Pulsed Supersonic Jet with Local High Speed Valve
A pulsed supersonic jet excavator uses a short duration blast of air to excavate using a minimum amount of air and a minimum reaction force. This device uses a fast acting valve to create a jet of air that lasts about as long as it takes to develop. The result is a device that works much more efficiently than existing air jet excavators. This device can be mounted on a small robot and allow it to dig, whereas a normal backhoe type excavator would just lift the robot when attempting to dig in packed earth.
1 . A pulsed supersonic jet excavator consisting of
A supersonic nozzle including a converging portion and a diverging portion.
A high-speed valve located within 10 nozzle diameters of said nozzle,
Said nozzle and valve being attached to a remotely controlled manipulation means.
2 . The device as in claim 1 , including a local air storage chamber which is periodically dumped through the valve
3 . The device as in claim 1 , including a heater to heat the air.
4 . The device as in claim 1 , including a poppet valve wherein the downstream pressure motivates the valve towards an open position.
5 . The device as in claim 1 , including a robot to carry said device.
6 . The device as in claim 1 , including a video camera to feed data to a remote location.
7 . The device as in claim 1 , including an attachment to a vehicle.
8 . The device as in claim 1 , with including a metal detector to detect buried objects.
9 . The device as in claim 1 , wherein the volume of the fluid connection between said high speed valve and said nozzle is less than 5 times the volume of said nozzle
10 . The device as in claim 2 , including a pressure transducer to measure the pressure in said storage chamber.
11 . The device as in claim 1 , Said valve open duration being less than 10 times to the time required for the supersonic jet to develop to its full supersonic length
12 . The device as in claim 1 , with a local video camera with positioning means to observer the excavation.