Abstract:
The present disclosure relates generally a fuel injector configured to inject fuel into a combustion chamber. The fuel injector includes a body having a base portion opposite a nozzle portion, wherein the base portion is configured to receive the fuel into the body, and the nozzle portion is configured to be positioned adjacent to the combustion chamber. The fuel injector also includes a valve assembly carried by the base portion of the body. The valve assembly may have a first valve coupled to a first actuator and a second valve coupled to a second actuator. The fuel injector further includes an igniter carried by the nozzle portion of the body and configured to ignite the fuel in the combustion chamber.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/236,820, filed Sep. 7, 2002, which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/716,664, filed Nov. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,597. The disclosure of each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     This invention relates to improved fuel storage, delivery, and utilization in the operation of energy conversion systems and combustion engines. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Direct combustion chamber fuel injection technology has been advanced for improving the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines such as the venerable Diesel engine and for gasoline engines designed to achieve greater fuel efficiency. The most fuel efficient engine types rely upon direct injection of fuel into the combustion chamber to produce stratified-charge combustion. 
     Difficult problems that have prevented most of the 800 million engines now existing from benefiting from stratified charge technology include: expensive, high pressure fuel pumps and injectors with small orifices are required to deliver fuel at high pressure for purposes of producing required surface-to-volume ratios for clean burning; dry fuels cause such pumps and fuel injectors to fail prematurely; ignition of preferred clean fuels requires ionizing conditions in air-fuel mixtures to initiate combustion which has defeated attempts to utilize compression ignition or the combination of fuel injectors and spark plugs in separate locations of the combustion chamber; gaseous fuels require much larger passageways than liquid fuels for equal power ratings and have not been directly injected because of the bulky, high-inertia, slow-acting components required for conventional fuel pumps and injectors; and because the parasitic losses for pumping and metering clean fuels has been unacceptable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems noted above. In accordance with the principles of the present invention, this objective is accomplished by providing a process for operating a combustion engine which comprises the steps of supplying a fuel that is pressurized to a much lower magnitude than required by Diesel and other direct-injection engines require because the differential pressure at the time of delivery is normalized to a minimum and because of the greater air penetration and diffusion tendencies of prepared lower viscosity gaseous and/or high vapor pressure fuel selections. 
     Another object is to provide a fuel injection system that prevents the pressure produced during combustion chamber events such as compression and combustion from causing backflow of fuel in the delivery system to the fuel storage system. 
     Another object of the present invention is to minimize premature mixing of an oxidant such as air from the combustion chamber with fuel being delivered until desired mixing as a result of controlled actuation of the fuel delivery system. 
     It is an object of the invention to densify the delivery of compressible fuel fluids to allow more compact fuel injection systems. 
     It is an object to perform electrolysis energy conversion that converts electricity into pressurized storage of chemical reactants and to occasionally utilize pressurized chemical reactants in a fuel cell mode or combustants in a heat engine to increase rate of reaction or to produce expansive work in one or more devices including a reversible fuel cell, expansion motor, and heat releasing combustor. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide a low cost compact fuel metering and control system with minimum actuation energy requirements to facilitate substitution of clean fuels and low-heat content fuels in place of diesel and gasoline fuels. 
     Another related object is to facilitate beneficial thermochemical regeneration of waste heat rejected by the heat engine by reacting at least one conventional fuel containing hydrogen and carbon with an oxygen donor using substantial quantities of the waste heat to produce a mixture of engine-fuel containing substantial quantities of hydrogen and utilizing the engine-fuel to operate a combustion engine. 
     A corollary object is to facilitate the practical and convenient use of gaseous fuels in a combustion engine with a direct injection system. 
     Another object of the present invention is to operate an internal combustion engine with fluid fuels including gases and liquids that may be stored in pressurized containers comprising the steps of injecting the fuel near top dead center conditions of the combustion chambers until the storage pressure is reduced due to depletion of the storage inventory and then injecting the fuel progressively earlier in the compression and then during intake conditions of the combustion chambers to facilitate greater range from the fuel storage system. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide method, apparatus, and a process for monitoring and characterizing the condition of each combustion chamber of a combustion engine. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a process for monitoring, characterizing, and controlling direct fuel injection into a combustion chamber along with ignition and combustion of such fuel for the purpose of minimizing emissions such as oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a process for monitoring and characterizing the ignition and combustion of fuel that has been injected into a combustion chamber along with combustion of fuel from another source to enable optimized fail safe and efficiency achievements. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide rapid fail safe operation of a combustion engine. 
     An object of the present invention is to optimize fuel delivery, combustion, and power development of a combustion engine. 
     An object of the present invention is to optimize fuel delivery, combustion, and power development by operation of energy conversion devices at elevated pressures. 
     An object of the present invention is to safely store and regulate the delivery of hydrogen and other highly volatile fuel selections on board a vehicle. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide improved safety concerning storage and transfer of pressurized fluids. 
     It is an object of the invention to compactly store hydrogen and other alternative fuels for efficient and safe replacement of gasoline and diesel fuels. 
     It is an object of the present invention to reduce the weight and complexity of fluid storage and transfer components including valves, fittings, regulators, and related hardware. 
     It is an object to provide more assured connection and disconnection operations by relatively untrained persons that work on fluid storage and delivery systems. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide leak-free connection of high-pressure fluid delivery conduits with finger-tight anti-loosening connections. 
     It is an object to directly convert stored energy into work and useful heat with minimum loss. 
     It is an object to reduce the materials content and cost of energy-storage, energy-conversion, and emergency-disposal systems. 
     It is an object to provide materials for energy storage and conversion substantially from natural gas and/or renewable hydrocarbon resources. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide leak-free connection of fluid delivery conduits with fittings that are easily manipulated in constrained spaces and hard to reach places. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide assured scaling of composites of metal components and plastic components with greatly differing thermal expansion coefficients and elastic modulus characteristics. 
     It is an object to provide compact energy conversion that utilizes storage of energy as chemical and pressure potentials. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide multiple energy conversion functions from chemical and pressure storage potentials. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide load leveling for natural gas and electricity distribution systems with a safe on-site conversion system that stores energy compactly and safely while providing rapid response to demand and changing load conditions. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide electricity generation with much lower requirement for copper and other expensive metals. 
     It is an object of the invention to integrate a hybrized high pressure expander and reversible fuel cell to provide adaptively optimized energy conversion. 
     It is an object of the invention to convert rectilinear thrust into electricity by utilization of charged reciprocating components that accelerate motion of electrical charges in stationery circuits to produce useful electrical current. 
     It is an object of the invention to convert rectilinear thrust into electricity by utilization of charged reciprocating components that accelerate motion of electrical charges in stationery circuits to produce useful electrical current and to utilize changes in such current magnitude in an electricity transformer. 
     Another object is to provide unthrottled oxidant entry to the combustion chamber of an engine along with direct injection of fuel. 
     Another object is to provide precision monitoring of combustion chamber conditions to facilitate computer optimized fuel injection and spark ignition by an integral device that replaces the ordinary spark plug and greatly reduces curb weight along with component costs by replacing the ordinary distributor, inlet manifold throttling valve assembly, ignition coil, and negates the need for a catalytic reactor. 
     These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims. 
     My invention may be best understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a longitudinal sectional view of a device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention for directly injecting and igniting fuel in the combustion chamber of a heat engine. 
         FIG. 2  is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the system provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention for directly injecting and igniting fuel in the combustion chamber of a heat engine. 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the device of  FIG. 1  showing the location of ignition components. 
         FIG. 4  is an end view of the embodiment of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic illustration showing components of the invention for storage of pressurized fluids. 
         FIG. 6  is a longitudinal view of a device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention for incorporation with the principles of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded view of related components utilized in operation according to the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a magnified schematic including a partial sectional view of an embodiment constructed in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a device constructed and operated in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a schematic sectional view of an integrated system constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of components constructed in accordance with principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 12  is an end view of the components constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a schematic view of a system configured in accordance with the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 13A  is a magnified view of components shown in  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 14  is a partial sectional view of an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a partial sectional view of an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 16  is an end view of an embodiment of the invention for practicing the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 17  is a partial sectional view of an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 18  is an end view of an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a partial sectional view of an embodiment of the invention for practicing the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a partial sectional view of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The difficult problems of fuel storage, delivery, combustion-chamber metering, adequate fuel-injection penetration, and effective distribution into a pressurized combustion chamber have prevented beneficial use of stratified charge combustion techniques in nearly all of the world&#39;s population of 800 million engine applications. Past attempts have been plagued with problems including corrosion, erosion, wear, and high costs associated with fuel pressurization and high pressure fuel delivery systems for directly injecting fuel to the combustion chamber. The system shown in  FIG. 1  eliminates these difficult problems and provides self-correcting features in direct injection systems for readily achieving stratified charge operation. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , pressurized fuel enters embodiment  2  at suitable fitting  38 , travels through filter well  42 , and is prevented from entering the combustion chamber as fuel spray  80  until a short time before pressure increase is desired for the power cycle in the combustion chamber of an engine. The pressure normalization valve function may be accomplished by numerous embodiments such as sufficiently strong spring  36  to keep valve seal  58  closed against combustion chamber pressure or the means illustrated by component  6  shown in  FIG. 1 . A suitable pressure normalization valve assembly as shown consists of valve seat  4 , moveable valve  6 , and valve retainer  8 . Valve  6  is normally scaled against seat  4  and causes the pressure produced in the combustion chamber to be exerted to all forward-flow component passages after valve  6  including solenoid valve  48 , passage  60 , and the surface passageways between  88  and  90  as shown. 
     Thus, the pressure that metering valve  48  must overcome in order to quickly open is the pressure difference between the supply pressure at fitting  38  and the combustion chamber pressure to which fuel delivery system  2  is attached and sealed by threaded connection  86 . This pressure difference may be relatively small such as 1 to 30 PSI over combustion chamber pressure in order to produce the desired gaseous fuel delivery rate and penetration pattern into the combustion chamber as needed to provide improved engine performance and efficiency in all modes of operation from idle to full power. This allows the use of a relatively small, low power solenoid valve sub-assembly and the resulting fuel injector and ignition assembly to be accomplished in a surprisingly small overall package compared to past approaches. It also allows the pressure control system to be a simple and inexpensive pressure regulator means for delivery of fuels from compressed gas or vapor pressurized liquid storage. 
     At the desired time, fuel is allowed to pass solenoid poppet  48  which is actuated against compression spring  36  by an electromagnetic force resulting from the flow of electric current in insulated winding  46 . Poppet  48  is preferably moved against the direction of incoming fuel flowing through holes  47  as shown. Voltage to drive current through coil  46  is supplied by connection  52  within dielectric well  50 . Coil  46  may be grounded to conductive body  43  or returned by suitable connection (not shown) similar to connection  52 . In order to assist operation at high engine speeds, the pressure normalization valve may include means for positive closure. Illustratively, seat  4  may be made from a suitable permanent magnet material such as Alnico 5 or other similar materials including nickel coated or polymer coated permanent magnet material selections. 
     Moveable element  6  may be of a suitable shape such as a ball made of hardened Type 440 C stainless steel. Moveable element  6  may also be retained by a suitable spring or urged to the closed position against seat  4  by electromagnetic attraction. It is preferred to keep moveable element  6  from restricting flow in the forward direction by providing flow groves or slots in surface  8  as shown or by some other suitable geometry for minimum impedance to fuel flow towards the combustion chamber. In low cost engine applications it is suitable to utilize a permanent magnet material for moveable element  6  to reduce the material expense while accomplishing the desired quick and positive closure action of element  6  against a magnetically susceptible seat  4 . 
     High voltage for ignition is delivered by a suitable spark plug wire and terminal  68  in high voltage well  66 . Connection  68  delivers the high voltage to conductive nozzle assembly  70 . High voltage is carried by compression spring  74  to wire bar  92  to points  82 . Spark plasma is developed across the gap between  82  and  84  as fuel  80  is sprayed into air in the gap shown for fuel ignition.  FIG. 3  shows the end view of the gap and spark points  82  and  84 . 
     Fuel flows past metering body  54  to dielectric tube  60  when poppet  48 , along with suitable seal  58  is lifted from orifice seat  56 . Seal  58  may be a polished ball made from a carbide such as tungsten carbide or ceramic such as sapphire for extremely long life applications or a fluoropolymer elastomer for applications in engines used in such applications as garden equipment and lawn mowers. Tube  60  may be sealed by any suitable means including O-rings  62  to prevent leakage of the engine-fuel. Feature  78  seals dielectric  64  to insulator  72 . Fuel is delivered from tube  60  to electrically conductive nozzle  70 . Compression spring  74  acts against headed wire bar  92  that is attached to valve poppet assembly  88  to keep  88  closed against  90  except when fuel flows past the orifice between  88  and  90 . 
     Poppet assembly  88  is normally at rest against seat  90  of nozzle  70 . Moveable element  88  may be formed in any suitable shape as may seat  90  to produce the desired spray pattern  80  for the particular combustion chamber that the invention serves. It is essential to minimize the fuel volume contained above  90 , in passageway  60 , and the valve chamber for valve  48  to restrict the back flow of gases from the combustion chamber to just accomplish pressurization of the volume between seats  90  and  6  at the highest intended speed of operation. 
     Preferred integration of the fuel metering means, valve  48 ; pressure equalization means, valve  6 ; and delivery means, conduit  60 ; into embodiment  2  which is directly attached and sealed to the combustion chamber accomplishes compaction and cost reduction far better than a series connection of separate components and provides an efficient, robust and easily manageable unit for underhood installation in space constricted areas to allow rapid replacement of spark plugs or fuel injectors with the present invention which is called SmartPlugs or SparkInjectors in various applications. 
     It is the purpose of spray pattern  80  to produce a great degree of air utilization in combustion reactions for minimizing oxides of nitrogen, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and heat losses from combustion products after ignition. In application on smaller engines, it is often most suitable to provide a large included angle for a concave conical seat  90  for use with a convex conical poppet  88  of slightly smaller included angle. Fuel combustion is extremely fast because of the large surface to volume spray that is presented. The angle chosen for concave conical seat  90  is usually optimized for the purpose of directing the conical fuel spray elements along the longest possible path before intersecting a surface of the combustion chamber. Ignition may occur at any desired time including the beginning of fuel entry into the combustion chamber and continue throughout the time of fuel flow into the combustion chamber. This provides the greatest air utilization and the longest burning time for controlled-temperature fuel combustion before approaching a quench zone of the combustion chamber. My invention provides an included angle of entry and variable gap between  88  and  90  as a function of fuel pressure and viscosity. At maximum torque production, high-speed conditions the amount of fuel delivery is much larger as a result of increasing the pressure at  38  and may occur during a greater number of degrees of crank-shaft rotation. My invention provides optimized air utilization for different flame speeds by providing an included angle for the fuel cone that aims the entering rays of injected fuel at the outer rim of the piston during the highest fuel flow rate of the intended duty cycle. 
     This combination of features make my invention applicable to large engines having combustion chamber diameters of 12″ or more and to small combustion chambers of the size suitable for model airplane use. 
       FIG. 2  shows another SmartPlug embodiment  140  in which the high voltage needed for spark discharge is produced by transforming the low voltage applied to solenoid winding  136  to the desired high voltage in integral winding  146 . High voltage produced in transformer  136 / 146  is applied through an integral connection to  168  within dielectric well  166  and thus to conductive nozzle  170  to produce plasma discharge for igniting fuel/air mixtures  180  formed in the gaps between  184  and the bottom of nozzle  176  around a fuel injection orifice or a group of orifices  190  as shown. 
     Pressurized fuel delivered through fitting  138  flows through filter well  142  and displaces pressure normalization valve  149  to flow when solenoid valve disk  158  is actuated to the open position against the force of suitable compression spring  167  as shown. Upon opening valve  158 , fuel flows through one or more radial passageways  141 , the annular well for spring  167 , around and through the holes surrounding the face seal  157  in solenoid valve  158  as shown. Releasing valve  158  forces the integral elastomeric face seal  157  at the bottom of  158  to bubble-tight closure on the face of orifice  159  in fitting  156  as shown. O-rings  162  ultimately seal the components conveying fuel as shown. 
     It is preferred to make fitting  156  from a suitable dielectric such as glass or mineral filled polymer, glass, or ceramic. This allows the assembly to utilize the dielectric strength and position of fitting  156  for compact and efficient containment of high voltage applied to conductive nozzle  170 . 
     It is preferred to incorporate one or more combustion chamber condition sensors in SmartPlug  140 . A suitable transducer consists of a piezoelectric disk gasket located between fitting  156  and dielectric  164 . Illustrative of another transducer configuration is ring seal  163  which is preferably provided as a piezoelectric elastomer that responds to pressure produced in the combustion chamber which causes force to be transmitted through conductive nozzle  174 , dielectric structure  172 , and dielectric  164  to provide continuous monitoring of the combustion chamber condition. The transducer signal from piezoelectric seal  163  is preferably taken by an electrically isolated connector  152  within dielectric well  150  to micro-computer  171  which is connected to a suitable external power supply (not shown) along with appropriate power relays controlled by embedded computer  171 . 
     It is preferred to locate computer  171  in close proximity to the fuel passageway as shown to benefit from the cooling capacity of fuel traveling through assembly  143 . The cylinder pressure signal produced by transducer  163  is utilized to determine variable cylinder conditions during the inlet, compression, power, and exhaust functions of the engine. Fuel injection and ignition timing are varied by integral micro-computer  171  as shown. Computer  171  adaptively varies the fuel injection amount and timing along with ignition timing to produce the best fuel efficiency, greatest power, and/or least emissions as desired while featuring unthrottled air intake to the combustion chamber for maximizing thermal efficiency. This provides a precise and adaptively optimized but greatly simplified “distributorless” fuel injection and ignition system for improved control and efficiency of combustion engine operation. 
     Actuation of valve  158  is preferably controlled to be at a time at which the pressure of the combustion chamber which is transmitted through injection conduits  190  and  192  within conductor  174  to the bore of dielectric conduit  160  approaches the fuel delivery pressure at fitting  138  to minimize the necessary force produced by solenoid assembly  143  while benefiting from maximum density flow of pressurized gaseous fuel. This combination of benefits allow integrated assembly  140  to be quite small compared to conventional approaches with large metering valves. Solenoid assembly  143  includes coils  136  and  146 , pole piece  147 , pole separator and seal  148 , fitting  156 , a suitable metering valve  158 , spring  167 , and pressure-control valve  149  within magnetically susceptible case  144  which is connected and scaled to the combustion chamber as needed such as by threaded portion  186 . 
     This combination of features allow solenoid assembly  143  to require much less power, operate quicker, to cause much less heat generation and to be much smaller than conventional fuel injectors. This advantage allows an integrated assembly that readily replaces ordinary spark plugs and provides precision monitoring of combustion chamber conditions to facilitate computer optimized fuel injection and spark ignition by an integral device, Smartplug  140 , that replaces the ordinary spark plug. This greatly reduces curb weight along with component costs by elimination of the ordinary distributor drive, distributor, inlet manifold throttling valve assembly, inlet throttling valve drive system, ignition coil, and negates the need for a catalytic reactor and supplemental air pump to add oxygen to the exhaust stream. 
     In order to provide an extremely long life SmartPlug, it is preferred to seal polymer dielectric  164  to ceramic dielectric  172  as shown at  178  and to seal dielectric  164  to the upper portion of nozzle  170  by threads or concentric rings as shown along the cylindrical surface of  170 . It is preferred to provide much larger electrode wear surfaces  184  and  176  than the one, two, or three much smaller wire electrodes of ordinary spark plugs. Larger spark erosion wear surfaces are accomplished by providing an enlarged annular surface electrode  184  as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . 
     The result is an integrated fuel metering and ignition system for operation of a heat engine in which fuel is delivered to an integral fuel control valve that is operable to receive pressurized fuel and intermittently deliver pressurized fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine with marked improvements including valve component  149  for minimizing the flow of combustion chamber fluids past the pressure normalization assembly towards the fuel storage and delivery system. 
       FIG. 5  shows a section of the fuel safety storage system embodiment  200 . The end of an internal tank tube  202  is shown in position within the end of a composite tank liner  204 . Tube  202  is sealed to tank liner  204  by a suitable method including elastomeric or interference seal  216  and held in axial place by nut  210  which is closed against washer  208  which is preferably made of a somewhat elastomeric material to allow for stress distribution due to thermal cycling and to insulate and protect any electrical leads such as  209  to the tank assembly. Reinforcing wraps  206  which are preferably carbon fiber or high strength glass fiber are wet wound with epoxy in patterns that provide axial and radial reinforcement of liner  204  to produce a tank and center tube assembly capable of operation at 3,400 atmospheres including cycling to full pressure 100,000 times from ambient pressure. The surface of the composite tank  200  is preferably protected from penetration by oxygen, water, and other degradants by an abrasion resistant coating of U.V. blocking polymer such as acrylic enamel, potting varnishes typically used by solenoid winders and electronics manufacturers, or thermosetting urethane. 
     This composite tank cannot be penetrated by six rounds from a .357 Magnum pistol, and withstands the point-blank blast of at least one stick of dynamite, and also withstands impact equivalent to a 100 mph collision. These tests show that such a tank can be used to safely receive daily energy requirements of hydrogen or methane during off-peak loading times to operate a homestead, farm or business for more than 270 years! Similar capabilities are provided for extremely durable vehicle fuel storage. 
     Tank assembly  200  is made particularly safe by incorporating within central tube  202  an excess flow prevention means such as the assembly housed within internal fitting  218 . Excess flow assembly  218  is located within the impact resistant protective envelope of the composite tank and within central tube  202  to protect it from vandals and accidental impact. Excess flow preventer  218  is fastened within tube  202  by a suitable method including threading as shown. Assembly  218  is sealed to tube  202  by a suitable method including elastomeric or interference seal  220 . It is preferred to locate the safety check assembly housed in  218  within tube  202  between the first hole  192  and sufficiently above seal  216  to leave room for a valve means such as manual or solenoid operated shut off valve located below but still protected by the super strong envelope of tank composite  204 ,  206  and tube  202  as shown. 
     When filling safety tank  200 , fluid enters tube  202  preferably through a suitable fitting which is sealed in gland  214  as described regarding the fittings of  FIGS. 5 ,  14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  18 ,  19 , and  20 . Entering fluid encounters check valve  203  and like check valve  222  may be of any suitable geometry. Check valve assembly  222  includes check hall  226  and entering fluid lifts moveable seat  222  and integral seal  224  to a latch position against magnetic seat  225  which is held in place by pin  228  which also limits the travel of ball  226  as shown. Any suitable latch may be used including a magnetic latch, a detent consisting of one or more balls that are urged to larger diameter by captured compression springs, or by leaf spring arrangements. 
     In case a magnetic latch is selected, magnetic stainless steel seat  224  and integral seal  224  is forced by incoming fluid flow to the position shown where stationery permanent magnet  225  holds it in place. Further flow opens check valve  226  to provide quick-fill capabilities to achieve filling to the desired pressure. Check valve element  226  may be urged “normally closed” to the sealed position against the seat in  222  by a suitable spring to produce the cracking pressure desired to cause lifting of seat  222  to the latch position at the desired fluid flow rate for various operational procedures and techniques. 
     On retrieval of fluid from tank  200 , however, only a limited exit rate is allowed before the flow impedance produced in a suitable circuit  223  provided in seat  222  causes sufficient force against seat  222  to force it away from latched position against  225  and to travel to the position against  218  that is sealed by a suitable system including seals such as elastomeric or interference seal  224  as shown. When  222  is sealed against  218 , all flow from tank  200  stops. Check valve element  226  seals against  222  and seal  224  prevents flow around seat  222 . This prevents a vandal or accidental incident that breaks a delivery tube or fitting downstream from tank  200  from causing tank  200  to be drained. Very quick response to excess flow by this safety feature is assured by the normally closed position of check valve  226  and the limited flow by-pass circuit  223 . 
     Tank shut off can also be achieved at any desired time by closure of a suitable manual or solenoid-operated tank valve located above or below  218 . A solenoid operated shut off valve is shown which has the feature of allowing inward flow to refill the tank at any time but serves as a normally closed check valve. Shut off is assured when solenoid-operated normally-closed-to-outward-flow check valve  203  is allowed to return to the seat at the inlet of orifice  215  in seat  211  where it is sealed by a suitable method such as o-ring  213 . Scat  211  is held in place by any suitable method including the threads shown and scaled to tube  202  by o-ring or interference seal  201 . Opening tank valve  203  is achieved by solenoid action when current is supplied by insulated conductor  209  through seal  221  to winding  227 . Magnetic force developed on striker disk  229  attracts it rapidly towards coil  227  within bore  219  as shown. Disk  229  is guided by the cylindrical tubular stem of valve  203  which has an annular groove at the distance shown from  229  in the valve closed position. Anchored within the annular groove of  203  is a retainer spring  217  that is about one spring wire diameter larger in assembled outside diameter than the outside diameter of  203 . Anchored spring wire  217  provides a strong annular rib that prevents striker  229  from further relative motion as axial travel along the outside diameter of  203 . 
     After gaining considerable momentum as striker disk  229  travels toward electromagnet  227 , disk  229  suddenly strikes the retainer spring  217  which quickly lifts  203  off of seat  211  to quickly open the flow through the bore of  203  to six radial holes  205  that provide a total flow area greater than that of bore  215 . Flow of fluid from storage in safe tank  200  is established through the bore of  203  to radial holes  205  through bore  215  and to the conduit connected at gland  214 . 
     Extremely safe operation is assured by only powering solenoid operated valve  203  to the open position if conditions for fuel use are determined to remain safe. If the system is in a transportation application, actuation of the seat belts would preferably interrupt the holding current to solenoid winding  227 . Similarly if electronic sniffers detect fuel leakage by an engine or appliance, current to solenoid winding  227  is interrupted and  203  immediately closes. If an operator senses danger an “emergency close switch” is actuated and the safety tank is shut off. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  show tank  200  in an integrated embodiment that is assembled from a liner  204 ; filament, reinforcing tape or fiber wrap  206 ; and tubular member  202 . Tank liner  204  is preferably produced as an injection blow molded thermoplastic polymer vessel, by impact extrusion to near net shape followed by rotary swage forming of aluminum, or by grain refinement by cold spin forming or impact forming of a section of metal tube to provide the general configuration shown. Injection blow molded thermoplastic liners made of polypropylene, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, perfluoroalkoxy, and fluorinated olefins offer specialized benefits for a wide variety of applications. Metals such as aluminum, titanium, and stainless steel are also appropriate for various applications. The ends of liner  204  are formed to provide smooth cylindrical surfaces or line bored as shown at area  246  to provide a smooth diameter for O-ring or other suitable seals  244  as shown. O-ring seals  244  in tube  202  are shown in grooves  246  or  248  of the magnified view of  FIG. 8 . 
     Tube assembly  202  may provide outlets on both ends as shown with both outlets of the system configuration of  FIG. 5  or with one end with the system of  FIG. 8 . In the instance that pressure relief is needed to accommodate fluid expansion in case the tank is severely crushed or impinged by fire, a pressure relief system including cap  230  is provided as shown. Cap  230  is preferably provided with fusible seal  234  which is made from a suitable alloy or thermoplastic for purposes of being extruded through passageways  232  upon reaching a dangerous temperature or stress. Particularly effective deployment of thermoplastic or fused alloy  234  is provided by manufacturing cap  230  with internal fins generally as shown at  236  for providing faster and more even heat transfer to all sections of the thermoplastic or fusible alloy from the outside of cap  230  or along tube  202  to fusible mass  234 . Fins  236  also provide a large surface area, structural integrity, and support of the fusible plug  234  and helps prevent long-term creep of  234  under the pressure of stored gases in tank  200 . 
     Another synergistic benefit of having a high thermal conductivity metal tube  202  inside of tank  200  is to provide heat transfer to fusible plug  234  regardless of the location of concentrated heat input such as from an impinging fire. In the configuration shown, thermal equiaxer fin distributor  236  has six fins that are spaced between the hexagonal pattern formed by the relief ports  232 . Torque-free and canceled-thrust pressure relief is accomplished by equal and opposite forces produced when fusible plug  234  is extruded through port(s)  232  followed by six equal and opposite ventings  233  of stored fluid as shown in  FIG. 9 . This is assured by venting  233  equally from ports  232  that produce opposing and canceling forces. 
     In case of fire, the internal fins  236  of high thermal conductivity material assures uniform melting of fusible plug  234  and prevents the unwanted situation of having one side of the pressure relief system produce a net torque on the tank assembly by having one of the outlets relieving pressure while the opposite relief ports remain blocked by an unmelted portion of the fusible plug. It is preferred to provide cap  230  with fusible plug  234  manufactured to form an interference fit for sealing tube  202  as shown. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates an energy conversion system  300  including circuit means and systems for efficiently converting stored pressure energy into work and/or electricity. A reversible electrolyzer  302  separates hydrogen and oxygen from water at high pressure by applying electricity from a suitable source such as surplus hydro, wind, or wave energy, off-peak power from a local energy conversion operation, surplus power from central power plants, regenerative stopping energy of a vehicle, or wheeled energy from cogeneration plants. Hydrogen is delivered to safety tank  304 , which is preferably a composite of tube  202 , liner  204  and fiber reinforcement  206  as shown in  FIGS. 6 ,  7 , and  8 . Oxygen is delivered to similar safety tank system  306 . These gases are pressurized as the tanks fill by action of electrolyzer  302  through production of many times more volume of each gas than the volume of liquid water converted. 
     Eventually, safety tanks  304  and  306  are pressurized to the desired capacities corresponding to storage pressures such as 3,000 to 12,000 atmospheres. The safety features of this invention synergistically coupled with the direct pressurization to storage of hydrogen and/or oxygen by electrolysis enable far more compact and efficient energy storage and energy conversion operations than any previous approach. Recovery of pressure and chemical energy potentials are facilitated in multiply provided safety functions including extremely strong containment of stored and conveyed fluids, thermally actuated pressure relief, excess flow shut down, and normally-closed but open if safe conditions exist means for safety controlled valving. 
     Solenoid valves  312  and  316  are actuated by controller  308  to facilitate delivery to and from the receiver of electrolyzer  302  to hydrogen and oxygen storage as shown. These gases may be used in the same electrolyzer in reverse mode to produce electricity at a later time or the hydrogen and oxygen may be used separately for other desired purposes. 
     Very quick response to meet emergency and dark-start demands is possible from a generator driven by a suitable engine such as a gas turbine, a piston or rotary combustion engine, or a synergistic engine such as the one shown in  FIG. 10 . A burst of pressurized oxygen is delivered through solenoid valve  324  to cylinder  322  to instantly start the process of electricity production by generator  338 . After start up, hydrogen is injected into the receiver shown to provide conversion of pressure energy to expansive work. Combustion of the hydrogen then provides super heated steam for additional expansion. It is preferred to inject a controlled amount of oxygen just after the engine&#39;s equivalent of top dead center which is determined by the setting of flow valve  340  by controller  308 . 
     Hydrogen injected in cylinder  322  mixes with oxygen to form a stratified charge within excess oxygen that has been previously delivered from storage in safety tank  306  through solenoid valve  324 . Oxygen deliveries to cylinders  322  and  326  are controlled by  308  to maintain a surplus of oxygen for insulating the steam formed by combustion of stratified-charge bursts of hydrogen injected by solenoid valve and ignition sources called SparkInjectors  318  and  320  which are preferably constructed as shown in  FIG. 2  and operated as an adaptive system. 
     Combustion of the hydrogen produces a high temperature stratified charge of steam accompanied by a pressure rise and delivery of water from check valve  328  to motor  332  which may be of any suitable design including variable stroke axial or radial piston, rotary vane, gear, or turbine type. Pressurization of accumulator  352  to a magnitude above the desired pressure of water entry to electrolyzer  302  is assured. Pressure regulator  317  controls delivery of feedstock water to  302  as needed. Motor  332  powers generator  338  to quickly and efficiently provide electricity on demand. It is preferred to utilize a flywheel with motor  332  or to use a variable displacement motor for the purpose of providing more constant output speed from sinusoidal pressure of deliveries from tanks  322  and  326  as the gas expansion processes are carried out. In the alternative, an invertor may be utilized to condition the output electricity as desired. 
     Fluid exiting from motor  332  passes through heat exchanger  337  to heat water, air, or some other fluid to which it is desired to add heat. Exhaust fluid from motor  332  then passes through check valve  336  to refill tank  326  and when  326  reaches the condition adaptively controlled by  308  and the setting of valve  340 , solenoid valve  323  is briefly opened to allow oxygen make-up just after the liquid piston position passes the expander or engine&#39;s equivalent of top dead center. Hydrogen is injected and ignited to form a stratified charge of 6,000 F steam. Pressurized water flows from tank  326  through check valve  330  into suitable motor such as a rotary vane, axial piston, radial piston motor  332  to continue the liquid piston expansion operation. Exhaust from motor  332  passes through heat exchanger  337  and check valve  334  to refill tank  322  to complete one cycle of operation. 
     Pressure rise in this hydraulic piston expander is extremely fast because of the admission of oxygen which may be followed to meet larger power demands by high speed combustion of pressurized hydrogen within excess oxygen that insulates the hydrogen combustion. Energy conversion efficiency of the hydraulic expander is quite high because of the recovery of pressure energy as oxygen and if needed hydrogen may be delivered into the expansion chambers  322  and  326 . Insulated, stratified charge combustion of hydrogen in oxygen, the absence of blow-by typical of normal piston and rotary combustion engines and the exceptionally high temperature of the insulated steam during the expansion provides exceptional thermal efficiency in addition to recovery of pressure energy. 
     Thermal efficiency is limited by the Carnot Efficiency which is:
 
( T   H   −T   L )/ T   H =Efficiency  Equation 1
         Where T H  is the start of expansion temperature in absolute degrees, T L  is the end of expansion temperature in absolute degrees Rankine or Kelvin.       

     Insulated hydrogen combustion in oxygen at 6,000° F. (6,460° R) is readily achievable and expansion over the liquid piston to below 200° F. (660° R) has been achieved. The Carnot limitation for the conversion of hydrogen fuel potential energy to work by the liquid piston expander assembly  322 / 326 ;  340 , and  332 , or assembly  368 / 370  and  366 / 367  is thus:
 
(6,460 R   H −660 R   L )/6,460 R   H =Carnot Efficiency=89.8%  Equation 1.
 
     While practical engines have friction and unharnessed heat losses to reduce the actual efficiency, the practical operating efficiency is improved by the auxiliary recovery of pressure energy as shown. In addition to improving the operational efficiency the high pressure capacity and leak free expansion provided by liquid pistons provides an extremely compact energy conversion system. 
     The maximum conversion efficiency of the hydrogen fuel cell  302 , or reversible electrolyzer  302 , is the ratio of actual operating voltage (V) and 1.482 V:
 
Efficiency fc   =V/ 1.482  Equation 2
 
     Consequently, operating at ambient conditions, the hydrogen fuel cell efficiency is 1.229/1.482=83% and may be improved by operation at the elevated pressures provided by this invention. In addition to admitting the reactants at high pressure, it is advantageous to further boost the local pressure of hydrogen at the hydrogen electrode, and of oxygen at the oxygen electrode by occasional momentary admission and combustion of a small amount of oxygen in the fuel cell hydrogen receiver and by occasional momentary admission of a small amount of hydrogen in the fuel cell oxygen receiver. These momentary fluid admissions and ignitions are optimized by utilization of the device shown in  FIG. 1  or in  FIG. 2  for larger applications. Operation of fuel cell  302  at high pressure also greatly improves the current density and reduces the size and mass of the energy conversion hybrid integrated by the invention. 
     This hybridization provides two extremely high potential efficiency conversion means for rapidly meeting changing needs for electricity and for efficiently storing energy to accomplish load leveling, storage of off-peak power, and greatly improved economics of renewable and non-renewable energy conversion systems. 
     The highest pressure produced in tanks  322  and  326  is delivered through check valve  354  to accumulator  352  for controlling the inventory of water in the engine and for supplying reversible electrolyzer  302  with feedstock water to produce hydrogen and oxygen as shown. This combustion sourced pressure boosting greatly simplifies pressurization of accumulator  352  and/or reversible electrolyzer  302  or in the operation of one or more duplicates of  302  (not shown) that can be operated simultaneously or as needed at a lower temperatures for higher efficiency compared to conventional multistage pumping. 
     At times that more or less water is desired in the expander inventory to effectively change the displacement, solenoid valve  360  is opened by controller  308  to add or subtract water in the inventory and thus reduce or add to displacement. This same feature may be utilized at appropriate times to properly balance the inventories of water in the engine, electrolyzer, and the hydrogen and oxygen stored in safety tanks  304  and  306 . 
     In the instance that it is desired to transfer fluids that escape from tanks such as  200  to a more distant location, it is preferred to utilize cap  442 , perforated support cone  433  and line  309  as shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 . Catalytic combustor  309 ,  303 , and  290  shows how to automatically dispose of leaking fuels such as hydrogen, landfill gas, and natural gas as such fuels are vented from tank  304 . 
     When assembled, tube  202  is preferably held in assembly with tank  200  by snap rings, spiral locks, or crimp formed washers  207  that fit into groove  244  to keep tube  202  from being expelled from tank  200 . Fluid flow into and out of tank  200  is provided by holes  194  which are preferably provided as penetrations through one wall only for purposes of retaining high strength. 
     In case a fire impinges the area where safety tanks  304  and  306  are located, fusible plugs are melted in cap(s)  442  which are shown in detail in  FIG. 11 . This allows the sale delivery of fluids from storage without over-pressurization due to heat addition. Such emergency delivery of fluid combustants such as hydrogen and oxygen are preferably to a safe combustor assembly  290  in which air is drawn by the momentum of combustants that enter through coaxial nozzles  292  and  294 . 
     If only hydrogen is vented into  290  through nozzle  294  it mixes with ingested air and is combusted after catalytic or spark ignition preferably as described regarding the SparkInjector or SmartPlug regarding  FIGS. 1 and 2 . When oxygen is also vented it is added coaxially through  292  to the hydrogen to be safely burned in  290  as shown. Burner  290  is generally constructed as a thermally isolated chimney or vent tube to the atmosphere and provides a safe place to continuously and harmlessly vent and/or combust any gases delivered in an emergency from safety tanks  304 ,  306  and other safety tanks that may be connected to the same gas disposal system. 
     Fail-safe provisions protect in other events along with impingement by fire or other heat sources. Elastomeric membrane  305  encloses tank  304  including the fittings attached to  304 . If a leak in the tank or fittings occurs, the leaked hydrogen will be sensed by suitable instrumentation  289  and controller  308  will shut off normally closed valve  203  in tube  202  and depending upon the magnitude of the detected presence of hydrogen, a suitable alarm will be provided to alert service personnel or initiate emergency procedures. Any hydrogen that is leaked will be contained by  305  which is connected by line  307  to combustion tube  303  within  290 . Similar provisions (partially shown) detect and deliver any oxygen leakage from tank  306  to  290  for safe disposal. 
     In dwellings it is anticipated that  290  would be installed generally as are chimneys of water heaters or furnaces. In transportation applications it is preferred to place burner assembly  290  in parallel with the exhaust pipe or tail pipe from the engine or to utilize a portion of the exhaust system for the dual purpose of delivering exhaust from the engine and for safe combustion of fuel from pressure relief of stored fuel. The same purpose of gas disposal and safe discharge of hot gases to an out-of-the-way location applies for both applications. 
     It is contemplated that in some instances it will be desired to place one or more check valves  319  at the air entrance shown to assure that the discharge always flows in the direction of the momentum of fuel and/or other gases that enter  290 . Providing check valves  319  in this location maintains assurance that vented products or related heating is directed toward the outlet at the opposite end of  290 . Such check valves block unwanted ingress of outside air, insects, and dust from the area where tanks  304  and/or  306  are located. 
       FIG. 11  shows details of the preferred thermally actuated pressure relief system for applications where it is preferred to dispose of relieved hydrogen and/or oxygen in  290  as shown in  FIG. 10 . Relatively thin walled delivery line  309  is flared as shown to be held in place against the conical taper seal surface of insert support cone  433  which is preferably a corrosion resistant alloy such as beryllium copper or stainless steel with perforations  435  as shown that provide a total flow area comparable to the flow area of tube  202 . The portion of  433  extending beyond the seal cone between the tapered end of heavy walled tube  202  and flanged tube  309  is preferably corrugated as shown in the end view of  FIG. 12  to provide more surface area for heat transfer to fusible plug  434  and to maintain the gas passage area suitable for emergency venting operations. 
     Perforated cone cup  433  supports and serves as an intimately contacting heat exchanger for fusible safety-seal pellet  434  which may be made of a fusible alloy or a thermoplastic that softens at the desired temperature for purposes of being extruded into the larger bore of  309  to allow the gas in storage to be vented for safe and automatic disposal in  290 . 
     Fusible pellet  434  is preferably inserted in  202  with interference to seal against the bore of tube  202  as shown. An advantageous method of setting  434  is to push it into place with a tool fixture that supports cone  433  and to then contain and impact it or heat it to set it in compacted interference with tube  202  with another tool inserted from the other direction within tube  202 . 
     It is preferred to secure nut  442  in place with a suitable system such as lock pin  564  as shown or toggle lock  516  which is constructed as disclosed regarding  FIGS. 15 ,  16 ,  17 , and  18 . The assembly shown in  FIG. 14  includes spiral lock  476  which tightens on tube  458  if nut  468  with right-hand thread is rotated counterclockwise and holds tube  458  in place within the gland of tube fitting  456  to maintain the seal by o-ring or interference seal  466 . 
     It is to be understood that the principle of placing critical safety and control components within the protective envelope of the composite tank can be readily practiced by locating assembly  433 ,  434 , and  435  into  202  sufficiently to be well within the protective envelope of composite  204 ,  206  and  202 . Being remote from impact and beyond the reach of vandals does not deter the safety functionality of this embodiment of the invention. Thermal conduction to the fusible pellet  434  is accomplished from both ends of the host safety tank by tube  202  and is enhanced by intimate contact with the extended surface configuration of  236  or  433 . This assures quick and dependable fusion of  434  to prevent heating of contained fluid to the point of causing dangerous over pressurization of the host vessel. 
     Safety is assured by the features of tube  202  as it is integrated with the composite tank features as shown regarding tank  200  with features  204 , and  206 ; and  304 ,  305 ,  290 ,  303 ,  311 , and  309 . Particularly safe, cost-effective, and efficient operation is assured including provisions for safe emergency disposal functions with stored fluids at pressures of 12,000 atmospheres or less. 
     Another embodiment of the hydraulic piston engine is shown in  FIG. 13  in which axial thrust of piston  366  in cylinder  367  is converted into electricity or performs other useful work. Linear motor  366 / 367  may be of any suitable design including the configuration shown in which piston assembly  366  moves back and forth due to the flow of liquid inventories to and from  368  and  370  as gases in the upper portion alternatively expand to perform work. 
     Upon return of water from the left side of  367  to tank  370  it is preferred to provide a spray blast as shown which is directed by shuttle valve  331  for a short time for distribution from the top of tank  370  for cooling purposes and condensation of spent steam vapor. This return spray is to quickly cool spent vapors but not cool tank  370  and is generally a cone shape with the base diameter just smaller than the diameter of tank  370  where the cone spreads to fill the bottom of the tank as shown. 
     Similarly, upon return of water from the right side of  367  to  368  it is preferred to actuate solenoid operated shuttle valve  333  as shown to provide a short spray blast from the top of the tank as shown to condense spent steam vapors. Shuttle valves  331  and  333  provide optional flows to accumulator  352  and to the tanks  368  and  370  and are adaptively controlled by controller  308  to optimize the efficiency or power production or failsafe modes of operation. Cooler water for spray down of spent vapors can also be occasionally supplied from  352  through shuttle valve  329  which is also adaptively controlled by  308 . 
     Electricity is produced by generator assembly  372  in which electrostatically charged disks  374  are driven by piston  366  to move back and forth with respect to spaced stationery conductors  382  and  384  to produce an alternating current which may be applied to any useful application which may include power conditioning as illustrated with step-up or step-down transformer  386 / 388 . 
     Disks  374  are preferably made of a suitable dielectric material such as a glass filled polyolefin, polyester, or thermoset resin and have a metallized circumferential rim  376  where electrostatic charges are isolated. As a group, conductive bands  376  on disks  374  are isolated by being spaced apart but are electrically connected to each other for purposes of being charged by occasional contact with lead  378  which is used to impart a charge such as a high voltage accumulation of electrons on bands of  376 . Charging can be accomplished by momentarily contact when piston  366  is at the far right end of cylinder  367  which causes  378  to contact the closest band  376 . A suitable high voltage source is applied while  376  contacts  378  to charge the reciprocating assembly. 
     Charging lead  378  may be occasionally connected to a suitable source such as transformer  386  or through a rectifier for replenishing zones  376  with additional electrons as needed to restore any gradual loss of charge density. Illustratively, negative charge conditions on bands  376  are shown in  FIG. 13  but the charge could as well be a positive charge. 
     Dielectric tube  390  supports an assembly of spaced metallic bands  382  and  384  of a suitable metal such as copper, silver, or aluminum. Bands  382  and  384  may be inside of  390  or outside of  390  or held as composited components of  390  which is preferred to mechanically stabilize and protect these bands from environmental degradation. These bands may be occasionally connected to a charging source to impart a charge such as a high voltage accumulation of electrons on bands  382  and  384 . 
     Reduction in air drag on disks  374  is achieved by replacing the air in  390  with hydrogen from reservoir  304 . Hydrogen provides much greater heat transfer capabilities than air for the purpose of transferring heat from the assembly. It is preferred to maintain the pressure of hydrogen in  390  at an adaptively determined magnitude that minimizes gas drag and ohmic losses due to temperature rise in current carrying conductors while controlling the gap between rims  376  and rings  382  and  384  to maximize generator efficiency. This is adaptively controlled by computer  308 . 
     It is preferred to operate zones  382  and  384 , the primary winding  388  of transformer  386 , and zones  376  with the same charge and to also replenish this charge periodically for purposes of maintaining a high current magnitude in primary  388 . Conductors  382  and  384  may be connected in any desired way however to produce electricity including the parallel connections shown in  FIG. 13 .  FIG. 13A  shows magnified details of stationery bands  384  and  382  in tube  390  along with typical band  376  on reciprocating disk  374 . 
     When charged bands  376  are near conductive bands  382  as shown, electrons are repelled from  382  to pass through primary winding  388  of transformer  386  and then flow to bands  384 . When charged bands  376  are forced by piston  366  to locations near conductive bands  384 , electrons are forced from zones  384  through primary  388  to zones  382  to complete one cycle of alternating current production. 
     In some applications it may be desired to increase the charge density on disks  374  for such purposes as decreasing the size of the generator assembly, increasing the distance of spacing between charge collector rings  382  and  384 , or for another optimization purpose. One way to increase the charge density is to deposit miniature whiskers on conductive rims  376 . This may be done by brazing particles to rim  376  while charge is applied to erect acicular particles or by numerous special techniques based on chemical vapor deposition, sputtering, and plating from an aqueous solution. 
     The invention can also be practiced by operating on a repulsive-force basis with a surplus or negative or positive charges or by operating on an attractive-force basis by charging rings such as  376  and  384  with oppositely charged particles. It is also contemplated that assembly  374  in  390  can be reciprocated by a suitable crank, cam or gear set mechanism from prime movers including conventional piston engines, rotary combustion engines, in-stream hydro turbines, wind turbines and wave generators as disclosed in my copending patent applications. 
     Current produced by the linear generator may be conditioned as needed by transformer  386  and/or by a suitable invertor (not shown). Work performed by piston motor  366  may also be directly applied to other useful applications such as driving pump  400 . 
     Pump  400  is illustrated in general representing such applications as a water pump or a compressor of a heat pump. Piston assembly  408  is reciprocated within cylinder  406  by power piston  366  as shown. Fluid enters through optional heat exchanger  335 C and alternately through check valves  402  and  404  as shown. Fluid exits through check valves  410  and  412  as shown. In the instance of a water pump it is intended that heat exchangers  335 A and  335 B deliver heat rejected by the engine to heat water in heat exchanger  335 D for useful purposes. Similarly in instances that a heat pump compressor is driven it is intended to heat the working fluid by adding heat rejected by the engine through  335 A and  335 B in heat exchanger  335 C and/or  335 D. 
     The same regime of pressure and chemical potential energy conversion as accomplished by direct injection to an internal combustion engine or other suitable expander applies to many other engine types along with the liquid piston type of engine described regarding  FIGS. 10 and 13 . Illustratively, this pressure and chemical energy conversion regime pertains to two and four stroke piston engines, rotary combustion engines, free piston engines, bladed gas turbines, Tesla turbines and to direct injection of oxygen by  323  and  324  and hydrogen by  318  and  320  alternately to opposite sides of an expander similar in construction and disposition to cylinder  367  and piston  366 . It is preferred in larger power installations to utilize both the directly injected dry piston version of  366 / 367  along with the liquid piston engine for extremely quick response to black start conditions or to quickly supply peak loads and to pressurize accumulator  352  and reversible electrolyzer or fuel cell  302  as needed. 
     The result is an energy conversion system in which electricity and/or heat is used to dissociate a fluid such as water, aqueous electrolytes with a pH less than seven, aqueous electrolytes with a pH greater than seven, and vapors containing molecules of water into hydrogen and oxygen in which the hydrogen is stored as a pressurized fluid and the oxygen is stored as a pressurized fluid. This oxygen is occasionally used in the reverse mode of electrolyzer  302  which operates as a fuel cell or it is metered into the combustion chamber of a heat engine. Similarly pressurized hydrogen is occasionally used in the reverse mode of electrolyzer  302  or metered into the combustion chamber and ignited to provide energy release for expansive work performed by the heat engine. 
     It is preferred to electrolyze fluids in  302  at higher temperatures than the temperature that  302  is operated as a fuel cell. This enables higher operating efficiency in the electrolyzer mode and in the fuel cell mode. It provides an important option for hybrid optimization of energy conversion to meet small or large power production needs by adding the outputs of  302  and  338  or  302  and  386 / 388  along with enabling very rapid conversion of surplus electricity into stored chemical potential and pressure potential energy. 
     Conversion of pressure and chemical potential energy compliment each other in a synergistic integration of technologies including generation of electricity and/or other work output with greatly reduced weight and minimized requirements for expensive metals such as copper, aluminum, and special steels. Illustratively, liner  204  can be a thermoplastic blow molded material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene or polymethylpentene made from natural gas liquids. Composited fiber  206  can be a graphitic yarn or filament made from natural gas by dehydrogenation of methane or of polyacrylonitrile (PAN). 
     Extremely strong versions of tube  202  can be made from composited epoxy and graphite fibers of dehydrogenated PAN origins and are preferred for storage of fluids at 6,000 to 12,000 atmospheres. Piston and cylinder  366 / 367  and  406 / 408  are preferably made as carbon graphite composites of the same origins. Injection molded disks  374  are preferably made of thermoplastic produced from natural gas and/or renewable hydrocarbons as is cylinder  390 . 
     Reversible electrolyzer  302  may utilize a semipermeable membrane of ceramic or polymer origins depending upon the optimization desired, electrodes made largely of carbon, and is housed within composited pressure resisting containment tank constructed according to the structural, design, and safety principles of this invention. 
       FIGS. 14 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19  and  20  show embodiments for providing relaxable vibration and tamper resistant connections for delivery of stored fluid through conduits. Tube  458  is prepared by forming a circumferential groove, perpendicular to the tube axis, located near the end of the tube as shown within which a circular wire form  460  fits. Such a circumferential hoop can be made by selecting a closely coiled cylindrical tension spring of suitable material that has a mean wire diameter that is about the same as the outside diameter of tube  458 . The closely coiled spring is elastically stretched over a conical lead of a cylindrical mandril to a diameter sufficient to allow a saw cut width of the spring wire to be removed from each turn of the spring loaded on the mandril with the result being production of an individual spring lock with the mean diameter of the outside of tube  460 . 
     In some applications, especially at relatively low pressure, it is preferred to use a lock ring  460  with square or rectangular cross section which has an outside diameter that closely fits bore  454  when lock ring  460  is installed in the annular groove of tube  458  for the purpose of directly backing up seal  466  in gland  465 . In this instance it is preferred to use a seal  466  with a square, rectangular, or truncated-wedge cross section. 
     Nut  468  is provided with an internal thread  470  that mates the external thread  452  of male fitting  456  such as might be on a tee, ell, coupling, valve or instrumentation component. The diameter of bore  471  closely fits the outside of tube  458 . Fitting  456  is manufactured to have a suitable finish and diameter  454  and/or a scaling surface at cylindrical dimension  465  in bore  454  that is suitable for an elastomeric face seal with  466 . Seal  466  may be an o-ring or any other suitable cross section of elastomeric material and is preferably held in assembly with tube  458  and backup washer  463  (if utilized) by a small amount of adhesive. The length of bore  465  is preferably sufficient to allow nut  468  to be backed up one or more turns without loss of sealing quality by seal  466  against bore  454 . This provides much greater assurance of safe storage and conveyance of fluids than conventional fittings that leak if the tube nut does not supply constant force against fitting components that are held in compression against each other to form a seal. 
     Backup washer  463  is preferably fits closely within bore  454  and is made of a polymer with chemical compatibility for the application such as a polyamide, a polyolefin, or polysulfone. Backup washer  463  is preferably supported by steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or brass washer  462  that closely fits tube  458  on the inside diameter and bore  454  on the outside diameter. Circumferential lock ring  460  in the annular groove shown prevents the assembly of washer  462 , backup  464  and seal  466  from moving towards nut  468 . Nut  468  is similarly prevented from moving axially toward the near end of tube  458  by lock ring  460 . Nut  468  is preferably counter bored or chamfered as shown at  475  to provide homing force against lock ring  460  to hold it in the annular groove in tube  458 . 
     Spring coil  474  is attached to nut by any suitable means such as welding, brazing or insertion of an end  472  into a hole in  468  as shown. Spring coil  474  is manufactured to be in interference with the outside of tube  458  and wound so it will be loosened by friction forces against tube  458  when nut  468  is being advanced on thread  452 . Conversely, spring  474  is tightened on tube  458  by turning nut  468  in the loosening direction. The purpose of spring  474  is to tighten against tube  458  to prevent continued loosening rotation if nut  468  is rotated in the loosening direction. When it is desired to loosen nut  468 , spring  476  is manually torqued at loop  476  in the loosening direction while nut  468  is rotated to loosen. 
       FIGS. 16 ,  17  and  18  show another embodiment of the invention  480  in which tube nut  482  is provided with a straight knurl or spline geometry  530  on the outside diameter as shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 . Spring lock  484  is fitted in an annular groove in tube  488  which is preferably prepared by one or more forming rolls of a hand-operated or power roll tool. Roll forming the desired annular groove in tube  458  or  488  improves the grain structure and locally strengthens the tube. Roll forming the annular groove can be accomplished by use of a hardened I.D. mandril that is inserted into tube  458  or  488  to prevent diametrical closure and loss of flow area or by allowing a streamlined annular indentation that generally does not cause an unacceptable impedance for the fluid transfer applications where it is used. 
     Seal adapter  486  is preferably manufactured as a composite as shown in the enlarged cross-section of  FIG. 19 . Portion  490  is preferably a suitable polymer such as a polysulfone, polyamide, polyolefin, or polyester that is formed as shown to support elastomeric seal  498  within gland  500  of fitting  506  as shown. Steel, stainless steel, brass, titanium, or aluminum washer  494  fits closely within gland  500  and on tube  488  and has holes  492  and/or slots in the interface with polymer  490  to hold  490  in assembly with washer flange  494 . 
     It is preferred to injection mold  490  to the shape shown with molded material filling holes  492  to lock the composite together. Washer  494  is preferably made with the illustrated annular groove  520  that allows it to snap over lock spring  496  when it is in place in the groove shown in tube  488  or  544 . It is preferred to use lock spring wire that is circular in cross section for most applications but specialized applications may use square, hexagonal or other wire cross sections. 
     In instances that specialized functions are desired, adapter  490  may be made of a chemically compatible material with desired properties. Illustratively, it is preferred to use titanium or tetrafluoroethylene tubing  488  and to mold an elastomeric copolymer based on polyvinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene or FEP Teflon in the shape shown with a durometer hardness of 60 to 90 for composite component  490  and to utilize a titanium or polyethersulfone washer  494  for conveyance of extremely corrosive fluids such as ferric chloride solutions, acids, hydrogen fluoride vapors, and salt solutions. This composite seals gland  500  quite well without the use of a separate O-ring  498 . The higher the fluid pressure, the more the wetted face of  490  is pressed against tube  488  and gland  500  to form a bubble-tight seal. 
     When the components of the embodiment of  FIG. 17  are assembled by mating threads  502  and  504 , with seal  498  in gland  500 , anti-rotation locks  516  are closed to interlock in axial knurls or splines  530  as shown in  FIGS. 16 ,  17 , and  18 . Anti-rotation locks  516  may be held in place against nut  482  by the toggle action of asymmetric bearing surfaces  513  that provide two homing positions, the closed position against threads  504  and the open position about 110° rotation away from threads  504 . 
     One or more anti-rotation locks  516  are secured in place by any suitable attachment to fitting  506  including the hinge pins  510  and  512  to formed collar base  508  as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 . Anti-rotation locks  516  are preferably made from sheet metal that is formed to the shape shown for assembly with formed collar  508  by headed hinge pins  510  and  512 . After being placed on fitting  506  collar  508  may be staked, crimped, spot welded, brazed, or held securely with adhesives such as anaerobic glue or epoxy. 
     An alternative anti-rotation system  540  for tube nut  542  or  442  is shown in  FIG. 15  and in  FIG. 20 . One or more detented locks  564  as shown in  FIGS. 15 and 20  are provided for preventing tube nuts such as  442  or  542  from un-threading from fittings such as  546  which is shown in partial section. As shown there are two stable detent positions of lock  564  in hole  560 . Lock  564  is stable in the “open” position for allowing removal of nut  542  when ball  568  is urged by spring  562  to advance to a larger diameter of the outer conical portion of hole  560  in nut  542 . Lock  564  is stable in the “locked” position when ball  568  is urged to a larger diameter after clearing hole  560  by inward travel. In the locked position,  564  engages the O.D. threads and/or an annular groove in  546  to block axial travel of tube nut  542  thus preventing nut  542  from unthreading. This keeps seal  552  in place within the gland shown of fitting  546  to assure constant bubble-tight sealing. 
     Ball  560  is held in a cross hole by slightly closing the diameter of the cross-hole to retain ball  568  after insertion of spring  562  and ball  568 . An opposing ball of the same or different diameter may be used on the opposite side of ball  568  as shown. This type of anti-rotation lock is capable of withstanding high accelerations due to impact, vibration and hammering to assure that the chosen seal such as  460  and  466 ; or  462 ,  464 , and  466 ; or  494 ,  490  and  498 ; or  548  and  550  stays engaged in the gland provided by the fitting to perform the intended bubble-tight function. 
     It thus will be understood that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however that the foregoing preferred specific embodiments have been shown and described for the purpose of illustrating the functional and structural principles of this invention. These preferred descriptions are subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, my invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit, scope, and legal equivalences of the following claims. 
     REQUEST UNDER MPEP 707.07(j): The undersigned a pro-se Inventor-Applicant respectfully requests that the Examiner find the patentable subject matter disclosed in this invention and if he feels that the Applicant&#39;s present claims are not entirely suitable that the Examiner draft allowable claims for the Applicant that define the breadth and scope required to facilitate commercialization of the inventions herein.