Gas powered fluid gun with recoil mitigation

DWPI Title: Gas powered fluid gun system for propelling stream of e.g. water, at high velocity towards e.g. vehicle, has device comprising annular tangential entry/exit structure for converting rearward-moving stream into rotating or swirling stream
Abstract: A gas powered fluid gun for propelling a stream or slug of a fluid at high velocity toward a target. Recoil mitigation is provided that reduces or eliminates the associated recoil forces, with minimal or no backwash. By launching a quantity of water in the opposite direction, net momentum forces are reduced or eliminated. Examples of recoil mitigation devices include a cone for making a conical fluid sheet, a device forming multiple impinging streams of fluid, a cavitating venturi, one or more spinning vanes, or an annular tangential entry/exit.
Use: Gas powered fluid gun system for propelling a stream or slug of fluid e.g. water, seawater, lubricants, foaming agents, thickening agents, gelling agents, tagants, chemical agents, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, malodorants, hydrocarbons and fire suppressing agents (all claimed), at high velocity towards a target e.g. human and vehicle.
Advantage: The system accumulates energy stored in gas over long period of time, thus requiring minimal peak power input to pressurize the gas, while realizing high peak powers without requiring burden of large heavy pumps and power sources when the fluid is rapidly expelled from the device by the gas. The system controls timing of when to close a fluid discharge valve, so that length of a fluid column can be accurately controlled, while minimizing or eliminating recoil forces imparted by forward-moving stream on the fluid tank and fluid supply line, and eliminating backwash from the rear end of the gun barrel.
Novelty: The system (55) has a fluid supply line (22) for supplying pressurized fluid (14) from a fluid storage tank to an opening (7) in a side of a gun barrel (8). A fluid ejection valve is placed in the fluid supply line for controlling flow of the fluid from the tank to the opening in the side of the gun barrel. A device is attached to an open rear end (11) of a gun barrel for changing pressure of fluid exiting the rear end, and comprises an annular tangential entry/exit structure (44) for converting a rearward-moving stream (2) into a rotating or swirling stream (46) that rapidly breaks-up.
Filed: 10/16/2013
Application Number: US14055829A
Tech ID: SD 10098.2
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.
Data from Derwent World Patents Index, provided by Clarivate
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