US1532930A - Method and means of producing heat - Google Patents

Description

J.- H.` o" NEILL METHOD AND ,MEANS OF PRODUCING HET Filed Dec. 5, 1919 /71 Ulen'or John Hug-h JVeZ ZZ f/S Or-lney .April 7, 1925.

Patented Apr. 7, 1925.

JOHN HUGH ONEILL, OF SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI.

METHOD AND MEANS OF PRODUCINGYHEAT.

Application led December 5, 1919. Serial No. 342,834.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HUGH ONEILL, a citizen of the United States, residing in Springfield, Missouri, have invented a new and useful Method and Means of Producing Heat, which is fully set forth in the follow ing specification, which is a continuation in part of the method contained in my application No. 269,268, filed January 2, 1919,

method and means of generating power, also of two other applications filed herewith, bearing Serial Numbers 342,832 and 342,- 833. i

The present application differs from the methods described in the above mentioned applications in that the fuel is introduced in the form of powder or grains simultaneously with a jet of combustion sustaining gas or carrier of such gas or gases.

This t-ype of cycle and furnace are p-articularly adapted for use in submarines and torpedoes, since by the selection and proportion of fuel and gas-carrier it can be operated so that approximately no gaseous waste will be exhausted 'which would leave a wake when exhausted into the sea.

An alloy of aluminum with some one or more of the more reactive metals may be -used as fuel, and hydrogen peroxide may be the combustion-sustaining-gas-carrier, the following formula would then be typical:

This gives a heat value of 2896 calories perl or may not be mixed with the steam in the steam chamber as desired.

A e cle of great usefulness and also typical o this method of producing heat and applying it to power purposes may be nitric4 acid as the combustion-sustaining-gas-carrier, and an alloy of reactive metal as fuel. The formula may then be which reacts with a heat value of 2943 calories per gram or 5307 B. t. u. per pound of mixture.

When used in a. submarine or torpedo the gaseous waste products may be vented to the sea and the steam cycle may be closed. The steam may be exhausted into a condenser which can be conveniently placed on the outside of the torpedo or submarine so as to use the water which flows over the outside .skin of the craft'as a cooling agent, thus doing away with handling the cooling water by means of pumps. An air pump will'be needed to expel non-condensable gases from the condenser if it is decided to run the torpedo or submarine at great depth. Torpedoes with this cycle can be built with moderate weight of walls and yet stand submergence to great depths on account of the internal counter pressure that can be pro vided and the small volume of non-condensable gas that would have to be expelled against the pressure due to the submergence.

For maintaining the trim of the craft the containers for the elements o-f combustion can be placed at opposite ends of the combustion chamber so that transferring the material to the central compartment will not seriously disturb the distribution of Weight in relation tothe length of the craft.

This invention includes a new method of burning powdered fuel with combustion-sustaining-gas or gases which may be obtained from any source or dissociated from a liquid,

in which both elements are introduced simultaneously into a combustion chamberV where they react` away from atmospheric air andv produce heat. This heat can be applied to any desired use such as heating al furnace, producing a motive fluid, or manufacturing water gas, or hydrogen, or other gases. v 1

The fuel may be any material or mixture of materials that has a positive heat reaction with a gas or combustion-sustaininggas-carrier, and that can be powdered, such as carbon, charcoal, coals, coke, solid hydrocarbons, metals, lithium, rubidium, potassium, barium, strontium, sodium, boron, calcium, silicon, magnesium, aluminum, sulphur, etc.

Any liquid may be used which upon dissociation will yield a comburent or combustion sustaining gas or gases. Some such IDI liquids are water, and solutions in water of compounds whichv will 'also yield combustion sustaining gas or gases: Some such compounds are oxids, nitrites, nitrates,

lchlorates, (sulphates, etc. Other suitable liquids are hydro en peroxide, nitrogen tetroxide, nitric aci hydrochloric acid, sulphuric acid, etc. Any gas may be used that sustains combustion, and it may be stored or contained in any suitable manner.

For bringing this system into operative condition a `calculated amount `of thermit may be used and ignited by any ofthe usual methods suoli as the electric spa-rk or the percussion cap.

This invention further consists in powdered fuels. in gaseous and liquid combustion-supporting-gas-carriers in the arrangements for introducing the elements of com-l bustion, in the regulation and disposal of the combustion products, in the types of combustio-n chambers o r furnaces, in the means of bringing the system immediately gitudinal section an apparatus for generating heat to produce a motive Huid.

1 is a steam boiler having a steam space 2. The end 3 is shown as a removable drum fitted by ,means of the gland packin 4. Inside the boiler is the fire pot or com usltion chamber 5 lined with refractory ma.-

`terial 6. Inside the ire pot is a container 7 filled with thermit and made of any suitable combustible metal such as aluminum. Entering the container 7 is a percussion explosive arranged to be detonated by the firing pin 8. Entering the re pot is a tube 9 which is surrounded by an annular space formed in the tube 10. A pipe 11 serves as a means for conveying the motive fluid to the prime mover.

Fuel such as pulverized aluminum-magnesiumalloy fuel is supplied from the container 12, a pump 13 serving to force it through the aluminum pipe 9 to the combustion chamber. 14 is a conveyor provided .to feed the fuel toward the pump inlet. An E aluminum container 15 contains nitric acid or other suitable comburent which is vfed b a pump- 16 through an aluminum tube 1 linto the aluminum tube 10 a-nd thence to the combustion chamber.

Water is fed to the boiler by a pump '18 through the pipe 19. This pump may be driven by the prime mover or otherwise,

and at anyl predetermined automatically controlled or manually varied speed.

Gaseous products of combustion are led from the combustion chamber through thel` i pipe 20 where the heat is partially transferred to the Water or steam in the boiler. Thence the gases are led bo a. gas chamber or feed Water heater 21 Where more. heat is `abstracted from the gases by the feed water.

Thence the gases are conveyed through the pipes 22 to the fuel tank12 and the nitric that they pump a consta'ntly proportioned amount 'and they may be operated by any suitable power.- Their speed may be regulated automatically by the boiler pressure by the speed of the primemover, ,it may be manually varied or it may be altered by any automatic means such as time clock or radio control device. l

When the firing pin 8 detonates the percussion charge the thermit-ignites and combusts. melting and burning the container 7. The heat generates steam inl the chamber 2 which passes through thelsteam separator 11 and thence to the prime mover. The prime mover operates the pumps 16 and 13 which pump respectively nitric acid yand pulverized metal fuel from the containers 15 and 12 into the hot combustion chamber, where they instantly combust and thereby continue the generation of steam and hence POWGI'- i l What I claim is:

1. The method of producing heat away from atmospheric air for power purposes which consists in initially heating a combustion chamber to a degree suicient to dissociate a liquid comburent, then feeding from separate sources a liquid comburent and a fuel at a predetermined rate to sustain a continuous combustion.

2. The method of producing heat away from atmospheric air for power purposes which consists in initially heating a` combustion chamber to a degree sufficient to dissociate hydrogen peroxide, then feeding from separate sources hydrogen peroxide andmetal fuel in the proportions of live gram molecules of hydrogen peroxide with two gram molecules of magnesium and two am molecules of aluminum, 5H2O2| (2Mg-l-2Al) to sustain a continuous combustion.v

3. The method of producing heat for power purposes which consists in initially igniting a charge suliicient to raise the temperature of a combustion chamber to a point suicient to dissociate a liquid 00m- IIB burent, then feeding a regulated quantity ing introduced simultaneously from sepa.- 10 Y of liquid comburentl from one source and a rate sources into a previously heated comregulated quantity of metallic fuel from bustion chamber and in such proportions another source to said combustion chamber that. the products of combustion are Water to sustain a continuous combustion. vapor metal oxide and small amounts of 4. The method of producing heat away n0I1-C0ndensab1e gas. 15 from atmos heric air vin which hydrogen In witness whereof, I have hereunto peroxide is issociated and used to support Slgned my name.

- the combustion of metal, both elements be- JOHN HUGH ONEILL.

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