Abstract:
A fuel conversion chamber receiving liquid and gas fuels and converting the liquid fuels into gas fuels by heating, and extracting hydrogen. Hydrogen is extracted at extreme temperature in an ultrasound field and the fuels are accelerated to hypersonic velocity. The gas fuels are injected into a resonance chamber, which generates ultrasound, in a combustion chamber and efficiently burned. The reaction generates a high temperature plasma. The hot combustion or exhaust gases heat the fuel conversion chamber, an air heat exchanger, and water chamber producing steam. The steam and exhaust gases are used to produce work.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority on U.S. provisional application No. 60/123,595 filed Mar. 10, 1999. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates in general to a thermoreactor, and more particularly to a thermoreactor utilizing fuel conversion and an ultrasonic chamber. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are many types of engines utilizing hydrocarbon fuels. Many of these engines are adapted to burn a particular fuel relatively efficiently. Many engines are adapted to burn liquid fuels only. Engines that burn liquid fuels have relatively complex fuel injection or carburetor systems to facilitate even or controlled burning of the liquid fuels. Often in may be desirable to burn gas fuels. However, gas fuels are often difficult to store, transport and transfer. Therefore, there is a need for an engine that can combine the storage and availability advantages of using liquid fuels with the burning efficiencies and simplicities of gas fuels. 
     Additionally, often engines can efficiently provide linear motion which, in order to perform useful work must be converted into rotational motion. Often this is done with relatively complicated and inefficient mechanical devices. Therefore there is a need for an efficient mechanically simple device for converting linear motion into rotational motion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a thermoreactor for converting liquid fuels to gas fuels, which are burned to perform work. A fuel conversion chamber is used to heat liquid fuel to a high temperature converting the liquid fuel to a gas fuel. The gas fuel is injected into a combustion chamber with the combustion gases being used to heat the fuel conversion chamber, air, and water, as well as to do work. Sensors are used throughout the thermoreactor and are coupled to a controller for monitoring and controlling operation of the thermoreactor. Gas pressure created by the thermoreactor is converted to rotational motion by a linear to rotational motion converter device. The device converts linear motion of a piston driven by gas pressure to rotational motion of a shaft. A bearing connected to a piston shaft rides in a groove formed in a rotor. The groove is angled relative to the axis of the rotating shaft. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to efficiently burn a fuel. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to convert linear motion into rotational motion. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention that a variety of fuels may be used. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention that the linear to rotational motion conversion device has a relatively simple and reliable mechanical structure. 
     It is a feature of the present invention that liquid fuels are converted to gas fuels. 
     It is a feature of the present invention that the linear to rotational motion conversion device uses a surface transverse to the axis of a rotating shaft. 
     These and other objects, advantages, and features will become apparent in view of the following more detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 schematically illustrates the thermoreactor system of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the nozzle and resonance chamber used in the combustion chamber of the thermoreactor of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cross section illustrating an embodiment of the linear motion to rotational motion converter device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a partial cross section illustrating another embodiment of the linear motion to rotational motion converter device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the thermoreactor method or process of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration illustrating the thermoreactor of the present invention. A valve  5  meters gas fuels and a fuel injector  6  meters liquid fuels into a fuel conversion chamber  1 . A controller  3  is coupled to a temperature sensor  4 , which helps to monitor the process. A coiled tubing  7  acts as a heat exchanger helping to increase or maintain the temperature within the fuel conversion chamber  1  in combination with an electric heater element  2  placed within the fuel conversion chamber  1 . Once the fuel is injected into the fuel conversion chamber  1 , the temperature is increased to a set value by electric heater  2 , process controller  3  and temperature sensor  4 . Once liquid fuel is injected into chamber  1 , it is atomized or formed into small particles. The liquid atomized particles or gas are converted to new gaseous fuels while progressing through chamber  1  and expanding into coiled tubing  7 . In the absence of oxygen at a precisely set high temperature value, the fuels are converted into new gas fuels. For example,                           
     The free carbon released from the thermoreaction doesn&#39;t further react and is collected by a carbon separator  8 . To convert the original fuels efficiently up to 100%, the temperature in the fuel conversion chamber  1 , coiled tubing  7 , and combustion chamber  39  must be kept at a high temperature. Therefore, high temperature materials such as tungsten, tungsten alloy and high temperature ceramics are desirable. To keep pressure and temperature in the fuel conversion chamber  1  at the desired value, they are monitored by the controller  3  with the temperature sensor  4  and the pressure sensor  9 . When the temperature and pressure in the fuel conversion chamber  1  reaches a predetermined value, the controller  3  opens air metering valve  11 , converted fuel metering valve  10 , and ozone generator  12 . With the opening of converted fuel metering valve  10 , the gaseous fuels flow through nozzle  14  with hypersonic velocity and into a resonance chamber  15 . The resonance chamber  15  generates ultrasonic waves and the gaseous fuels are mixed with air and ignited by spark plug  13 . The free piston  16  placed within the resonance chamber  15  changes the resonance of the chamber by predetermined variations. The combustion of the gaseous fuels and air progresses through a ceramic honeycomb  17  coated with tungsten, around the coiled tubing  7  wrapped around the fuel conversion chamber  1 , through an air heat exchanger  18 , a second ceramic honeycomb  19  coated with tungsten, through valve  20 , and into a second heat exchanger  21 . Associated with heat exchanger  18  is a temperature sensor  50 . The temperature sensor  50  is coupled to controller  3 . Valve  22  is placed at the other end of the heat exchanger  21 . The heat exchanger  21  heats up water chambers  23 , generating steam. The steam may be stored in steam tank  24 . A pressure sensor  25  and temperature sensor  26  monitor the pressure and temperature within the heat exchanger  21  and are controlled by controller  3 . An oxygen sensor  46  is also associated with heat exchanger  21  and is coupled to controller  3 . When the temperature in the heat exchanger  21  drops to a set value valve  20  is closed, and water injector  28  may inject an amount of water. This results in the temperature of the mixture of combustion gases and steam to drop to a set value, such as 300 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Valve  22  is opened and the pressurized mixture flows through line  27  and metering valve  29  to a piston or turbine  30  and is exhausted through line  31  to a heat exchanger  32  through line  33  to a small turbine  34 , which rotates an alternator  35  powering an electric heater element  36  to heat the water in chamber  23 . The steam stored in tank  24  may also be released through valve  47  to do work. Tank  24  has a temperature sensor  37  and a pressure sensor  38  which are both coupled to controller  3 . Compressor  49  receives air through an activated carbon filter  48  and heat exchanger  32  and stores the pressurized air in tank  44 . Temperature sensor  40  and pressure sensor  41  monitor the pressure and temperature within the combustion chamber  39 . The temperature sensor  42  and the pressure sensor  43  monitor the pressure and temperature in the air tank  44  and are coupled to the controller  3 . The water chambers  23  in the heat exchanger  21  may be supplied through water valve  45 . 
     FIG. 2 more clearly illustrates the ultrasonic device within the combustion chamber  39  illustrated in FIG.  1 . The ultrasonic device converts kinetic energy of the gaseous fuels into acoustic energy. A jet of gaseous fuels flows through nozzle  14  with a pressure P 1  at a hypersonic velocity into resonance chamber  15 . A free piston  16  is caused to move back and forth within the resonance chamber  15 . A support  16 A holds the resonance chamber  15  in position while a screw  16 B may be tightened or loosened to move the resonance chamber  15  closer to or further away from the nozzle  14 . In operation, as the pressure in the resonance chamber  15  increases and reaches a value P 2  where P 2  is greater than P 1 , the jet of gaseous fuels start to flow in an opposite direction, from the chamber  15  towards the nozzle  14 . Arrow  14 A represents the direction of gaseous fuels from nozzle  14 . Arrow  14 C represents the direction of gaseous fuels from the chamber  15 . When the gaseous fuels collide they change direction and are directed in a generally perpendicular direction indicated by arrows  14 B and  14 D. This change in direction helps to mix the gaseous fuels with air in the combustion chamber. In this time, the free piston  16  takes a position in chamber  15  with a pressure P 3  in the bottom of the chamber and a pressure P 2  in the open end of the chamber where P 3  is equal to P 2 . When the gaseous flow begins to start changing direction, P 2  starts to decrease and at this very moment, P 3  is greater than P 2  and piston  16  is moved forward towards the nozzle  14 , decreasing the depth of the chamber  15 . The changing of the length or depth of the chamber  15  by the free piston  16  keeps the ultrasound frequency at about a constant value. The ultrasound frequency will depend upon the velocity of the gases, the depth of the resonance chamber  15 , the lengths between the nozzle and the resonance chamber, as well as other parameters. The velocity will depend upon the pressure and the geometry of the nozzle  14 . The variations in pressure are caused by variations of P 2  and P 3  in chamber  15  and by the pressure P 1  caused by the combustion cycle. The ultrasound frequency is believed to greatly facility the atomization and conversion of the fuel. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a particular structure for converting the pressurized gas into a rotary motion that may be used with the thermoreactor illustrated in FIG.  1 . The device  130  has a shaft  112  attached to a rotor  114 . The rotor  114  has an angled groove  116  placed therein. Riding within the angled grooves are a set of bearings  118 . A piston shaft  120  is coupled to each of the bearings  118  riding within the groove  116 . A guide rod  126  and linear rod bearing  128  help to guide and support the bearings  118 . The pistons  122  through a plurality of valves are caused to reciprocate back and forth, causing the shaft  120  to reciprocate back and forth, causing the bearings  118  to ride within the angled groove  116 , thereby rotating shaft  112 . The shaft  112  is permitted rotate with shaft bearings  132 . The pistons  122  are held within cylinders  124 . Inlet valves  140 , which may be coupled to the steam tank  24  or water chambers  23  through valve  22 , let high pressure steam in to cylinders  124  causing piston  122  to at move. Valves  138  are moved by cams  136  and are timed to permit the cylinders  124  to exhaust as pistons  124  are moved. Cams  136  are coupled to the shaft  112 . Return exhaust valves  142  exhaust the cylinders  124  when the pistons  122  are returned by the movement of an opposing piston. Heads  144  connect the cylinders  124  and valves  140  and  142  to the housing  146 . As the pressurized gas or steam from the thermoreactor drives the pistons  122  linearly, the movement of the bearings  118  within the groove  116  causes the rotor  114  and shaft  112  to rotate or turn. At the ends of the shaft  112  are couplings  134 . Couplings  134  permit multiple devices to be serially coupled together. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a simplified version of the linear to rotary motion conversion device  30  illustrated in FIG.  3 . In FIG. 4, a shaft  212  is coupled to a rotor  214  that has a raised cam surface  216  thereon. Bearing  218  rides on the raised cam surface  216  and is coupled to a piston shaft  220 . The piston  222  lying within a cylinder  224  causes the bearing  218  to ride on the raised cam surface  216  causing the rotor  214  to rotate along with the shaft  212 . A spring  226  helps to return the piston  222  into position and helps the bearing  218  to follow the cam surface  216 . 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the method or process steps for the thermoreactor of the present invention. Block  310  represents the step of placing a liquid fuel in a fluid conversion chamber. Block  312  represents the step of heating the liquid fuel in the absence of oxygen to form a gas fuel. Block  314  represents the step of injecting the gas fuel into a combustion chamber. Block  316  represents the step of burning the gas fuel. Block  318  represents the step of using the hot combustion or exhaust from the burned gas fuel to heat the fuel conversion chamber, air, and or water. Block  320  represents the step of performing work with the steam created by heating the water or hot combustion gas or exhaust. 
     Accordingly, it should be appreciated from FIGS. 1,  2  and  5  that the present invention of a thermoreactor has the advantage of using different fuels and converting them for more efficient combustion, as well as uses the resultant energy to advantage with various conversion devices and heat exchangers. The linear to rotational motion device illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 are particularly well suited for use in the thermoreactor of the present invention, but may also be used independently thereof. 
     Therefore, the present invention may be applied to many different applications. Accordingly, while various embodiments have been illustrated and described, it should be appreciated to those skilled in the art that modifications or variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.