Abstract: A device comprising several highly elastic objects is presented whose purpose is to demonstrate an unobvious consequence of fundamental laws of physics--the acceleration of an object to high speed by multiple collisions among a series of heavier objects moving at slower speed. The objects, each of different mass, are arrayed in close proximity in order of decreasing mass with their centers lying along a straight line. This arrangement of the assembly of objects is maintained by a constraining element which permits the assembly axis to be oriented in any desired direction and permits the assembly to be moved or manipulated as a unit in any desired way without destroying the arrangement of objects. In the preferred embodiment the elastic objects are polybutadiene balls (12), the constraining element is an interior guide-pin (10) fastened in the largest ball and extending radially therefrom, on which the remaining balls can slide freely because of diametrical holes formed in them.

Abstract: A device comprising several highly elastic objects (for example, steel balls (14)) hanging from a support structure (12) is presented whose purpose is to demonstrate an unobvious consequence of fundamental laws of physics - the acceleration of an object to high speed by multiple collisions among a series of heavier objects moving at slower speed. The objects, each of different mass, are arrayed in close proximity in order of decreasing mass with their centers lying along a horizontal straight line. When the heaviest object, hanging at one end of the line, is pulled back a small distance, rising to some small height above its rest position, and released the resulting impact leads to a transfer of energy through the line of objects to the lightest one, at the other end of the line, which is accelerated to high velocity. When appropriately directed, this high velocity can cause the lightest object to rise to a much greater height than that from which the heaviest object was released.

Abstract: A solid or semisolid propellant comprising grains of propellant or propellant components bonded together so as to create voids within the propellant volume, said grains bonded together with sufficient strength to substantially delay the fluidization of the propellant by the onset of Taylor unstable burning, said propellant having a rapid burn rate below that associated with Taylor unstable burn. In another embodiment, the grains are held within and the voids are filled with viscous fluid binder such as a petroleum oil, said binder functioning to hinder Taylor unsatable burning and yet permit very rapid burning within the propellant volume.

Abstract: Adiabatic positive displacement gas cycle machinery is designed with explicit control of the heat flow between the gas and the walls. The control is achieved by maintaining near-laminar flow and a small wall area to volume ratio. The most stable near-laminar flow in a cylinder is an axial vortex because of symmetry, and hence the induction port design should establish an axial vortex and a low velocity. Induction and exhaust port designs to achieve this flow are applied to a vane pump, an adiabatic air compressor, a diesel engine, and two and four stroke Otto cycle engines. The gain in thermal efficiency for these designs can be significant, up to a factor of 2, since the largest inefficiency in nearly all positive displacement machinery is imperfect control of heat flow.

Abstract: The design of a cryogenic regenerator for an isothermal Stirling cycle is based upon separately minimizing the losses due to the static heat mass regenerator material and the thermodynamic losses of the gas transferred through the regenerator. This leads to a sequence of regenerator sections each designed for a given temperature region (temperature difference/temperature=1/2) where the gas flows in a constant width channel in contact with a smooth channel wall. Two alternate designs are given, one with the channel walls of a thin stainless steel backed up by bands of lead and the second using a special alloy of pure lead and roughly 1% of a heavy soft metal such as bismuth or cesium. The composite banded regenerator leads to an overall efficiency relative to Carnot of 50% at 4.degree. K. and 15 Hz and the special lead alloy regenerator leads to 25% efficiency at 4.degree. K. and 30 Hz.

Abstract: Positive displacement isothermal gas cycle machinery is designed with explicit control of the heat flow between the gas, the walls of the chamber and a thermal reservoir externally of the chamber. The control is achieved by providing a large chamber wall area to chamber volume ratio through the use of bellows-like walls having a configuration that ensures during each stroke numerous heat exchanges between the working gas and the bellows-like walls. The machinery includes Stirling cycle heat pumps and motors and isothermal compressors. Significant gains in thermal efficiency, up to a factor of 2, are attainable because the largest inefficiency in all isothermal machinery is imperfect control of heat flow. A regenerator for the isothermal machinery minimizes cycle losses due to gas transfer friction, gas thermal conduction, dead volume, regenerator heat mass, regenerator heat mass thermal skin depth, and regenerator mass thermal conductivity in the gas flow direction.

Abstract: Deep drilling is facilitated by the following steps practiced separately or in any combination:(1) Periodically and sequentially fracturing zones adjacent the bottom of the bore hole with a thixotropic fastsetting fluid that is accepted into the fracture to overstress the zone, such fracturing and injection being periodic as a function of the progression of the drill.(2) Casing the bore hole with ductile, pre-annealed casing sections, each of which is run down through the previously set casing and swaged in situ to a diameter large enough to allow the next section to run down through it.(3) Drilling the bore hole using a drill string of a low density alloy and a high density drilling mud so that the drill string is partially floated.

Abstract: A gas turbine comprises a specially fluted rotor that induces a set of co-rotating axial vortices within the average circumferential flow. In an expansion turbine these vortices transfer angular momentum and torque to the fluted rotor. One advantage is a rotational tip speed of the rotor slower than conventional turbines and hence reduced tip stress. In a compressor the rotor imparts kinetic energy to the gas.

Abstract: A finite region of overpressure can be created in solid underground formations by the periodic injection of a fluid that has finite gel strength that subsequently, after each injection, partially sets--i.e., equivalently becomes a very much stronger gel. A region of overpressure is a region in which the static, locked in pressure is larger than what was there before. A region of overpressure can be used to prevent a roof of a tunnel from caving by adding compressive stresses in the roof. A sequence of regions of overpressure can be used to lift an arch or dome underground, squeeze off water or gas flows, stabilize dams, foundations, large underground rooms, etc. In general, the stress or pressure distribution in rock can be altered and engineered in a fashion that is more advantageous than what would have been the case without overstressing.

Abstract: Fluid-fluid explosive self-mixing of water and liquid natural gas contained in a cryogenic tank located in a hold of a ship is inhibited, in the event that the hold of the ship and the cryogenic tank are ruptured, by confining an inert gas under pressure in a multiplicity of tubes surrounding the cryogenic tank, the pressure of the inert gas in the tubes being such that the inert gas flows from the tubes to form a blanket of inert gas between liquid natural gas and water upon rupture of any tube or tubes.

Abstract: A blasting method uses liquid oxygen and a fluid fuel selected from the cryogenic fuels (liquefied methane, ethane and propane), acetylene and carbonaceous materials (such as fuel oil and powdered coal). A shock force is imposed on the blasting agent to initiate detonation or fluid-fluid explosive self-mixing or both detonation and explosive self-mixing of the fuel and LOX (depending on the fuel). The LOX and the cryogenic fuels (when used) are conducted from safely remote sources through cryogenic fill lines into cryogenic containers in the blast holes, which keep the cryogenic fluids out of thermal contact with the ambient temperature materials in and around the blast hole. The containers and at least the parts of the fill lines near enough to the hole to be damaged or destroyed by the blast are made from closed cell plastic foam, a readily available, cheap, disposable material.

Abstract: The danger of a steam explosion from a nuclear reactor core melt-down can be greatly reduced by adding a gasifying agent to the fuel that releases a large amount of gas at a predetermined pre-melt-down temperature that ruptures the bottom end of the fuel rod and blows the finely divided fuel into a residual coolant bath at the bottom of the reactor. This residual bath should be equipped with a secondary cooling loop.

Abstract: A method of mining rock utilizes a high-intensity electron beam to break the rock. The electron beam is directed onto the surface of the rock, and has sufficient energy either to ablate the rock at the zone of beam impingement and generate an ablation pressure that is sufficiently high to fracture the rock or to expand thermally the rock and generate a dynamic pressure in a lateral direction to fracture the rock. The electron beam is moved along the surface of the rock at a speed in phase with the speed of crack propagation in the rock.

Abstract: Underground strata surrounding a coal seam are prestressed by repeated fracturing with a settable material to strengthen and seal the strata to contain a hydrostatic pressure in the coal seam of about 100 to about 500 atmospheres, thereby providing a gas and liquid-tight seal surrounding and within the coal seam. After the strata surrounding the coal seam and the coal seam itself are sealed, an hydrogenating agent is supplied to the coal seam and is maintained at a temperature of approximately 300 to 500 degrees centigrade and a pressure of from about 100 to about 500 atmospheres to liquefy and hydrogenate the coal in situ. When a region of coal is liquefied out to the boundary of the prestressing, the liquefied coal is pumped out for use.