Fuel plasma vortex combustion system

A combustion system having a combustion chamber having a fuel inlet, a preheating chamber surrounding the combustion chamber, an air inlet for tangentially feeding combustion air to the preheating chamber, the combustion chamber having an elongate slot for tangentially admitting preheated air in circulating motion to the combustion chamber, a plasma chamber coupled to the combustion chamber having an inlet aperture for receiving combusting fuel-air plasma from the combustion chamber, and an outlet aperture for expelling combusted gas, the plasma chamber having an inverted end wall surrounding the outlet aperture operative for forming an imploding vortex in the plasma chamber.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to combustion systems, and more particularly to 
combustion systems based on imploding vortex technology, combined with ion 
separation of combustion gases. 
An imploding plasma energy converter was previously developed by the 
present applicant and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,966, issued on 
Nov. 1, 1994. This prior converter, although highly efficient and 
practical, does not entirely maximize combustion vortex turbulence and it 
lacks a convenient means for finely adjusting the air-fuel ratio after 
full operating temperature has been reached. 
As noted in this previous patent, earlier inventors have disclosed heating 
systems based on the principle of burning fuel in a vortex. For example, 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,747,526, shows a cyclone furnace in which a granular solid 
fuel is directed into a high velocity stream of super-atmospheric pressure 
air directed tangentially into a fluid cooled cyclone chamber. U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,597,141 discloses a burner for gaseous, liquid fuel, which has a 
tubular burner structure of a rotationally symmetrical shape, and which 
has nozzles for supplying combustion air tangentially into the combustion 
chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,093 discloses a combustion method which can 
reduce the emission of nitrous oxide and smoke by means of a specific flow 
pattern of fuel and combustion air in the combustion chamber, and in which 
secondary air is injected to create a swirling air flow. 
None of the prior art, however, shows the use of applicant's concept of the 
so-called imploding plasma vortex, in which a vortex of burning gases is 
configured such that the vortex of burning gas plasma is sustained in a 
plasma chamber such that the vortex is "folded back" into itself, creating 
a double helix of burning gases at very high temperature combined with 
preheating of the fuel and combustion air. The principle of the imploding 
plasma vortex leads to a combustion process of very high thermal 
conversion efficiency and to a very complete combustion that minimizes 
polluting emissions. 
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an imploding 
plasma vortex combustion system which maximizes vortex formation within 
the system for much improved fuel efficiency. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system 
which optionally includes means for precisely adjusting the air-fuel ratio 
after full operational temperature has been reached to further improve 
fuel efficiency. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system 
which enhances ionization of the air-fuel mixture before and during 
combustion for still greater fuel efficiency. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a combustion 
system which includes means for pre-heating air in an air-passing and 
rotating combustion chamber for smooth operational transition to a 
plasma-burning mode. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a combustion 
system which is economical to construct and operate, which produces no 
harmful exhaust by-products and which requires very little to no cleaning 
or other maintenance. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the invention, there is provided a combustion system having a 
combustion chamber having a fuel inlet, a preheating chamber surrounding 
the combustion chamber, an air inlet for tangentially feeding combustion 
air to the preheating chamber, the combustion chamber having an elongate 
slot for tangentially admitting preheated air in circulating motion to the 
combustion chamber, a plasma chamber coupled to the combustion chamber 
having an inlet aperture for receiving combusted fuel-air from the 
combustion chamber, and an outlet aperture for expelling combusted gas, 
the plasma chamber having an inward folded end wall surrounding the outlet 
aperture operative for forming an imploding vortex in the plasma chamber. 
According to a further feature, there is a combustion system wherein the 
plasma chamber is a resonating chamber, which has an internal wall of 
substantially spherical shape, for creating resonating waves in the 
chamber, and a center. 
According to a still further feature, there is provided a combustion system 
which includes a smaller central sphere in the resonating chamber, having 
an inner cavity, a sonic tube fluidly connecting the inner cavity with the 
combustion chamber, the sonic tube being operative for transmitting sonic 
waves from the cavity to the combustion chamber. 
According to an additional feature the central sphere has a given outside 
diameter and the spherical chamber has a given inside diameter, wherein 
the inside and outside diameters have a given harmonic ratio, the harmonic 
ratio being selected so as to induce standing waves in the spherical 
chamber. 
According to another feature of the invention, there is provided a 
combustion system wherein a sonic tube is terminated in the combustion 
chamber in an exponential horn facing away from the sonic tube, the 
exponential horn being operative for coupling sonic waves from the inner 
cavity to the combustion chamber. 
According to still another feature of the invention, there is provided a 
combustion system wherein the combustion chamber outlet aperture has an 
exponentially expanding diameter facing the resonating chamber. 
The combustion system according to the invention may include a plenum 
surrounding the resonating chamber for transferring ring heat from the 
resonating chamber to a heat transfer medium traversing the plenum. 
The combustion system according to the invention may include an ignition 
voltage source, and sparking apparatus in the combustion chamber coupled 
to the ignition voltage source for igniting fuel-air mixture circulating 
in the combustion chamber. 
The combustion system according to the invention can advantageously include 
a fuel-air ratio adjusting collar forming a common end wall of the 
preheating chamber and the combustion chamber, the adjusting collar being 
adjustable in direction away from the preheating chamber and combustion 
chamber for adjusting the width of the elongate slot. 
According to another feature of the combustion system according to the 
invention, the resonating chamber wall forms a cathode, the central sphere 
forms an anode, and an anodic reflecting disc attached to the sonic tube, 
the anodic reflecting disc being operative for reflecting ions from the 
combustion chamber. 
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the 
following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment which 
is illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A fuel combustion apparatus shown in its basic form in FIG. 1a is provided 
with apparatus and a method of controlling and/or fine tuning an imploding 
vortex subsequent to combustion and to greatly increase ionization of an 
air/fuel mixture during combustion. Experimentation with prototypes has 
shown that a highly ionized combustion fluid, trapped in a high-velocity 
imploding vortex, produces a high-efficiency combustion of very high 
temperature, with highly clean exhaust emission. 
To maximize the efficiency of the system, it has been found to be 
advantageous to fine-tune the air/fuel ratio and the vortex velocity after 
achieving a stable combustion temperature. According to the inventive 
concept, combustion air enters an air feed tube 301 from a blower (not 
shown) and enters a preheat chamber 304 tangentially, and follows a 
helical path indicated by arrows 302 around a combustion vortex chamber 
303 located within the preheat chamber 304 that preheats the combustion 
air and cools the combustion vortex chamber wall 306. The combustion in 
the combustion vortex chamber 303 thereby preheats the incoming air to an 
approximate temperature of 1000.degree. before entering the combustion 
chamber 303 through an adjustable circular slot 307 between the two 
chambers. The preheated air is set in motion as a high-velocity vortex as 
it enters the preheat chamber 304 at a tangent from the air feed tube 301. 
The air volume and velocity can be controlled by means of an adjusting 
collar 305. By reason of the high-velocity air supplied through the feed 
tube 301, and the high temperature in the preheat chamber 304, the angular 
velocity of the vortex in the combustion chamber 303 is very high and 
approaches several hundred thousand rpm. This forces molecules in the fuel 
and air to the outer periphery of the combustion chamber. This process is 
further enhanced by a so-called Coanda effect acting on these hot fluid 
gases as will be described in more detail below. As a result, a high 
centrifugal pressure is created at the outer periphery of the vortex and a 
vacuum at the vortex center. Fuel is injected from spray nozzle 315 into 
the vacuum at the vortex center and flashes into a fuel vapor and becomes 
thoroughly mixed with the preheated air from the preheat chamber 304. Due 
to a high degree of ionization occurring in the combustion chamber 303, 
the fuel/air mixture enters a plasma phase just prior to combustion. As a 
result, the fuel plasma is trapped within the vortex, and the outer 
periphery becomes negatively charged. The ions become polarized and 
separate into cations or anions. An ion is an electrically charged 
particle due to loss or gain of an electron. The cations will collect in 
the vortex center and are + positively charged; the anions will collect at 
the outer layers of the vortex and are negatively charged. 
By placing a collector (anode) in the vacuum's center, electrons will flow 
from the cathode to the anode. It has been observed that this effect can 
cause electric corona discharge in the combustion chamber between various 
parts of the chamber. The ionic process can be further enhanced by coating 
the cathode and/or anode with various materials, or by introducing 
potassium, salts, lithium or other catalysts into the fuel or air supply. 
The electrons flowing between the cathode and anode form an electric 
current which can be directed to a step-down voltage converter to be 
utilized as electric energy for various purposes including in an 
oscillator to be fed back to the cathode in a harmonic, resonant frequency 
designed to enhance the ionization of the fuel plasma and system. 
A high degree of stress is placed on the molecular and atomic structures of 
the gases trapped within the imploding vortex in the combustion chamber 
303 as the temperature within this chamber has been measured to exceed 
3000.degree. F., and the rotational velocity of the vortex has been 
measured to exceed several hundred thousands of rpm, resulting in 
supersonic velocities of the combusting plasma. Under these conditions, 
resonant oscillations are generated in the plasma that can be utilized to 
cause molecular disruption of the fuel plasma and a very high degree of 
co-mingling of the hydrocarbon fuel molecules with the oxygen molecules 
contained within the preheated combustion air. 
The combustion gases are discharged through a circular exponentially 
expanding outlet aperture 308 leading from the combustion chamber 303 into 
a spherical chamber 309 wherein they, because of the centrifugal force and 
the Coanda effect, expand following the inner contour of the spherical 
chamber 309. 
The expansion causes the gas particles to collect and stratify along their 
continued rotational motion at the periphery of the spherical plasma 
chamber 309, which is the hottest location within the spherical plasma 
chamber 309. Because of the high velocity and their high temperatures, the 
molecular and atomic particles are highly agitated, causing many 
collisions between the electrons and gas particles and thereby causing 
ionic exchange of energy between the particles. Due to the latent 
instability of a hot plasma, the collisions cause supersonic and/or 
ultrasonic sound waves in the plasma. The waves are reflected from the 
chamber wall and reverberate between the spherical chamber walls 311 and 
converge toward the center of chamber 309. A small sphere 312 is located 
at the center of the spherical plasma chamber 309. The purpose of the 
small sphere 312 is to cause harmonic resonant frequency oscillations in 
the plasma between the larger chamber wall 311 and the small sphere 312. 
To insure continuity of these oscillations, the size and the ratio between 
the diameters of the small sphere 312 and the spherical chamber 309 must 
be chosen within certain values. Also, the flexibility of the material of 
the small sphere 312 and the spherical chamber wall 311 is important. When 
the proper conditions are present, harmonic oscillations will develop 
within the interior space of the small sphere 312 that will be of a 
certain high or ultra-high frequency. These oscillations are directed 
through a sonic tube 313 terminating in a horn 314 in the combustion 
chamber 303. The oscillations are ultrasonic and further operate to 
rupture and/or disintegrate the molecules in the combustion gases in the 
chamber 303 so as to enhance creation of clean combustion of most any 
fuels. This combustion process creates a very high carbon dioxide content, 
resulting in very low combustion residues. 
The combustion apparatus according to the invention is advantageously 
constructed as a multi-fuel combuster, meaning that it can burn both 
liquid and gaseous fuel. For this purpose, liquid or gaseous fuel can be 
introduced through an appropriately configured nozzle 315 for introducing 
the fuel into the vacuum of the vortex center of the combustion chamber 
303. Gaseous or any other fuel can be introduced through a separate inlet 
of the adjusting collar 305. Due to the high velocity vortex and the 
Coanda effect of the fluids, a vacuum exists in the center of the 
combustion chamber 303. The adjusting collar 305 can have any suitable 
number of inlets for catalyst, air, water vapor or other suitable 
substance of elements for any suitable purposes such as enhancing the 
combustion and/or disintegrating any undesirable gases or liquid 
pollutants. 
The sonic tube 313 operating as an anode may advantageously be fitted with 
an adjustable disk electrode not shown in FIG. 1a, but seen in FIG. 2b at 
reference numeral 9. By adjusting this electrode 9 to establish resonance 
between the electrode and the combustion chamber discharge aperture 308, a 
toroidal vortex can be established within the anode and cathode thereby 
greatly increasing the ionization process which, in turn, can establish a 
larger energy output from the combustion cycle. This is somewhat similar 
to a plate and hollow cathode discharge chamber, disclosed in the USSR 
publication, Gundersen, M. A. and Schaefer, G. (1990), Physics and 
Applications of Pseudosparks", Plenum Press, N.Y. 
FIG. 2b shows the apparatus of FIG. 1a in more detail with the same 
reference numerals indicating similar structures, but with material 
thicknesses and slightly different geometries in some areas of the device. 
Important additional structures are elements related to the support and 
functions of the small sphere 312. 
As described above, a high velocity imploding plasma vortex is present in 
the spherical resonating plasma chamber 309, and in the combustion chamber 
303. Due to the high velocity of the plasma vortex, the ions of which the 
plasma is composed are separating into cations and anions, as described 
above under FIG. 1a. As a result, the small sphere 312 becomes positively 
charged while the wall of the spherical combustion plasma chamber 309 
becomes a negatively charged cathode since they are electrically insulated 
from each other. As described above, the plasma, which is inherently 
unstable, in the spherical resonating plasma chamber 309 forms radially 
oscillating standing waves. 
The small sphere 312 is supported on a support tube 321, threaded through 
the electrically insulating exhaust outlet 7. The support tube 321 is 
mounted on radially extending support flanges 10,11. The support tube 321 
is made of a high temperature, electrically conducting material or alloy, 
and is at its distal end 322 electrically connected to a high voltage 
electrical conductor 323 having an insulated outlet 8 connected to 
electrical apparatus 324 (FIG. 1a), as described in more detail below. 
The small sphere 312 provides an electrical connection from the support 
tube 321 to the sonic tube 313 which extends from the small sphere 312 
into the combustion vortex chamber 303, wherein the sonic tube 313 is 
terminated in the horn 314. An anodic element 9 is mounted on the sonic 
tube 313 at a certain given distance from the resonating chamber inlet 
308. The anodic element in its simplest form is a planar disc, but can 
have other forms such as spherical, paraboloidal or the like, curved away 
from or toward the inlet 308. 
In operation during combustion, the anodic element 9 is set at a distance 
from the inlet 308 such that resonance is established between the inlet 
and the anodic element 9. Under this condition a toroidal vortex is formed 
in the plasma between the anodic element 9 and the inlet 308, which in 
this case forms and acts as a cathode to the anodic disc element 9. The 
toroidal vortex greatly increases the ionic process which in turn 
establishes a larger energy gradient within the combustion cycle. 
Combustion is initially started by injecting fuel in liquid or gaseous form 
at the nozzle 315, simultaneously supplying combustion air at the air feed 
tube 301. Ignition is started e.g. by supplying ignition voltage at the 
electrical conductor 323. The ignition voltage is conducted via the 
support tube 321 via the small sphere 312, and via the sonic tube 313 to 
the horn 314, from where an electric spark from the horn 314 to the inner 
wall of the combustion vortex chamber 303 causes ignition of the fuel-air 
mixture. After ignition combustion proceeds as described above with the 
formation of an imploding vortex in the resonating plasma chamber 309. 
The imploding vortex combined with the resonating standing waves in the 
resonating chamber, and further enhanced by the toroidal vortex between 
the anodic element 9 and the inlet 308 leads to a highly efficient 
combustion with a high content of carbon dioxide in the exhaust gases 
exiting through the exhaust outlet 7. 
As a result of the sustained combustion and the rising temperatures in the 
combustion system, an adjustment of the fuel-air ratio may be required by 
adjusting the adjustable slot 307 to the optional combustion conditions. 
The adjustment is performed e.g. by rotating the adjusting collar 305, 
which is threadedly connected to the resonating plasma chamber 309 by 
screw threads 310. 
FIG. 1c shows an embodiment of the invention wherein the combustion chamber 
assembly shown generally at A is substantially similar to that of FIG. 1b, 
described in detail above. The embodiment of FIG. 1c is different from 
FIG. 1b in that a frusto-conical plasma chamber is provided instead of the 
spherical resonating chamber 309 shown in FIG. 1b. 
The frusto-conical plasma chamber 331 has the desirable property that the 
swirling vortex of combustion gases emerging from the combustion chamber 
303 is induced to form an imploding vortex as indicated by arrows Al which 
indicates the outer part of the imploding vortex, that follows the contour 
of the inside wall 332 toward the distal contracting end 333 of the plasma 
chamber. Due to the decreasing diameter of the plasma chamber in direction 
of the distal end 333, the speed of the plasma in the vortex increases. 
The wall of the distal end 333 is inward curved, causing the plasma to 
form a second inner vortex indicated by arrows A2, wherein the plasma 
reverses its axial direction of movement from right to left, while the 
rotational speed of the inner vortex A2 attains still higher speed. The 
inner vortex A2 is forced into a still diminishing diameter at the left 
hand end 334 of the plasma chamber as indicated by arrows A3 by the gas 
vortex emerging from the inlet aperture 308 from the combustion chamber. 
Due to the double vortex action in the plasma chamber, very high 
combustion temperatures are attained leading to a highly efficient 
combustion with a high carbon dioxide content of the residual combustion 
gases which escape through the exhaust outlet 336. 
A central conductor 337 is threaded through the exhaust outlet 336, and 
operates as an anodic collector of cations of the plasma in the plasma 
chamber 331. The central conductor 337 is supported by suitably configured 
electrically insulated supports, not shown in this figure for the sake of 
clarity. The central conductor may be connected to an electrical apparatus 
similar to the one shown in FIG. 1b for tapping electrical energy from the 
combustion process and/or used for ignition as described earlier. 
A plenum 316 surrounding the plasma chamber 331 serves to conduct a heat 
transfer medium entering at inlet 337a and exiting at outlet 338. The heat 
transfer medium may be a gas, e.g. atmospheric gas, or a liquid, e.g. 
water, as best suited for the particular application. The embodiment 
according to FIG. 1c is shown as having a spark plug 339 having its 
sparking electrode in the combustion vortex chamber 303. 
FIG. 2 shows a combuster according to the invention having a combustion 
chamber assembly A similar to the one shown in FIGS. 1c and 2, but having 
a plasma chamber 331a of substantially cylindrical construction. 
The cylindrical plasma chamber 331a again has a partially rounded distal 
end 333a, which induces the formation of an imploding vortex indicated by 
arrows A3 and A4. The plenum 316a in this embodiment shows an array of 
heat fins 341 extending from the cylindrical outer surface 342 of the 
plasma chamber 331a. The heat fins 341 facilitate the transfer of heat 
from the plasma chamber 331a to the plenum 316a, thus allowing the 
combuster to be more compact while generating an equal amount of heat 
compared with the construction shown in FIG. 1c. 
FIG. 2a is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment according to FIG. 2, 
seen along the line 2a--2a of FIG. 2. FIG. 2a shows the circular plenum 
316a, surrounding the plasma chamber 331a, surrounding the exhaust outlet 
336. 
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment according to the invention, having a small 
circular preheat chamber 350 encircling the plasma chamber 351, and having 
a combustion air inlet 352 that feeds combustion air tangentially into the 
small preheat chamber 350, wherein the combustion air is partially 
preheated by heat transmitted through the wall 353 of the plasma chamber 
351. 
The partially preheated combustion air is set in circular motion due to the 
tangentially injected combustion air, and is transmitted into a 
disc-shaped large preheat chamber 354 via an elongated circular slot 356, 
only shown partially in the Figure. In the large preheat chamber 354, the 
combustion air is further preheated, while it is circulating in decreasing 
circles toward the center of the large preheat chamber 354. As a result of 
the expansion due to the preheating and being driven into smaller circles, 
the preheated air attains a high circular speed as it enters a premixing 
vortex chamber 357 through a circular entry slot 358 connecting the 
premixing vortex chamber 357 and the large preheat chamber 354. A fuel 
nozzle 359 injects fuel in finely dispersed liquid or gaseous form into 
the premixing vortex chamber 358, wherein the fuel and preheated 
combustion air is intimately combined. 
The rapidly swirling fuel-air mixture is directed radially by a diverter 
361 toward a large circular slot 362, from where it is driven into a large 
semi-toroidal combustion chamber 363, wherein the fuel-air mixture is 
ignited by a spark plug 364 connected to a source of ignition voltage, not 
shown. The ignited, rapidly expanding fuel-air mixture enters the 
perimeter of the frusto-conical plasma chamber 351 in a manner similar to 
that shown by arrows A1 in FIG. 1c, and proceeds in similar manner at 
increasingly rapidly rotating speed toward the right-hand end 351a from 
where it is reversed and returns as an imploding vortex as indicated by 
arrows A2 in FIG. 1c followed by the final vortex motion shown as arrows 
A3. After being completely combusted, the plasma escapes via exhaust 
outlet 366. 
The combuster according to FIG. 3 also includes a plenum 367 with inlets 
and outlets 368,369 for circulating a heat transfer medium such as air or 
water for transferring the combustion heat to a designated heat sink. 
It follows that the geometry of the plenum 367 is to be adapted to the 
particular heat transfer medium selected for the heat transfer. The plenum 
may have heat fins as shown in FIG. 2 or it may be configured as a coil or 
spool of tubing encircling the plasma chamber 351.