Regenerative Gas Generator

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products are disclosed that overcome the deficiencies of traditional steam engines and internal combustion engines. In an embodiment, a system is disclosed for generating reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure. The system comprises a first chamber including a reactor to decompose hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen and water vapor. The system further comprises a second chamber including a reactor to catalytically combust a mixture of the generated oxygen and a fuel to generate reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure. The system further comprises a passageway to receive reaction products exiting the second chamber and to channel the reaction products to come into contact with external surfaces of the first and second chambers to thereby transfer heat to the first and second chambers, and an outlet to allow the reaction products to exit the system.

1 - 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . An expansion engine system comprising:
 a first chamber comprising:
 an inlet to receive aqueous hydrogen peroxide having a concentration between about 15% and about 62% by weight; 
 a first reactor to decompose the hydrogen peroxide to generate oxygen and water vapor; and 
 an outlet to allow the generated oxygen and water vapor to exit the first chamber; 
   a second chamber comprising:
 a first inlet to receive the generated oxygen and water vapor from the first chamber; 
 a second inlet to receive a carbon or nitrogen based fuel; 
 a second reactor to catalytically combust a mixture of the oxygen and fuel to generate reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure; and 
 an outlet to allow the reaction products to exit the second chamber; 
   a container containing the first and second chambers,   a container outlet to allow the reaction products to exit the container; and   an expansion engine having an inlet to receive the reaction products from the passageway and to generate power based on the received reaction products.   
     
     
         24 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the fuel is kerosene. 
     
     
         25 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the fuel is gasoline. 
     
     
         26 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the container includes a vacuum shroud. 
     
     
         27 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the vacuum shroud includes an insulating layer. 
     
     
         28 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the vacuum shroud is a Dewar fashioned vacuum envelope. 
     
     
         29 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the exiting reaction products comprise water vapor at a temperature sufficient to maintain the water vapor in the gas state through the expansion process of the expansion engine and the system includes ducting to divert water vapor discharged from steam exiting the engine to the engine exterior to heat the engine exterior. 
     
     
         30 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the exiting reaction products comprise water vapor at a temperature sufficient to maintain the water vapor in the gas state through the expansion process of the expansion engine and the system includes ducting to divert steam discharged from the engine to the reactors to heat the reactors. 
     
     
         31 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  including a hydrogen peroxide insertion point in the middle of the first chamber reactor and shelves located in the chamber above the insertion point to provide a surface for hydrogen peroxide collection and to assist in vaporization. 
     
     
         32 . The expansion engine system of  claim 31  in which the shelves have upstanding edges to help retain the aqueous hydrogen peroxide on the shelves. 
     
     
         33 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  including manganese dioxide to catalyze the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide. 
     
     
         34 . The expansion engine system of  claim 33  in which the manganese dioxide is in the form of lumps to enable the hydrogen peroxide to percolate through manganese dioxide. 
     
     
         35 . The expansion engine system of  claim 33  in which potassium permanganate is present at the bottom of the first chamber as a second catalyst to accelerate the decomposition of remaining hydrogen peroxide. 
     
     
         36 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  in which the second chamber includes a heat exchanger module to preheat the incoming fuel and oxygen mixture. 
     
     
         37 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  including a catalyst stack module downstream of the heat exchange module having a light off temperature constituting the minimum temperature to support catalyzed combustion of the fuel, the heat exchange module being adapted to preheat the incoming fuel and oxygen mixture to the light off temperature. 
     
     
         38 . The expansion engine system of  claim 37  including an auxiliary heater to supplement the heating from the heat exchanger. 
     
     
         39 . The expansion engine system of  claim 37  in which the interior of the heat exchange module includes a parallel array of quartz-halogen lamps and a silver plated wire mesh cylinder around each lamp to act as a catalytic combustion mantle. 
     
     
         40 . The expansion engine system of  claim 37  in which the catalyst stack comprises a stack of different types and grades of stratified catalytic materials organized into zones comprising a metal catalyst coated wire mesh progressing downstream from coarse to medium to fine pitch. 
     
     
         41 . The expansion engine system of  claim 37  in which the catalyst stack includes steering baffles to homogenize the stack temperatures and to facilitate catalytic action. 
     
     
         42 . The expansion engine system of  claim 23  including a temperature probe and an ambient pressure probe for determining if the reaction products exiting the engine are sufficiently hot to ensure that the exiting reaction products remain in the gas phase. 
     
     
         43 . A method of driving an expansion engine by generating and delivering to the expansion engine reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure from a pressure vessel within which a first chamber and a second chamber are disposed, the pressure vessel having a wall and having a partition disposed between the first and second chambers, the method comprising:
 decomposing hydrogen peroxide having a concentration between about 15% and about 62% by weight, in a first chamber to generate oxygen and water vapor;   combining the generated oxygen and water vapor with a fuel in a second chamber to generate a fuel/oxygen/water mixture;   catalytically combusting the mixture in the second chamber to generate reaction products having elevated temperature and pressure;   allowing the generated reaction products to exit the second chamber;   channeling the generated reaction products that exit the second chamber in a passageway between the first and second chambers, the wall of the pressure vessel and the partition to contact external surfaces of the first and second chambers to thereby transfer heat to the first and second chambers; and   delivering the reaction products from the pressure vessel to the expansion engine.