Patents by Inventor Stephen Whitmore
Stephen Whitmore 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).
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Patent number: 11724829Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may generate thrust of no more than 5 N at an oxidizer flow rate of no more than 5 g/s.Type: GrantFiled: March 10, 2022Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Inventors: Tyson Smith, Zachary Lewis, Kurt Olsen, Marc Anthony Bulcher, Stephen Whitmore
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Publication number: 20220348360Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may generate thrust of no more than 5 N at an oxidizer flow rate of no more than 5 g/s.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 10, 2022Publication date: November 3, 2022Applicant: Utah State University Space Dynamics LaboratoryInventors: Tyson Smith, Zachary Lewis, Kurt Olsen, Marc Anthony Bulcher, Stephen Whitmore
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Publication number: 20220315252Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2021Publication date: October 6, 2022Applicant: Utah State University Space Dynamics LaboratoryInventors: Tyson Smith, Zachary Lewis, Kurt Olsen, Marc Anthony Bulcher, Stephen Whitmore
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Patent number: 11407531Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may generate thrust of no more than 5 N at an oxidizer flow rate of no more than 5 g/s.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2020Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Utah State University Space Dynamics LaboratoryInventors: Tyson Smith, Zachary Lewis, Kurt Olsen, Marc Anthony Bulcher, Stephen Whitmore
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Patent number: 11408376Abstract: A hybrid rocket includes a housing having first and second ends, a solid-grain fuel material in the housing and defining a bore extending from end to end, two electrodes positioned adjacent to the fuel material to ignite the fuel material at the first end, a primary oxidizer port positioned at the first end to inject a primary oxidizer to flow in a downstream direction from the first end to the second end, a nozzle positioned at the second end and having a converging portion and a diverging portion, and a secondary oxidizer port to inject a secondary oxidizer downstream of the converging portion. The bore has a geometry configured to produce a hot-gas, fuel-rich mixture at the nozzle as the fuel material and primary oxidizer burn while flowing downstream. The diverging portion of the nozzle is configured to spontaneously combust the secondary oxidizer and the hot-gas, fuel-rich mixture.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2020Date of Patent: August 9, 2022Assignee: Utah State UniversityInventors: Stephen Whitmore, Mark C. Heiner
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Publication number: 20210101702Abstract: A hybrid propulsion system includes a housing, at least two electrodes, a solid-grain fuel material, a combustion chamber, an oxidizer port, and a nozzle. The housing has a first end and a second end and defines a cavity. The electrodes extend into the cavity. The fuel material is free of an oxidizer and is positioned in the cavity. The fuel material has a combustion surface and is exposed to the electrodes. The combustion chamber is defined between the combustion surface and the second end. The oxidizer port provides a flow of oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The nozzle is positioned at the second end. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may be dominated by radiative heat transfer. Combustion of the fuel material in the combustion chamber may generate thrust of no more than 5 N at an oxidizer flow rate of no more than 5 g/s.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2020Publication date: April 8, 2021Applicant: Utah State University Space Dynamics LaboratoryInventors: Tyson Smith, Zachary Lewis, Kurt Olsen, Anthony Marc Bulcher, Stephen Whitmore
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Publication number: 20200370513Abstract: A hybrid rocket includes a housing having first and second ends, a solid-grain fuel material in the housing and defining a bore extending from end to end, two electrodes positioned adjacent to the fuel material to ignite the fuel material at the first end, a primary oxidizer port positioned at the first end to inject a primary oxidizer to flow in a downstream direction from the first end to the second end, a nozzle positioned at the second end and having a converging portion and a diverging portion, and a secondary oxidizer port to inject a secondary oxidizer downstream of the converging portion. The bore has a geometry configured to produce a hot-gas, fuel-rich mixture at the nozzle as the fuel material and primary oxidizer burn while flowing downstream. The diverging portion of the nozzle is configured to spontaneously combust the secondary oxidizer and the hot-gas, fuel-rich mixture.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2020Publication date: November 26, 2020Applicant: Utah State UniversityInventors: Stephen Whitmore, Mark C. Heiner
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Patent number: 10774789Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to various devices, systems and methods of providing a restartable, hybrid-rocket system that uses Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and compressed air containing oxygen levels up to 40% as a propellant. Alternatively, embodiments of the present invention includes restartable hybrid rocket system that uses a heterogeneous matrix of ABS and a solid oxidizing agent in addition to compressed air as a propellant. When the ABS is exposed to an electrical potential field, the electrical field's effect on the ABS produces localized arcing between multiple layers of the ABS resulting in joule heating and pyrolysis of the ABS. The pyrolysis produces spontaneous combustion of the ABS once the oxidizer flow provides a local oxygen partial pressure greater than two atmospheres at the surface of the ABS.Type: GrantFiled: March 22, 2019Date of Patent: September 15, 2020Assignee: Utah State UniversityInventors: Stephen Whitmore, Anthony Marc Bulcher, Zachary Lewis, Nathan Inkley
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Publication number: 20200025151Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to various devices, systems and methods of providing a restartable, hybrid-rocket system that uses Acylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and compressed air containing oxygen levels up to 40% as a propellant. Alternatively, embodiments of the present invention includes restartable hybrid rocket system that uses a heterogeneous matrix of ABS and a solid oxidizing agent in addition to compressed air as a propellant. When the ABS is exposed to an electrical potential field, the electrical field's effect on the ABS produces localized arcing between multiple layers of the ABS resulting in joule heating and pyrolysis of the ABS. The pyrolysis produces spontaneous combustion of the ABS once the oxidizer flow provides a local oxygen partial pressure greater than two atmospheres at the surface of the ABS.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 22, 2019Publication date: January 23, 2020Applicant: Utah State UniversityInventors: Stephen Whitmore, Anthony Marc Bulcher, Zachary Lewis, Nathan Inkley
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Publication number: 20140026537Abstract: The Multiple Use Plug Hybrid (for) Nanosats (“MUPHyN”) prototype thruster is being developed to fill a niche application for NanoSat scale spacecraft propulsion. The MUPHyN thruster uses safe-handling and inexpensive nitrous oxide (N20) and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) as propellants. The MUPHyN thruster can provide an enhanced propulsive capability that will enable multiple NanoSats to be independently repositioned after deployment from the parent launch vehicle. Because the environmentally benign propellants are mixed only within the combustion chamber once the ignition is initiated, the system is inherently safe and can be piggy-backed on a secondary payload with no overall mission risk increase to the primary payload.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 30, 2013Publication date: January 30, 2014Applicant: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITYInventors: Shannon D. Eilers, Stephen Whitmore, Zachary Peterson