Power plants – Reaction motor – Liquid oxidizer
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-05
2003-08-19
Gartenberg, Ehud (Department: 3746)
Power plants
Reaction motor
Liquid oxidizer
C060S723000, C060S787000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06606853
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
This invention relates to rocket propulsion systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a throttleable rocket engine.
FIG. 1
is a schematic of a rocket propulsion system
100
. The system
100
includes a rocket engine
101
. A fuel pump
103
supplies fuel to the rocket engine
101
from a fuel supply
105
. Likewise, an oxidizer pump
107
supplies oxidizer to the rocket engine from an oxidizer supply
109
. The rocket engine
101
combines the fuel and oxidizer, and ignites the mixture in a combustion chamber (not shown). The exhaust
111
exits a nozzle (not shown) to produce thrust.
To provide the amount of fuel and oxidizer required by the rocket engine
101
, pumps
103
,
107
are preferably turbopumps.
FIG. 2
is a schematic of a turbopump assembly
107
. Generally speaking, the turbopump assembly
107
includes a turbine
113
connected to an impeller
115
by a shaft
117
. The turbine
113
converts the kinetic energy from an exhaust stream
119
into shaft horsepower to drive the impeller
115
.
The impeller
115
transports the oxidizer from the supply
109
to the rocket engine
101
. Turbopump
103
for the fuel operates in a similar manner, and is not described in further detail.
In conventional operations, the turbopumps
103
,
107
provide a constant supply of oxidizer and fuel to the rocket engine
101
. This uniform supply of oxidizer and fuel by the turbopumps
103
,
107
produces a constant thrust in the rocket engine
101
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a rocket engine having adjustable thrust.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a turbopump assembly that can adjust the thrust of a rocket engine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a turbopump assembly having a gas generator having a mixer section that can adjust output flow.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gas generator with a catalyst bed section that decomposes a material upon exposure to a catalyst and a mixer section that decomposes the material without exposure to a catalyst.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gas generator with a catalyst bed section that decomposes a material upon exposure to a catalyst and a mixer section that thermally decomposes a material without exposure to a catalyst.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gas generator having a catalyst bed assembly and which bypasses a portion of a material around the catalyst bed section for cooling.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in one aspect by a rocket propulsion system, comprising: a rocket engine; and a turbopump supplying fuel or oxidizer to the rocket engine. The turbopump can supply an adjustable flow of the fuel or oxidizer to throttle the rocket engine.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by a turbopump assembly. The turbopump assembly comprises: a catalyst bed for decomposing a material to produce a discharge; a mixer section downstream of the catalyst bed for introducing an additional amount of the material to the discharge to produce an exhaust stream having a mass flow; a nozzle downstream of the mixer section; a turbine downstream of the nozzle; and a pump driven by the turbine. The additional amount of the material is selected to produce a desired amount of mass flow.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in another aspect by a method of throttling a rocket engine. The method comprises the steps of: providing a catalyst bed; introducing an amount of a material into the catalyst bed so that the catalyst bed decomposes the material to produce a discharge; and selectively adding an additional amount of the material into the discharge to produce an exhaust stream having a mass flow. The additional amount of material increases the mass flow of the exhaust stream.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3488962 (1970-01-01), McCormick
patent: 3898794 (1975-08-01), Ariga
patent: 4731989 (1988-03-01), Furuya et al.
patent: 5573736 (1996-11-01), Jubin, Jr.
patent: 5711146 (1998-01-01), Armstrong et al.
patent: 6000212 (1999-12-01), Kolaczkowski et al.
patent: H1948 (2001-03-01), Rusek et al.
patent: WO 01/07772 (2001-02-01), None
patent: WO 01/07773 (2001-02-01), None
Gartenberg Ehud
Hamilla Brian J.
United Technologies Corporation
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