John Andrew Corey

US Patent:

6487859, Dec 3, 2002

Filed:

Jul 31, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/920191

Inventors:

Mark S. Mehos - Boulder CO
Kenneth M. Anselmo - Arvada CO
James B. Moreno - Albuquerque NM
Charles E. Andraka - Albuquerque NM
K. Scott Rawlinson - Albuquerque NM
John Corey - Melrose NY
Mark S. Bohn - Golden CO

Assignee:

Midwest Research Institute - Kansas City MO

International Classification:

B60K 1600

US Classification:

606418, 6064111, 6064115

Abstract:

A hybrid high-temperature solar receiver is provided which comprises a solar heat-pipe-receiver including a front dome having a solar absorber surface for receiving concentrated solar energy, a heat pipe wick, a rear dome, a sidewall joining the front and the rear dome, and a vapor and a return liquid tube connecting to an engine, and a fossil fuel fired combustion system in radial integration with the sidewall for simultaneous operation with the solar heat pipe receiver, the combustion system comprising an air and fuel pre-mixer, an outer cooling jacket for tangentially introducing and cooling the mixture, a recuperator for preheating the mixture, a burner plenum having an inner and an outer wall, a porous cylindrical metal matrix burner firing radially inward facing a sodium vapor sink, the mixture ignited downstream of the matrix forming combustion products, an exhaust plenum, a fossil-fuel heat-input surface having an outer surface covered with a pin-fin array, the combustion products flowing through the array to give up additional heat to the receiver, and an inner surface covered with an extension of the heat-pipe wick, a pin-fin shroud sealed to the burner and exhaust plenums, an end seal, a flue-gas diversion tube and a flue-gas valve for use at off-design conditions to limit the temperature of the pre-heated air and fuel mixture, preventing pre-ignition.

US Patent:

6739136, May 25, 2004

Filed:

Nov 22, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/301982

Inventors:

Mark S. Mehos - Boulder CO
Kenneth M. Anselmo - Arvada CO
James B. Moreno - Albuquerque NM
Charles E. Andraka - Albuquerque NM
K. Scott Rawlinson - Albuquerque NM
John Corey - Melrose NY
Mark S. Bohn - Golden CO

Assignee:

Midwest Research Institute - Kansas City MO

International Classification:

F03G 600

US Classification:

6064115, 606418

Abstract:

A combustion system for a hybrid solar receiver comprises a pre-mixer which combines air and fuel to form an air-fuel mixture. The mixture is introduced tangentially into a cooling jacket. A burner plenum is fluidically connected to the cooling jacket such that the burner plenum and the cooling jacket are arranged in thermal contact with one another. The air-fuel mixture flows through the cooling jacket cooling the burner plenum to reduce pre-ignition of the air-fuel mixture in the burner plenum. A combustion chamber is operatively associated with and open to the burner plenum to receive the air-fuel mixture from the burner plenum. An igniter is operatively positioned in the combustion chamber to combust the air-fuel mixture, releasing heat. A recuperator is operatively associated with the burner plenum and the combustion chamber and pre-heats the air-fuel mixture in the burner plenum with heat from the combustion chamber. A heat-exchanger is operatively associated and in thermal contact with the combustion chamber.