Injection system and method for injecting a cylindrical array of liquid jets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10415552-B2
Application number	US-201715426952-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2017
Priority date	Feb 7, 2017
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An injection system includes a reservoir for containing liquid, and a gating plate having a circular array of gating plate apertures. The injection system additionally includes a faceplate positioned adjacent to the gating plate and having a circular array of faceplate orifices. The injection system also has a motor to rotate the gating plate, and a controller to control the motor for rotating the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate the formation of a cylindrical array of liquid jets, and rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation terminate formation of the liquid jets after a predetermined discrete quantity of the liquid is injected.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An injection system, comprising:
a reservoir for containing an electrically conductive liquid under pressure, the reservoir having a reservoir end;
a gating plate located at the reservoir end and having a circular array of gating plate apertures and being rotatable about a central axis passing through a center of the gating plate circular array;
a faceplate fixedly positioned adjacent to the gating plate and having a circular array of faceplate orifices arranged complementary to the gating plate apertures;
a motor configured to rotate the gating plate about the central axis;
a controller configured to control the motor to:
rotate the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets into an injection area; and
rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation of the gating plate apertures relative to the faceplate orifices to terminate formation of the liquid jets after a discrete quantity of the liquid is injected.

2. The injection system of claim 1 , further comprising a planetary gear system including:
at least three planetary gears angularly spaced around the gating plate; and
the motor configured to rotatably drive at least one of the planetary gears for rotating the gating plate.

3. The injection system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the faceplate orifices includes an orifice lining formed of at least one of metallic material, ceramic material, and jewel material.

4. The injection system of claim 3 , wherein:
the orifice lining has a conically-shaped interior that tapers in size along a direction from a receiving end of the orifice lining to a discharging end of the orifice lining.

5. The injection system of claim 1 , wherein:
each one of the faceplate orifices has an opening width of less than approximately 100 microns.

6. The injection system of claim 1 , wherein:
the liquid is molten metal; and
the reservoir including a reservoir heater configured to maintain the molten metal in a molten state.

7. The injection system of claim 1 , further including:
a piston slidably mounted in the reservoir for applying pressure to the liquid.

8. The injection system of claim 1 , wherein:
the liquid jets are injected toward a cathode plate located in spaced relation to the faceplate; and
the motor is configured to rotate the gating plate into the non-aligned clocking orientation to terminate formation of the liquid jets when free ends of the liquid jets contact the cathode plate.

9. The injection system of claim 1 , wherein:
the injection area is a fusion chamber collectively defined by an enclosure element extending between the faceplate and a cathode plate located in spaced relation to the faceplate.

10. A z-pinch device, comprising:
an injection system, including:
a reservoir for containing an electrically conductive liquid under pressure, the reservoir having a reservoir end;
a gating plate located at the reservoir end and having a circular array of gating plate apertures and being rotatable about a central axis passing through a center of the gating plate circular array;
a faceplate fixedly positioned adjacent to the gating plate and having a circular array of faceplate orifices complementary to the gating plate apertures;
a motor configured to rotate the gating plate about the central axis;
a controller configured to control the motor to:
rotate the gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which the gating plate apertures and the faceplate orifices are aligned to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets toward a cathode plate;
rotate the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation to terminate formation of the liquid jets after free ends of the liquid jets contact the cathode plate; and

a power source configured to apply a pulse of electric current to the faceplate, the electric current flowing through the liquid jets to the cathode plate and transforming the liquid jets into a plasma along the central axis.

11. A method of injecting a cylindrical array of discrete liquid jets, comprising the steps of:
rotating, using a motor commanded by a controller, a gating plate into an aligned clocking orientation in which a circular array of gating plate apertures are aligned with a circular array of faceplate orifices of a faceplate fixedly located adjacent the gating plate;
passing liquid under pressure in a reservoir through the gating plate apertures and faceplate orifices to initiate injection of a cylindrical array of liquid jets into an injection area;
rotating, using the motor commanded by the controller, the gating plate into a non-aligned clocking orientation; and
terminating formation of the liquid jets in response to rotating the gating plate into the non-aligned clocking orientation.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the steps of rotating the gating plate includes:
rotatably driving, using the motor, at least one of at least three planetary gears angularly spaced around a perimeter of the gating plate.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one of the faceplate orifices includes an orifice lining formed of at least one of metallic material, ceramic material, and jewel material.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the liquid is molten metal, the method further including:
applying, using a reservoir heater, heat to the reservoir to maintain the molten metal in a molten state.

15. The method of claim 14 , further including:
monitoring, using a temperature detector communicatively coupled to the controller, a temperature of the liquid within the reservoir; and
adjusting, under command of the controller, a heat output of the reservoir heater if the temperature of the liquid falls below a threshold temperature.

16. The method of claim 11 , further including:
applying pressure to the liquid in the reservoir using a piston slidably mounted within the reservoir.

17. The method of claim 11 , further including:
applying, using a power source, a pulse of electric current to the faceplate when the liquid jets are terminated; and
heating, using the electric current, the liquid jets into a plasma.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the steps of rotating the gating plate into the aligned clocking orientation, passing liquid through the faceplate orifices to initiate injection of the cylindrical array of liquid jets, rotating the gating plate into the non-aligned clocking orientation, and terminating formation of the liquid jets comprise injecting a cylindrical array of liquid jets into the injection area, the method comprising sequentially performing the following steps on a repeating basis:
injecting a cylindrical array of liquid jets into the injection area;
applying, using the power source, a pulse of electric current to the faceplate;
heating, using the electric current, the liquid jets into a plasma; and
ejecting the plasma from the injection area.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the step of applying the pulse of electric current to the faceplate comprises:
applying the pulse of electric current to the faceplate at a frequency of at least 1 Hz.

20. The method of claim 17 , further including:
returning at least a portion of the electric current back to the power source.

21. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of passing liquid through the gating plate apertures and faceplate orifices to

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Anderson Jeffery S
• Gish Erin R

Classifications

• H05H1/54

  Plasma accelerators · CPC title

• H05H1/06

  Longitudinal pinch devices · CPC title

• F15D1/08

  of jets leaving an orifice · CPC title

• F03H1/0006

  Details applicable to different types of plasma thrusters (arrangements specially adapted for fitting plasma engines in or to cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/413) · CPC title

• F03H1/0012

  Means for supplying the propellant · CPC title