Self-starting air flow inducing reaction motor

Claim 2

A self-starting engine unit including: a burner duct including a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle; a converging-diverging inlet at that end of said combustion chamber opposite said exhaust nozzle and defining a reduced diameter throat; a fuel injection device for injecting fuel under pressure axially through said throat of said inlet and into said combustion chamber to draw air iNto said burner duct through said inlet, said fuel injection device including an injection nozzle having a discharge end, said nozzle having a first position so that its discharge end is located forwardly of said throat of said inlet and a second position so that its discharge end is located within said combustion chamber rearwardly of said throat; and, preheater means in said combustion chamber for heating the air in said combustion chamber to a predetermined temperature.

Claim 3

The engine unit of claim 1 further including a bypass duct encircling said burner duct concentrically therewith, and defining an inlet forward of said inlet of said burner duct and a converging exhaust opening rearward of said exhaust nozzle so that, when the exhaust gases from said exhaust nozzle pass through said exhaust opening, air will be drawn through said bypass duct by the jet pumping action of the exhaust gases in combination with said exhaust opening.

Claim 4

The engine unit of claim 1 further including igniter means and flame holder means within said combustion chamber.

Claim 5

The engine unit of claim 2 further including throttling means for selectively varying the opening in said exhaust nozzle and the size of said exhaust opening.

Claim 6

A engine unit including: a burner duct including a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle; a converging-diverging inlet at that end of said combustion chamber opposite said exhaust nozzle and defining a reduced diameter throat; a fuel injection device for injecting fuel into said combustion chamber, said fuel injection device including a housing; a plurality of struts mounting said housing concentrically in said inlet forward of said throat, said housing defining a central longitudinally extending primary passage therethrough and including a forward inwardly directed lip extending into said central passage about the forward end of said housing, an annular abuttment extending into said central passage intermediate the ends of said housing, and a rear inwardly directed lip extending into said central passage at the rear end of said housing, said forward and rear lips and said abuttment defining passages therethrough smaller in diameter than said primary passage; a spike member defining a recess in the rear end thereof receivable over the front end of said housing, said spike member including a central shaft concentrically located within said recess and slidably receivable through said passage in said forward lip and a disc on the rear end of said shaft slidably movable along said primary passage and retained between said forward lip and said abuttment; a first compression coil spring received around said shaft between said forward lip and said disc for constantly urging said disc rearwardly toward said abuttment and said spike member over the forward end of said housing; a nozzle assembly slidably received through said passage in said rear lip and defining a fuel discharge passage therethrough and including a flange on the forward end thereof slidably movable along said primary passage and retained between said rear lip and said abuttment; a second compression coil spring received around said assembly between said rear lip and said flange for constantly urging said nozzle assembly into said housing and said flange toward said abuttment, said housing defining a fuel passage communicating with said passage through said abuttment so that fuel supplied through said fuel passage will be discharged rearwardly through said fuel discharge, said injection device located so that the rearmost end of said nozzle assembly is forward of said throat of said inlet when said nozzle assembly is in its forwardmost retracted position and is rearward of said throat when said nozzle assembly is in its rearwardmost extended position, said spike member located in the converging portion of said inlet forward of said throat and defining an inwardly tapering surface that increases the effective opening between said spike member and said converging portion as said spike meMber moves from its rearwardmost position to its forwardmost position; an electrical heating coil mounted within said combustion chamber and extending concentrically around the inside of said burner duct adjacent thereto for selectively heating the air in said combustion chamber; a flame holder assembly mounted on said burner duct within said combustion chamber forwardly of said heating coil and rearwardly of said throat of said inlet; a bleed tube communicating at one end with said combustion chamber at said exhaust nozzle, said struts carrying said fuel injection device defining rearwardly facing nozzles forwardly of said throat, said tube communicating with said rearwardly facing nozzles, said bleed tube including a forwardly facing scoop member projecting into said combustion chamber for directing a portion of the gases passing from said combustion chamber through said bleed tube and rearwardly through said throat from said rearwardly facing nozzles; and, a by-pass duct of a diameter larger than said burner duct concentrically located about said burner duct, said by-pass duct including a diverging inlet forward of said converging-diverging inlet and a converging-diverging outlet rearwardly of said exhaust nozzle.

Claim 7

A engine unit including: a burner duct including a combustion chamber and an exhaust nozzle; a converging-diverging inlet at that end of said combustion chamber opposite said exhaust nozzle and defining a reduced diameter throat; a fuel injection device for injecting fuel into said combustion chamber, said fuel injection device including a housing; a plurality of struts mounting said housing concentrically in said inlet forward of said throat, said housing defining a central longitudinally extending primary passage therethrough and including a forward inwardly directed lip extending into said central passage about the forward end of said housing, an annular abuttment extending into said central passage intermediate the ends of said housing, and a rear inwardly directed lip extending into said central passage at the rear end of said housing, said forward and rear lips and said abuttment defining passages therethrough smaller in diameter than said primary passage; a spike member defining a recess in the rear end thereof receivable over the front end of said housing, said spike member including a central shaft concentrically located within said recess and slidably receivable through said passage in said forward lip and a disc on the rear end of said shaft slidably movable along said primary passage and retained between said forward lip and said abuttment; a first compression coil spring received around said shaft between said forward lip and said disc for constantly urging said disc rearwardly toward said abuttment and said spike member over the forward end of said housing; a nozzle assembly slidably received through said passage in said rear lip and defining a fuel discharge passage therethrough and including a flange on the forward end thereof slidably movable along said primary passage and retained between said rear lip and said abuttment; a second compression coil spring received around said assembly between said rear lip and said flange for constantly urging said nozzle assembly into said housing and said flange toward said abuttment, said housing defining a fuel passage communicating with said passage through said abuttment so that fuel supplied through said fuel passage will be discharged rearwardly through said fuel discharge, said injection device located so that the rearmost end of said nozzle assembly is forward of said throat of said inlet when said nozzle assembly is in its forwardmost retracted position and is rearward of said throat when said nozzle assembly is in its rearwardmost extended position, said spike member located in the converging portion of said inlet forward of said throat and defining an inwardly tapering surface that increases the effective opening between said spike member and said converging portion as said spike meMber moves from its rearwardmost position to its forwardmost position; an electrical heating coil mounted within said combustion chamber and extending concentrically around the inside of said burner duct adjacent thereto for selectively heating the air in said combustion chamber; a flame holder assembly mounted on said burner duct within said combustion chamber forwardly of said heating coil and rearwardly of said throat of said inlet; a bleed tube communicating at one end with said combustion chamber at said exhaust nozzle, said struts carrying said fuel injection device defining rearwardly facing nozzles forwardly of said throat, said tube communicating with said rearwardly facing nozzles, said bleed tube including a forwardly facing scoop member projecting into said combustion chamber for directing a portion of the gases passing from said combustion chamber through said bleed tube and rearwardly through said throat from said rearwardly facing nozzles; and, a by-pass duct of a diameter larger than said burner duct concentrically located about said burner duct, said by-pass duct including a diverging inlet forward of said converging-diverging inlet and a converging-diverging outlet rearwardly of said exhaust nozzle.

Claim 8

A self-starting engine unit including: an annular burner duct comprising an inner wall and an outer wall concentric with each other, said inner and outer walls defining an annular converging-diverging inlet at the forward end thereof having a reduced diameter throat, an annular combustion chamber rearwardly of said inlet and communicating therewith, and an annular converging exhaust nozzle at the rear end of said combustion chamber and communicating therewith; a plurality of fuel injection assemblies circumferently spaced about said duct between said inner and outer walls, each of said fuel injection assemblies including a secondary fuel injection nozzle having a secondary discharge end positioned forwardly of said throat; a primary set of fuel injection nozzles located in the forward end of said combustion chamber and concentrically arranged about the discharge path of said secondary nozzle, said primary nozzles each having a primary discharge end located in the front end of said combustion chamber; a fuel line; and pressure responsive fuel valve means connecting said primary and secondary nozzles to said fuel line to selectively transfer the fuel flow from said secondary nozzle to said primary nozzles; and, a plurality of heating coils circumferentially spaced about said burner duct between said inner and outer walls, one of said heating coils axially aligned with each of said fuel injection assemblies rearwardly thereof within said combustion chamber for heating the air within the combustion chamber prior to ignition.

Claim 9

A self-starting engine unit including: an annular burner duct comprising an inner wall and an outer wall concentric with each other, said inner and outer walls defining an annular converging-diverging inlet at the forward end thereof having a reduced diameter throat, an annular combustion chamber rearwardly of said inlet and communicating therewith, and an annular converging exhaust nozzle at the rear end of said combustion chamber and communicating therewith; a plurality of fuel injection assemblies circumferently spaced about said duct between said inner and outer walls, each of said fuel injection assemblies including a secondary fuel injection nozzle having a secondary discharge end positioned forwardly of said throat; a primary set of fuel injection nozzles located in the forward end of said combustion chamber and concentrically arranged about the discharge path of said secondary nozzle, said primary nozzles each having a primary discharge end located in the front end of said combustion chamber; a fuel line; and pressure responsive fuel valve means connecting said primary and secondary nozzles to said fuel line to selectively transfer the fuel flow from said secondary nozzle to said primary nozzles; and, a plurality of heating coils circumferentially spaced about said burner duct between said inner and outer walls, one of said heating coils axially aligned with each of said fuel injection assemblies rearwardly thereof within said combustion chamber for heating the air within the combustion chamber prior to ignition.