LU102363B1 - Combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of rocket construction techniques, and relates in particular to a fuel consumption control system. This combined fuel control system for a rocket engine installation comprises fuel consumption sensors per second (oxidizer and fuel), which are connected via an amplifier-converter device to a central on-board computer capable of sending a command to the throttle actuator control unit, as well as fiber optic level gauges connected to the central on-board computer. Fiber optic level gauges include a cylindrical tube in which is disposed a distributed sensor, which communicates with a monitored fuel tank; the distributed sensor consists of an optical fiber, an optical reflectometer and an active element, namely a float made of a magnetic material in which are arranged three rollers. The invention makes it possible to increase the accuracy of determining the level of fuel in the tanks of the launcher, which leads to an increase in the energy characteristics of the installation of the engine of the launcher.

Description

: LU102363 Combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation Description The invention relates to the field of rocket construction, and relates in particular to a fuel consumption control system.

Known from the current state of the art is a rocket fuel supply system in a rocket engine, which comprises a first tank, a second tank, a first supply system connected to the first tank, and a second supply system connected to the second tank, pressure and temperature sensors in the two tanks transmitting indications to a control device which will control valves (Russian Patent N° 2641802, F02K9/44, F02K9/46, F02K9/ 50, F02K9/60, published 01/22/2018).

The closest analog is considered to be the combined fuel component consumption control system, which includes per-second fuel component consumption sensors disposed in supply lines, a computer device processing signals from the consumption per second and generating instructions to the consumption per second ratio adjusting throttle of fuel components, and said throttle with a control unit (Russian Patent No. 2492122, B64G 1/24, F02K9/56 , published on 09/10/2013).

The drawbacks of the known solution consist of an insufficient precision in determining the level of the fuel components in the launcher tanks, in particular during a failure of one of the measuring means, of unused remains of fuel, as well as the impossibility of controlling the supply and consumption of fuel in real time.

The technical objective of the present invention is to create a combined power consumption control system

- 2- LU102363 fuel based on fiber optic communication lines for rocket engine installations to: reduce the level of safety reserves of fuel components, resulting in an increase in the mass of the payload at one orbit data; increase the accuracy of determining the level of fuel components in the launcher tanks, which leads to an increase in the energy characteristics of the launcher engine installation; reduce fuel residues as much as possible to limit values in the rocket tanks; and monitor fuel supply and consumption in real time.

The technical result obtained when implementing the present invention is an increase in the accuracy of determining the level of fuel components in the launcher tanks, which leads to an increase in the energy characteristics of the engine installation of the launcher. launcher.

This technical result is achieved by a combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation, which! includes fuel consumption sensors per second (oxidant and fuel), which are connected via an amplification-conversion device to the central on-board computer capable of sending a control signal to the actuator control unit throttles, as well as fiber optic level gauges connected to the central on-board computer, which comprise a cylindrical tube in which a distributed sensor is placed and which communicates with a controlled fuel tank; the distributed sensor consists of an optical fiber, an optical reflectometer and an active element, namely a float made of a magnetic material in which three rollers are placed.

Thanks to the present invention, it is possible to increase the accuracy of determining the level of the fuel components in the tanks of the launcher,

- 3 -

A LU102363 which leads to an increase in the energy characteristics of the installation of the launcher engine.

Thanks to the use of fuel consumption sensors per second (oxidant and fuel), which are connected via an amplification-conversion device to the central on-board computer, information is obtained on the consumption of oxidant and combustible.

Based on the data obtained from the fuel consumption per second sensors (oxidizer and fuel), the central on-board computer compares the given signal parameters and issues a control signal to a throttle actuator control unit which will, via the throttle actuators, modify the consumption characteristic of the liquid propellant rocket engine.

Through the use of fiber optic level gauges connected to the central on-board computer, where each fiber optic level gauge comprises a cylindrical tube communicating with a monitored fuel tank, a distributed sensor disposed in the cylindrical tube comprising an optical fiber, an optical reflectometer and an active element, namely a float made of a magnetic material in which are arranged three rollers, the accuracy of determining the level of oxidant and fuel in the tanks of the launcher is increased, given that is added to the signal in the optical fiber resulting from the mechanical action of the rollers arranged in the float, a signal of interaction of the float whose body is made of a magnetic material with the optical fiber, after which the reflectometer determines the location of the permanent magnet (float). Thus, thanks to the joint use of a fiber optic level gauge in the fuel tank containing the oxidizer and in the fuel tank containing the fuel, and fuel consumption sensors per second (oxidant and fuel ) which are connected to the central on-board computer, it is possible to increase the accuracy of determining the

- 4 -— LU102363 level of fuel components (oxidizer and fuel) in the launcher tanks, which leads to an increase in the energy characteristics of the launcher engine installation.

In particular, the fiber optic reflectometer consists of a pulsed semiconductor laser, a receiver and a splitter.

In particular, the combined fuel consumption control system for the rocket engine installation may include sensors for measuring the temperature of the oxidizer and the fuel, which allow its use for cryogenic fuels. The essence of the invention will appear more clearly in the light of the following drawings: Figure 1 represents a schematic diagram of this combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation, which shows the connection of one of the fiber optic level gauges. Figure 2 shows the structural implementation of a fiber optic level gauge. According to FIG. 1, the combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation comprises an oxidizer consumption per second sensor (CCO) 1 and a fuel consumption per second sensor (CCC) 2 which are installed in the fuel pipe lines (oxidizer supply lines and fuel supply line from the Fuel Storage tanks to the combustion chamber). The CCO and CCC consist of tachometers. These consumption sensors per second of the fuel components (oxidizer and fuel) are connected, for example, by a wired connection to an amplification-conversion device (hereinafter DAC) 3, which converts the signals coming from said sensors into numerical codes Uo and Uc corresponding to the measured value of the consumption per second of the components of the fuel. The DAC is connected, for example, by a wired connection to the computer

- 5 --- on-board control unit (hereafter OCB) 4. The OCB is connected to HU102369 a throttle actuator control unit (hereafter UCAE) 5 and sends a control signal to it U in order to measure the consumption characteristic of the liquid propellant rocket engine (MFEL). In order to increase the accuracy of determining the level of fuel components in the oxidizer and fuel tanks of the rocket, a fiber optic level gauge is used.

The fiber optic level gauge (Fig. 2) comprises a cylindrical tube which communicates with the oxidizer storage fuel tank (considering the fiber optic level gauge arranged in the storage fuel tank oxidizer) or fuel (considering the fiber optic level gauge disposed in the fuel storage fuel tank), hereinafter controlled fuel tank, a distributed sensor disposed in the cylindrical tube and consisting of an optical fiber (in particular a standard single-mode telecommunications fiber), an optical reflectometer and an active element, namely a float made of a magnetic material in which are arranged three rollers. The fiber optic level gauges are connected to a central on-board computer. The cylindrical tube 15 of the level gauge consists of a container communicating with the controlled fuel tank 11, and makes it possible to correlate the errors in the level of the liquid to be measured (fuel, oxidant) due to a change in the flight path of the launcher by a functional of the work cyclogram. An optical fiber 13 is stretched in the tube 15 and is connected at one end to the optical reflectometer 12 which extends outside the fuel tank (into the instrument compartment) and which is protected from the liquid in the fuel tank by a coupling 16. Along the optical fiber 13, downstream of the liquid coming out of the tube 15 of the level gauge, moves a float 14 made of a magnetic material and in which are placed rollers which bend the

- 6 - optical fiber.

These curvatures (micro-curvatures) are 17108968 fixed by the optical reflector 12. Moreover, in addition to the physical action on the optical fiber, the optical reflectometer 12 records the action of the magnetic field applied by the body of the float 14 on the fiber optical.

The nature of this action is called the "magneto-optical effect", which essentially means that the circular birefringence occurring in the presence of the magnetic field, inverts the plane of polarization of the linearly polarized radiation by a predetermined angle.

When the float 14 moves with the liquid, the curvature of the optical fiber is exerted strongly as the liquid moves along the tensioned optical fiber, which makes it possible to obtain a linear diagram of representation of the mirror level of the liquid in each tank of the launcher.

The use of a fiber optic level gauge makes it possible to increase the number of active factors to be controlled on a combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation, which makes it possible to increase its efficiency.

A reflectogram of the mechanical action of the float on the optical fiber and a reflectogram of the magneto-optical interaction offer significantly increased measurement accuracy and reliability compared to traditional discrete level gauges in existing systems.

The OTDR 12 will determine the local level of the fuel components in the fuel tank, and consists of a control unit 6, a pulsed semiconductor laser 7, a receiver 8 and a distributor 9, which make it possible to carry out measurements of the parameters of the optical fiber 13 (see FIG. 1). The control unit 6 of the reflectometer is connected to the OCB 4 through conductors, for example.

The pulsed semiconductor laser 7 consists of a laser light-emitting diode that generates short sounding pulses of a desired length.

The splitter 9 sends the radiation from the pulsed semiconductor laser 7 to the optical fiber 13, and the flow of

- 7] = light reflected back from fiber 13 to receiver 8. Receiver 8 may be in the form of a photodetector which will accurately measure the level and time delay of all reflections occurring as progression of the probing light pulse along the fiber 13. This combined rocket engine installation fuel consumption control system may include oxidizer and fuel temperature measurement sensors, which are placed in the fuel tank.

The combined rocket engine plant fuel consumption control system operates in the following manner.

The control unit 6 of each optical reflectometer generates a control signal to the pulsed semiconductor laser 7 which generates a light pulse propagating along the optical fiber 13. The light pulse passes through the splitter 9 which scatters part of the radiation to the receiver 8. The receiver 8 transmits the signal to the control unit 6 of the optical reflectometer 12. The control unit 6, by analyzing the intensity of the light signal and the area of the light spot , determines the source of action (physical deformation of the fiber optic line link 13 and action of the magneto-optical effect). Then, each control unit 6 sends two signals synchronized in frequency with the electrical pulses Un and UMO to the OCB 4. Along with the oxidizer consumption sensors (CCO) 1 and fuel (CCC) 2, the signals enter the amplification-conversion device 3 in which the signals are amplified, converted into digital code and sent to the OCB 4. The OCB 4, after having received the signals originating from the various sources (that is to say the 1, 2 fuel consumption sensors in fuel hose lines and fiber optic level gauges), performs a calculation according to a special algorithm that produces an optimized consumption pattern

- 8 - taking into account the indices of the various sources. HU102363 Then, the OCB 4 generates a control signal U to the throttle actuators 10 for adjusting the fuel component consumption ratio in seconds, and sends this signal to the throttle actuator control unit (UCAE) 5. The throttle actuators 10 change the consumption characteristic of the MFEL by changing the position of the throttle valves in each line of the fuel pipes connecting the fuel and oxidizer storage fuel tanks to the fuel combustion chamber in accordance with the signal emitted a.

Thus, this combined fuel consumption control system for rocket engine installation makes it possible to reduce the level of the safety reserves of the fuel components, which leads to an increase in the mass of the payload at a given orbit, and an increase the precision of determination of the level of the fuel components in the tanks of the launcher, which results in an increase in the energy characteristics of the installation of the engine of the launcher, this due to the generation of an output signal on the simultaneously based on two sources of information independent of each other: the reflectograms obtained by the mechanical action of the float system with an optical cable after amplification by Faraday's magneto-optical effect, and the indices of the flowmeters at the second in the pipes of the MFEL tubes.

This system can be used not only in space rocket techniques, but also in other fields of industrial economic activity, for example, in hard-to-reach places of ore extraction, that is, at depth, to control the level of industrial liquids in pipes.

Claims (3)

- 9 - Claims HU102363 1. Combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation, comprising oxidizer and fuel consumption per second sensors, which are connected via an amplifier-converter device to the central on-board computer capable of send a command signal to a throttle actuator control unit, characterized in that it comprises fiber optic level gauges connected to the central on-board computer, which comprise a cylindrical tube in which is arranged a distributed sensor, and which communicates with a monitored fuel tank, which distributed sensor consists of an optical fiber, an optical reflectometer and an active element, namely a float made of a magnetic material in which are arranged three pebbles. 2. Combined fuel consumption control system for rocket engine installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the optical reflectometer consists of a pulsed semiconductor laser, a receiver and a dispatcher. 3. Combined fuel consumption control system for a rocket engine installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises sensors for measuring the temperature of the oxidizer and of the fuel.