Methane subcooler
By heating liquid nitrogen in the use of nitrogen -changing components in methane cold device, it is used to exchange heat exchanges with liquid methane, solve the problem of liquid methane coagulation and freezing, and achieve the effect of overly cold and reducing the cold temperature.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411593616.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-24
AI Technical Summary
When using liquid nitrogen coolant methane, existing methane subcoolers, it is easy to cause methane to solidify and freeze, causing pipeline blockage or equipment damage. At the same time, the filling process is complicated and the flow rate needs to be adjusted at all times.
Design a methane cold device, which contains the shell, the methane over -cooling heat exchange component, and the nitrogen heat exchange component. Temperature, used to exchange heat in liquid methane in the heat exchange component with methane, prevent liquid methane solidarily frozen.
By narrowing the temperature difference between liquid nitrogen and liquid methane, the solidification and freezing phenomenon of liquid methane is avoided, the integrity of the pipeline and system equipment is ensured, and the large flow of liquid methane is too cold and reduced the cold temperature.
Smart Images
Figure CN119353843A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of aerospace technology, and in particular to a methane subcooler. Background Art
[0002] Liquid methane is a cryogenic rocket propellant. During the rocket propellant filling process, methane continuously evaporates in the rocket tank (liquid to gas, which occurs on the surface of the liquid). In addition, when the rocket engine is working, the liquid methane entering the rocket engine is required not to boil (liquid to gas, boiling occurs inside the liquid), so the liquid methane must be supercooled when filling. Supercooling refers to lowering the temperature of the liquid while ensuring that the liquid remains in the liquid phase. The freezing point of liquid methane is about 90.5K (-182.5℃), and the boiling point is about 111.5K (-161.5℃), so liquid nitrogen is usually used to supercool methane.
[0003] Conventional methane subcoolers include a shell, a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline, a methane filling pipeline, and a heat exchanger. Usually, the shell is a small open container with thermal insulation protection. A heat exchanger is placed in the container and connected to a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline. Liquid nitrogen (the boiling point of liquid nitrogen is -196.56°C) is added to the shell through the liquid nitrogen filling pipeline; the heat exchanger is connected to the methane filling pipeline, and methane enters the heat exchanger through the methane filling pipeline, returns to the filling pipeline after heat exchange, and is added to the arrow body; the heat exchanger has a variety of structural forms, such as coil structure, U-tube structure, plate-fin structure, and different heat exchanger structures have different heat exchange efficiency and heat exchange area; after entering the heat exchanger, methane exchanges heat with liquid nitrogen, the liquid nitrogen is heated and vaporized, and the vaporized nitrogen is discharged from the shell.
[0004] The freezing point of liquid methane is about 90.5K (-182.5℃), which is higher than the boiling point of liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure, 77K (-196.56℃). Therefore, the methane supercooler that uses liquid nitrogen to cool liquid methane is prone to freezing of methane, resulting in pipeline blockage or damage to system equipment. In addition, when the current equipment is in use, liquid methane is usually added first, and liquid nitrogen is added for supercooling after the liquid methane reaches a certain flow rate. During the filling process, it is also necessary to pay attention to the liquid methane temperature at all times. The entire filling process is complicated, and the methane filling flow rate needs to be adjusted to adapt to the liquid nitrogen filling flow rate.
[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a methane supercooler to solve the technical problems existing in the prior art to a certain extent. Summary of the invention
[0006] The purpose of the present application is to provide a methane subcooler, which can, to a certain extent, solve the technical problem of pipeline blockage or system equipment damage caused by methane solidification and freezing when liquid nitrogen is used for heat exchange with liquid methane, as well as the technical problem of the complexity of the entire filling process.
[0007] The present application provides a methane subcooler, comprising a shell, a methane subcooling heat exchange component and a nitrogen heat exchange component;
[0008] The housing is filled with liquid nitrogen at a preset level;
[0009] The methane supercooling heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and is used for introducing liquid methane; the nitrogen heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and is located below the methane supercooling heat exchange component, and the nitrogen heat exchange component is used for introducing nitrogen; the nitrogen heat exchange component can heat the liquid nitrogen to a boiling point temperature under a preset pressure, so that the liquid nitrogen exchanges heat with the liquid methane in the methane supercooling heat exchange component at the boiling point temperature under the preset pressure, thereby preventing the liquid methane from solidifying and freezing.
[0010] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooler also includes an exhaust pipeline;
[0011] The exhaust pipe is arranged at the top of the shell and is communicated with the shell;
[0012] The exhaust pipeline is provided with a regulating valve and a pressure control valve;
[0013] The regulating valve is close to the shell, and the regulating valve can adjust the shell side pressure of the shell;
[0014] The pressure control valve cooperates with the regulating valve to adjust the liquid nitrogen pressure in the shell side.
[0015] In the above technical solution, further, the exhaust pipeline is provided with an air release valve;
[0016] The air release valve is located at a side of the pressure control valve away from the regulating valve; and the air release valve is used to release pressure from the shell.
[0017] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooling heat exchange component is any one of a plate heat exchanger, a U-tube heat exchanger, and a coil heat exchanger.
[0018] In the above technical solution, further, the nitrogen heat exchange component is a coil, and the coil is used to introduce the nitrogen.
[0019] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooler also includes a liquid nitrogen level gauge;
[0020] The liquid nitrogen level gauge is arranged on the top of the shell, and is used to detect the liquid level of the liquid nitrogen in the shell.
[0021] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooler also includes a temperature sensor;
[0022] The temperature sensor is arranged between the methane supercooling heat exchange component and the nitrogen heat exchange component, and the temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the liquid nitrogen.
[0023] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooler also includes a pressure sensor;
[0024] The pressure sensor is disposed on the top of the shell, and is used to detect the pressure in the shell.
[0025] In the above technical solution, further, the methane subcooler also includes a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline and a liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline;
[0026] The liquid nitrogen filling pipeline and the liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline are both arranged at the bottom of the shell and are respectively communicated with the shell.
[0027] In the above technical solution, further, a safety valve is provided on the top of the housing. Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following beneficial effects:
[0028] The present application provides a methane supercooler, comprising a shell, a methane supercooling heat exchange component and a nitrogen heat exchange component; the shell is filled with liquid nitrogen of a preset liquid level; the methane supercooling heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and is used to pass liquid methane; the nitrogen heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and is used to pass nitrogen; the nitrogen heat exchange component can heat the liquid nitrogen to a boiling point temperature under a preset pressure, so that the liquid nitrogen exchanges heat with the liquid methane in the methane supercooling heat exchange component at the boiling point temperature under the preset pressure, thereby preventing the liquid methane from solidifying and freezing.
[0029] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present application does not directly use liquid nitrogen under atmospheric pressure to exchange heat with liquid methane, but uses a nitrogen heat exchange component to heat liquid nitrogen, so that the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen is between -180℃ and 165℃ under a pressure of 0.4-0.7MPa. In this way, the temperature difference between liquid nitrogen and liquid methane is reduced, and liquid methane will not solidify and freeze, thereby ensuring the integrity of the filling pipeline and system equipment. Therefore, the heat exchange area of the methane supercooling heat exchange component can be increased, large-flow supercooling of liquid methane can be achieved, and the supercooling temperature can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.
[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the methane subcooler provided in this application.
[0032] Figure numerals: 1-shell; 2-methane subcooling heat exchange component; 3-nitrogen heat exchange component; 4-exhaust pipeline; 5-regulating valve; 6-pressure control valve; 7-vent valve; 8-coil; 9-liquid nitrogen level gauge; 10-temperature sensor; 11-pressure sensor; 12-liquid nitrogen filling pipeline; 13-liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline; 14-safety valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] The following specific embodiments are provided to help the reader obtain a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein. However, after understanding the disclosure of the present application, various changes, modifications and equivalents of the methods, devices and / or systems described herein will be apparent. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example, and is not limited to the order set forth herein, but in addition to the operations that must occur in a particular order, changes that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application may be made. In addition, in order to improve clarity and brevity, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted.
[0034] The features described herein may be implemented in different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein have been provided only to illustrate some of the many possible ways of implementing the methods, devices and / or systems described herein that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.
[0035] Throughout the specification, when an element (such as a layer, a region, or a substrate) is described as being “on”, “connected to”, “bound to”, “over”, or “covering” another element, it may be directly “on”, “connected to”, “bound to”, “over”, or “covering” another element, or one or more other elements may be present between them. In contrast, when an element is described as being “directly on”, “directly connected to”, “directly bound to”, “directly over”, or “directly covering” another element, there may be no other elements present between them.
[0036] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more items.
[0037] Although terms such as "first," "second," and "third" may be used herein to describe various members, components, regions, layers, or portions, these members, components, regions, layers, or portions are not limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one member, component, region, layer, or portion from another member, component, region, layer, or portion. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the examples described herein, the first member, component, region, layer, or portion referred to may also be referred to as the second member, component, region, layer, or portion.
[0038] For ease of description, spatial relational terms such as "above", "upper", "below", and "lower" may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element to another element as shown in the accompanying drawings. Such spatial relational terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is turned over, an element described as being "above" or "upper" relative to another element will subsequently be "below" or "lower" relative to the other element. Therefore, the term "above" includes both "above" and "below" orientations depending on the spatial orientation of the device. The device may also be positioned in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relational terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.
[0039] The terms used herein are only used to describe various examples and are not used to limit the present disclosure. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. The terms "include", "comprise" and "have" list the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or their combinations that exist, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements and / or their combinations.
[0040] Variations in the shapes shown in the drawings may occur due to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, the examples described herein are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the drawings but include variations in shapes that occur during manufacturing.
[0041] The features of the examples described herein may be combined in various ways that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application. In addition, although the examples described herein have various configurations, other configurations are possible as will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.
[0042] A conventional methane supercooler includes a shell 1, a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12, a methane filling pipeline and a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger is placed in the shell 1 and connected to the liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12, and liquid nitrogen (the boiling point of liquid nitrogen is -196.56°C) is added to the shell 1 through the liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12; the heat exchanger is connected to the methane filling pipeline, and methane enters the heat exchanger through the methane filling pipeline, and returns to the filling pipeline after heat exchange to be filled into the arrow body; however, since the freezing point of liquid methane is about 90.5K (-182.5°C), which is higher than the boiling point of liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure of 77K (-196.56°C), when liquid methane is directly cooled with liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure, it often causes liquid methane to solidify and freeze, which in turn causes the filling pipeline to be blocked or the system equipment to be damaged; based on the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned prior art, the present application provides a methane supercooler, the structure of which is combined with Figure 1 As shown, the structure of the methane subcooler is described in detail below.
[0043] Combination Figure 1 As shown, the methane subcooler includes a shell 1, a methane subcooling heat exchange component 2 and a nitrogen heat exchange component 3.
[0044] Specifically, the shell 1 is filled with liquid nitrogen of a preset level; the liquid nitrogen level is detected by a liquid nitrogen level gauge 9. Furthermore, the liquid nitrogen level gauge 9 is arranged on the top of the shell 1. The liquid nitrogen level gauge 9 can detect the liquid nitrogen level in the shell 1 in real time. In actual use, it is necessary to ensure that the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 is completely immersed in liquid nitrogen. In addition, when the liquid nitrogen level gauge 9 shows that the liquid nitrogen level in the shell 1 is low, liquid nitrogen is added in time and the liquid nitrogen filling flow rate is adjusted to make the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 completely immersed in liquid nitrogen.
[0045] Specifically, the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 is arranged in the shell 1 and is used to introduce liquid methane; further, the liquid methane is introduced into the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 through the introduction channel, and when the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 completes the heat exchange of the liquid methane, it is guided to the rocket body through the outlet channel.
[0046] Specifically, the nitrogen heat exchange component 3 is arranged in the shell 1 and is used to introduce nitrogen; the nitrogen heat exchange component 3 can heat the liquid nitrogen to the boiling point temperature under the preset pressure, so that the liquid nitrogen can exchange heat with the liquid methane in the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 at the boiling point temperature under the preset pressure to prevent the liquid methane from solidifying and freezing. Further, the preset pressure is preferably 0.4-0.7MPa pressure. When the liquid nitrogen is under 0.4-0.7MPa pressure, its temperature is about -180℃--165℃; that is, the nitrogen heat exchange component 3 can heat exchange and control the temperature of the liquid nitrogen between -180℃--165℃; then in the actual use process, the liquid nitrogen between -180℃--165℃ can be used to exchange heat with the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2, which reduces the temperature difference between liquid nitrogen and liquid methane, and does not cause the liquid methane to solidify and freeze, thereby ensuring the integrity of the filling pipeline and system equipment. Therefore, the heat exchange area of the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 can be increased to achieve large-flow supercooling of liquid methane and reduce the supercooling temperature.
[0047] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present application does not directly use liquid nitrogen under atmospheric pressure to exchange heat with liquid methane, but uses the nitrogen heat exchange component 3 to heat the liquid nitrogen, so that the boiling temperature of the liquid nitrogen is between -180℃ and 165℃ under a pressure of 0.4-0.7MPa, thereby reducing the temperature difference between liquid nitrogen and liquid methane, and preventing the liquid methane from solidifying and freezing, thereby ensuring the integrity of the filling pipeline and system equipment. Therefore, the heat exchange area of the methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 can be increased to meet the demand for large flow and deep supercooling of liquid methane.
[0048] In this embodiment, combined Figure 1 As shown, the methane subcooler also includes an exhaust pipe 4; the exhaust pipe 4 is arranged at the top of the shell 1 and is connected to the shell 1; the exhaust pipe 4 is provided with a regulating valve 5 and a pressure control valve 6; the regulating valve 5 is close to the shell 1, and the regulating valve 5 can adjust the shell side pressure of the shell 1; the pressure control valve 6 serves as a safety valve 14 and can adjust the liquid nitrogen pressure in the shell side.
[0049] Furthermore, the shell 1 uses a closed pressure-resistant container. When the shell side pressure reaches the upper limit of the target value, the pressure control valve 6 opens and discharges nitrogen. When it is lower than the lower limit of the target value, the pressure control valve 6 closes.
[0050] Furthermore, the flow rate of nitrogen exhaust gas is adjusted by the regulating valve 5 to ensure that the pressure in the shell 1 is always in a stable state under different liquid methane flow rates.
[0051] Furthermore, by replacing the pressure control valve 6 with a different starting pressure or using a different regulating valve 5 control program, the working pressure of the inner shell side of the shell 1 can be changed, thereby changing the boiling point of liquid nitrogen and changing the subcooling temperature of liquid methane, thereby adapting to different liquid methane subcooling temperature requirements.
[0052] In addition, as an alternative solution, the pressure control valve 6 may be omitted, and the pressure in the housing 1 may be controlled solely by the regulating valve 5 .
[0053] In this embodiment, combined Figure 1 As shown, an air release valve 7 is also provided on the exhaust pipeline 4 ; the air release valve 7 is located on the side of the pressure control valve 6 away from the regulating valve 5 ; and the air release valve 7 is used to release pressure from the housing 1 .
[0054] In summary, the working process of the methane subcooler provided by the present application is as follows:
[0055] Step 1: Open the vent valve 7 to introduce liquid nitrogen into the shell 1 to pre-cool and fill the shell 1;
[0056] Step 2: After the liquid nitrogen is filled to the target liquid level, the vent valve 7 is closed, and the liquid nitrogen is heated by the nitrogen heat exchange component 3;
[0057] Step 3: After the shell side pressure in the shell 1 reaches the target value, the pressure control valve 6 starts to trip. At this time, liquid methane can be introduced for supercooling. The opening of the regulating valve 5 on the exhaust pipeline 4 is adjusted according to the liquid methane flow rate, so that the liquid nitrogen exhaust speed is adapted to the liquid nitrogen evaporation speed when the methane is supercooled, thereby ensuring the shell side pressure in the shell 1 is stable;
[0058] Step 4: monitor the liquid nitrogen level in the shell 1, and add liquid nitrogen in time or adjust the liquid nitrogen filling flow rate to ensure that the methane subcooling heat exchange component 2 is completely immersed in the liquid nitrogen.
[0059] In this embodiment, the methane subcooling heat exchange component 2 is any one of a plate heat exchanger, a U-tube heat exchanger, and a coil heat exchanger.
[0060] In actual use, a methane supercooling heat exchange component 2 with a suitable heat exchange area can be selected according to the liquid methane flow rate, without considering the solidification of the liquid methane. The whole process is simple to operate, and there is no need to manually pay attention to whether the liquid methane solidifies.
[0061] In this embodiment, the nitrogen heat exchange component 3 is a coil 8, which is used to introduce nitrogen, use nitrogen for heat exchange, heat liquid nitrogen, and heat the liquid nitrogen from 77K to the boiling point temperature under a preset pressure, with high reliability and low cost.
[0062] As an alternative solution: use other heating methods to heat the liquid nitrogen, such as an electric heating rod or a radiator.
[0063] In this embodiment, combined Figure 1 As shown, the methane subcooler further includes a temperature sensor 10; the temperature sensor 10 is disposed between the methane subcooling heat exchange component and the nitrogen heat exchange component, and the temperature sensor 10 is used to detect the temperature of the liquid nitrogen.
[0064] Furthermore, there may be a plurality of temperature sensors 10 , and the plurality of temperature sensors 10 are arranged at intervals.
[0065] In this embodiment, combined with Figure 1 As shown, the methane subcooler further includes a pressure sensor 11 ; the pressure sensor 11 is disposed on the top of the shell 1 , and the pressure sensor 11 is used to detect the pressure inside the shell 1 .
[0066] In this embodiment, combined with Figure 1 As shown, the methane subcooler further includes a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12 and a liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline 13; the liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12 and the liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline 13 are both arranged at the bottom of the shell 1 and are respectively connected to the shell 1.
[0067] In actual use, liquid nitrogen can be introduced into the shell 1 through the liquid nitrogen filling pipeline 12 , and when the temperature of the liquid nitrogen in the shell 1 reaches a discharge value, it is discharged from the shell 1 through the liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline 13 .
[0068] In this embodiment, combined with Figure 1 As shown, a safety valve 14 is also provided on the top of the housing 1 .
[0069] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or replace some or all of the technical features therein with equivalents. However, these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
Claims
1. A methane subcooler, characterized in that: It includes a shell, a methane subcooling heat exchange component and a nitrogen heat exchange component; The housing is filled with liquid nitrogen at a preset level; The methane subcooling heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and is used to introduce liquid methane; The nitrogen heat exchange component is arranged in the shell and below the methane supercooling heat exchange component. The nitrogen heat exchange component is used to introduce nitrogen. The nitrogen heat exchange component can heat the liquid nitrogen to a boiling point temperature under a preset pressure, so that the liquid nitrogen exchanges heat with the liquid methane in the methane supercooling heat exchange component at the boiling point temperature under the preset pressure to prevent the liquid methane from solidifying and freezing.
2. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooler also includes an exhaust pipeline; The exhaust pipe is arranged at the top of the shell and is communicated with the shell; The exhaust pipeline is provided with a regulating valve and a pressure control valve; The regulating valve is close to the shell, and the regulating valve can adjust the shell side pressure of the shell; The pressure control valve cooperates with the regulating valve to adjust the liquid nitrogen pressure in the shell side.
3. The methane subcooler according to claim 2, characterized in that: The exhaust pipe is also provided with an air release valve; The air release valve is located at a side of the pressure control valve away from the regulating valve; and the air release valve is used to release pressure from the shell.
4. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooling heat exchange component is any one of a plate heat exchanger, a U-tube heat exchanger, and a coil heat exchanger.
5. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nitrogen heat exchange component is a coil, and the coil is used to introduce the nitrogen.
6. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooler also includes a liquid nitrogen level gauge; The liquid nitrogen level gauge is arranged on the top of the shell, and is used to detect the liquid level of the liquid nitrogen in the shell.
7. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooler also includes a temperature sensor; The temperature sensor is arranged between the methane supercooling heat exchange component and the nitrogen heat exchange component, and the temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the liquid nitrogen.
8. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooler also includes a pressure sensor; The pressure sensor is arranged on the top of the shell, and is used to detect the pressure in the shell.
9. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: The methane subcooler also includes a liquid nitrogen filling pipeline and a liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline; The liquid nitrogen filling pipeline and the liquid nitrogen discharge pipeline are both arranged at the bottom of the shell and are respectively communicated with the shell.
10. The methane subcooler according to claim 1, characterized in that: A safety valve is also provided on the top of the shell.