Electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine and launch vehicle

Abstract

The application provides an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and a carrier rocket, and the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine comprises a gas-driven generator system, an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and an energy management system, the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected with the energy management system, and the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected with the energy management system. In the technical scheme, the generator system avoids the rocket carrying a large mass of batteries, and the energy management system realizes the most efficient operation of the generator under all working conditions. The technical scheme has small energy loss, light structure mass, reduces the development and application cost of the carrier rocket, and improves the reliability of the carrier rocket.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of rocket engines and launch vehicles, and particularly relates to an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and a launch vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the third decade of the 21st century, commercial space development is in full swing worldwide. In order to achieve the goal of large quantities, low cost and high reliability, current commercial space companies tend to use launch vehicles with multiple engines in parallel, and the engines usually use liquid rocket engines with relatively small gas generator cycles or electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engines.

[0003] On the one hand, for the gas generator cycle liquid rocket engine, the traditional gas-driven turbine drives the pump to pressurize the propellant in the "direct drive" mode. Due to the strong coupling between components, there are many combustion devices, and there are many problems such as difficulty in matching the ignition timing and working condition of the main / auxiliary system, slow working condition climbing, complex and difficult continuous variable thrust regulation, and low electrification level. In addition, when the engine deviates from the rated working condition, a large number of components deviate from the optimal working interval, resulting in a decrease in overall efficiency.

[0004] On the other hand, the electric pump pressure type engine used by the traditional electric rocket represented by the "Electron" rocket has the advantages of good acceleration, rapid and consistent response, but the traditional electric pump rocket relies heavily on its own battery power supply, resulting in a serious decrease in the dry mass ratio of the rocket, thereby affecting the carrying efficiency of the launch vehicle. Even if the "spent and discarded" working mode similar to the "Electron" rocket is used to gradually discard the spent batteries during flight, the above problems still exist, and the additional battery discarding mechanism will also reduce the reliability of the launch vehicle. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and a launch vehicle to reduce the development and use cost of the launch vehicle and improve the reliability of the launch vehicle.

[0006] In a first aspect, an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is provided, comprising: a gas-driven generator system, an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine, and an energy management system, wherein,

[0007] The gas-driven generator system is electrically connected to the energy management system;

[0008] The electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected to the energy management system;

[0009] Further comprising an energy storage system, wherein,

[0010] The energy storage system is electrically connected to the energy management system.

[0011] In the above technical solution, by setting the gas-driven generator system, the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and the energy management system, the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected with the energy management system; the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected with the energy management system; the generator system avoids the rocket carrying a large mass of batteries, and the energy management system realizes the highest efficiency operation of the generator under all working conditions. The technical solution has small energy loss, light structure mass, reduces the development and use cost of the carrier rocket, and improves the reliability of the carrier rocket.

[0012] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system comprises a gas turbine, a generator, a gas generator, an exhaust nozzle, a generator electric pump, a generator fuel valve and a generator oxygen valve, wherein,

[0013] the gas turbine is connected with the generator,

[0014] the generator is electrically connected with the energy management system;

[0015] the gas generator is communicated with the gas turbine,

[0016] the gas generator is communicated with the exhaust nozzle;

[0017] the generator electric pump is used for conveying a propellant combination for the gas generator.

[0018] the gas-driven generator system comprises.

[0019] In a specific implementable embodiment, the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine comprises an engine electric pump, a thrust chamber, a thrust chamber fuel valve and a thrust chamber oxygen valve, wherein,

[0020] the engine electric pump is used for conveying a propellant combination for the thrust chamber.

[0021] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system and the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine adopt the same propellant combination.

[0022] In a specific implementable embodiment, the adjustment method of the energy management system comprises:

[0023] the electric energy output by the generator is adjusted by the energy management system and distributed to the engine electric pump.

[0024] In a specific implementable embodiment, the method for maintaining the high efficiency of the generator comprises:

[0025] When the electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine throttles or partially closes, the excess power of the generator is allocated by the energy management system to charge the energy storage system.

[0026] In one specific embodiment, the method for starting the electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine comprises:

[0027] Before the rocket flight, the propellant is filled and the energy storage system is charged; at ignition, the electric generator and the engine electric pump are started by the electric energy of the energy storage system, and the gas generator is started to drive the gas turbine to work the electric generator, replacing the energy storage system to supply power to the electric generator and the engine electric pump.

[0028] In a second aspect, a launch vehicle is provided, comprising any of the electric pump pressure liquid rocket engines.

[0029] The present application combines the advantages of the gas generator cycle and the electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine, by providing a gas-driven generator system, an electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine, and an energy management system, wherein the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected to the energy management system, and the electric pump pressure liquid rocket engine is electrically connected to the energy management system. The engine does not need external energy to start, can accurately control the pump output power, achieve precise throttling, avoid carrying large mass batteries, and ensure the highest efficiency of the generator under all working conditions. The technical solution has small energy loss, light structure mass, reduces the development and use cost of the launch vehicle, and improves the reliability of the launch vehicle. Specifically, it comprises:

[0030] First, the electric pump replaces the turbine pump, the engine does not need external energy to start, can accurately control the pump output power, and achieve precise throttling; second, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can greatly reduce the dependence of the electric pump on the battery capacity, and greatly reduce the dead weight caused by the weight of the carried battery; third, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can make the generator driven by the gas turbine, especially the gas generator and the gas turbine, always work in the design working condition interval with higher efficiency, compared with the gas direct drive engine, which can improve the performance of the overall system; in particular, for the recoverable rocket, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can close the generator when the engine is deeply throttled or only a few engines are started for a short time, relying only on the energy storage system to supply power, to avoid the gas generator, gas turbine, and generator working in the non-design working interval; fourth, the above system makes the engine and the power system fully electrified, through a unified energy management system, the engine power and the control power can be supplied uniformly, which provides the possibility for the engine to cancel the pneumatic valve and realize full electrification.

[0031] In one embodiment, the system comprises a plurality of said electro-pump pressure-fed liquid rocket engines, a gas-driven generator system and an energy storage system.

[0032] In one embodiment, the gas-driven generator system is shut down and the energy storage system is used to power the electro-pump when the rocket is in the final stage of re-entry and landing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A system diagram of the electro-pump pressure-fed liquid rocket engine provided in the present application;

[0034] Figure 2 A preferred system working flow diagram of the electro-pump pressure-fed liquid rocket engine provided in the present application.

[0035] Wherein, 1 - gas-driven generator system, 2 - electro-pump pressure-fed liquid rocket engine, 3 - energy management system, 4 - energy storage system, 11 - gas generator, 12 - gas turbine, 13 - generator, 14 - exhaust nozzle, 15 - generator electro-pump, 16 - generator fuel valve, 17 - generator oxygen valve, 21 - engine electro-pump, 22 - thrust chamber, 23 - thrust chamber fuel valve, 24 - thrust chamber oxygen valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present application will be further described by the following drawings and embodiments. Through these descriptions, the features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent.

[0037] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the drawings are not drawn to scale and the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

[0038] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present application described below can be combined with each other as long as there is no conflict.

[0039] To facilitate the understanding of the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and launch vehicle provided by the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios thereof are first described. The electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and launch vehicle provided by the embodiments of the present application are used to reduce the development and operation cost of the launch vehicle and improve the reliability of the launch vehicle. The launch vehicle with multiple parallel engines usually has a large number of same-function or even completely consistent components, which cannot be used as redundancy to improve the overall reliability of the launch vehicle, but instead, the large number of components leads to excessive weight and reduces the overall reliability of the launch vehicle. On the one hand, taking a gas generator cycle liquid rocket engine as an example, the traditional gas-driven turbine and the turbine-driven pump "direct drive" mode for propellant pressurization has the following disadvantages: strong coupling between components, multiple combustion devices, difficulty in matching the ignition timing and working conditions of the main / auxiliary system, slow working condition climbing, complex and difficult continuous variable thrust regulation, low electrification level, and the like. In addition, when the engine deviates from the rated working condition, a large number of components deviate from the optimal working interval, resulting in a decrease in overall efficiency. On the other hand, the electric pump pressure type engine used in the traditional electric rocket represented by the "Electron" rocket has the advantages of good acceleration, rapid and consistent response, but the traditional electric pump rocket relies heavily on its own battery power supply, resulting in a serious decrease in the dry mass ratio of the rocket, thereby affecting the carrying efficiency of the launch vehicle. Even if the "spent and discarded" working mode of gradually discarding the spent batteries during flight is adopted, the above problems still exist, and the additional battery discarding mechanism also reduces the reliability of the launch vehicle. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and launch vehicle to reduce the development and operation cost of the launch vehicle and improve the reliability of the launch vehicle. The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the specific drawings.

[0040] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 A system diagram of the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure. Figure 2 A preferred system working process diagram of the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine provided by the embodiments of the present application is shown in the figure.

[0041] In Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the embodiments of the present application provide an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine, which comprises a gas-driven generator system 1, an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine 2, and an energy management system 3, wherein

[0042] The gas-driven generator system is electrically connected to the energy management system;

[0043] The electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected to the energy management system.

[0044] In the above technical solution, the gas-driven generator system, the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and the energy management system are provided, the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected with the energy management system, and the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected with the energy management system. The generator system avoids the rocket carrying a large mass of batteries, and the energy management system realizes the highest efficiency operation of the generator under all working conditions. The technical solution has small energy loss, light structure mass, reduces the development and application cost of the carrier rocket, and improves the reliability of the carrier rocket.

[0045] In a specific implementable embodiment, the energy storage system 4 is further included, wherein,

[0046] The energy storage system is electrically connected with the energy management system.

[0047] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system includes a gas turbine 12 and a generator 13, wherein,

[0048] The gas turbine is connected with the generator,

[0049] The generator is electrically connected with the energy management system.

[0050] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system includes a gas generator 11 and an exhaust nozzle 14, wherein,

[0051] The gas generator is communicated with the gas turbine,

[0052] The gas generator is communicated with the exhaust nozzle.

[0053] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system includes a generator electric pump 15, wherein,

[0054] The generator electric pump is used for conveying a propellant combination for the gas generator.

[0055] In a specific implementable embodiment, the gas-driven generator system includes a generator fuel valve 16 and a generator oxygen valve 17.

[0056] In a specific implementable embodiment, the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine includes an engine electric pump 21 and a thrust chamber 22, wherein,

[0057] The engine electric pump is used for conveying a propellant combination for the thrust chamber.

[0058] In a specific implementable embodiment, the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine includes a thrust chamber fuel valve 23 and a thrust chamber oxygen valve 24.

[0059] In one specific embodiment, the gas generator and the electrically pumped liquid rocket engine use the same propellant combination.

[0060] In particular, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the electrically pumped liquid rocket engine is a kind of electrically pumped liquid rocket engine using centralized gas power generation, which can meet the requirements of low cost, high reliability and recyclability of launch vehicles, including a gas-driven generator system 1, an electrically pumped liquid rocket engine 2, an energy management system 3, and an energy storage system 4.

[0061] The gas-driven generator system uses the same propellant combination as the electrically pumped liquid rocket engine 2, and the propellant source has multiple forms: ① direct supply from tank pressure, ② supply using part or all of the engine electric pump 21, ③ supply using an independent generator electric pump 15. In the above-mentioned schemes, scheme ③ is preferred, so that the gas-driven generator system includes a gas generator 11, a gas turbine 12, a generator 13, an exhaust nozzle 14, a generator electric pump 15, a generator fuel valve 16, and a generator oxygen valve 17.

[0062] The electrically pumped liquid rocket engine includes an engine electric pump 21, a thrust chamber 22, a thrust chamber fuel valve 23, and a thrust chamber oxygen valve 24.

[0063] With reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the working principle is as follows:

[0064] The gas generator 11 uses the same propellant combination as the engine, which is supplied by a dedicated generator electric pump 15. The propellant combustion produces high-temperature and high-pressure gas to drive the gas turbine 12, which drives the generator 13 to work, and the turbine exhaust gas of the gas turbine 12 is discharged through the exhaust nozzle 14 to form a certain thrust. The electric energy output by the generator is adjusted by the energy management system 3 and distributed to the engine electric pump 21 and other electrical appliances. If there is a surplus of power generation of the generator 13, it will charge the energy storage system 4. The engine electric pump 21 pressurizes the propellant and delivers it to the thrust chamber 22 for combustion to form thrust.

[0065] The generator dedicated electric pump 15, the gas generator 11, the gas turbine 12, the generator 13, the energy management system 3, and the energy storage system 4 form a self-circulating device for power generation, power supply, and power consumption. This device simultaneously supplies power to the engine 2 to maintain the operation of the engine electric pump 21.

[0066] The gas generated by the gas generator 11, after doing work on the gas turbine 12, is accelerated and discharged through the exhaust nozzle 14 to form a certain thrust. At the same time, the exhaust nozzle 14 is in a supercritical state, maintaining the back pressure of the gas turbine unaffected by external environmental changes.

[0067] The launch vehicle applying the engine system has the following working modes:

[0068] Before the rocket flies, the propellant is filled and the energy storage system 4 is charged. When ignited, the energy storage system 4 drives the generator electric pump 15 and the engine electric pump 21 to rotate, and starts the gas generator 11 to blow the gas turbine 12 to make the generator 13 work, and replaces the energy storage system 4 to supply power to the generator electric pump 15 and the engine electric pump 21. When the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine 2 is throttled or partially closed, the surplus power of the generator 13 is allocated to the energy storage system 4 by the energy management system 3. When the rocket is in the final stage of returning and landing, the power generation system is closed, and the energy storage system is used to provide energy for the electric pump, and the remaining energy of the rocket is maximized.

[0069] In the above technical solution, the advantages of the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and the launch vehicle system using centralized gas power generation are as follows:

[0070] First, the electric pump replaces the turbine pump, the engine does not need external energy to rotate, and the pump output power can be accurately controlled to realize precise throttling. Second, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can greatly reduce the dependence of the electric pump on the battery capacity and greatly reduce the dead weight caused by the weight of the carried battery. Third, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can make the generator driven by the gas turbine, especially the gas generator and the gas turbine, always work in the design working condition interval with high efficiency. Compared with the gas direct drive engine, the overall system performance can be improved. In particular, for the recyclable rocket, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can close the generator when the engine is deeply throttled or only a few engines are turned on for a short time, and only rely on the energy storage system to supply power, avoiding the gas generator, gas turbine and generator working in the non-design working interval. Fourth, the above system makes the engine and the power system fully electrified, and through the unified energy management system, the engine power and the measurement and control power can be supplied uniformly, which provides the possibility for the engine to cancel the pneumatic valve and realize full electrification.

[0071] In Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the embodiment of the application further provides a launch vehicle comprising the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine of any one of the above.

[0072] In the above technical solution, by setting a gas-driven generator system, an energy management system and an energy storage system, and a plurality of electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engines, the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected with the energy management system; the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected with the energy management system; the electric pump replaces the turbine pump, the engine does not need external energy to start, and the pump output power can be accurately controlled to realize accurate throttling, thereby reducing the development and use cost of the carrier rocket and improving the reliability of the carrier rocket.

[0073] The present application combines the advantages of the gas generator cycle and the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine, and sets a gas-driven generator system, an electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine and an energy management system, wherein the gas-driven generator system is electrically connected with the energy management system; the electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engine is electrically connected with the energy management system; the engine does not need external energy to start, and the pump output power can be accurately controlled to realize accurate throttling, thereby avoiding the rocket carrying a large mass of batteries and ensuring the highest efficiency operation of the generator under all working conditions. The technical solution has small energy loss and light structure, reduces the development and use cost of the carrier rocket, and improves the reliability of the carrier rocket. Specifically, it includes:

[0074] First, the electric pump replaces the turbine pump, the engine does not need external energy to start, and the pump output power can be accurately controlled to realize accurate throttling; second, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can greatly reduce the dependence of the electric pump on the battery capacity and greatly reduce the dead weight caused by the weight of the carried batteries; third, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can make the generator driven by the gas turbine, especially the gas generator and the gas turbine, always work in the design working condition interval with high efficiency, which can improve the performance of the overall system compared with the gas direct drive engine; in particular, for the recoverable rocket, the combination of the generator and the energy storage system can close the generator and only rely on the energy storage system for power supply when the engine is deeply throttled or only a few engines are turned on for a short time, thereby avoiding the gas generator, gas turbine and generator working in the non-design working interval; fourth, the above system makes the engine and the power system fully electrified, and the engine power and the control power can be supplied uniformly through the unified energy management system, which provides the possibility for the engine to cancel the pneumatic valve and realize full electrification.

[0075] In one specific embodiment, a plurality of electric pump pressure type liquid rocket engines, a gas-driven generator system and an energy storage system are included.

[0076] In one specific embodiment, when the rocket is in the final stage of returning and landing, the gas-driven generator system is closed, and the energy storage system is used to provide energy for the electric pump.

[0077] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the present application can be embodied as a system, a method, or a computer program product.

[0078] Therefore, the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a complete hardware, a complete software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software, which is generally referred to as "circuitry", "module" or "system" herein. In addition, in some embodiments, the present application can also be embodied in the form of a computer program product in one or more computer readable media, which contains computer readable program codes.

[0079] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium can be employed. The computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, or any suitable combination of the above. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In this document, the computer readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device.

[0080] Although the embodiments of the present application have been shown and described above, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the present application, and those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, replacements and variations to the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present application. On this basis, various replacements and improvements can be made to the present application, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An electrically pump-driven liquid rocket engine, characterized in that, include: Gas-powered generator system, electric pump-fed liquid rocket engine, energy management system, among which, The gas-driven generator system is electrically connected to the energy management system; The electric pump-driven liquid rocket engine is electrically connected to the energy management system. It also includes energy storage systems, among which, The energy storage system is electrically connected to the energy management system; The gas-driven generator system includes a gas turbine, a generator, a gas generator, an exhaust gas nozzle, a generator electric pump, a generator combustion valve, and a generator oxygen valve, wherein... The gas turbine is connected to the generator. The generator is electrically connected to the energy management system; The gas generator is connected to the gas turbine. The gas generator is connected to the exhaust gas nozzle; The generator electric pump is used to deliver the propellant combination to the gas generator; The electric pump-driven liquid rocket engine includes an engine electric pump, a thrust chamber, a thrust chamber combustion valve, and a thrust chamber oxygen valve, wherein... The engine electric pump is used to deliver the propellant combination to the thrust chamber; The gas-driven generator system and the electric pump-pressurized liquid rocket engine use the same propellant combination; The adjustment method of the energy management system includes: The electrical energy output by the generator is regulated by the energy management system and distributed to the engine electric pump; Methods to maintain high generator efficiency include: When the electric pump-jet liquid rocket engine is throttled or partially shut down, the surplus power of the generator is allocated by the energy management system to charge the energy storage system. The method for starting the electric pump-driven liquid rocket engine includes: Before the rocket takes off, propellant is added and the energy storage system is charged. During ignition, the energy storage system drives the generator electric pump and the engine electric pump to start rotating, and the gas generator is started to blow the gas turbine to make the generator work, taking over the power supply from the energy storage system to the generator electric pump and the engine electric pump.

2. A launch vehicle, characterized in that, It includes multiple electric pump-fed liquid rocket engines as described in claim 1; a gas-driven generator system and an energy storage system; when the rocket is in the final stage of reentry and landing, the gas-driven generator system is shut down, and the energy in the energy storage system is used to power the electric pump.

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