JPH03224897A - Energy supply system for spacecraft - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance safety without equipping with liquified hydrogen and oxygen by lanching a rocket equipped with water arranged in the remaining space of the rocket, and electrolizing the water in the air space. CONSTITUTION:Electric power is generated by a solar cell 29 from the energy of sun and fed to a battery 30 for charging and to an electrolizing unit 4 through a power control unit 28. Water in a water tank 1 is fed to the unit 4 and thereat electrolized into hydrogen and oxygen. Hydrogen and oxygen are cooled by a radiator, and thereafter stored in a hydrogen and a oxygen gas tank 8, 9. They are compressed by compressors 10, 11 driven by a combustor 14 using them as fuel, liquified by liquifying units 13, 16 and stored in tanks 17, 20. They are respectively supplied thereto through pumps 18, 21 and via supply ports 19, 22. With the constitution, transportation of material is reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an energy supply device for a spacecraft, which is used to dock with a spacecraft such as a space satellite and supply fuel, etc. to the spacecraft. .

[Background Art] In order to operate a spacecraft such as an interorbital transport vehicle for a long period of time, it is necessary to replenish the spacecraft with fuel, etc.

Conventionally, in order to refuel a spacecraft, a rocket loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen in containers was launched as an energy replenishment station, and this energy replenishment station was docked with the spacecraft to supply liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the spacecraft. After refueling with liquid oxygen, it is planned that the refueling stage will be returned to the ground.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen are placed in a container as replenishment fuel and launched, the weight of the container as a pressure container and the need to control the temperature of the container in outer space increase. The launch weight is heavy, and a large space is required due to safety distance constraints at the launch site.

The invention does not require liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen containers;
Utilizing the space available on the launch vehicle, a rocket loaded with water is launched, and the water is electrolyzed to liquefy hydrogen and oxygen, which are then supplied to the spacecraft as fuel for on-orbit transportation. The purpose of this invention is to provide a convenient energy supply device for a spacecraft.

[Means for Solving the Problems] An energy supply device for a spacecraft according to the present invention includes: a water tank for storing water; an electrolyzer for receiving water in the water tank and decomposing it into hydrogen and oxygen; a liquefier that liquefies decomposed hydrogen and oxygen, respectively; a liquid hydrogen tank and a liquid oxygen tank that store the liquefied hydrogen and oxygen; and liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen tank and liquid in the liquid oxygen tank. The present invention is characterized by comprising a liquid hydrogen supply port and a liquid oxygen supply port that respectively supply oxygen to the outside.

[Operation] Water is put into a water tank on the ground, a rocket is launched as an energy replenishment station, water is electrolyzed in space to obtain hydrogen and oxygen, and then these are liquefied into liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. Supply spacecraft with fuel.

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, in which thick lines indicate hydrogen flow lines, thin lines indicate oxygen flow lines, parallel double lines indicate water flow lines, and wavy lines indicate power lines. .

In Fig. 1, a water tank 1 is connected to a water replenishment/supply joint 2, and water is poured into the water tank 1 from the water replenishment/supply joint 2 on the ground and stored, and water is stored in the water tank 1 in space. The stored water can be supplied to other spacecraft from the water supply/supply joint 2. The water tank l is connected to an electrolyzer 4 via a water line 3, and a hydrogen line 5 and an oxygen line 6 extend from the electrolyzer 4 and are connected to a hydrogen gas tank 8 and an oxygen gas tank 9 through a radiator 7, respectively. has been done.

The hydrogen gas tank 8 is connected to a compressor 10, the oxygen gas tank 9 is connected to another compressor 11, and the compressor 10
．． 11 is adapted to be driven by a turbine 12. The compressor 10 is connected to a liquefier 13 and a combustor cooling pipe 15 located outside the combustor 14 . The other compressor 11 is connected to the combustor 14 and the liquefier IB.

The liquefier 13 is connected to a liquid hydrogen supply port 19 via a liquid hydrogen tank 17 and a pump 18, and the other liquefier 16 is connected to a liquid oxygen supply port 22 via a liquid oxygen tank 20 and a pump 21. The pump 18.21 is driven by a turbine 23.

The combustor 14 is connected to a turbine 25 via a steam pipe 24, the turbine 25 is connected to the water tank 1 via a condensate pipe 26, and the turbine 25 rotationally drives a generator 27. There is. The generator 27 is the power controller 2
A solar cell 29 and a battery 30 are further connected to the power controller 28, and a power supply terminal 31 is connected to the battery 30.

The solar cell 29 sends the power generated from solar energy to the power controller 28, and the power controller 28 supplies the power sent from the solar cell 29 and the generator 27 to the electrolyzer 4 and the battery 30. However, the battery 30 supplies power to the outside from the power supply terminal 31,
Electric power can be sent back to the power controller 28.

Water is stored in the water tank l from the water supply/supply joint 2 on the ground, and the rocket is launched as an energy supply station. It is also possible to dock with another rocket after launch and replenish water from the other rocket via the water replenishment/supply joint 2, or to replenish water to the other rocket.

When the water stored in the water tank 1 is supplied to the electrolyzer 4 via the water line 3, the water is electrolyzed into hydrogen and oxygen, the hydrogen enters the hydrogen line 5, and the oxygen enters the oxygen line 6. After entering, it passes through a radiator 7 and is cooled.
Hydrogen is supplied to a hydrogen gas tank 8, and oxygen is supplied to an oxygen gas tank 9.

A portion of the hydrogen in the hydrogen gas tank 8 enters the combustor 14 through the compressor IO1 combustor cooling pipe 15, the turbine 23, the combustor cooling pipe 32, and the turbine 12.

A part of the oxygen in the oxygen gas tank 9 also passes through the compressor 11 and enters the combustor 4. When the mixture gas of hydrogen and oxygen in the combustor 14 is ignited and combusted using the ignition plug in the combustor 14, the combustion gas passes through the steam pipe 24, rotates the turbine 25, and also generates gas produced by combustion. Water is condensate pipe 2
6 and return to water tank 1. When the turbine 25 rotates, the generator 27 rotates and generates electricity, and the generated electricity is sent to the electrolyzer 4 and battery via the power controller 28.
30.

Combustion in the combustor 14 heats the hydrogen in the combustor cooling pipe 15.32, rotating the turbine 23.12 and driving the pump 18.21 and compressor 10.11.

Hydrogen and oxygen pressurized by the compressor 10.11 are liquefied by the Joule-Thomson effect in the liquefier 13.18, and stored in a liquid hydrogen tank 17 and a liquid oxygen tank 20, respectively. The liquid is then supplied to other spacecraft through the liquid hydrogen supply port 19 and the liquid oxygen supply port 22 by pumps 18 and 21.

[Effects of the Invention] The present invention transports liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which are the fuel for spacecraft, in the form of water, so it is advantageous for a launch vehicle because it transports high-density materials and can reduce air resistance. This has the effect of allowing water to be loaded using the free space of the launch vehicle without requiring a large space due to safety distance constraints at the launch site.

Then, hydrogen and oxygen obtained by electrolyzing water can be liquefied, and liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen can be supplied as fuel.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, ■ indicates a water tank, 4 indicates an electrolyzer, 13° and 16 indicate a liquefier, 17 indicates a liquid hydrogen tank, 19 indicates a liquid hydrogen supply port, 20 indicates a liquid oxygen tank, and 22 indicates a liquid oxygen supply port. Patent applicant Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A water tank that stores water, an electrolyzer that receives water in the water tank and decomposes it into hydrogen and oxygen, a liquefier that liquefies the decomposed hydrogen and oxygen, respectively, and a liquefier that liquefies the decomposed hydrogen and oxygen. A liquid hydrogen tank and a liquid oxygen tank that store hydrogen and oxygen, and a liquid hydrogen supply port and a liquid oxygen supply port that supply the liquid hydrogen in the liquid hydrogen tank and the liquid oxygen in the liquid oxygen tank to the outside, respectively. An energy supply device for a spacecraft, characterized by comprising: