Fluid injector

Claim 2

A fluid injection device comprising: a monolithic injection body composed of a stack of injection plates in contacting superposition, said injector body having an injection surface defined by corresponding edges of said plates and in which a plurality of fluid discharge pores are defined in each of said edges, each of said pores intersecting one surface only of the corresponding plate, said plurality of pores of each plate being laterally separated from the plurality of pores of the adjacent plate by less than the thickness of the edge of said adjacent plate.

Claim 3

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 1 and further including a plurality of fluid discharge channels within said injection body, each of said discharge channels terminating in a different one of said discharge pores.

Claim 4

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said discharge channels are angled within said injection body such that the fluid stream emitted from one of said discharge pores impinges upon the fluid stream emitted from a second of said discharge pores.

Claim 5

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 1 in which: a plurality of fluid flow discharge channels are formed within said body, each discharge channel terminating at one of its ends in one of said discharge pores, whereby each discharge pore in said injection surface is associated with a single diScharge channel; and fluid distribution means formed integrally within said body for distributing a fluid to be injected to said discharge channels.

Claim 6

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said discharge pores are of noncircular shape.

Claim 7

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 1 including fluid distribution means formed within said injector body by said plates for distributing fluid to be injected to said discharge pores.

Claim 8

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 6 wherein said means distributes a first fluid to some of said discharge pores and distributes a second fluid to others of said discharge pores.

Claim 9

A fluid injection device comprising: a plurality of preformed fluid distribution and injection planar laminations assembled in contacting superposition in a stack and bonded together to form a monolithic unit, said unit having at least one discharge surface defined by superposed edges of said laminations, each of said superposed edges of said laminations being formed with a plurality of spaced-apart discharge pores defining a row of said pores that is laterally separated from an adjacent row by less than the thickness of the edge of the lamination in which said adjacent row is formed; a plurality of fluid flow discharge channels formed within said monolithic unit between said laminations, each discharge channel communicating with one of said discharge pores in said injection surface, whereby each discharge pore is associated with a single discharge channel; and fluid distribution means formed within said unit by said laminations for distributing fluid to be injected to said discharge channels and associated discharge pores.

Claim 10

A fluid injection device comprising: a plurality of preformed fluid distribution and injection planar laminations assembled in contacting superposition in a stack and bonded together to form a monolithic unit, said unit having at least one discharge surface defined by superposed edges of said laminations, each of said superposed edges of said laminations being formed with a plurality of spaced-apart discharge pores defining a row of said pores that is laterally separated from an adjacent row by less than the thickness of the edge of the lamination in which said adjacent row is formed; a plurality of fluid flow discharge channels formed within said monolithic unit between said laminations, each discharge channel communicating with one of said discharge pores in said injection surface, whereby each discharge pore is associated with a single discharge channel; and fluid distribution means formed within said unit by said laminations for distributing fluid to be injected to said discharge channels and associated discharge pores.

Claim 11

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said fluid distribution means includes manifold structure for distributing a first fluid to a first group of said discharge channels and pores and manifold structure for distributing a second fluid to a second group of discharge channels and pores, said first and second groups of discharge channels and pores being mutually exclusive.

Claim 12

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein all of said discharge channels and discharge pores in the same row receive the same fluid whereby a like-on-like fluid injection pattern is provided by each row.

Claim 13

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein alternate discharge channels and pores in the same row receive different fluids whereby a like-on-unlike fluid injection pattern is provided.

Claim 14

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said discharge channels are angled in planes parallel to the planes of said laminations within said unit such that the fluid stream emitted from one discharge pore in a row impinges upon the fluid stream emitted from an adjacent discharge pore in the same row.

Claim 15

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said discharge channels and associated discharge pores are of noncircular cross-sectional shape.

Claim 16

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein the shape of said discharge pores in said injection surface is rectangular.

Claim 17

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 introducing distribution means formed within said unit by said laminations for utilizing at least a portion of a fluid to be injected, prior to injection, for cooling selected portions of said unit.

Claim 18

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 including means formed between each pair of adjacent laminations for regulating the discharge pressures at each of said discharge pores in the same layer.

Claim 19

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 8 wherein said laminations, prior to assembly and bonding, include a thin coating of a material having a lower melting point than the primary material comprising said laminations in said integral unit.

Claim 20

A fluid injection device as set forth in claim 17 wherein said primary material is stainless steel and said thin coating iS comprised of copper.

Claim 21

A fluid injection device having a high density of discharge orifices in an injection face thereof, comprising: a plurality of injector plates; means to secure said plurality of injector plates together in contacting superposition as an integral stack with said injector plates arranged for defining an injection face of the device with edges of said plurality of injector plates; the edge of each of said injector plates at said injector face being formed with a plurality of spaced-apart fluid discharge orifices comprising ends of a corresponding plurality of fluid channels formed in a first side of said injector plate; each of said orifices and the corresponding channel being bounded along one side by a confronting surface portion of a second side of an adjacent injector plate; whereby to define an injection face with a high density of discharge orifices comprising adjacent rows of orifices, each of which rows of orifices is laterally separated from an adjacent row by less than the thickness of the plate in which each such row of orifices is formed.

Claim 22

A fluid injection device having a high density of discharge orifices in an injection face thereof, comprising: a plurality of injector plates; means to secure said plurality of injector plates together in contacting superposition as an integral stack with said injector plates arranged for defining an injection face of the device with edges of said plurality of injector plates; the edge of each of said injector plates at said injector face being formed with a plurality of spaced-apart fluid discharge orifices comprising ends of a corresponding plurality of fluid channels formed in a first side of said injector plate; each of said orifices and the corresponding channel being bounded along one side by a confronting surface portion of a second side of an adjacent injector plate; whereby to define an injection face with a high density of discharge orifices comprising adjacent rows of orifices, each of which rows of orifices is laterally separated from an adjacent row by less than the thickness of the plate in which each such row of orifices is formed.

Claim 23

A device as in claim 19 wherein said plurality of fluid channels of each plate have adjacent fluid channels that are angularly related for intersection for the jets of fluid emitted therefrom.

Claim 24

A device as in claim 19 wherein each of said plates is formed with an opening therethrough comprising a portion of a fluid distribution means and some, at least, of said fluid channels of some of said plurality of plates are in fluid communication with said opening of the corresponding plate.

Claim 25

A device as in claim 19 wherein each of said plates is formed with a pair of openings therethrough comprising a portion of a first and a second fluid distribution means of said device, respectively, with alternate ones of said plates having all of the fluid channels thereof in fluid communication with said one fluid distribution system, while the remaining plates have all of the fluid channels thereof in fluid communication with said second fluid distribution means.

Claim 26

A device as in claim 19 wherein each of said plates is formed with a pair of openings therethrough comprising a portion of a first and second distribution means of said device, respectively, each of said plates having some of the fluid channels thereof in fluid communication with said first fluid distribution means, while the remaining fluid channels of each plate have fluid communication with said second fluid distribution means.

Claim 27

A device as in claim 19 wherein: each of said plates on said first side thereof is formed with a depressed manifold zone having fluid communication with inner ends of some, at least, of said plurality of fluid channels of the plate, said manifold zone having areas thereof divided by upstanding protusions comprising integral parts of the plate that are adapted and arranged to regulate fluid pressure at said inner ends of said fluid channels.