Regenerative thermionic converter

Claim 1

AN INTERNALLY HEATED FUEL-FIRRED THERMOINIOC CONVERTER DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: A THERMIONIC DIODE INCLUDINGIN COOPERATVE RELATION A CYLINDRICAL CATHODE, AN ANODE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED FROM SAID CATHODE, AND PLASMA CONTAINED IN THE INTERELECTRODE SPACE BETWEEN SAID CATHODE AND ANODE; AN INTERIOR COMBUSTION CHAMBER WHOSE SIDES ARE DEFINED BY SAID CATHODE; REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGERS DISPOSED WITHIN SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND DEFINING THE ENDS THEREOF; FUEL-INJECTING MEANS AND AIR INJECTING MEANS FOR SEPARATELY AND CONTROLLABLY INJECTING FEL AND AIR INTO SAID CHAMBER SO THAT MIXING OF SAID FUEL AND AIR OCCURS ONLY WITHIN SAID CHAMBER TO FORM A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE; MEANS FOR IGNITING SAID COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE WITHIN SAID CHAMBER TO GENERATE HEAT WHEREBY SAID CATHODE IS HEATGGED TO AN OPERATIVE ELECTRON-EMITTING TEMPERATURE; AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF AIR INTO SAID CHAMBER IN A PRESELECTED REVERSIBLE DIRECTION SO THAT EACH OF SAID REGENERATIVE HEAT EXCHANGERS SERVES ALTERNATIVELY TO PREHEAT THE AIR ENTERING SAID COMBUSTION CHAMBER AND TO COOL THE EXHAUST GASES EJECTED FROM SAID CHAMBER WHEREBY HEAT LOSSES FROM SAID CHAMBER ARE MINIMIZED.