Common turbine fuel supply system with clutch for fuel precooling ATR

Abstract

The present invention discloses a common turbine fuel supply system with a clutch for a fuel precooling automatic transmission (ATR), comprising: a fuel turbine for rotating under the drive of fuel; a fuel pump mounted thereon; a clutch, a driving disc of which is mounted on the fuel turbine, and an oxidant pump mounted on a driven disc of which, when in a closed state, the clutch is used to drive the fuel pump and the oxidant pump to rotate under the rotation of the fuel turbine, thereby providing power for the flow of fuel and oxidant; in the present invention, the fuel pump and the oxidant pump share the fuel turbine, and whether the oxidant pump is working is controlled by the clutch, thereby simplifying the structure of the engine and reducing the weight of the engine.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of aerospace propulsion, and in particular relates to a common turbine fuel supply system with a clutch for a fuel precooling ATR. Background Art

[0002] The air-turbine rocket (ATR) is a combined cycle, air-breathing propulsion system that combines a turbine engine with a rocket engine. It boasts a higher specific impulse than a rocket engine, a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than a turbine engine, a wide thrust adjustment range, and moderate technical difficulty. During ATR engine operation, as the flight Mach number increases, the total temperature of the incoming airflow continues to rise, gradually reducing the cycle heating and the engine's thrust output. Simultaneously, due to temperature constraints, the actual pressure ratio provided by the compressor continues to decrease, leaving the core engine with minimal thrust contribution at high Mach numbers, becoming a deadweight for the engine. Therefore, pre-cooling technology is being considered to cool the incoming airflow, reduce its total temperature, and increase both the air flow rate and the pressure ratio at high Mach numbers, thereby improving engine performance and broadening its operating speed range.

[0003] The ATR engine can utilize a variety of fuel systems. One method for precooling incoming air is to use the engine's low-temperature fuel to exchange heat with the air. In this case, the engine's fuel participates in both the combustion reaction and the heat exchange as a precoolant. The fuel supply system is a key component of the engine. In pump-type supply systems, a fuel turbine and an oxidizer turbine are typically used to drive the fuel pump and oxidizer pump, respectively, to supply fuel and oxidizer to the gas generator. Alternatively, an electric motor can be used to drive the fuel and oxidizer pumps. Such fuel supply systems are complex and heavy, increasing engine mass and limiting the ATR engine's thrust-to-weight ratio. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a common turbine fuel supply system with a clutch for fuel precooling ATR, so as to solve the problem that the fuel supply system has a complex structure and a large mass, thereby limiting the improvement of the thrust-to-weight ratio of the ATR engine.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution: a common turbine fuel supply system with a clutch for a fuel precooling ATR, comprising:

[0006] a fuel turbine, configured to rotate under the drive of fuel; a fuel pump being mounted on the turbine;

[0007] The clutch has an active disc mounted on the fuel turbine and an oxidant pump mounted on its driven disc. The clutch is used to drive the fuel pump and the oxidant pump to rotate under the rotation of the fuel turbine when in a closed state, thereby providing power for the flow of fuel and oxidant.

[0008] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0009] A precooler having an air flow path inlet, an air flow path outlet, a fuel flow path inlet, and a fuel flow path outlet;

[0010] Its air flow path inlet is connected to the air intake duct outlet;

[0011] The air flow path outlet thereof is connected to the compressor inlet;

[0012] Its fuel flow path inlet is connected to the outlet of the fuel pump;

[0013] The precooler is used to use the low-temperature fuel from the fuel pump to cool the high-temperature incoming air, so that the temperature of the incoming air is reduced before it is delivered to the compressor.

[0014] Furthermore, it also includes:

[0015] a combustion chamber having a gas inlet and an air inlet;

[0016] Its gas inlet is connected to the gas outlet of the ATR's main turbine;

[0017] Its air inlet is connected to the outlet of the compressor;

[0018] The combustion chamber is used for complete combustion of the rich fuel gas from the main turbine and the air from the compressor.

[0019] Furthermore, the middle portion of the fuel pipeline between the precooler and the fuel turbine is disposed close to the combustion chamber, and is used to utilize the heat of the combustion chamber to heat the fuel in the fuel pipeline, so that the liquid fuel in the fuel pipeline is vaporized into gaseous fuel, which then enters the fuel turbine, and further includes:

[0020] A gas generator having a gas inlet, an oxidant inlet, and a gas outlet;

[0021] Its gas inlet is connected to the gas outlet of the fuel turbine;

[0022] Its gas outlet is connected to the gas inlet of the main turbine;

[0023] Its oxidant inlet is connected to the outlet of the oxidant pump;

[0024] The gas generator is used to drive the gas fuel of the fuel turbine to pre-react with the oxidant in the gas generator, and the pre-reacted gas is transported to the main turbine of the ATR.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0026] In the present invention, the fuel pump and the oxidant pump share a fuel turbine, and the operation of the oxidant pump is controlled by a clutch, thereby simplifying the structure of the engine and reducing the weight of the engine.

[0027] The present invention uses a precooler to keep the compressor inlet air flow temperature constant or changing only within an allowable range, thereby improving the engine's operating performance and widening the engine's operating speed range;

[0028] The present invention heats and vaporizes the liquid fuel in the fuel pipeline by cooling the combustion chamber wall, which reduces the difficulty of thermal protection of the combustion chamber and eliminates the need for a separate heat exchange device.

[0029] In the present invention, when the turbine mode clutch is closed, the fuel pump and the oxidizer pump work simultaneously to provide fuel and oxidizer to the gas generator. When the ramjet mode gas generator stops working, the clutch is disengaged to control the oxidizer pump to stop working. At this time, only the fuel pump needs to work to provide fuel to the combustion chamber. If a solution of separately setting up a fuel turbine and an oxidizer turbine is adopted, or a solution of separately setting up an electric motor is adopted, the oxidizer supply structure will become the "dead weight" of the engine in the ramjet mode. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the turbine modal thermodynamic cycle of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the stamping modal thermodynamic cycle of the present invention.

[0032] Among them: 10. Fuel turbine; 11. Clutch; 12. Oxidant pump; 13. Fuel pump; 14. Precooler; 15. Combustion chamber; 16. Gas generator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more. The "direction" in the present invention is based on the direction of the present invention. Figure 1 Description of the direction of the state.

[0035] The present invention discloses a common turbine fuel supply system with a clutch for fuel precooling ATR, such as Figure 1 The components shown include: a fuel turbine 10 and a clutch 11 .

[0036] The fuel turbine 10 is used to rotate under the drive of fuel; a fuel pump 13 is installed on the fuel turbine 10; the driving plate of the clutch 11 is installed on the fuel turbine 10, and the oxidant pump 12 is installed on the driven plate thereof. The clutch 11 is used to drive the fuel pump 13 and the oxidant pump 12 to rotate under the rotation of the fuel turbine 10 when in a closed state, thereby providing power for the flow of fuel and oxidant.

[0037] The present invention also includes: a precooler 14, the precooler 14 has an air flow path inlet, an air flow path outlet, a fuel flow path inlet, and a fuel flow path outlet; the air flow path inlet of the precooler 14 is connected to the air intake duct outlet; the air flow path outlet of the precooler 14 is connected to the inlet of the compressor; the fuel flow path inlet of the precooler 14 is connected to the outlet of the fuel pump 13; the precooler 14 is used to use the low-temperature fuel from the fuel pump 13 to cool the high-temperature incoming air, so that the temperature of the incoming air is reduced and then it is transported to the compressor.

[0038] The present invention also includes: a combustion chamber 15, the combustion chamber 15 has a gas inlet and an air inlet; the gas inlet of the combustion chamber 15 is connected to the gas outlet of the ATR's main turbine; the air inlet of the combustion chamber 15 is connected to the outlet of the compressor; the combustion chamber 15 is used for the complete combustion of the rich fuel gas from the main turbine and the air from the compressor.

[0039] The middle part of the fuel pipeline between the precooler 14 and the fuel turbine 10 is arranged close to the combustion chamber 15. After this arrangement, the heat of the combustion chamber 15 can be used to heat the fuel in the fuel pipeline, so that the liquid fuel in the fuel pipeline is vaporized into gaseous fuel, and then enters the fuel turbine 10 and drives the fuel turbine 10 to rotate.

[0040] The present invention also includes: a gas generator 16, the gas generator 16 has a gas inlet, an oxidant inlet, and a gas outlet; the gas inlet of the gas generator 16 is connected to the gas outlet of the fuel turbine 10; the gas outlet of the gas generator 16 is connected to the gas inlet of the main turbine; the oxidant inlet of the gas generator 16 is connected to the outlet of the oxidant pump 12; the gas generator 16 is used to drive the gas fuel and oxidant of the fuel turbine 10 to pre-react in the gas generator 16, and to transport the pre-reacted gas to the main turbine of the ATR.

[0041] The present invention has two working modes:

[0042] The first working mode is the turbine mode, such as Figure 1 As shown, the specific operating principle is as follows: incoming air enters the intake duct. A switching valve controls the flow of air from the intake duct outlet to the compressor. A precooler 14 is located before the compressor to cool the incoming air. Low-temperature liquid methane in the fuel tank is pressurized by a fuel pump 13 and flows to the precooler 14, where it exchanges heat with the high-temperature incoming air. To maximize the methane's heat so that it can vaporize and drive the fuel turbine 10, the methane, having exchanged heat in the precooler 14, flows to the wall cooling channels of the combustion chamber 15, where it exchanges heat with the high-temperature combustion gases within the combustion chamber 15. With the clutch 11 engaged, the gaseous methane then flows to the fuel turbine 10, driving its output shaft to simultaneously power the fuel pump 13 and the oxidizer pump 12. At this point, methane flows to gas generator 16. Liquid oxygen in the oxidizer tank, after being pressurized by oxidizer pump 12, also flows to gas generator 16. Methane and liquid oxygen combust in gas generator 16, generating high-temperature, fuel-rich combustion gas that flows to the main turbine, driving the compressor to supercharge the incoming air. This fuel-rich combustion gas flows to combustion chamber 15, where it combusts with the pressurized air, producing high-temperature combustion gas that is discharged through the tailpipe.

[0043] The second working mode is the stamping mode, such as Figure 2 As shown, the specific operating principle is as follows: incoming air enters the intake duct, where it is controlled by a switching valve to flow into the combustion chamber 15. Low-temperature liquid methane in the fuel tank is pressurized by the fuel pump 13 and flows directly into the wall cooling channels of the combustion chamber 15. The low-temperature methane exchanges heat with the high-temperature combustion gas within the combustion chamber 15 in the wall cooling channels, vaporizing the liquid methane. The gaseous methane then flows into the fuel turbine 10, driving its output shaft to drive the fuel pump 13. At this time, the clutch 11 is disengaged, and the fuel turbine 10 does not drive the oxidizer pump 12. The methane flows directly into the combustion chamber 15, where it combusts with the pressurized air from the intake duct, producing high-temperature combustion gas that is discharged through the tailpipe.

[0044] The present invention adopts a friction clutch 11 to control whether the fuel turbine 10 transmits shaft power to the oxidizer pump 12. The friction clutch 11 is mainly composed of four parts: an active disc, a driven disc, a clamping mechanism and an operating mechanism. The active disc is connected to the shaft of the fuel turbine 10, and the driven disc is connected to the shaft of the oxidizer pump 12. When working in the turbine mode, the clamping mechanism ensures that the clutch 11 is in an engaged state, so that the fuel turbine 10 drives the oxidizer pump 12 to work. When working in the stamping state, the clamping mechanism is separated by the operating mechanism, and a free gap is generated between the active disc and the driven disc. At this time, the shaft of the fuel turbine 10 and the shaft of the oxidizer pump 12 are disconnected, the oxidizer pump 12 stops working, and only the fuel pump 13 is in working state.

[0045] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. Common turbine fuel supply system with clutch for fuel precooling ATR, characterized in that, include: a fuel turbine (10) for rotating under the drive of fuel; A fuel pump (13) is mounted thereon; A precooler (14) having an air flow path inlet, an air flow path outlet, a fuel flow path inlet, and a fuel flow path outlet; Its air flow path inlet is connected to the air intake duct outlet; The air flow path outlet thereof is connected to the compressor inlet; Its fuel flow path inlet is connected to the outlet of the fuel pump (13); The precooler (14) is used to cool the high-temperature incoming air using the low-temperature fuel from the fuel pump (13), so that the incoming air is lowered in temperature and then delivered to the compressor; A combustion chamber (15) having a gas inlet and an air inlet; Its gas inlet is connected to the gas outlet of the ATR's main turbine; Its air inlet is connected to the outlet of the compressor; The combustion chamber (15) is used for fully burning the rich fuel gas from the main turbine and the air from the compressor; The middle portion of the fuel pipeline between the precooler (14) and the fuel turbine (10) is arranged close to the combustion chamber (15) and is used to heat the fuel in the fuel pipeline using the heat of the combustion chamber (15), so that the liquid fuel in the fuel pipeline is vaporized into gaseous fuel, which then enters the fuel turbine (10) and drives the fuel turbine (10) to rotate; A gas generator (16) having a gas inlet, an oxidant inlet, and a gas outlet; Its gas inlet is connected to the gas outlet of the fuel turbine (10); Its gas outlet is connected to the gas inlet of the main turbine; Its oxidant inlet is connected to the outlet of the oxidant pump (12); The gas generator (16) is used to drive the gas fuel of the fuel turbine (10) and the oxidant to pre-react in the gas generator (16), and to deliver the pre-reacted gas to the main turbine of the ATR; A clutch (11) has an active disc mounted on the fuel turbine (10) and an oxidizer pump (12) mounted on its driven disc. The clutch (11) is used to drive the fuel pump (13) and the oxidizer pump (12) to rotate under the rotation of the fuel turbine (10) when in a closed state, thereby providing power for the flow of fuel and oxidizer. When the ramjet gas generator stops working, the clutch (11) disconnects and controls the oxidizer pump (12) to stop working. At this time, only the fuel pump (13) needs to work to supply fuel to the combustion chamber (15).

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