Patent ID: 7926276

Claim:
A closed Brayton cycle power system for powering an underwater craft comprising: a liquid metal fuel; an oxidant chemically reactive with said liquid metal fuel; a working gas chemically stable and inert with respect to said oxidant and said liquid metal fuel; a reactor/storage tank containing said liquid metal fuel therein and having a working gas inlet and a working gas outlet, to allow said working gas to bubble through said liquid metal fuel, for heating said working gas by direct contact with said liquid metal fuel; an oxidant supply tank for storing said oxidant therein at high pressure; an injector disposed within said reactor/storage tank below the surface of said liquid metal fuel therein, said injector being in communication with said oxidant supply tank for injecting said oxidant into said liquid metal fuel; a turbine having a turbine inlet and a turbine outlet, said turbine inlet being in communication with said working gas outlet of said reactor/storage tank for expanding said working gas and extracting power from said high pressure, high temperature working gas; a regenerator having a hot side inlet, a hot side outlet, a cold side inlet, and a cold side outlet, said hot side inlet being in communication with said turbine outlet for receiving hot, expanded working gas from said turbine, said cold side outlet being in communication with said working gas inlet of said reactor/storage tank for preheating said compressed working gas; a compressor having a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, said compressor outlet being in communication with said cold side inlet of said regenerator for compressing said working gas; a cooler having a cooler inlet and a cooler outlet, said cooler inlet being in communication with said hot side outlet from said regenerator, said cooler outlet being in communication with said compressor inlet; and a drive shaft mechanically connected to said turbine between said compressor for delivering power from said turbine to said compressor and said underwater device.