes of the fuel are amplified, whereby the average energy of the translational energy mode levels is higher than it would be for a macro-sized, unpartitioned fuel. Combustion of such a nanopartitioned fuel provides enhanced translational energy extraction by way of, e.g., a reciprocating piston because only the translational energy mode of combustion products appreciably contributes to momentum exchange with the piston. The shock wave excitation provided by the invention, as applied to combustion of any fuel, and preferably to a…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.