Hot gas generator

Claim 1

A hot gas generator comprising an annular liquid fuel storage reservoir defined partly by a first imperforate inner annular wall and a second imperforate outer annular wall; means for heating the fuel in the fuel storage reservoir to thereby preheat the inner annular wall; the inner surface of said inner wall serving to define a combustion chamber; a hollow combustion cup extending into the combustion chamber, said cup including an end wall and a third annular side wall spaced inwardly from the first inner annular wall to cooperate therewith in defining an annular fuel-air inlet space for the combustion cup interior; an air supply passage having a tangential connection with the annular inlet space at a point near the cup end wall; means for injecting preheated liquid fuel from the reservoir into the air supply passage; said fuel injecting means being connected to the air supply passage at a point upstream from the aforementioned tangential connection, whereby fuel and air are mixed during movement thereof through the passage and annular inlet space, said tangential connection serving to impart a circumferential spin to the fuel-air mixture as it flows through the annular inlet space; and an igniter extending through the end wall of the cup to ignite the fuel-air mixture therewithin.