A serial layout method of an oxygen-rich hypergolic cycle engine

Abstract

The application discloses a series layout method of an oxygen-rich hypergolic cycle engine and belongs to the field of overall layout of the oxygen-rich hypergolic cycle engine. The engine comprises an oxidizer half system and a fuel half system, the oxidizer half system at least comprises an oxygen pre-pressure pump, an oxygen turbine pump and a thrust chamber connected in sequence, and the fuel half system at least comprises a fuel pre-pressure pump and a fuel turbine pump. The axis of the oxidizer half system coincides with the thrust line of the engine, thereby forming a series layout main body. The oxygen pre-pressure pump, an oxygen swing hose, the oxygen turbine pump integrated with an annular oxygen-rich gas generator and the thrust chamber are connected in sequence along the axis direction. The oxygen swing hose is arranged on a low-pressure pipeline between the oxygen pre-pressure pump and the oxygen turbine pump, so that the oxygen pre-pressure pump does not participate in swing when the engine swings. The application is applied to the oxygen-rich hypergolic cycle engine, breaks through the limitation of the traditional parallel layout and realizes an overall layout scheme of high compactness, centroid alignment, low swing torque and avoidance of use of a high-pressure swing hose.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of overall layout of oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engines, and specifically relates to a serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine. Background Technology

[0002] The engines used in spacecraft are mainly divided into two types according to the way the turbine exhaust gas is discharged: open cycle and closed cycle. Closed cycle engines include staged combustion cycle and expansion cycle. Staged combustion cycle includes oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle, fuel-enriched staged combustion cycle and full-flow staged combustion cycle.

[0003] Currently, existing pump-propelled staged combustion cycle engines typically employ a parallel layout based on the thrust chamber. In this layout, the turbopump and thrust chamber are connected in parallel via gas ducts, and the turbopump's fixation primarily relies on the gas duct support. For example, Chinese patent CN111622864B discloses a semi-open oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine. Although it successfully combines open and staged combustion cycles to improve performance, its overall layout still belongs to the traditional parallel paradigm. This layout has the following inherent drawbacks: Large overall dimensions: The turbopump, gas generator, and thrust chamber are arranged in parallel, resulting in a large lateral dimension of the engine. Given a certain rocket body diameter, the number of engines that can be connected in parallel is limited, thus restricting the overall thrust increase of the aircraft.

[0004] Center of gravity deviation from thrust axis: Major components (such as turbopumps) are distributed on both sides of the thrust chamber, causing the overall center of gravity of the engine to deviate significantly from the engine thrust line. When multiple engines are in parallel, this introduces a significant eccentric moment into the rocket body, increasing the difficulty of flight control and the burden on the attitude control system.

[0005] Large oscillation torque: In the traditional "pump-front oscillation" scheme, the entire turbopump assembly usually needs to oscillate along with the thrust chamber to achieve thrust vector control. Due to the large mass inertia of the turbopump, the engine's oscillation torque is large, requiring the servo mechanism to provide greater output power, which increases the system's complexity and weight.

[0006] System complexity and risks: Parallel layouts typically require long, high-temperature, high-pressure gas ducts to connect the gas generator, turbine, and thrust chamber, which not only increases flow resistance losses but also brings higher risks of leakage and structural failure.

[0007] On the other hand, in order to reduce the swaying torque, the "post-pump swaying" technology has emerged (such as the scheme disclosed in CN117536730A), which only sways the thrust chamber while fixing the turbopump. However, this scheme requires the installation of a high-pressure swaying hose on the medium supply pipeline with high post-pump pressure, which is extremely technically difficult and faces serious challenges to reliability, especially unsuitable for high-thrust oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engines.

[0008] Therefore, existing technologies present a dilemma: using a "front-swing" design results in a large swing mass and large overall dimensions; using a "rear-swing" design faces the technical bottleneck of high-pressure swing hoses. There is an urgent need in this field for an innovative overall layout method that can simultaneously achieve a small overall dimensions, low eccentricity moment, low swing moment, and high reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The technical problem to be solved: To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine. The serial layout primarily refers to the alignment of the oxidizer semi-system axis with the engine thrust axis. The oxygen pre-compression pump, oxygen swing hose, oxygen turbopump, annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and thrust chamber are connected in stages, all using flange connections. The frame's constant-level ring assembly is fixed to the oxidizer semi-system and permanently connected to the test bench or rocket body. The gas pre-compression pump and gas turbopump are coaxially arranged. The gas-enriched generator is placed between the gas and oxygen semi-systems, providing working fluid to the oxygen turbopump turbine. This layout method can reduce the engine's overall dimensions, allowing for more engines to be placed within the same rocket body diameter. Simultaneously, the engine's center of gravity is closer to the engine thrust axis, reducing the rocket body's eccentric moment. The engine's oxygen swing hose is positioned between the oxygen pre-compression pump and the oxygen turbopump; the oxygen pre-compression pump does not participate in engine swinging, thus reducing engine swinging moment. This invention, applied to oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engines, overcomes the limitations of traditional parallel layouts, achieving a highly compact, center-of-gravity aligned, low-swinging-moment overall layout scheme that avoids the use of high-pressure swing hoses.

[0010] The technical solution of the present invention is: a serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched afterburning cycle engine, the engine including an oxidizer semi-system and a fuel semi-system, the oxidizer semi-system including at least an oxygen pre-compression pump 8, an oxygen turbopump and a thrust chamber 1 connected in sequence, and the fuel semi-system including at least a fuel pre-compression pump 3 and a fuel turbopump 2. The axis of the oxidizer semi-system coincides with the thrust line of the engine, forming the main body of the serial layout; The oxygen pre-pressurization pump 8, the oxygen swing hose 7, the oxygen turbine pump 6 with an integrated annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and the thrust chamber 1 are connected in stages along the axial direction. The oxygen swing hose 7 is installed on the low-pressure pipeline between the oxygen pre-compression pump 8 and the oxygen turbine pump, so that the oxygen pre-compression pump 8 does not participate in the swing when the engine swings. A further technical solution of the present invention is that the oxygen pre-pressurization pump 8, the oxygen swing hose 7, the oxygen turbine pump 6 integrating an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and the thrust chamber 1 are all connected by a flange structure. A further technical solution of the present invention is: the oxygen turbine pump 6, which integrates an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, is directly connected to the thrust chamber 1 through a flange, and no independent high-temperature and high-pressure gas conduit is provided between the two.

[0011] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the engine further includes a frame constant level ring assembly 10, the frame constant level ring assembly 10 is fixedly installed on the oxidant half system, its axis coincides with the axis of the oxidant half system, and its swing center coincides with the geometric center of the oxygen swing hose 7. A further technical solution of the present invention is: the fuel semi-system is arranged on the side of the thrust chamber 1, wherein the fuel turbo pump 2, the fuel pre-compression pump 3, and the fuel swing hose 4 are connected in sequence; the axis of the fuel swing hose 4 is located in a plane that forms a 45° angle with the engine swing plane. A further technical solution of the present invention is that the engine further includes a rich-fuel generator 5, which is directly connected to the turbine inlet flange of the gas turbine pump 2.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the gas turbine pump 2 is fixedly installed on the fuel inlet flange of the thrust chamber 1; the engine also includes a gas turbine pump rear main pipe 16, which is connected to the fuel outlet of the gas turbine pump 2 and is distributed on both sides of the thrust chamber 1 at 180° opposite to the gas turbine pump 2; at the same time, the fuel-rich generator 5 is also distributed opposite to the gas turbine pump rear main pipe 16.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is that the engine further includes a multiple ignition device 9, which is connected to an oxygen turbine pump 6 integrating an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator via a flange, and its axis is located on a plane that forms a 90° angle with the symmetry plane of the engine's oxygen / fuel half-system. A further technical solution of the present invention is: the propellant supply and control system interface of the engine, including the oxygen pre-pressurization pump drive pipe 17, the nitrogen start pipe 18, the fuel box pressurization input pipe 19 and the fuel box pressurization delivery pipe 20, are all arranged on the frame constant level ring assembly 10; and each pipe is provided with two corrugated hoses to compensate for the angular deformation generated when the engine swings in both directions.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the engine further includes a servo mechanism 11 and a lower support assembly 12; the upper end of the servo mechanism 11 is connected to the frame constant level ring assembly 10, the lower end is connected to the lower support assembly 12, and both ends are provided with joint bearings.

[0015] Beneficial effects The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Compared with the prior art, the oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine serial layout method provided by this invention, by aligning the oxidizer semi-system axis with the engine thrust line and adopting a series of synergistically optimized layout designs, brings the following significant beneficial effects: 1. This invention significantly reduces the lateral dimensions of the engine by arranging the oxygen pre-pressurization pump, oxygen turbopump, annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and thrust chamber in a compact, axial sequence. This allows for the parallel installation of more engines within a given rocket body diameter, thereby substantially increasing the aircraft's total thrust and payload capacity, providing crucial technical support for the development of heavy-lift launch vehicles.

[0016] 2. Because all major mass components of the oxidizer system are arranged along the thrust line, the engine's overall center of mass is highly aligned with the thrust axis. When multiple engines operate in parallel, this fundamentally reduces or even eliminates the eccentric torque caused by the center of mass shift, greatly reducing the burden on the rocket's attitude control system and improving the inherent stability and control accuracy of flight.

[0017] 3. This invention places the oxygen swaying hose on the low-pressure pipeline between the oxygen pre-compression pump and the oxygen turbo pump, thus preventing the massive oxygen pre-compression pump from participating in engine swaying. This significantly reduces the rotational inertia of the swaying components, thereby greatly reducing the swaying torque required to achieve thrust vector control.

[0018] 4. This invention employs an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator directly connected to the thrust chamber head via a flange, completely eliminating the complex, bulky, and high-risk high-temperature, high-pressure gas conduit found in traditional layouts. This not only simplifies the structure and reduces weight but also fundamentally eliminates the risk of high-temperature gas leakage in this area, improving the inherent reliability of the engine.

[0019] 5. The overall layout of this invention clearly divides the engine into two main modules: the oxidizer semi-system and the fuel semi-system. The fuel semi-system can be stably supported and positioned through the thrust chamber flange and the main guide pipe. This modular design allows the fuel semi-system to be easily tested separately, greatly reducing the difficulty and cost of testing during the development process. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a top view of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Thrust chamber; 2. Gas turbine pump; 3. Gas pre-compression pump; 4. Gas swing hose; 5. Rich fuel generator; 6. Oxygen turbine pump with integrated annular oxygen-enriched gas generator; 7. Oxygen swing hose; 8. Oxygen pre-compression pump; 9. Multiple ignition device; 10. Frame constant level ring assembly; 11. Servo mechanism; 12. Lower support assembly; 13. Solenoid valve bracket; 14. Gas turbine pump support; 15. Gas pre-compression pump support plate; 16. Gas pump rear main control pipe; 17. Oxygen pre-compression pump drive pipe; 18. Nitrogen start pipe; 19. Fuel tank pressurization input pipe; 20. Fuel tank pressurization delivery pipe. Detailed Implementation The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0023] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0024] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched afterburning cycle engine. The engine includes an oxidizer semi-system and a fuel semi-system. The oxidizer semi-system includes at least an oxygen pre-compression pump 8, an oxygen turbopump, and a thrust chamber 1 connected in sequence. The fuel semi-system includes at least a fuel pre-compression pump 3 and a fuel turbopump 2. The axis of the oxidizer semi-system coincides with the thrust line of the engine, forming the main body of the serial layout. The oxygen pre-compression pump 8, the oxygen swing hose 7, the oxygen turbopump 6 integrating an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and the thrust chamber 1 are connected step by step along the axis. The oxygen swing hose 7 is located on the low-pressure pipeline between the oxygen pre-compression pump 8 and the oxygen turbopump, so that the oxygen pre-compression pump 8 does not participate in the swinging when the engine swings.

[0025] The above technical solution will be further explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings: In one embodiment, refer to Figure 1 As shown in the figure, this embodiment presents a serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine. The core of this engine lies in its unique serial layout, where the axis of the oxidizer semi-system completely coincides with the thrust line of the engine. The main components are arranged sequentially along this axis, forming a compact longitudinal main structure. The fuel semi-system, as an auxiliary module, is arranged laterally beside the thrust chamber.

[0026] The oxygen-enriched combustion cycle engine mainly consists of an oxidizer semi-system and a fuel semi-system. The fuel semi-system includes components such as a fuel pre-compression pump, a fuel turbopump, and a fuel-enriched generator. The oxidizer semi-system includes components such as an oxygen pre-compression pump, an oxygen turbopump, and an oxygen-enriched generator. The multiple ignition device is shared by both semi-systems.

[0027] Serial layout and connection of the oxidant half-system: The oxidizer system forms the backbone of the engine. Starting from the top, the outlet of the oxygen preload pump 8 is connected to the inlet of the oxygen turbine pump 6, which integrates an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, via an oxygen swing hose 7. The outlet of this gas generator is directly connected to the head of the thrust chamber 1 via another set of flanges, without any independent high-temperature, high-pressure gas conduits in between. This serial structure allows the center of mass of the engine's oxygen system to coincide with the thrust line, minimizing the impact of the centrifugal force from the high-speed rotation of the oxygen preload pump and oxygen turbine pump on the engine and rocket body. The key to this layout lies in the precise placement of the oxygen swing hose 7 on the low-pressure line between the oxygen pre-compression pump 8 and the oxygen turbopump 6, which integrates an annular oxygen-enriched gas generator. This design means that during thrust vectoring of the engine, only the oxygen turbopump 6 and its subsequent components (gas generator, thrust chamber) participate in the swing, while the massive oxygen pre-compression pump 8 remains stationary. This structure effectively reduces the height of the engine swing center and decreases the engine swing torque, while avoiding the technical challenge of developing a high-pressure swing hose for pump-driven swing.

[0028] Rack and support system: The frame constant level ring assembly 10 is fixedly mounted on the housing of the oxygen turbopump 6 and fixedly connected to the test bench or rocket body, with its axis coinciding with the axis of the oxidizer semi-system. The swing center of this assembly is designed to coincide with the geometric center of the oxygen swing hose 7, ensuring that the hose is in optimal working condition during swinging and only subjected to single angular deformation. The upper end of the servo mechanism 11 is hinged to the frame constant level ring assembly 10, and the lower end is connected to the lower support assembly 12 fixed to the rocket body or test bench. Both ends of the servo mechanism 11 are equipped with spherical bearings to absorb the angular displacement generated during bidirectional swinging and avoid mutual interference between actuators.

[0029] Lateral and optimized layout of fuel system: The fuel semi-system is arranged parallel to one side of the thrust chamber 1. The fuel swing hose 4, fuel pre-compression pump 3, and fuel turbo pump 2 are connected in sequence. The fuel pre-compression pump 3 and fuel turbo pump 2 are coaxially arranged and connected by the fuel swing hose 4. To minimize the engine's lateral envelope size, the axis of the fuel swing hose 4 is intentionally positioned in a plane at a 45° angle to the engine's swing plane. Although this is not the theoretically optimal operating position for the hose, optimized design meets operational requirements and achieves a significant reduction in overall size. The fuel turbo pump 2 is supported and mounted via a fuel turbo pump support 14.

[0030] The rich fuel generator 5 is positioned within the space between the fuel semi-system and the oxidizer semi-system. One end of it is directly connected to the turbine inlet of the gas turbine pump 2 via a flange, providing working fluid to the oxygen turbine pump. The gas turbine pump 2 is entirely mounted on the fuel inlet flange of the thrust chamber 1. The main gas turbine pump downstream main pipe 16, extending from the fuel outlet of the gas turbine pump 2, is distributed 180° opposite to the gas turbine pump 2 on both sides of the thrust chamber 1. Simultaneously, the rich fuel generator 5 is also distributed opposite to the main gas turbine pump downstream main pipe 16. This symmetrical layout effectively balances the engine's center of gravity, bringing it closer to the thrust axis; it also facilitates separate hot-fire testing of the fuel semi-system.

[0031] The gas turbine system relies on the thrust chamber flange and the gas pre-pressurization pump support plate 15 to limit the axial and radial displacement of the gas turbine system. At the same time, the gas turbine pump rear main pipe 16 is connected to the lower support assembly 12 to further fix the gas turbine system. Integration and deployment of the attachment system: The multiple ignition device 9 is connected to the side of the oxygen turbopump 6 via a flange, and its axis lies on a plane at 90° to the symmetry plane of the engine's oxygen / fuel system. This position brings it closest to the fuel-rich generator 5, the oxygen turbopump 6 which integrates an annular oxygen-rich gas generator, and the thrust chamber 1, facilitating the reliable delivery of igniter to these three combustion devices.

[0032] All propellant supply and control system interfaces of the engine are centrally located on the frame's constant-level ring assembly 10 for easy connection with the rocket body piping. These interfaces include the oxygen preload pump drive pipe 17, nitrogen start pipe 18, fuel box pressurization input pipe 19, and fuel box pressurization delivery pipe 20. These pipes horizontally encircle the engine on its oscillation plane. Two corrugated hoses are connected in series on each pipe, precisely positioned within the engine's oscillation plane to compensate for angular deformation caused by bidirectional engine oscillation. All corrugated hoses are in their optimal operating positions.

[0033] A brief description of the working process in this embodiment: When the engine starts, the multiple ignition device 9 operates, and simultaneously, propellant enters the combustion chamber driven by the turbopump. The fuel-rich generator 5 produces fuel gas to drive the fuel turbopump 2, and the oxygen-rich fuel gas generator 6a produces oxygen-rich fuel gas to drive the oxygen turbopump 6. Main combustion takes place in the thrust chamber 1, generating thrust.

[0034] When attitude control is required, the servo mechanism 11 actuates, pushing the frame constant level ring assembly 10 and the entire series body (oxygen turbopump, gas generator, thrust chamber) fixed thereto to swing around the swing center, thereby achieving thrust vector control. During this process, the oxygen pre-pressurization pump 8 and most components of the fuel semi-system remain stationary, with their relative motion compensated by their respective swing hoses.

[0035] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A serial layout method for an oxygen-enriched afterburning cycle engine, the engine comprising an oxidizer semi-system and a fuel semi-system, the oxidizer semi-system comprising at least an oxygen pre-compression pump (8), an oxygen turbopump, and a thrust chamber (1) connected in sequence, and the fuel semi-system comprising at least a fuel pre-compression pump (3) and a fuel turbopump (2); characterized in that: The axis of the oxidizer semi-system coincides with the thrust line of the engine, forming the main body of the serial layout; The oxygen pre-pressurization pump (8), oxygen swing hose (7), oxygen turbine pump (6) with an integrated annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and thrust chamber (1) are connected step by step along the axial direction. The oxygen swing hose (7) is installed on the low-pressure pipeline between the oxygen pre-pressurization pump (8) and the oxygen turbine pump, so that the oxygen pre-pressurization pump (8) does not participate in the swing when the engine swings.

2. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oxygen pre-pressurization pump (8), oxygen swing hose (7), oxygen turbine pump (6) with an integrated annular oxygen-enriched gas generator, and thrust chamber (1) are all connected by a flange structure.

3. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The oxygen turbine pump (6) integrated with the annular oxygen-enriched gas generator is directly connected to the thrust chamber (1) via a flange, and there is no independent high-temperature and high-pressure gas conduit between them.

4. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The engine also includes a frame constant level ring assembly (10), which is fixedly mounted on the oxidant half system. Its axis coincides with the axis of the oxidant half system, and its swing center coincides with the geometric center of the oxygen swing hose (7).

5. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fuel semi-system is arranged on the side of the thrust chamber (1), wherein the fuel turbo pump (2), the fuel pre-pressurization pump (3), and the fuel swing hose (4) are connected in sequence; the axis of the fuel swing hose (4) is located in a plane that forms a 45° angle with the engine swing plane.

6. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The engine also includes a fuel-rich generator (5), which is directly connected to the turbine inlet flange of the fuel turbine pump (2).

7. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 6, characterized in that: The gas turbine pump (2) is fixedly installed on the fuel inlet flange of the thrust chamber (1); the engine also includes a gas turbine pump rear main pipe (16), which is connected to the fuel outlet of the gas turbine pump (2) and is distributed on both sides of the thrust chamber (1) at 180° opposite to the gas turbine pump (2); at the same time, the fuel-rich generator (5) is also distributed opposite to the gas turbine pump rear main pipe (16).

8. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The engine also includes a multiple ignition device (9), which is connected to an oxygen turbine pump (6) with an integrated annular oxygen-enriched gas generator via a flange, and its axis is located on a plane that forms a 90° angle with the symmetry plane of the engine's oxygen / fuel half-system.

9. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 8, characterized in that: The propellant supply and control system interface of the engine, including the oxygen pre-pressurization pump drive pipe (17), nitrogen start pipe (18), fuel box pressurization input pipe (19) and fuel box pressurization delivery pipe (20), are all arranged on the frame constant level ring assembly (10); and each pipe is equipped with two corrugated hoses to compensate for the angular deformation generated when the engine swings in both directions.

10. The method for serial layout of an oxygen-enriched staged combustion cycle engine according to claim 9, characterized in that: The engine also includes a servo mechanism (11) and a lower support assembly (12); the upper end of the servo mechanism (11) is connected to the frame constant level ring assembly (10), the lower end is connected to the lower support assembly (12), and both ends are provided with joint bearings.

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