Cooled railplug

Patent · 01 January 1996

OSTI ID:870401

Weldon, William F ^[1]

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1. Austin, TX

The railplug is a plasma ignitor capable of injecting a high energy plasma jet into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine or continuous combustion system. An improved railplug is provided which has dual coaxial chambers (either internal or external to the center electrode) that provide for forced convective cooling of the electrodes using the normal pressure changes occurring in an internal combustion engine. This convective cooling reduces the temperature of the hot spot associated with the plasma initiation point, particularly in coaxial railplug configurations, and extends the useful life of the railplug. The convective cooling technique may also be employed in a railplug having parallel dual rails using dual, coaxial chambers.

• Research Organization: Texas Univ., Austin, TX
• DOE Contract Number: FG05-91ER12115
• Assignee: Board of Regents, University of Texas System (Austin, TX)
• Patent Number(s): US 5513605
• OSTI ID: 870401
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/123/
associated
capable
center
center electrode
chamber
chambers
changes
changes occur
changes occurring
coaxial
coaxial chambers
combustion
combustion chamber
combustion engine
configurations
continuous
convective
convective cooling
cooled
cooling
dual
electrode
electrodes
employed
energy
engine
extends
external
forced
hot
hot spot
ignitor
improved
initiation
injecting
internal
internal combustion
jet
life
normal
occurring
parallel
particularly
plasma
plasma initiation
plasma jet
pressure
pressure change
pressure changes
provide
provided
railplug
rails
reduces
spot
technique
temperature
useful
useful life