Bottom-shared storage tank and carrier rocket

Abstract

The utility model provides a common-bottom storage box and a carrier rocket. The common-bottom storage box comprises an oxygen box cylinder section, a combustion box cylinder section, a single-layer common bottom between the oxygen box cylinder section and the combustion box cylinder section and a plurality of pressurizing gas cylinder assemblies. And the plurality of pressurizing gas cylinder assemblies are arranged on the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank cylinder section at intervals in the circumferential direction of the oxygen tank cylinder section and are close to one end of the single-layer common bottom. According to the embodiment of the utility model, a plurality of pressurizing gas cylinder assemblies for pressurizing the common-bottom storage tank are arranged in the barrel section of the oxygen tank, the gas cylinder in each pressurizing gas cylinder assembly can obviously increase the inflation volume of a single gas cylinder after the liquid oxygen temperature is cryogenic, and compared with a normal-temperature helium cylinder pressurizing mode outside the tank, the number of the gas cylinders is reduced, the low-temperature environment of the liquid oxygen is fully utilized, and the energy consumption is reduced. Consumption of pressurized gas is reduced, and carrying efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of rocket launch technology, specifically to a common-bottom propellant tank and a launch vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] The common bottom structure is a highly efficient structure that can effectively reduce structural mass, shorten rocket length, and improve structural efficiency. Common common bottom tanks include single-layer and double-layer common bottom structures.

[0003] my country's current C3 and C6 carrier rockets employ a common-bottom structure. The CZ-3 third stage uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as propellants. The common-bottom tank bulges towards the liquid hydrogen tank, with a diameter of 3.35m. The common-bottom structure uses a honeycomb sandwich design combined with vacuum insulation. The liquid hydrogen delivery port is located near the lowest point of the cylindrical section of the liquid hydrogen tank, with the delivery pipe located outside the tank and insulated. The CZ-6 second stage has a diameter of 2.25m, uses a YF-115 engine with a thrust of 180 kN, and uses liquid oxygen and kerosene as propellants, with a total weight of 15.15 tons. The common-bottom structure is insulated by upper and lower panels and a PMI (Potentially Mixed Intake) foam-filled interlayer. The liquid oxygen delivery port is located at the lower end of the cylindrical section of the liquid oxygen tank, with the delivery pipe located outside the tank and insulated.

[0004] The Falcon 9 first and second stages use a recessed liquid oxygen and kerosene co-bottom storage tank. The transportation method is that a tunnel pipe is installed inside the fuel tank, and the liquid oxygen delivery pipe passes through the inside of the tunnel pipe.

[0005] However, in the existing technology, the common bottom structure of the storage tank is mainly a sandwich structure, which is divided into double-layer metal vacuum common bottom, honeycomb sandwich common bottom, and foam sandwich common bottom. The double metal layers of the common bottom belong to two storage tanks, which are assembled to form a common bottom storage tank. The common bottom structure is heavy, and the assembly process is complicated and costly. The pressurized helium gas in the common bottom storage tank is stored in a normal temperature gas cylinder outside the storage tank. There are many gas cylinders, resulting in high manufacturing costs and heavy weight. The delivery pipe of the common bottom storage tank is set outside the tank. The pipeline has high flow resistance, complex structure, and high manufacturing costs. The engine of the common bottom storage tank is connected to the rear short shell end face through a rod frame. The rear bottom does not bear the engine thrust. The axial dimension and structural weight of the frame are large, resulting in low carrying efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model embodiment is to provide a common-bottom tank and a launch vehicle to solve at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a common-bottom storage tank, which includes an oxygen tank section, a fuel tank section, a single-layer common bottom between the oxygen tank section and the fuel tank section, and a plurality of pressurized gas cylinder assemblies;

[0008] Several of the pressurized gas cylinder assemblies are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the oxygen tank section on the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank section, and near the end of the single-layer common bottom.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the pressurized gas cylinder assembly includes: a cylinder bottom support assembly, a pressurized gas cylinder, and a cylinder mouth support assembly;

[0010] The bottom support assembly and the top support assembly are fixedly connected to the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank section. The top support assembly radially clamps the nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder and axially limits its position.

[0011] The bottle bottom support assembly radially clamps the nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder and axially reserves a certain amount of expansion and contraction to compensate for changes in the length of the pressurized gas cylinder after pre-cooling and filling.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the amount of stretching is 5 mm to 10 mm.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the wall panel of the oxygen tank section is provided with a nozzle for filling the pressurized gas cylinder.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the sidewall of the fuel tank section is provided with an exhaust flange, a pressure boosting flange, and a pressure measuring flange;

[0015] The exhaust flange is used to discharge gas from the fuel tank and prevent excessive pressure inside the fuel tank.

[0016] The pressure-boosting flange is used to pressurize the fuel tank and maintain the pressure for fuel propulsion.

[0017] The pressure testing flange is used to monitor the pressure inside the fuel tank.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the exhaust flange is connected to an overflow valve.

[0019] In some possible implementations, the rear bottom is provided with a thrust ring for connecting the engine frame.

[0020] In some possible implementations, the rear bottom of the fuel tank is a chemically milled mesh reinforced structure.

[0021] In some possible implementations, a delivery pipe assembly is also included, disposed within the fuel tank section, the delivery pipe assembly being sealed to butt flanges disposed on the common bottom and the rear bottom, respectively.

[0022] Secondly, this utility model provides a launch vehicle that includes a common-bottom propellant tank as described in the first aspect.

[0023] The beneficial technical effects of the above technical solution are as follows:

[0024] This embodiment of the utility model eliminates the inter-tank section. Compared with the traditional "fuel tank-inter-tank section-oxidizer tank" structure, the total length is reduced by more than 30%, the weight is reduced by more than 20%, the production cycle is shortened by more than 30%, and the cost is reduced by 30%.

[0025] This utility model embodiment uses the rear bottom to transmit engine thrust. The internal pressure of the tank can effectively improve the rigidity of the tank bottom, offset part of the engine thrust, and improve the structural load-bearing capacity. At the same time, the height of the frame is reduced by 60%, which effectively reduces the total length of the rocket, making the structure more compact and reducing the weight of the frame by 50%.

[0026] In this embodiment of the invention, the gas cylinder is placed inside the oxygen tank, making full use of the low-temperature environment of liquid oxygen, which can reduce the amount of pressurized gas used and improve the transportation efficiency.

[0027] The side wall of the fuel tank section of this utility model is provided with an exhaust flange, a pressure boosting flange, and a pressure measuring flange, which has a high degree of integration and small pipeline structure size and light weight.

[0028] In this embodiment of the invention, the propellant reaches the engine through an in-tank delivery pipe, resulting in a short liquid delivery path and low flow resistance. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a common-bottom storage tank according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of a common-bottom storage tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0033] 1. Front bottom; 2. Front short shell; 3. Oxygen tank section; 4. Common bottom; 5. Fuel tank section; 51. Exhaust flange; 52. Pressure boosting flange; 53. Pressure measuring flange; 6. Rear bottom; 7. Rear short shell; 81. Cylinder bottom support assembly; 82. Pressure boosting cylinder; 83. Cylinder mouth support assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this utility model will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a comprehensive understanding of this utility model. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this utility model can be practiced without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of this utility model by illustrating examples of it. In the accompanying drawings and the following description, at least some well-known structures and techniques have not been shown to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the utility model; and, for clarity, the dimensions of some structures may be exaggerated. Furthermore, the features, structures, or characteristics described below can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0035] The common-bottom tank is an integrated load-bearing / thermal insulation structure, which not only serves a load-bearing function but also needs to isolate the heat flow between the upper and lower tanks. The main design challenges of the common-bottom tank are: lightweight structural design, thermal insulation design for large temperature differences, airtight design, waterproof design, and propellant compatibility design.

[0036] This utility model embodiment provides a common-bottom tank, a single-layer common-bottom tank in which the rear bottom 6 bears the thrust of the engine. The oxygen tank is equipped with a pressurizing gas cylinder 82 for pressurizing the tank, and the rear bottom 6 is equipped with a thrust ring for directly bearing the thrust of the engine. It is not only compact in structure and simple in assembly process, but also can effectively improve the rocket carrying efficiency and optimize the final assembly process.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the common-bottom tank includes an oxygen tank section 3, a fuel tank section 5, a common bottom 4 between the oxygen tank section 3 and the fuel tank section 5, and a plurality of pressurized gas cylinder assemblies; the plurality of pressurized gas cylinder assemblies are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the oxygen tank section 3 on the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank section 3, and close to one end of the common bottom 4.

[0038] Specifically, in this embodiment, the common-bottom storage tank includes an oxygen tank and a fuel tank. The oxygen tank includes a front bottom 1, a front short shell 2, an oxygen tank cylindrical section 3, and a common bottom 4. The fuel tank includes a common bottom 4, a fuel tank cylindrical section 5, a rear bottom 6, and a rear short shell 7. Several pressurized gas cylinder assemblies are disposed inside the oxygen tank, installed on the wall of the oxygen tank cylindrical section 3, and close to one end of the common bottom 4. This embodiment of the invention, by setting several pressurized gas cylinder assemblies for pressurizing the common-bottom storage tank 4 inside the oxygen tank cylindrical section 3, can significantly increase the filling capacity of a single gas cylinder after the liquid oxygen is cryogenically cooled, reducing the number of gas cylinders compared to pressurizing with ambient temperature helium cylinders outside the tank. This embodiment, by placing the gas cylinders inside the oxygen tank, makes full use of the cryogenic environment of liquid oxygen, reducing the amount of pressurized gas used and improving the carrying efficiency. The pressurized gas cylinders can be cold helium cylinders.

[0039] In some embodiments, the pressurized gas cylinder assembly includes: a bottom support assembly 81, a pressurized gas cylinder 82, and a mouth support assembly 83; the bottom support assembly 81 and the mouth support assembly 83 are fixedly connected to the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank section 3; the mouth support assembly 83 radially clamps the nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder 82 and axially limits its movement; the bottom support assembly 81 radially clamps the nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder 82 and axially reserves a certain amount of expansion and contraction to compensate for changes in the length of the pressurized gas cylinder 82 after pre-cooling and filling. In this embodiment, the expansion and contraction amount is 5mm to 10mm.

[0040] In some embodiments, a nozzle for filling the pressurized gas cylinder 82 is provided on the wall plate of the oxygen tank section 3; in this embodiment, the pressurized gas cylinder 82 is placed inside the oxygen tank and a filling nozzle is provided on the tank wall nearby, which can reduce the flow resistance of the pipeline, effectively control the temperature rise during the filling and discharging process of the gas cylinder, and ensure that the cold helium pressure inside the gas cylinder meets the pressurization requirements after filling.

[0041] In some embodiments, the side wall of the fuel tank section 5 is provided with an exhaust flange 51, a pressure boosting flange 52, and a pressure measuring flange 53; the exhaust flange 51 is used to discharge gas from the fuel tank to prevent excessive pressure inside the fuel tank; the pressure boosting flange 52 is used to pressurize the fuel tank to maintain the pressure for fuel propulsion; the pressure measuring flange 53 is used to monitor the pressure inside the fuel tank. The exhaust flange 51 is connected to an overflow valve.

[0042] Specifically, the side wall of fuel tank section 5 is equipped with an exhaust flange 51, a pressure boosting flange 52, and a pressure measuring flange 53. The exhaust flange 51 is mainly used to discharge gas from the fuel tank to prevent excessive pressure inside. This can be achieved by connecting an overflow valve to release excess gas, ensuring the safety and stability of the fuel tank. The pressure boosting flange 52 is used to pressurize the fuel tank and maintain the pressure for fuel propulsion. By introducing high-pressure gas into the fuel tank, continuous propellant delivery is achieved to meet the engine's needs. The pressure measuring flange 53 is mainly used to monitor the pressure inside the fuel tank. A pressure sensor can be connected through this flange to acquire pressure data in real time, ensuring the system operates within the design pressure range and promptly obtaining information on any abnormal situations.

[0043] This embodiment has a high degree of integration, and the exhaust flange 51 is directly connected to the safety overflow valve. Compared with the traditional method of setting the exhaust flange 51 at the bottom of the box, there is no need to set an additional exhaust pipe to lead to the arrow wall. The pipe structure is small in size and light in weight.

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, a thrust ring is provided at the rear bottom 6 of the fuel tank for connecting to the engine frame. The rear bottom 6 of the fuel tank is a chemically milled mesh reinforced structure; chemically milled mesh refers to a mesh processed using chemical milling.

[0045] This utility model embodiment uses the rear bottom 6 to transmit engine thrust. The internal pressure of the tank can effectively improve the rigidity of the tank bottom, offset part of the engine thrust, and improve the structural load-bearing capacity. At the same time, the height of the frame is reduced by 60%, which effectively reduces the total length of the rocket, making the structure more compact and reducing the weight of the frame by 50%.

[0046] In some embodiments, a delivery pipe assembly 9 is also included, disposed within the fuel tank section 5, and the delivery pipe assembly 9 is sealed to the mating flanges disposed on the common bottom 4 and the rear bottom 6 respectively.

[0047] In this embodiment of the invention, the propellant reaches the engine through an in-tank delivery pipe, resulting in a short liquid delivery path and low flow resistance.

[0048] In addition, this utility model embodiment also provides a launch vehicle, which includes a common-bottom propellant tank as described in Embodiment 1.

[0049] This embodiment of the utility model eliminates the inter-tank section. Compared with the traditional "fuel tank-inter-tank section-oxidizer tank" structure, the total length is reduced by more than 30%, the weight is reduced by more than 20%, the production cycle is shortened by more than 30%, and the cost is reduced by 30%.

[0050] This utility model embodiment uses the rear bottom 6 to transmit engine thrust. The internal pressure of the tank can effectively improve the rigidity of the tank bottom, offset part of the engine thrust, and improve the structural load-bearing capacity. At the same time, the height of the frame is reduced by 60%, which effectively reduces the total length of the rocket, making the structure more compact and reducing the weight of the frame by 50%.

[0051] In this embodiment of the invention, the gas cylinder is placed inside the oxygen tank, making full use of the low-temperature environment of liquid oxygen, which can reduce the amount of pressurized gas used and improve the transportation efficiency.

[0052] In this embodiment of the utility model, the side wall of the fuel tank section 5 is provided with an exhaust flange 51, a pressure boosting flange 52, and a pressure measuring flange 53, which has a high degree of integration and small pipeline structure size and light weight.

[0053] In this embodiment of the invention, the propellant reaches the engine through an in-tank delivery pipe, resulting in a short liquid delivery path and low flow resistance.

[0054] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are used only for the convenience of describing the utility model and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," or "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0055] Unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" in this utility model embodiment should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integrated connections; similarly, they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or direct connections, or indirect connections through an intermediate medium, or internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications can be made thereto and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any manner, provided there is no structural conflict. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A common base tank characterized by, The common base tank comprises an oxygen tank cylinder segment (3), a fuel tank cylinder segment (5), and a common base (4) and several pressurized gas cylinder assemblies between the oxygen tank cylinder segment (3) and the fuel tank cylinder segment (5); The several pressurized gas cylinder assemblies are arranged on the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank cylinder segment (3) in a circumferential direction and close to one end of the common base (4).

2. The common base tank of claim 1, wherein, The pressurized gas cylinder assembly comprises a bottle bottom support assembly (81), a pressurized gas cylinder (82) and a bottle mouth support assembly (83); The bottle bottom support assembly (81) and the bottle mouth support assembly (83) are fixedly connected on the cylinder wall of the oxygen tank cylinder segment (3), and the bottle mouth support assembly (83) clamps the bottle nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder (82) in a radial direction and limits the axial direction; The bottle bottom support assembly (81) clamps the bottle nozzle of the pressurized gas cylinder (82) in a radial direction and has an axial extension amount reserved for compensating the length size change of the pressurized gas cylinder (82) after pre-cooling and inflation.

3. The common base tank of claim 2, wherein, The extension amount is 6mm to 10mm.

4. The common base tank of claim 1, wherein, A pipe nozzle for inflation of the pressurized gas cylinder (82) is arranged on the wall plate of the oxygen tank cylinder segment (3).

5. The common base tank of claim 1, wherein, An exhaust flange (51), a pressurization flange (52) and a pressure measurement flange (53) are arranged on the side wall of the fuel tank cylinder segment (5); The exhaust flange (51) is used for exhausting gas in the fuel tank to prevent the pressure in the fuel tank from being too high; The pressurization flange (52) is used for pressurizing the fuel tank to maintain the pressure of fuel propulsion; The pressure measurement flange (53) is used for monitoring the pressure data in the fuel tank.

6. The common base tank of claim 5, wherein, The exhaust flange (51) is connected with a relief valve.

7. The common base tank of claim 1, wherein, A thrust ring is arranged on the rear bottom (6) of the fuel tank for connecting with an engine frame.

8. The common base tank of claim 7, wherein, The rear bottom (6) is a chemical milling grid reinforced structure.

9. The common base tank of claim 8, wherein, A delivery pipe assembly (9) is arranged in the fuel tank cylinder segment (5), and the delivery pipe assembly (9) is sealingly connected with the butt flanges arranged on the common base (4) and the rear bottom (6).

10. A launch vehicle, characterized by, The carrier rocket comprises the common base tank according to any one of claims 1-9.

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