Method for electrodynamically driving a charged gas or charged particles entrained in a gas

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10088151-B2
Application number	US-201514966308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 9, 2011
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

Gaseous particles or gas-entrained particles may be conveyed by electric fields acting on charged species included in the gaseous or gas-entrained particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction, comprising:
causing a charge imbalance among gaseous or gas-entrained charged species associated with a chemical reaction; and
applying a sequence of electric fields to move the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species along a distance from a first location to a second location separated from the first location along a flame transport axis;
wherein the chemical reaction includes a combustion reaction; and
wherein moving the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species includes moving heated particles across a distance transverse to or in opposition to buoyancy forces on the heated particles.

2. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein the movement of the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species further imparts inertia on non-charged species associated with or proximate to the chemical reaction to move the non-charged species across the distance.

3. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein the chemical reaction includes an exothermic reaction.

4. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 3 , wherein the movement of the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species further causes heat evolved by the exothermic chemical reaction to be moved across the distance.

5. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein causing a charge imbalance among gaseous or gas-entrained charged species associated with a chemical reaction includes attracting a portion of charged particles having a second charge sign out of the chemical reaction to leave a majority of charged particles having a first charge sign opposite to the second charge sign.

6. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein causing a charge imbalance among gaseous or gas-entrained charged species associated with a chemical reaction includes injecting charged particles having a first charge sign into the chemical reaction to provide a majority of charged particles having the first charge sign.

7. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein causing a charge imbalance among gaseous or gas-entrained charged species associated with a chemical reaction includes causing a majority charge to vary in sign according to a time-varying sequence.

8. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields to move the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species across a distance from a first location to a second location separated from the first location further comprises:
applying an electric field proximate to the second location or along a flame transport path between the first location and the second location.

9. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields to move the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species across a distance from a first location to a second location separated from the first location further comprises:
applying a sequence of electric fields at locations along a flame transport path between the first location and the second location.

10. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 1 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields to move the charge-imbalanced gaseous or gas-entrained charged species across a distance from a first location to a second location separated from the first location further comprises:
applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations along a flame transport path between the first location and the second location.

11. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 10 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations further comprises:
applying a first voltage to an electrode or electrode portion at a first intermediate location along the flame transport path, the first voltage being selected to attract a majority charge carried by the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species; and
allowing the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location to electrically float or driving the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location to a voltage selected not to attract the majority charge when the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species are near the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location.

12. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 11 wherein applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations further comprises:
applying the first voltage to an electrode or electrode portion at a second intermediate location along the flame transport path when the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location is allowed to electrically float or is driven to a voltage selected not to attract the majority charge;
wherein applying the first voltage to the electrode or electrode portion at the second intermediate location along the flame transport path is selected to attract the majority charge carried by the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species from the first intermediate location toward the second intermediate location.

13. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 10 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations further comprises:
allowing an electrode or electrode portion at a first intermediate location to electrically float at a first voltage or driving the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location to a second voltage selected not to attract a majority charge when the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species are near the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location; and
applying a third voltage to the electrode or electrode portion at the first intermediate location along the flame transport path when the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species have moved away from the first intermediate location, the third voltage being selected to repel the majority charge carried by the gaseous or gas-entrained charged species.

14. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 10 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations further comprises:
applying a sequence of electric fields at each of the plurality of intermediate locations.

15. The method for transporting chemical reactants or products in a gas phase or gas-entrained chemical reaction of claim 10 , wherein applying a sequence of electric fields at each of a plurality of intermediate locations further comprises:
applying synchronous drive voltages to electrodes or el

Assignees

• Clearsign Comb Corp

Inventors

• Goodson David B
• Hartwick Thomas S
• Colannino Joseph
• Wiklof Christopher A

Classifications

• F23C99/001 Primary

  Applying electric means or magnetism to combustion (for combustion engines F02B51/04, F02M27/04) · CPC title

• F23C5/14

  to obtain a single flame of concentrated or substantially planar form, e.g. pencil or sheet flame (F23C5/32 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F23D14/84

  Flame spreading or otherwise shaping (F23D14/70 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T137/0391

  Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy · CPC title

• F23N5/265

  using electronic means · CPC title