Tiered porosity flashback suppressing elements for monopropellant or pre-mixed bipropellant systems

Abstract

Monopropellant and pre-mixed bipropellant storage and supply systems for rocket engines and other work producing systems are subject to damage when detonation progresses upstream from a combustion chamber to and through supply lines. Interposing one or more micro porous or micro fluidic elements into the supply conduit can limit the flame front that accompanies such unintended detonation, but inevitably restrict the flow of the propellant to the combustion chamber. A tiered micro fluidic element where a bulk of the element has relatively large pores but forms a structurally robust supports a second, relatively thin region having appropriately small mean pore diameter provides an effective flashback barrier that can resist catastrophic failure during such detonations. Such elements can be used in isolation, or they can be incorporated into detonation wave arrestors or pressure wave-triggered cut-off valves or the like to decrease the incidence of unintended detonations.

Description

[0001] Reference to related applications [0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 223,611 entitled "Propulsion Systems and Components Thereof" filed on July 7, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for reference. Moreover, this application relates to US Patent Application No. 11 / 950,174 filed on December 4, 2007 and entitled "Spark-Integrated Propellant Injector Head With Flashback Barrier" and filed on December 8, 2009, entitled "Regeneratively Cooled Porous Media Jacket" US Patent Application No. 12 / 633,770. Moreover, this application relates to US Patent Application No. 12 / 831,703 (Case No. 488-011-USP2) entitled "Detonation Wave Arrestor", which was filed on July 7, 2010 and entitled "Flashback Shut-off" U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 831,767 (Case No. 488-011-USP3) and U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 831,824 (Case No. 488-011-USP4) entitled "AluminumPorous Media", which are also specifically combined Here fo...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Thus, high energy density monopropellants with small quenching distances (e.g., sufficiently small fluid gaps, pores, and / or effective fluid channel diameters so that the flame cannot propagate through the channel) have traditionally been avoided, This is because the flashback failure mechanism is very difficult to control

Images