Method of operating a jet engine and fuel composition

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF OPERATING A JET COMBUSTION ENGINE, WHEREIN A FUEL IS BURNED IN A COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION ARE ALLOWED TO ESCAPE THROUGH A JET, THEREBY PRODUCING A DRIVING FORCE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES INJECTING INTO THE CHAMBER A FUEL WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF A COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID HYDROCARBON FUEL HAVING A END POINT OF UP TO ABOUT 650*F. AND A HEATING VALUE OF ABOUT 18,000 B.T.U. PER POUND CONTAINING ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 60 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A FINELY DIVIDED CORE ELEMENT HAVING A HEAT OF COMBUSTION OF AT LEAST 8000 B.T.U. PER POUND AND AT LEAST 2000 B.T.U. PER POUND OF AIR REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION COMBUSTION AND A MELTING POINT GREATER THAN ABOUT 400*F, SAID ELEMENT BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALUMINUM, BERYLLIUM, MAGNESIUM, SILICON, TITANIUM AND BORON, IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH A THIN ADHERING FILM OF A COATING OF A LIGHT METAL SELECTED FROM THE CLASS OF ALKALI AND ALKALI-ALKALINE EARTH MIXTURES, SAID FINELY DIVVIDED CORE ELEMENT HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF FROM ABOUT 10 TO ABOUT 1000 MICRONS AND SAID COATING MATERIAL BEING DEPOSITED IN A FILM HAVING A THICKNESS OF FROM ABOUT 0.001 TO ABOUT 0.1 MICRON AND IGNITING THE FUEL THEREIN.