Patents by Inventor Thomas Clayton Pavia

Thomas Clayton Pavia 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: 20120060464
    Abstract: In some implementations a propulsion system includes a thrust chamber comprised of a combustion chamber and an expansion nozzle. The thrust chamber has an interior and exterior surfaces and a main propellant injector mounted to the thrust chamber to inject an oxidizer and a fuel into the interior of the thrust chamber. The total fluid flowing to the rocket engine is compromised of oxidizer, fuel, internal film coolant, and external convective coolant. The internal film coolant ranges from about 1% to about 10% of the total fluid. Reduced coolant tubing circumscribes the exterior of the thrust chamber to circulate an external convective coolant, and a nozzle film coolant manifold mounted to the expansion nozzle injects the external convective coolant onto the interior wall of the expansion nozzle, the external convective coolant being about 1% to about 10% of the total fluid flow to the thrust chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Publication date: March 15, 2012
    Inventors: James Robert Grote, Thomas Clayton Pavia
  • Patent number: 7997510
    Abstract: In some embodiments a propulsion system includes a thrust chamber having an inside wall, an expansion nozzle mounted to the thrust chamber and having an interior and having an exterior, a main propellant injector mounted to the thrust chamber to inject a fluid in the interior of the thrust chamber, the fluid comprising oxidizer, fuel and internal film coolant, the internal film coolant ranging from about 1% to about 5% of the fluid, limited coolant tubing circumscribing the exterior of the expansion nozzle to circulate an external coolant, and an injector mounted to the expansion nozzle to inject the external coolant in the interior of the expansion nozzle, the external convective coolant about 2.5% of the fluid. The system operates at lower temperatures while having conventional amounts of thrust, in which the thrust chamber can be made of thin walls of lower cost conventional metals with simple coolant tube construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Inventors: Thomas Clayton Pavia, James Robert Grote
  • Publication number: 20110005193
    Abstract: The invention of this disclosure is methods and apparatuses improving the ease of fabrication and delivered specific impulse performance of simplified rocket engine thrust chambers. Included are a method and apparatus for a pool-boiling cooling system rocket thrust chamber. This cooling system utilizes a convective coolant flowing in a continuous or semi-continuous coolant loop. In addition the convective coolant itself is cooled in a pool-boiling heat exchanger by the evaporation of a propellant that functions as a boiling coolant. The invention also includes a method and apparatus for a shortened, simplified, conical expansion nozzle for a rocket thrust chamber that can operate with reduced specific impulse losses due to nozzle configuration and the use of film coolant in the thrust chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Publication date: January 13, 2011
    Inventors: Thomas Clayton Pavia, James Robert Grote
  • Publication number: 20110003331
    Abstract: The invention of this disclosure, also known as the method of this disclosure, provides the means of improved Chemical Product production from chemical production systems that use biological organisms to produce the desired chemicals. This improved production is by means of subjecting chemical producing organisms to vibration waves or to an electrical voltage potential. The waves or voltage accomplish one of two things or both: they will improve the extraction of the chemicals from the bodies and cells of organisms, or they will increase the rate at which the organisms synthesize chemicals. To illustrate how one of many possible chemical production systems can incorporate this method, a specific configuration for a continuous chemical production system called the Oil Production System 90 is presented in this disclosure for the production of an example chemical: Vegetable Oil that is used as an ingredient in making biofuels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2010
    Publication date: January 6, 2011
    Inventor: Thomas Clayton Pavia
  • Publication number: 20090293448
    Abstract: In some aspects a propulsion system includes a thrust chamber having a gap between an inner shell and an outer shell, the inner shell and the outer shell being attached together to form the thrust chamber. The rocket engine also includes a recirculating cooling system operably coupled to the gap in at least two locations and operable to recirculate a convective coolant through the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Inventors: James Robert Grote, Thomas Clayton Pavia
  • Publication number: 20090288390
    Abstract: In some implementations a propulsion system includes a thrust chamber having a gap between an inner shell and an outer shell, the inner shell and the outer shell being attached together to form the thrust chamber. In some implementations, the rocket engine also includes a recirculating cooling system operably coupled to the gap in at least two locations and operable to recirculate a convective coolant through the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Inventors: Thomas Clayton Pavia, James Robert Grote
  • Publication number: 20080134667
    Abstract: In some embodiments a propulsion system includes a thrust chamber having an inside wall, an expansion nozzle mounted to the thrust chamber and having an interior and having an exterior, a main propellant injector mounted to the thrust chamber to inject a fluid in the interior of the thrust chamber, the fluid comprising oxidizer, fuel and internal film coolant, the internal film coolant ranging from about 1% to about 5% of the fluid, limited coolant tubing circumscribing the exterior of the expansion nozzle to circulate an external coolant, and an injector mounted to the expansion nozzle to inject the external coolant in the interior of the expansion nozzle, the external convective coolant about 2.5% of the fluid. The system operates at lower temperatures while having conventional amounts of thrust, in which the thrust chamber can be made of thin walls of lower cost conventional metals with simple coolant tube construction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2007
    Publication date: June 12, 2008
    Inventors: Thomas Clayton Pavia, James Robert Grote