Pressurizing attitude control integrated system based on propellant in rocket storage tank

Abstract

The invention relates to a pressurization attitude control integrated system based on a propellant in a rocket storage tank, an oxygen filter and a fuel filter are respectively located on branch pipelines led out from conveying pipes of an oxidant storage tank and a fuel storage tank, and the downstream of the oxygen filter and the downstream of the fuel filter are respectively connected with an oxygen electric pump and a fuel electric pump to pressurize the propellant; pipelines behind the oxygen electric pump and the combustion electric pump are connected with N thrusters which are arranged in parallel, the pipelines behind the pumps are connected with an oxygen / combustion electromagnetic valve, then the oxygen / combustion electromagnetic valve flows into a downstream oxygen / combustion main path venturi tube and an oxygen / combustion auxiliary path venturi tube, and an oxygen / combustion main path propellant enters the thrusters to be mixed and combusted to generate thrust; the oxygen / combustion auxiliary path propellant passes through the heat exchanger and then is led back to the storage tank through a pipeline to pressurize the storage tank; the actuating mechanism is connected with the thruster and controls the thruster to swing so as to achieve thrust vector adjustment. The carrying quantity and the structure weight of the pressurizing gas cylinder are reduced, the system complexity is reduced, ground operation is simplified, and the rocket task adaptability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of launch vehicle propulsion technology and relates to an integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in rocket tanks. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of the space industry, the demand for fast and low-cost transportation is driving the development of launch vehicles towards low cost, high performance, and reusability. Reusable liquid-fueled launch vehicles often employ independent auxiliary propulsion systems or cold gas attitude control schemes supplied by gas cylinders. The drawbacks of these schemes are that auxiliary propulsion systems typically use toxic propellants, which are highly toxic and have high operation and maintenance costs, making them unreusable. Cold gas attitude control schemes, due to their lower specific impulse, require a large amount of high-pressure gas. As the size of the rocket increases, the required gas cylinder size also increases, hindering rocket weight reduction. Furthermore, for rockets that require multiple restarts, the pressurization of the propellant tanks before the main engine operates can currently only be achieved through pressurized gas cylinders, increasing the amount of pressurized gas carried. This scheme also increases rocket weight and cost, hindering the improvement of rocket efficiency.

[0003] Current domestic research mainly focuses on using propellant within the propellant tank to achieve attitude and orbit control functions, i.e., integrated main and auxiliary propulsion systems. Invention patent CN119467136A, "An Integrated Main and Auxiliary Propulsion System for an Electric Pump-Pressurized Liquid Oxygen-Methane Rocket," introduces a technical solution using an electric pump and reversing valve to drive the attitude and orbit control engine. Utility model patent CN222391483U, "Integrated Main and Auxiliary Propulsion System and Liquid Rocket," proposes a method using a gas cylinder to supply gaseous propellant drawn from the engine to the auxiliary propulsion engine for attitude control propulsion. However, both are limited to using propellant for auxiliary propulsion functions; there is still no highly integrated system that utilizes propellant within the tank to simultaneously achieve attitude control propulsion and tank pressurization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and propose an integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in rocket tanks. This system aims to reduce the amount of pressurized gas cylinders carried and the structural weight, eliminate the need for conventional toxic propellant auxiliary propulsion systems, reduce system complexity, simplify ground operations, and improve the adaptability of rocket missions.

[0005] The solution to the technical problem solved by this invention is: an integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank, comprising an oxidizer tank, a fuel tank, a main engine, an oxygen filter, a fuel filter, an oxygen electric pump, a fuel electric pump, N oxygen solenoid valves, N main oxygen venturi tubes, N auxiliary oxygen venturi tubes, N oxygen heat exchangers, N fuel solenoid valves, N main fuel venturi tubes, N auxiliary fuel venturi tubes, N fuel heat exchangers, N thrusters, and N actuation mechanisms;

[0006] The oxidizer tank and fuel tank are used to supply propellant to the main engine. The oxygen filter and fuel filter are located on branch pipes leading out from the oxidizer tank and fuel tank supply pipes, respectively. The oxygen electric pump and fuel electric pump are connected downstream of the oxygen filter and fuel filter, respectively, to pressurize the propellant.

[0007] The pipelines after the oxygen electric pump and the fuel electric pump are connected to N thrusters arranged in parallel. Each parallel branch after the oxygen electric pump is as follows: the pipeline after the pump is connected to an oxygen solenoid valve to control the supply of oxidizer, and then flows into the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube, which control the flow rate of oxygen main line propellant and oxygen auxiliary line propellant respectively; the oxygen main line propellant then enters the thruster to mix with fuel and burn to generate thrust, and the oxygen auxiliary line propellant exchanges heat through an oxygen heat exchanger and is led back to the oxidizer tank through a pressurization pipeline to pressurize the oxidizer tank;

[0008] Each parallel branch after the gas-electric pump is as follows: the pipeline after the pump is connected to the gas solenoid valve to control the fuel supply, and then flows into the venturi tube of the downstream main gas line and the venturi tube of the gas auxiliary gas line, which respectively control the flow rate of the propellant in the main gas line and the propellant in the gas auxiliary gas line; the propellant in the main gas line then enters the thruster and mixes with the oxidizer to generate thrust, and the propellant in the gas auxiliary gas line exchanges heat through the gas heat exchanger and is led back to the fuel tank through the pressurization pipeline to pressurize the fuel tank;

[0009] The actuation mechanism is connected to the thruster and is used to control the thruster's oscillation to achieve thrust vector adjustment.

[0010] Furthermore, the system also includes an onboard battery for powering the oxygen electric pump and the fuel electric pump.

[0011] Furthermore, the oxygen solenoid valve and the fuel solenoid valve are configured as two-position three-way solenoid valves. The oxygen solenoid valve is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube. The fuel solenoid valve is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream fuel main line venturi tube and fuel auxiliary line venturi tube. A solenoid valve is installed in the pre-cooling discharge pipeline.

[0012] Furthermore, the pressurization pipelines after the oxygen heat exchanger and the combustion heat exchanger are equipped with solenoid valves and orifice plate structures to achieve closed-loop control of the tank pressure.

[0013] Furthermore, the value of N is not less than 4.

[0014] Furthermore, the system operation process is as follows:

[0015] Before rocket liftoff, the oxygen electric pump and the fuel electric pump are started in advance to pre-cool the supply pipeline. After the system start command is issued, the oxygen solenoid valves and fuel solenoid valves corresponding to N thrusters open synchronously, and the thrusters start to work. After the propellant in the thrusters is ignited to form high-temperature gas, the propellant in the oxygen heat exchanger and the fuel heat exchanger is vaporized to generate pressurized gas, which enters the corresponding storage tank for pressurization.

[0016] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are:

[0017] (1) The present invention utilizes the thruster heat exchange device to vaporize part of the propellant by exchanging heat with the thruster, thereby obtaining high-temperature gas that enters the storage tank for pressurization. On the one hand, it utilizes the remaining propellant in the storage tank, saves the amount of gas carried by the supplementary pressurization cylinder, and reduces the total weight of the rocket; on the other hand, it reduces the temperature of the thruster wall by heat exchange, reduces the difficulty of thermal protection of the device, and increases the number of times it can be reused.

[0018] (2) The present invention utilizes an actuation mechanism to control the swaying of the thruster nozzle, generating lateral attitude control thrust, so that the thruster can work continuously to meet the requirements of sinking and attitude control, without the need for pulse operation, so that the electric pump can work at a stable speed and flow rate, while reducing the development difficulty of components such as igniters and reducing the number of thrusters required.

[0019] (3) In this invention, the electric pump is started and the supply line solenoid valve is opened before the system starts working to discharge and pre-cool the thrusters; after the system starts, the main lines of N thrusters and the corresponding booster lines continue to work. The propellant flow rate is controlled by the cavitation pipe, so the flow rate after the electric pump remains constant, which reduces the difficulty of developing the electric pump. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated pressurization and attitude control system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 1 Oxidant tank; 2 Fuel tank; 3 Main engine; 4-1 Oxygen filter; 4-2 Fuel filter; 5-1 Oxygen electric pump; 5-2 Fuel electric pump; 6 Onboard battery; 7-1 Oxygen solenoid valve; 7-2 Fuel solenoid valve; 8-1 Oxygen main circuit Venturi tube; 8-2 Fuel main circuit Venturi tube; 9-1 Oxygen auxiliary circuit Venturi tube; 9-2 Fuel auxiliary circuit Venturi tube; 10-1 Oxygen heat exchanger; 10-2 Fuel heat exchanger; 11 Thrust; 12 Actuating mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] like Figure 1As shown, the integrated pressurization and attitude control system in this embodiment includes an oxidizer tank 1, a fuel tank 2, a main engine 3, an oxygen filter 4-1, a fuel filter 4-2, an oxygen electric pump 5-1, a fuel electric pump 5-2, an onboard battery 6, N oxygen solenoid valves 7-1, N main oxygen venturi tubes 8-1, N auxiliary oxygen venturi tubes 9-1, N oxygen heat exchangers 10-1, N fuel solenoid valves 7-2, N main fuel venturi tubes 8-2, N auxiliary fuel venturi tubes 9-2, N fuel heat exchangers 10-2, N thrusters 11, and N actuation mechanisms 12; in this embodiment, N = 4.

[0026] Oxidant tank 1 and fuel tank 2 are used to supply propellant to the main engine 3. Oxygen filter 4-1 and fuel filter 4-2 are respectively located on branch pipes leading out from the supply pipes of oxidant tank 1 and fuel tank 2. Downstream of oxygen filter 4-1 and fuel filter 4-2 are connected to oxygen electric pump 5-1 and fuel electric pump 5-2 to pressurize the propellant. Onboard battery 6 is used to power oxygen electric pump 5-1 and fuel electric pump 5-2.

[0027] The pipelines after oxygen electric pump 5-1 and fuel electric pump 5-2 are connected to four thrusters 11 arranged in parallel. Each parallel branch after oxygen electric pump 5-1 is as follows: the pipeline after the pump is connected to oxygen solenoid valve 7-1 to control the supply of oxidizer, which then flows into the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube 8-1 and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube 9-1, controlling the flow rate of oxygen main line propellant and oxygen auxiliary line propellant respectively; the oxygen main line propellant then enters the thruster 11 to mix with fuel and burn to generate thrust, and the oxygen auxiliary line propellant undergoes heat exchange through oxygen heat exchanger 10-1, and then passes through the pressurization pipeline ( Figure 1 (Blue thin line) Leads back to oxidant storage tank 1 to pressurize oxidant storage tank 1;

[0028] Each parallel branch after the gas-electric pump 5-2 is as follows: the post-pump pipeline connects to the gas solenoid valve 7-2 to control the fuel supply, and then flows into the downstream gas main pipeline venturi tube 8-2 and the gas auxiliary pipeline venturi tube 9-2, respectively controlling the flow rate of the gas main pipeline propellant and the gas auxiliary pipeline propellant; the gas main pipeline propellant then enters the thruster 11 to mix with the oxidizer and burn to generate thrust, and the gas auxiliary pipeline propellant undergoes heat exchange through the gas heat exchanger 10-2, and then passes through the pressurization pipeline ( Figure 1 The red thin line leads back to fuel tank 2 to pressurize fuel tank 2.

[0029] The actuation mechanism 12 is connected to the thruster 11 and controls the thruster 11 to swing in order to achieve thrust vector adjustment.

[0030] To facilitate the pre-cooling function of thruster 11, oxygen solenoid valve 7-1 and fuel solenoid valve 7-2 can be configured as two-position three-way solenoid valves. Oxygen solenoid valve 7-1 is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube 8-1 and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube 9-1. Fuel solenoid valve 7-2 is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream fuel main line venturi tube 8-2 and fuel auxiliary line venturi tube 9-2. A solenoid valve is installed in the pre-cooling discharge pipeline for pre-cooling discharge at ground level. When thruster 11 starts, it switches to the downstream venturi tube to supply propellant to thruster 11, oxygen heat exchanger 10-1, and fuel heat exchanger 10-2.

[0031] The pre-cooling exhaust and purging system required for thruster 11 is a common component and technology of engines. Its function is to provide a suitable environment before the engine starts working, and it will not be described in detail here. In addition, it also includes pipelines, fasteners, seals and other components in the system, which connect the above components in a reasonable way.

[0032] To better realize the function of controllable pressurization of the storage tank, the pressurization pipeline of the storage tank after the oxygen heat exchanger 10-1 and the fuel heat exchanger 10-2 can be equipped with solenoid valves, orifice plates and other structures to realize closed control of the storage tank pressure.

[0033] The pressurization and attitude control integrated system can pressurize oxidizer tank 1 and fuel tank 2, as well as control the rocket's attitude. The working process of the pressurization and attitude control integrated system is as follows:

[0034] Before rocket liftoff, oxygen electric pump 5-1 and fuel electric pump 5-2 are started in advance to pre-cool the supply pipeline. The specific timing is determined by the pre-cooling effect of the system to ensure that the pre-cooling is in place. After the system start command is issued, the oxygen solenoid valve 7-1 and fuel solenoid valve 7-2 corresponding to the four thrusters 11 are opened simultaneously, and the thrusters 11 start to work. After the propellant in the thrusters 11 is ignited to form high-temperature gas, the propellant in the oxygen heat exchanger 10-1 and the fuel heat exchanger 10-2 is vaporized by heat exchange to generate pressurized gas, which enters the corresponding storage tank for pressurization.

[0035] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make possible changes and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention by utilizing the methods and techniques disclosed above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0036] The contents not described in detail in this specification are common knowledge to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A pressurization and attitude control integrated system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank, characterized in that, It includes an oxidizer tank (1), a fuel tank (2), a main engine (3), an oxygen filter (4-1), a fuel filter (4-2), an oxygen electric pump (5-1), a fuel electric pump (5-2), N oxygen solenoid valves (7-1), N oxygen main line venturi tubes (8-1), N oxygen auxiliary line venturi tubes (9-1), N oxygen heat exchangers (10-1), N fuel solenoid valves (7-2), N fuel main line venturi tubes (8-2), N fuel auxiliary line venturi tubes (9-2), N fuel heat exchangers (10-2), N thrusters (11), and N actuation mechanisms (12); Oxidizer tank (1) and fuel tank (2) are used to supply propellant to the main engine (3). Oxygen filter (4-1) and fuel filter (4-2) are located on branch lines leading out from the supply pipes of oxidizer tank (1) and fuel tank (2), respectively. Downstream of oxygen filter (4-1) and fuel filter (4-2) are oxygen electric pump (5-1) and fuel electric pump (5-2) respectively to pressurize the propellant. The pipelines after the oxygen electric pump (5-1) and the fuel electric pump (5-2) are connected to N thrusters (11) arranged in parallel. Each parallel branch after the oxygen electric pump (5-1) is as follows: the pipeline after the pump is connected to the oxygen solenoid valve (7-1) to control the supply of oxidant, and then flows into the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube (8-1) and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube (9-1) to control the flow rate of oxygen main line propellant and oxygen auxiliary line propellant respectively; the oxygen main line propellant then enters the thruster (11) to be mixed with fuel and combusted to generate thrust, and the oxygen auxiliary line propellant is heat exchanged through the oxygen heat exchanger (10-1) and led back to the oxidant storage tank (1) through the pressurization pipeline to pressurize the oxidant storage tank (1); Each parallel branch after the gas-electric pump (5-2) is as follows: the pipeline after the pump is connected to the gas solenoid valve (7-2) to control the fuel supply, and then flows into the downstream gas main pipeline venturi tube (8-2) and the gas auxiliary pipeline venturi tube (9-2) to control the flow rate of the gas main pipeline propellant and the gas auxiliary pipeline propellant respectively; the gas main pipeline propellant then enters the thruster (11) to mix with the oxidizer and burn to generate thrust, and the gas auxiliary pipeline propellant undergoes heat exchange through the gas heat exchanger (10-2) and is led back to the fuel storage tank (2) through the pressurization pipeline to pressurize the fuel storage tank (2); The actuation mechanism (12) is connected to the thruster (11) and is used to control the swing of the thruster (11) to achieve thrust vector adjustment.

2. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system also includes an onboard battery (6) for powering the oxygen electric pump (5-1) and the fuel electric pump (5-2).

3. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen solenoid valve (7-1) is set as a two-position three-way solenoid valve. The oxygen solenoid valve (7-1) is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream oxygen main line venturi tube (8-1) and oxygen auxiliary line venturi tube (9-1).

4. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gas solenoid valve (7-2) is set as a two-position three-way solenoid valve. The gas solenoid valve (7-2) is connected to the pre-cooling discharge pipeline and the downstream gas main line venturi pipe (8-2) and gas auxiliary line venturi pipe (9-2).

5. A pressurization and attitude control integrated system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to any one of claims 3 or 4, characterized in that, The precooling discharge pipeline is equipped with a solenoid valve.

6. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pressurization pipeline after the oxygen heat exchanger (10-1) and the combustion heat exchanger (10-2) achieves closed-loop control of the tank pressure by setting up solenoid valves and orifice plate structures.

7. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The value of N is not less than 4.

8. The integrated pressurization and attitude control system based on propellant in a rocket propellant tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system operates as follows: Before the rocket takes off, the oxygen electric pump (5-1) and the fuel electric pump (5-2) are started in advance to pre-cool the supply pipeline. After the system start command is issued, the oxygen solenoid valve (7-1) and the fuel solenoid valve (7-2) corresponding to the N thrusters (11) are opened synchronously, and the thrusters (11) start to work. After the propellant in the thrusters (11) is ignited to form high-temperature gas, the propellant in the oxygen heat exchanger (10-1) and the fuel heat exchanger (10-2) is vaporized by heat exchange to generate pressurized gas, which enters the corresponding storage tank for pressurization.

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