Liquid oxygen deep supercooling system

Through the heat exchange and vacuum cooling technology between liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen, the liquid oxygen temperature is reduced to 65K, solving the problem of difficulty in further reducing the liquid oxygen temperature in the prior art, and improving the loading capacity and overall performance of the rocket.

CN222352697UActive Publication Date: 2025-01-14海南国际商业航天发射有限公司
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202421077807.0
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-17
Publication Date
2025-01-14
Estimated Expiration
2034-05-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The prior art is difficult to further reduce the liquid oxygen temperature to improve the loading capacity and overall performance of the rocket, and the use of liquid hydrogen or liquid helium as a refrigerant will cause liquid oxygen to cure.

Method used

A liquid oxygen deep subcooling system is designed, and heat exchange is used to use a liquid nitrogen storage tank and a subcooler to perform, and the liquid nitrogen is further cooled by vacuum evacuation through a vacuum generator, thereby reducing the temperature of the liquid oxygen and avoiding liquid oxygen curing. The system includes a liquid oxygen storage tank, a liquid nitrogen storage tank, a subcooler and a vacuum generator. Through the heat exchange and vacuum cooling technology of liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen, the liquid oxygen temperature is reduced to 65K.

Benefits of technology

Effectively lowering the liquid oxygen temperature to 65K, improving the rocket's energy density and overall performance, avoiding the risk of liquid oxygen curing, and improving the rocket's loading capacity and performance.

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Abstract

The utility model provides a liquid oxygen deep supercooling system, which relates to the field of low-temperature filling of carrier rockets, and is characterized in that a liquid oxygen storage tank stores liquid oxygen, and a liquid nitrogen storage tank stores liquid nitrogen; a tube pass inside the subcooler is communicated with the liquid oxygen storage tank, and a shell pass outside the subcooler is communicated with the liquid nitrogen storage tank; the supplied liquid oxygen and the liquid nitrogen are subjected to heat exchange in the subcooler, and the liquid oxygen is cooled by the liquid nitrogen; in the process, the vacuum generator is used for vacuumizing the shell pass, the temperature of the liquid nitrogen serving as the refrigerant is further reduced under the condition that the air pressure is reduced, the liquid nitrogen in the shell pass is further cooled, the temperature of the liquid oxygen is further reduced, the super-cooled liquid oxygen is prepared, the super-cooled liquid oxygen can be filled into the rocket, and the overall performance of the rocket is further improved.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of low-temperature filling of launch vehicles, and further relates to a liquid oxygen deep supercooling system. Background Art

[0002] Liquid oxygen propellant is the main propellant of rockets. Liquid oxygen needs to be pre-cooled before it is added to the rocket. At present, liquid nitrogen is generally used to cool liquid oxygen for cost and performance reasons. In this case, the liquid oxygen filling system can usually reduce the temperature to 82K.

[0003] Further lowering the temperature of liquid oxygen will help further increase the energy density, further increase the rocket's loading capacity, and improve the overall performance of the rocket.

[0004] If liquid hydrogen or liquid helium is used as a refrigerant to cool liquid oxygen, the temperature of the liquid oxygen will be too low, which may easily cause the liquid oxygen to solidify. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the temperature being too low to cause solidification while cooling.

[0005] For technicians in this field, how to further cool the liquid oxygen is a technical problem that needs to be solved at present. Utility Model Content

[0006] The core of the utility model is to provide a liquid oxygen deep supercooling system for preparing supercooled liquid oxygen. The supercooled liquid oxygen can be filled into the rocket to further improve the overall performance of the rocket. The specific scheme is as follows:

[0007] A liquid oxygen deep subcooling system, comprising:

[0008] Liquid oxygen storage tank, used to store liquid oxygen;

[0009] Liquid nitrogen storage tank, used to store liquid nitrogen;

[0010] The subcooler comprises an inner tube side and an outer shell side, wherein the tube side is connected to the liquid oxygen storage tank, and the shell side is connected to the liquid nitrogen storage tank; liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen exchange heat in the subcooler, and the liquid oxygen is cooled by the liquid nitrogen;

[0011] The vacuum generator is connected to the shell side and is used to evacuate the shell side to further cool the liquid nitrogen in the shell side, thereby further reducing the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side.

[0012] Optionally, the liquid oxygen storage tank is provided with a liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline, and a liquid oxygen vaporizer and a liquid oxygen regulating valve are provided on the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline; the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline is used to output the liquid oxygen in the liquid oxygen storage tank, and then input the liquid oxygen into the liquid oxygen storage tank after being vaporized by the liquid oxygen vaporizer.

[0013] Optionally, the liquid nitrogen storage tank is provided with a liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline, and a liquid nitrogen vaporizer and a liquid nitrogen regulating valve are provided on the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline; the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline is used to output the liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank, and then input the liquid nitrogen into the liquid nitrogen storage tank after being vaporized by the liquid nitrogen vaporizer.

[0014] Optionally, the shell side is connected to a discharge pipeline, and a discharge stop valve is provided on the discharge pipeline.

[0015] Optionally, a liquid oxygen stop valve is provided on the pipeline between the liquid oxygen storage tank and the subcooler;

[0016] A liquid nitrogen stop valve is arranged on the pipeline between the liquid nitrogen storage tank and the supercooler;

[0017] A vacuum stop valve is arranged on the pipeline between the vacuum generator and the shell side.

[0018] Optionally, the pipe connection is provided with a filling pipeline, and the filling pipeline is connected to the rocket tank;

[0019] A filling stop valve is arranged on the filling pipeline.

[0020] Optionally, a first temperature sensor and a first pressure sensor are provided on the tube side; a second temperature sensor and a second pressure sensor are provided on the shell side;

[0021] When the temperature of the tube side drops to 65K, the filling stop valve is opened for filling.

[0022] Optionally, a third temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor are arranged between the filling stop valve and the rocket tank.

[0023] The utility model provides a liquid oxygen deep supercooling system, wherein a liquid oxygen storage tank stores liquid oxygen, and a liquid nitrogen storage tank stores liquid nitrogen; the inner pipe side of the supercooler is connected to the liquid oxygen storage tank, and the outer shell side is connected to the liquid nitrogen storage tank; the supplied liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen undergo heat exchange in the supercooler, and the liquid oxygen is cooled by the liquid nitrogen; in this process, a vacuum generator is used to evacuate the shell side, and the temperature of the liquid nitrogen as a refrigerant is further reduced under the condition of reduced air pressure, so that the liquid nitrogen in the shell side is further cooled, thereby further reducing the temperature of the liquid oxygen, and supercooled liquid oxygen is prepared. The supercooled liquid oxygen can be filled into a rocket, and the overall performance of the rocket is further improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the liquid oxygen deep subcooling system provided by the utility model.

[0026] The figure includes:

[0027] Liquid oxygen storage tank 1, liquid oxygen self-circulation pipeline 11, liquid oxygen vaporizer 12, liquid oxygen regulating valve 13, liquid oxygen stop valve 14, liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, liquid nitrogen self-circulation pipeline 21, liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22, liquid nitrogen regulating valve 23, liquid nitrogen stop valve 24, subcooler 3, pipe side 31, filling pipeline 311, filling stop valve 312, shell side 32, discharge pipeline 321, discharge stop valve 322, vacuum stop valve 323, vacuum generator 4, rocket tank 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the liquid oxygen deep subcooling system of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0029] Combination Figure 1 As shown, the utility model provides a liquid oxygen deep subcooling system, comprising a liquid oxygen storage tank 1, a liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, a subcooler 3, and a vacuum generator 4, wherein the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 and the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 are storage containers, the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 is used to store liquid oxygen, and the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 is used to store liquid nitrogen. The liquid oxygen stored in the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 and the liquid nitrogen stored in the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 have not been subcooled.

[0030] The subcooler 3 includes an internal tube side 31 and an external shell side 32. The tube side 31 is arranged inside the shell side 32. The tube side 31 and the shell side 32 are independent of each other, and the liquid in the tube side 31 and the liquid in the shell side 32 cannot contact or communicate. The tube side 31 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, which can achieve high-efficiency heat conduction between the liquid in the tube side 31 and the liquid in the shell side 32.

[0031] The tube side 31 is connected to the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, and the liquid oxygen in the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 can be guided into the tube side 31; the shell side 32 is connected to the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, and the liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 can be guided into the shell side 32. The liquid oxygen entering the tube side 31 and the liquid nitrogen entering the shell side 32 exchange heat in the subcooler 3. The temperature of the liquid nitrogen is lower than the temperature of the liquid oxygen (liquid oxygen temperature: -183°C, liquid nitrogen temperature: -196°C), and the liquid oxygen is cooled by the liquid nitrogen.

[0032] The vacuum generator 4 is connected to the shell side 32 and is used to evacuate the shell side 32. The vacuum generator 4 is connected to the upper part of the shell side 32. The gas in the shell side is pumped out through the vacuum generator 4, and the air pressure in the shell side 32 is reduced. The temperature of the liquid nitrogen is further reduced due to the pressure drop, so that the liquid nitrogen in the shell side 32 is further cooled, and the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side 31 is further reduced, so that the liquid oxygen produces a supercooling effect, and the temperature of the liquid oxygen is further reduced. The liquid oxygen that is further supercooled and reduced enters the rocket for storage, which can increase the energy storage density of the liquid oxygen, provide more energy, and improve the overall performance of the rocket. The existing liquid oxygen filling system can usually reduce the temperature of the liquid oxygen to 82K. Through the liquid oxygen deep supercooling system of the utility model, the temperature of the liquid oxygen can be reduced to 65K, which greatly improves the overall performance of the rocket.

[0033] On the basis of the above scheme, the utility model is provided with a liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 on the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, and both ends of the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 are connected to the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, one end is used to discharge liquid oxygen, and the other end is used to allow vaporized liquid oxygen to enter. The liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 is provided with a liquid oxygen vaporizer 12 and a liquid oxygen regulating valve 13 ( Figure 1 In the figure, the liquid oxygen regulating valve 13 is used to control the flow rate of the liquid oxygen flowing through the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11, and the liquid oxygen vaporizer 12 is used to heat the liquid oxygen flowing through to achieve vaporization. The liquid oxygen vaporizer 12 can use room temperature to vaporize the liquid oxygen, and the vaporized liquid oxygen flows to the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 through the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11. That is, the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 is used to output the liquid oxygen in the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, and after being vaporized by the liquid oxygen vaporizer 12, it is input into the liquid oxygen storage tank 1. The liquid oxygen gathers at the bottom of the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, and the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 discharges the liquid oxygen into the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 from the bottom, and the vaporized liquid oxygen flows to the upper space of the liquid oxygen storage tank 1. By controlling the vaporization speed of the liquid oxygen, the pressure inside the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 can be adjusted, and then the flow rate of the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 to the pipe 31 of the subcooler 3 can be adjusted. The greater the pressure inside the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, the greater the amount of liquid oxygen delivered to the pipe side 31 per unit time.

[0034] Combination Figure 1As shown, similar to the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 provided by the utility model is provided with a liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline 21, and the two ends of the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline 21 are respectively connected to the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, one end is used to discharge liquid nitrogen, and the other end is used to discharge the vaporized liquid nitrogen back into the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2. The liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline 21 is provided with a liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22 and a liquid nitrogen regulating valve 23 ( Figure 1 In JL2, the liquid nitrogen regulating valve 23 is used to adjust the flow rate through the liquid nitrogen self-circulation pipeline 21, and the liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22 is used to heat the liquid nitrogen flowing through to achieve vaporization. The liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22 can use room temperature to vaporize the liquid nitrogen, and the vaporized liquid nitrogen flows back into the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 through the liquid nitrogen self-circulation pipeline 21. That is, the liquid nitrogen self-circulation pipeline 21 is used to output the liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, and after being vaporized by the liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22, it is input into the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2. The liquid nitrogen gathers at the bottom of the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, and the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 discharges the liquid nitrogen into the liquid nitrogen self-circulation pipeline 21 from the bottom, and the vaporized liquid nitrogen flows to the upper space of the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2. By controlling the vaporization rate of liquid nitrogen, the pressure inside the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 can be adjusted, and then the flow rate of the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 to the shell side 32 of the subcooler 3 can be adjusted. The greater the pressure inside the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2, the more liquid nitrogen is transported to the shell side 32 per unit time.

[0035] The speed at which the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 delivers liquid oxygen to the tube side 31 and the speed at which the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 delivers liquid nitrogen to the shell side 32 can be adjusted independently to match the amount required for heat exchange in the subcooler 3.

[0036] The liquid oxygen storage tank 1 and the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 use a self-circulating method to regulate the internal pressure and provide power for the internal liquid to be transported to the supercooler 3. No additional power source is required, and the liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen are refluxed separately, which can ensure that the liquid inside the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 and the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 is pure and avoids contamination.

[0037] Combination Figure 1 As shown, the shell side 32 is connected to a discharge pipeline 321, and a discharge stop valve 322 is provided on the discharge pipeline 321 ( Figure 1 The discharge pipeline 321 is used to discharge the liquid nitrogen in the shell side 32. After the liquid nitrogen completes the heat exchange in the shell side 32, it can be discharged to the outside through the discharge pipeline 321, and the discharge stop valve 322 controls the on-off of the discharge pipeline 321.

[0038] Combination Figure 1 As shown, the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 delivers liquid oxygen to the pipe 31 of the subcooler 3 through a pipeline, and a liquid oxygen stop valve 14 is provided on the pipeline between the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 and the subcooler 3 ( Figure 1In the JF1, the on-off of the pipeline can be controlled; when liquid oxygen is not needed, the liquid oxygen stop valve 14 can be completely closed. The liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 transports liquid nitrogen to the shell side 32 of the subcooler 3 through the pipeline, and a liquid nitrogen stop valve 24 ( Figure 1 The vacuum stop valve 323 is set on the pipeline between the vacuum generator 4 and the shell side 32 ( Figure 1 In JF4), when there is no need to pump to increase the vacuum degree, the vacuum stop valve 323 can be completely closed.

[0039] Based on any of the above technical solutions, Figure 1 As shown, the pipe 31 is connected to a filling pipe 311, and the filling pipe 311 is connected to the rocket tank 5. The supercooled liquid oxygen in the pipe 31 is discharged into the rocket tank 5 through the filling pipe 311. A filling stop valve 312 ( Figure 1 In JF2), when charging is not required, close the charging stop valve 312.

[0040] Furthermore, the utility model sets a first temperature sensor ( Figure 1 T1) and the first pressure sensor ( Figure 1 P1); a second temperature sensor is provided on the shell side 32 ( Figure 1 T2) and the second pressure sensor ( Figure 1 In P2, the second temperature sensor and the second pressure sensor can be arranged on the pipeline between the tube side 31 and the filling stop valve 312. The first temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side 31, and the first pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of the liquid oxygen in the tube side 31. The second temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the liquid nitrogen in the shell side 32, and the second pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of the liquid nitrogen in the shell side 32. Each temperature sensor and each pressure sensor transmits the detection signal to the controller respectively, and the heat exchange state of liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen is grasped in real time. By detecting the temperature and pressure, when the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side 31 drops to 65K, the filling stop valve 312 is opened for filling.

[0041] Combination Figure 1 As shown, a third temperature sensor ( Figure 1 T) and the third pressure sensor ( Figure 1 In the figure, the third temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of liquid oxygen during the filling process into the rocket tank 5, and the third pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure of liquid oxygen during the filling process into the rocket tank 5.

[0042] The above-mentioned liquid oxygen deep subcooling system can be used according to the following steps:

[0043] Liquid oxygen is provided to the tube side 31 of the subcooler 3 through the liquid oxygen storage tank 1, and liquid nitrogen is provided to the shell side 32 of the subcooler 3 through the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2. The subcooler 3 allows heat exchange between the liquid oxygen and the liquid nitrogen, and the liquid oxygen is cooled by the liquid nitrogen in the subcooler 3.

[0044] The vacuum generator 4 is started to continuously pump the shell side 32 , thereby reducing the gas pressure in the shell side 32 , further cooling the liquid nitrogen in the shell side 32 , and further reducing the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side 31 .

[0045] When the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 provides liquid oxygen to the pipe side 31 , the liquid oxygen regulating valve 13 is controlled to allow the liquid oxygen to flow into the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline 11 . After passing through the liquid oxygen vaporizer 12 , the vaporized liquid oxygen is re-input into the upper part of the liquid oxygen storage tank 1 .

[0046] When the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 provides liquid nitrogen to the shell side 32 , the liquid nitrogen regulating valve 23 is controlled to allow the liquid nitrogen to flow into the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline 21 . After passing through the liquid nitrogen vaporizer 22 , the vaporized liquid nitrogen is re-input into the upper part of the liquid nitrogen storage tank 2 .

[0047] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but will conform to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A liquid oxygen deep subcooling system, characterized in that: include: A liquid oxygen storage tank (1), used for storing liquid oxygen; Liquid nitrogen storage tank (2), used for storing liquid nitrogen; The subcooler (3) comprises an internal tube side (31) and an external shell side (32), wherein the tube side (31) is connected to the liquid oxygen storage tank (1), and the shell side (32) is connected to the liquid nitrogen storage tank (2); liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen exchange heat in the subcooler (3), and the liquid nitrogen cools the liquid oxygen; The vacuum generator (4) is connected to the shell side (32) and is used to evacuate the shell side (32) so as to further reduce the temperature of the liquid nitrogen in the shell side (32), thereby further reducing the temperature of the liquid oxygen in the tube side (31).

2. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid oxygen storage tank (1) is provided with a liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline (11), and a liquid oxygen vaporizer (12) and a liquid oxygen regulating valve (13) are provided on the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline (11); the liquid oxygen self-circulating pipeline (11) is used to output the liquid oxygen in the liquid oxygen storage tank (1), and then input the liquid oxygen into the liquid oxygen storage tank (1) after being vaporized by the liquid oxygen vaporizer (12).

3. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid nitrogen storage tank (2) is provided with a liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline (21), and a liquid nitrogen vaporizer (22) and a liquid nitrogen regulating valve (23) are provided on the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline (21); the liquid nitrogen self-circulating pipeline (21) is used to output the liquid nitrogen in the liquid nitrogen storage tank (2), and then input the liquid nitrogen into the liquid nitrogen storage tank (2) after being vaporized by the liquid nitrogen vaporizer (22).

4. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell side (32) is connected to a discharge pipeline (321), and a discharge stop valve (322) is provided on the discharge pipeline (321).

5. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A liquid oxygen stop valve (14) is provided on the pipeline between the liquid oxygen storage tank (1) and the subcooler (3); A liquid nitrogen stop valve (24) is provided on the pipeline between the liquid nitrogen storage tank (2) and the subcooler (3); A vacuum stop valve (323) is provided on the pipeline between the vacuum generator (4) and the shell side (32).

6. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The pipe passage (31) is connected to a filling pipeline (311), and the filling pipeline (311) is connected to a rocket tank (5); A filling stop valve (312) is provided on the filling pipeline (311).

7. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 6, characterized in that: A first temperature sensor and a first pressure sensor are provided on the tube side (31); and a second temperature sensor and a second pressure sensor are provided on the shell side (32); When the temperature of the tube side (31) drops to 65K, the filling stop valve (312) is opened to carry out filling.

8. The liquid oxygen deep subcooling system according to claim 6, characterized in that: A third temperature sensor and a third pressure sensor are provided between the filling stop valve (312) and the rocket tank (5).

Citation Information

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