RU2775518C1 - Propulsion unit for liquid-propellant rockets with hydrogen and methane filling invariant fuel tanks with batch layout - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: rocket engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to rocket and space technology, in particular, to propulsion systems of heavy launch liquid-propellant rockets. Propulsion unit for liquid-propellant rockets with hydrogen or methane filling invariant fuel tanks consists of liquid engines and sectional fuel tanks with a collector system for supplying components from the tanks to the engines, a power carrier truss connected with the fuel tank and the engines. Sections in the batch layout of the tank are designed accounting for the filling of "oxidiser" and "combustible fuel" liquid components into adjacent, mutually isolated sections, in an assembly forming a single cylindrical tank structure. The designated purpose of each section for filling with a specific component is determined by the volume and mass ratios of the consumption of engine components. The amount of sections for the "oxidiser" and "combustible fuel" should be even. The location of components in the sections is selected on the basis of minimising the deviations of the lateral alignment of the launch vehicle in flight in the course of consumption of fuel from the oxidiser and combustible fuel tanks.

EFFECT: possibility of replacing oxygen-hydrogen engines with engines with oxygen + methane components.

1 cl, 1 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The invention relates to rocket and space technology, in particular to propulsion systems for liquid-propellant heavy-lift rockets.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

From the prior art, a spacecraft propulsion system is known (patent RU 2121071, Scientific and Production Association named after S.A. Lavochkin, 06/28/1991), which contains a multi-block fuel compartment with a central and peripheral blocks of tanks installed in pairs symmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis of the spacecraft. apparatus connected by pipelines through a manifold and controlled fuel valves with liquid-propellant rocket engines, a pressurization system, characterized in that the pressurization system is connected to the gas cavities of the fuel tanks of the peripheral unit, communicating through the first collecting-inflating part of the manifold, made in the form of fuel gas pipelines, with the fuel tanks of the central unit, and each fuel tank of the central unit is connected through the second collecting part of the manifold with a liquid rocket engine and a shunt.

Also known is the propulsion system of the rocket block (patent RU 2286924, Open Joint Stock Company Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S.P. Korolev, 01/20/2004), containing an oxidizer fuel tank filled with a low-boiling component, a fuel fuel tank filled with high-boiling component, propulsion engine, executive bodies of the propulsion system, high-pressure gas cylinders installed in the oxidizer fuel tank, characterized in that it includes pipelines installed with brackets on the fuel fuel tank and forming a heat exchange device with the latter, while the inlets of the pipelines are connected with the outlets of the high-pressure cylinders, and the outlets are connected with the executive bodies of the propulsion system.

Known rocket propulsion system (patent RU 2381378, Open Joint Stock Company "State Rocket Center named after Academician V.P. Makeev", 24.07.2008) which contains a multi-tank fuel compartment and liquid rocket engines, each of which is connected by supply pipelines to the nearest tanks, differing by the fact that one of the engines is connected by supply pipelines through booster pump units to all tanks, and the booster pump units of each fuel component are connected by pipelines to the outlet of the pump of the same name TNA through a common distribution throttle.

Also known is the propulsion system of the reactive control system of the aircraft (patent RU 2538190, Federal State Unitary Enterprise "State Space Research and Production Center named after M.V. Khrunichev", 11.10.2013), including tanks with lines for supplying liquid fuel components, a pressurization system tanks, pulse rocket engines using gaseous fuel components, an oxidizing gas generator-converter of a liquid cryogenic oxidizer into a gaseous one with a given temperature, a receiver-accumulator of a gaseous oxidizer as an engine fuel component, characterized in that it contains a heat exchanger-evaporator for converting liquid cryogenic fuel into gaseous with heating it to a predetermined temperature, included by the heat transfer path into the line at the outlet of the gas generator, the heat-receiving path - into the line for supplying cryogenic liquid fuel from the tank; a receiver-accumulator of gaseous fuel for powering engines, included in the line at the outlet of the heat-receiving path of the heat exchanger, a gas-liquid mixer included in the line between the outlet of the heat-transfer path of the heat exchanger and the inlet to the receiver-accumulator of the gaseous oxidizer, while the liquid inlet of the mixer is connected to the line for supplying liquid oxidizer by a pipeline with a regulating (tuning) throttle washer installed in it.

The disadvantages of these solutions are the inability to replace one type of fuel with another when designing heavy-duty launch vehicles.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The creation of space rocket systems for launching liquid-propellant rockets with a large payload requires high costs and a long time both for the development of a rocket and for the development of ground-based space infrastructure, including the launch complex. When creating such space complexes, it is necessary to take into account the long (more than 10 years) periods of their operation, during which new, more promising and economical structural materials and propulsion systems on other components may appear.

In particular, it may be expedient to replace engines with oxygen + hydrogen components with oxygen-methane engines.

In the traditional approach, such a replacement requires the design of a new launch vehicle and a new launch complex, with a corresponding large investment of time and money.

We propose to lay down such design and layout solutions that will ensure the transition from oxygen-hydrogen to oxygen-methane engines, without creating new space rocket systems (SRC), but only replacing individual components. At the same time, the interface of the launch vehicle (LV) and the launch complex, the main technological processes of preparation for launch, are preserved. The fundamental issues of transportation of large-sized structures through the use of sectional tanks are solved in the invention (patent RU 2738247 C1), where the assembly of a single cylindrical fuel tank from composite sections is provided for at the landfill. In this technical proposal, sections in a single fuel tank are filled with components "O" (oxygen) and "G" (gas), which makes it possible to exclude long fuel lines from the tank to the engine, as well as a power farm between "O" and "G", which takes place in the variant of the tandem arrangement of tanks "O" and "G". Short fuel lines do not require the installation of special dampers to dampen longitudinal vibrations and the creation of special conditions for temperature and pressure to eliminate the geyser effect in cryogenic fuel lines.

Assembly of the fuel tank from sections for components "O" and "G" at the test site with the subsequent integration of the tank with engines and a power bearing truss provides a block principle for completing the propulsion system at the test site. This principle makes it possible, if necessary, to replace engines with oxygen-hydrogen components with oxygen-methane engines without changing the power circuit and the external dimensions of the fuel tanks, maintain the interfaces of the rocket with the launch complex and jobs at the technical complex, and use the same installation units.

Thus, only the engines themselves and the lines of their connections with fuel tanks will be subject to replacement. In this case, the transition to engines with "oxygen + methane" components will require only individual modifications associated with filling the tanks with another fuel component.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figure shows a propulsion system for liquid-propellant rockets with hydrogen (7) or methane (6) invariant fuel tanks with a package layout, consisting of liquid engines (1) and sectional fuel tanks (2) with a manifold system for supplying components (3) from tanks into engines, a power carrier truss (4) connected to the fuel tank and engines, characterized in that, in order to minimize the cost of finalizing the design of the rocket and launch facilities of the cosmodrome when replacing oxygen-hydrogen engines with engines with oxygen + methane components, reducing risks the occurrence of self-oscillations in flight and the influence of "geyser" effects in the fuel supply lines, the sections in the stacked layout of the tank are designed taking into account the filling of liquid components "O" and "G" into adjacent, isolated from each other sections (5, 6, 7), forming in assembled a single cylindrical structure of the tank, the engines installed on the power bearing farm are connected to the assembled fuel tank at the landfill, and the purpose of each section for refueling with a specific component is determined proportionally, according to the volume-mass ratio of the consumption of engine components, the number of sections for "O" and "G" should be even, and the choice of the location of the components in the sections is carried out based on minimizing deviations lateral centering of the launch vehicle in flight as fuel is consumed from the oxidizer and fuel tanks.

Position 1 - Liquid engine;

Position 2 - Sectional fuel tank;

Position 3 - Collector supply system;

Position 4 - Power bearing farm;

Position 5 - Fuel tank section filled with oxygen;

Position 6 - Fuel tank section filled with methane;

Position 7 - Fuel tank section filled with hydrogen;

Position 8 - Power bearing farm.

Claims (1)

A propulsion system for liquid-propellant rockets with fuel tanks invariant to refueling with hydrogen or methane with a package layout, consisting of liquid engines and sectional fuel tanks with a manifold system for supplying components from tanks to engines, a power carrier truss connected to the fuel tank and engines, characterized in that which allows replacing oxygen-hydrogen engines with engines with oxygen + methane components, reduces the risks of self-oscillations in flight and the influence of "geyser" effects in fuel supply lines; sections in the package layout of the tank are designed taking into account the filling of the liquid components "oxidizer" and "fuel" into adjacent sections isolated from each other, which form a single cylindrical tank structure when assembled, the engines installed on the power bearing truss are connected to the assembled fuel tank on range, and the intended purpose of each section for refueling with a specific component is determined by the volume-mass ratio of the consumption of engine components, the number of sections for the "oxidizer" and "fuel" must be even, and the choice of the location of the components in the sections is carried out based on minimizing deviations in the lateral alignment of the rocket - carrier in flight as fuel is consumed from the oxidizer and fuel tanks.

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