Abstract:
A vehicle with drive apparatus having a liquid nitrogen driven engine for primary power coupled with a liquid nitrogen driven fly wheel for acceleration and power consumption. The drive apparatus includes a fuel tank for containing liquid nitrogen. A heating device converts the liquid nitrogen to nitrogen gas to be held in a plenum tank. There is mechanism for directing the nitrogen gas from the plenum tank to the turbine engine, the fly wheel and/or the alternator. The alternator is turbine driven and charges a battery which powers control mechanism for the drive apparatus.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a vehicle with drive apparatus and, more particularly, to drive apparatus having a liquid nitrogen driven turbine engine for primary power coupled with a liquid nitrogen driven flywheel for acceleration and power conservation. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     With the onset of global climatic warming, there is increased awareness and political pressure to reduce ever increasing pollution (poisonous carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other gases which get released into the open atmosphere). The main source of air pollution, next to heavy industry, are cars and gasoline driven vehicles. This gaseous pollution is endangering life on the whole planet. 
     In the early 1990&#39;s there was formed in the United States a partnership for a new generation of vehicles in which many car companies and many more smaller technical firms became involved. One of the most promising achievements as a result of this was the so-called hybrid electric vehicle, which combined an electrical motor and a highly efficient internal combustion engine. Another result of that effort was the electrical car. Both the hybrid electrical vehicle and the electric car, however, have not moved out of the development stage. Both types of vehicles are prohibitively expensive in the marketplace and both are heavy (due to batteries), which tends to make them ultimately less efficient and less desirable. Outside the United States, particularly in Europe and Japan where the price of gasoline is several times the price in the United States, even fewer of this projected new generation of vehicles have reached the marketplace. Thus, even though there is the ever-increasing danger posed by air pollution to the earth, vehicles intended to reduce air pollution are not becoming a solution for the problem. 
     The perfect goal is to reduce air pollution from vehicles to zero emission and at the same time to help cool down the global warming and even clean up the atmosphere from carbon dioxide and other poisonous gasses. Indeed, all this could be achieved by a vehicle driven by liquid nitrogen gas as in the present invention. 
     Nitrogen gas makes up 78.084% of atmospheric air volume. Thus, nitrogen is essentially an infinite source. Liquid nitrogen is relatively inexpensive to produce in large quantities. Thus, liquid nitrogen is essentially an infinite renewable source of energy, environmentally friendly, and if emitted to the open air, will not pollute the air and possibly could help in compensating against global warming. There is significant motivation for the world to accept vehicles driven by liquid nitrogen. The problem with gaseous driven turbine vehicles to date has been performance. That is, they have not been capable of acceleration to the same degree as an internal combustion driven vehicle. The present invention addresses this problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides for a vehicle to be driven not only by a turbine engine, but also by a fly wheel, both powered by a system fueled with liquid nitrogen. Furthermore, an alternator is also driven by the liquid nitrogen to provide power through a battery for controlling the drive apparatus. 
     More particularly, the vehicle of the present invention has wheels driven by a drive apparatus. The vehicle includes a fuel tank for containing liquid nitrogen. A heater receives the liquid nitrogen from the fuel tank and converts the liquid nitrogen to nitrogen gas. A plenum tank receives the nitrogen gas from the heater. The vehicle also includes a turbine engine and a mechanism for driving the turbine engine with the nitrogen gas from the plenum tank. The vehicle further includes a fly wheel and mechanism for driving the fly wheel with the nitrogen gas from the plenum tank. The vehicle also has a battery and an alternator for converting mechanical energy to electrical energy to charge the battery. There is mechanism for driving the alternator with the nitrogen gas from either the plenum tank or the output gas from the turbine engine or from both. There is also mechanism for controlling the turbine engine driving mechanism, the fly wheel driving mechanism, and the alternator driving mechanism. The controlling mechanism is powered by the battery. 
     The fly wheel for the vehicle of the present invention ha a shaft for driving the wheels of the vehicle so that the energy stored can be used for acceleration or receiving energy when braking. The fly wheel has a rotor on the shaft and a turbine wheel for receiving the nitrogen gas from the fly wheel driving the mechanism to thereby rotate so as to drive the shaft and the rotor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an illustration which depicts schematically the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fly wheel in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the drawings wherein like parts are designated by the same numerals throughout, a vehicle in accordance with the present invention is designated generally by the numeral  10 . With reference to FIG. 1, vehicle  10  is illustrated with wheels  12  and drive apparatus  14 . The installation of apparatus  14  in vehicle  10  is described in sufficient detail so that one skilled in the art would otherwise arrange, attach, and operably install apparatus  14  with respect to all necessary other systems and assemblies of the vehicle. 
     Apparatus  14  includes a fuel tank  16 , a plenum tank  18 , a heating device  20 , a turbine engine  22 , an alternator  24 , and a flywheel  26 . 
     Liquid nitrogen is the intended fuel. Liquid nitrogen is filled into fuel tank  16  through pipe  28 . Solenoid valve  30  is opened to allow fuel to be pumped through check valve  32  into fuel tank  16 . When tank  16  is sufficiently filled, solenoid valve  30  is closed. 
     Fuel tank  16  is an insulated pressure tank, such as a dewar flask, constructed to safely receive liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen has a boiling point of minus 320° F. and a vapor pressure of 150 psig. 
     Pipe  34  is provided to allow the release of gases and pressure in fuel tank  16  during liquid filling, including the release of moisture. Relief valve  36  and pressure gauge  38  control and provide information regarding appropriate release. 
     Pipe  40  provides fluid communication of liquid nitrogen from fuel tank  16  to heating device  20  through solenoid valve  42 , pump  44  and check valve  46 . When fuel is called for as described further below, pump  44  turns on and solenoid valve  42  opens. When fuel is no longer needed to energize the system, pump  44  turns off and solenoid valve  42  closes. Check valve  32 , solenoid valve  42  and relief valve  36  control the liquid nitrogen flow and pressure relative to fuel tank  16 . 
     Check valve  46  is a one way valve providing flow toward heating device  20  and preventing flow back from heating device  20  to pump  44 . Pump  44  is conventional for pumping liquid nitrogen and has sufficient capacity for the fuel needs of apparatus  14 . 
     Heating device  20  may be a heating unit electrically powered (not shown) or may be a radiator for receiving atmospheric heat. Heating device  20  nonetheless, has sufficient capability to provide heat to gasify nitrogen at a capacity level sufficient to provide the expected design performance for apparatus  14 . 
     Heating device  20  is in fluid communication with plenum tank  18  via pipe  48  through one way check valve  50 . 
     Plenum tank  18  is a pressurized tank for holding gaseous nitrogen resulting from the gasification of the liquid nitrogen fuel at heating device  20 . Plenum tank  18  is also, for example, a dewar flask, or other pressurized vessel known to those skilled in the art, which has an adequate safety rating for the volume and pressure needed to provide the power capacity for apparatus  14 , and is adequately insulated. 
     Relief valve  52  in fluid communication through pipe  54  with plenum tank  18  prevents pressure from exceeding a safe value. Sensor gauge  53  is monitored via line  55  by control device  123  and when the pressure drops below a predetermined minimum as established by the performance desired for the vehicle, solenoid valve  42  is opened, pump  44  is turned on, and heater  20  if necessary is also controlled as desired so that additional nitrogen gas is charged into plenum tank  18 . 
     Wheels  12  which may be the front wheels or the back wheels for vehicle  10  are connected via a shaft  56  through one or more transmission units  58  to power devices, namely, turbine engine  22  and flywheel  26 . There are differential joints and other conventional structures as known to those skilled in the art for operable installation relative to vehicle  10 . FIG. 1 is illustrative only and does not show for the sake of clarity all structures which may be installed and are known to those skilled in the art. Likewise, turbine engine  22  and flywheel  26  are shown only schematically connected with transmission  58  and shaft  56 . 
     Turbine engine  22  is conventional and receives pressurized nitrogen as a driving fluid from plenum tank  18  via pipe  60  through solenoid valve  62  and one way check valve  64 . Turbine engine  22  is conventional. Outlet pipe  92  provides fluid communication for spent nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  through tee  82  and pipe  66  to alternator  24 . Alternator  24  is also conventional and includes a turbine-like structure which is driven by either the remaining pressure in the gaseous nitrogen from turbine engine  22  or nitrogen gas from plenum tank  18 . Alternator  24  is electrically wired via lines  74  and  76  to a battery  78  in a conventional fashion. 
     Pipe  80  directly provides fluid communication from plenum tank  18  to alternator  22  by connecting with pipe  66  at tee  82 . If there is not adequate energy remaining in the output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  to drive alternator  24  as needed, then nitrogen gas directly from plenum chamber  18  can flow through pipes  80  and  66  via solenoid valve  84  and check valve  86 . Solenoid valve  84  is opened when gas is called for and closed when gas from plenum chamber  18  is no longer required. Solenoid valve  88  is closed whenever solenoid valve  84  is open. Check valve  86  prevents outlet gas from turbine engine  24  from flowing back toward plenum tank  18 . 
     If there is still adequate energy remaining in the output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  in order to drive alternator  24  as needed, then solenoid valves  84  and  90  are kept closed and solenoid valve  88  is opened. This allows the output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  to flow through pipes  92  and  66  to alternator  24 . When solenoid valve  88  is closed, then solenoid valve  90  must be opened so that output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  can flow through check valve  70  and pipes  92  and  94  to exhaust pipe  68 . Output nitrogen gas from alternator  24  flows through check valve  72  to exhaust pipe  68 . The peak power of turbine engine  22  is reduced by the present invention relative to a turbine only vehicle in that all impulsive power is supplied by flywheel  26 . Flywheel  26  takes care of initial acceleration and climbing of hill power needs. 
     With reference to FIGS. 2-4, fly wheel  26  includes a containment vessel  96 . Frame  98  contains rotor  100 . Frame  98  is fastened to containment vessel  96  in at least locations at opposite ends of containment vessel  96  near regions where shaft  56  passes through containment vessel  96 . The main purpose of frame  98  is to contain rotor  100  and provide attachment with respect to containment vessel  96 . Otherwise, the shape of frame  98  is not important. The containment vessel is preferably made of a fiber composite to ensure against any accidental breakage of parts, such as the rotor, and to contain any parts from scattering during a vehicle crash. 
     Shaft  56  passes through frame  98  and containment vessel  96  at bosses  102  and  104 . Bearings  106  and  108  support shaft  56  relative to frame  98 . Rotor  100  is fixed on shaft  56  and contained within a cavity  110  of frame  98 . Bearings  106  and  108  are fitted to frame  98  on opposite ends of rotor  100 . 
     Fly wheel  26  is fastened to vehicle  10  at attachment pedestals  112  (see FIG.  4 ). A rubber or otherwise somewhat flexible intermediate layer  114  is fastened between frame  98  and pedestals  112  to provide isolation between the frame and rotor and the rest of vehicle  10 . 
     Turbine wheels  116  are fastened to shaft  56  at opposite sides of rotor  100  between the bearings and the containment vessel. Turbine wheels  116  provide rotational motion to rotor  100  when nitrogen gas is directed to flywheel  26  from plenum tank  18 , solenoid valve  119  and check valve  121  via pipe  117  (see FIG.  1 ). Output nitrogen gas exhausts at pipe  118  through check valve  125  to exhaust pipe  68  (see FIG.  1 ). Any heat created by aerodynamic drag in flywheel  26  is advantageous in that it helps to heat the exhausted nitrogen and adjust it to outside ambient temperature. 
     Fly wheel  26  has been briefly described, but except for the drive mechanism of turbine wheels  116  and associated plumbing, fly wheel  26  is conventional and can have many other designs than that described. 
     A control system  120  is schematically illustrated with respect to drive assembly  14  in FIG.  1 . Control system  120  has a control device  123  powered by connections ultimately made with battery  78  as illustrated by wires  122  and  124 . Control system  120  through control device  123  controls the various solenoid valves  119 ,  62 ,  84 , 42 ,  88 ,  30 , and  90  as illustrated by lines  126 ,  128 ,  130 ,  132 ,  134 ,  136 , and  138  respectively. Also, control system  120  controls pump  44  as illustrated by line  140  and obtains information from pressure sensor  53  via line  55 . The flywheel and control system can also be modified to recover energy during braking. 
     The turbine engine  22 , flywheel  26 , alternator  24 , and heater  20  are preferably made of a substance having low weight and a low thermal expansion coefficient, such as TEFLON. The low weight boosts overall vehicle efficiency, and the low thermal expansion material helps resist the effects of the low temperature nitrogen. Both low temperature operation and lighter weight boost efficiency in that less fuel is needed. This is particularly advantageous relative to hybrid vehicles (heavy batteries or fuel cells). 
     In use, fuel tank  16  is filled by opening solenoid valve  30  with control system  120  and directing liquid nitrogen through pipe  28 . 
     Plenum tank  18  holds nitrogen gas at a designated pressure controlled by control system  120  with information from pressure sensor  53 . When the pressure decreases sufficiently control system  120  turns on pump  44  and opens solenoid valve  42  so that liquid nitrogen is pumped from fuel tank  16  through heating device  20  so that the liquid is gasified so that the nitrogen gas in plenum tank  18  is increased. 
     Fly wheel  26  will commonly spin and thus retain energy for many days, even weeks. Thus, when the vehicle is to start-up or when acceleration is required, control system  120  will open solenoid valve  119 , if necessary, to increase the energy available in the spinning rotor  100  by directing nitrogen gas against turbine wheels  116 . If is already sufficient energy in flywheel  26 , the transmission  58  will be appropriately engaged via a clutch and other conventional controlling devices to cause wheels  12  to rotate as desired (non nitrogen drive apparatus not shown). 
     For normal cruising, control system  120  will open solenoid valve  62  so that nitrogen gas is directed from plenum tank  18  to turbine engine  22  which then also drives wheels  12  through transmission  58  via conventional clutch and controlling devices. The output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22  normally is directed to alternator  24  before exhausting. If there is not sufficient energy remaining in the output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  22 , then solenoid valve  88  is closed and solenoid valves  84  and  90  are opened so that output nitrogen gas from turbine engine  24  is exhausted and nitrogen gas from plenum tank  18  is directed to alternator  24  to drive it before the gas is exhausted. 
     Control system  120  not only controls drive apparatus  14 , but is powered by battery  78  which is recharged by alternator  24 , a component of drive assembly  14 . 
     Vehicle  10  as disclosed is illustrative of the present invention. Alterations of various components and assemblies are likely. Thus, the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims and equivalents.