Radiant combustion reactor

Abstract

A radiant combustion reactor comprises a combustion chamber delimited by walls adapted to radiate electromagnetic radiation in a prescribed wavelength range, and a heating arrangement operatively associated with the radiating walls for heating the radiating walls to a prescribed, radiating temperature. The heating arrangement comprises at least one optical radiation source generating an optical radiation that is caused to invest the radiating walls and causes heating thereof.

1 . A radiant combustion reactor, comprising a combustion chamber delimited by radiating walls adapted to radiate electromagnetic radiation in a prescribed wavelength range, and a heating arrangement operatively associated with the radiating walls for heating the walls to a prescribed, radiating temperature,  
     wherein 
 said heating arrangement comprises at least one optical radiation source generating an optical radiation that is caused to invest the radiating walls to cause heating thereof.  
 
   
   
       2 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 1 , in which said at least one optical radiation source comprises at least one laser.  
   
   
       3 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 2 , in which said at least one laser is operated in Continuous Wave (CW) regime.  
   
   
       4 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 2 , in which said at least one laser is operated in pulsed mode.  
   
   
       5 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 1 , comprising an optical radiation reflecting/deflecting arrangement operatively associated with said at least one laser, for reflecting/deflecting the optical radiation onto the radiating walls of the combustion chamber.  
   
   
       6 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 5 , comprising a first elongated hollow body defining thereinside the combustion chamber, and surrounded by a second elongated hollow body having internally walls adapted to reflect the optical radiation, said at least one laser being arranged to irradiate the first hollow body from the outside thereof either directly or by reflection/deflection of the laser radiation by the walls of the second hollow body.  
   
   
       7 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 5 , comprising an inner and an outer elongated hollow bodies arranged one within the other, and defining the combustion chamber in a space comprised therebetween, the inner hollow body having internal walls adapted to reflect the optical radiation, said at least one laser being arranged to irradiate the inner hollow body from the inside thereof either directly or by reflection/deflection of the laser radiation by the walls of the second hollow body.  
   
   
       8 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 1 , comprising a substantially spherical hollow body defining thereinside the combustion chamber and arranged to be invested by the optical radiation.  
   
   
       9 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 8 , in which the at least one laser is arranged outside the substantially spherical hollow body.  
   
   
       10 . The radiant combustion reactor according to  claim 1 , in which means are provided within the combustion chamber for determining a dynamic partition thereof into different parts during a radiant combustion process.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus according to  claim 10 , in which said means comprise a rotor rotatably arranged inside the combustion chamber.  
   
   
       12 . In a radiant combustion reactor comprising a radiant combustion chamber delimited by walls adapted to radiate electromagnetic radiation in a prescribed wavelength range, a method of heating the radiating walls to a prescribed, radiating temperature,  
     further comprising 
 generating an optical radiation, and  
 causing the heat-radiating walls to be invested by the optical radiation.