Patents by Inventor Rufus G. Clay

Rufus G. Clay has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20110083420
    Abstract: A ramjet engine (3, 4, 5), flying at Mach 3 has 64% efficiency, and at Mach 4 has 76% efficiency. Ramjet engines are currently only used for supersonic flight and have not been used as stationary engines with mechanical output. The present invention, in addition to subsonic flight, can be operated as a stationary engine, and can expand the use of the ramjet engine for mechanical output in vehicles, power plants, and in generator sets for large buildings, homes, and industry. The present invention provides the means to use ramjet engines as stationary engines by building nearly adiabatic compressors (1, 2, 12, 13, 14, 15) and expanders (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) capable of (de-)compression ratios up to about 92:1 to supply the high energy gas/air required by ramjet engines, and shows how to replace de Laval nozzles with sonic converters (49, 50, 51) that convert supersonic to subsonic flow and sonic convertors (45, 46, 47) that convert subsonic to supersonic flow without having choke areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: April 14, 2011
    Inventors: Rufus G. Clay, Robert Hockaday
  • Patent number: 7765790
    Abstract: A ramjet engine (3, 4, 5), flying at Mach 3 has 64% efficiency, and at Mach 4 has 76% efficiency. Ramjet engines are currently only used for supersonic flight and have not been used as stationary engines with mechanical output. The present invention, in addition to subsonic flight, can be operated as a stationary engine, and can expand the use of the ramjet engine for mechanical output in vehicles, power plants, and in generator sets for large buildings, homes, and industry. The present invention provides the means to use ramjet engines as stationary engines by building nearly adiabatic compressors (1, 2, 12, 13, 14, 15) and expanders (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) capable of (de-)compression ratios up to about 92:1 to supply the high energy gas/air required by ramjet engines, and shows how to replace de Laval nozzles with sonic converters (49, 50, 51) that convert supersonic to subsonic flow and sonic converters (45, 46, 47) that convert subsonic to supersonic flow without having choke areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Amicable Inventions LLC
    Inventors: Rufus G. Clay, Robert G. Hockaday
  • Publication number: 20090241549
    Abstract: A ramjet engine (3, 4, 5), flying at Mach 3 has 64% efficiency, and at Mach 4 has 76% efficiency. Ramjet engines are currently only used for supersonic flight and have not been used as stationary engines with mechanical output. The present invention, in addition to subsonic flight, can be operated as a stationary engine, and can expand the use of the ramjet engine for mechanical output in vehicles, power plants, and in generator sets for large buildings, homes, and industry. The present invention provides the means to use ramjet engines as stationary engines by building nearly adiabatic compressors (1, 2, 12, 13, 14, 15) and expanders (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) capable of (de-)compression ratios up to about 92:1 to supply the high energy gas/air required by ramjet engines, and shows how to replace de Laval nozzles with sonic converters (49, 50, 51) that convert supersonic to subsonic flow and sonic converters (45, 46, 47) that convert subsonic to supersonic flow without having choke areas.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Publication date: October 1, 2009
    Inventors: Rufus G. Clay, Robert G. Hockaday
  • Patent number: 4134462
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for recovering resources from subterranean rock formations, particularly heat energy, and more particularly geothermal energy. A heat-drill, which has means associated therewith for removing some rock from the earth and forming other rock into shafts, drills into the earth and forms two shafts at the same time. Both shafts communicate with each other and with the surface and are used to circulate a drilling mud which passes through the drill body and carries off the rock being removed. The heating means is shaped in a coil or grid pattern and operates at a temperature well above the melting point of the rock, heating the rock it displaces to well above its melting point, while raising the average temperature of the total rock melted to slightly above its melting point. The drilling mud absorbs heat as it circulates and the absorbed heat is put to any desirable use, particularly by being recovered from the drilling mud by a heat-exchanger on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 16, 1979
    Inventor: Rufus G. Clay
  • Patent number: 3991817
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for recovering resources from subterranean rock formations, particularly heat energy, and more particularly geothermal energy. A heat-drill, which has means associated therewith for removing some rock from the earth and forming other rock into shafts, drills into the earth and forms two shafts at the same time. Both shafts communicate with each other and with the surface and are used to circulate a drilling mud which passes through the drill body and carries off the rock being removed. The heating means is shaped in a coil or grid pattern and operates at a temperature well above the melting point of the rock, heating the rock it displaces to well above its melting point, while raising the average temperature of the total rock melted to slightly above its melting point. The drilling mud absorbs heat as it circulates and the absorbed heat is put to any desirable use, particularly by being recovered from the drilling mud by a heat-exchanger on the surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1974
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1976
    Inventor: Rufus G. Clay