Liquid oxygen methane propellant adjusting test system

Abstract

The utility model provides a liquid oxygen methane propellant adjusting test system. The liquid oxygen methane propellant adjusting test system comprises an oxygen storage box, an oxygen path heater, a methane storage box, a methane path heater and a thrust chamber, the oxygen storage box is used for storing an oxidizing agent; an oxygen tank communicating with the thrust chamber through an oxygen path to supply an oxidant to the thrust chamber; the oxygen path heater is arranged in the oxygen path and is used for heating an oxidizing agent flowing in the oxygen path; the methane storage tank is used for storing fuel; a methane tank communicating with the thrust chamber through a methane path to supply an oxidant to the methane thrust chamber; the methane path heater is arranged on the methane path and used for heating fuel flowing in the methane path. The test system can control the propellant to be in any state in the interval from the supercooled state to the saturated state, so that the test system can have various test conditions of the propellant.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of aerospace engines, specifically to a liquid oxygen methane propellant adjustment test system. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid oxygen and methane offer advantages such as low carbon buildup, low cost, and good repeatability, making them a preferred choice for future reusable launch vehicles. Using liquid oxygen and methane as fuel in the auxiliary propulsion system of a launch vehicle helps achieve uniformity and non-toxicity of the propellant throughout the rocket, facilitating a high-efficiency and fully reusable rocket. As a cryogenic propellant, when used in high-thrust engines with turbopumps, liquid oxygen and methane typically require propellant venting before the turbopumps begin operation to ensure the propellant in the pipeline is entirely liquid and meets the propellant inlet temperature requirements of the thrust chamber, preventing air entrainment in the pipeline.

[0003] The auxiliary power system is characterized by low flow rate and on-demand pulse operation, making it impossible to determine the engine's pre-operational state in advance. Typically, propellant discharge is required to lower the inlet temperature, meaning the oxygen and methane cryogenic propellants in the pipeline may be in either a liquid or saturated state. Changes in the physical properties of the oxygen and methane propellants affect the propellant filling rate, engine mixture ratio, and thrust chamber operating conditions. During the auxiliary power testing phase, various combinations of oxygen and methane propellants need to be evaluated on the ground, including supercooled-supercooled, supercooled-saturated, and saturated-supercooled combinations.

[0004] To achieve precise control of liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants from the supercooled to saturated state range, it is particularly important to design a liquid oxygen and methane propellant adjustment test system. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a liquid oxygen methane propellant adjustment test system.

[0006] This invention provides a liquid oxygen-methane propellant conditioning test system, comprising: an oxygen storage tank, an oxygen path heater, a methane storage tank, a methane path heater, and a thrust chamber; the oxygen storage tank is used to store oxidant; the oxygen storage tank is connected to the thrust chamber via an oxygen path to supply oxidant to the thrust chamber; the oxygen path heater is disposed in the oxygen path to heat the oxidant flowing in the oxygen path; the methane storage tank is used to store fuel; the methane storage tank is connected to the thrust chamber via a methane path to supply oxidant to the methane thrust chamber; the methane path heater is disposed in the methane path to heat the fuel flowing in the methane path.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater are electric heaters.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a control system is also included; the control system is electrically connected to the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater to control the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater to turn on or off.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen path is provided with at least one oxygen inlet temperature sensor; the oxygen inlet temperature sensor is disposed between the oxygen path heater and the thrust chamber to measure the temperature of the oxidant; the methane path is provided with at least one methane inlet temperature sensor; the methane inlet temperature sensor is disposed between the methane path heater and the thrust chamber to measure the temperature of the fuel.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen path is provided with five oxygen inlet temperature sensors; the methane path is provided with five methane inlet temperature sensors.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen path is provided with an oxygen path subcooler; the oxygen path subcooler is disposed between the oxygen storage tank and the oxygen path heater to subcool the oxidant in the oxygen path; the methane path is provided with a methane path subcooler; the methane path subcooler is disposed between the methane storage tank and the methane path heater to subcool the fuel in the methane path.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a first oxygen circuit shut-off valve is provided between the oxygen storage tank and the oxygen circuit subcooler, the first oxygen circuit shut-off valve being used to control the on / off state of the oxygen circuit; a first methane circuit shut-off valve is provided between the methane storage tank and the methane circuit subcooler, the first methane circuit shut-off valve being used to control the on / off state of the methane circuit.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen path subcooler circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the oxidant; the methane path subcooler circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the fuel.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an oxygen tank pressurization system and a methane tank pressurization system, used to pressurize the oxygen tank and the methane tank respectively.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it further includes an oxygen discharge pipeline and a methane discharge pipeline; the oxygen discharge pipeline is connected to the oxygen circuit and is disposed between the oxygen circuit heater and the thrust chamber; the oxygen discharge pipeline is equipped with an oxygen vent valve to control the discharge of oxidant in the oxygen circuit to the outside; the methane discharge pipeline is connected to the methane circuit and is disposed between the methane circuit heater and the thrust chamber; the methane discharge pipeline is equipped with a methane vent valve to control the discharge of fuel in the methane circuit to the outside;

[0016] According to the liquid oxygen-methane propellant conditioning test system of this utility model, the propellant can be controlled to be in any state within the range of supercooled to saturated state through the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater, so that the test system can meet various test conditions for the propellant.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following specific embodiments are merely exemplary and illustrative, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings are part of the specification of this utility model and illustrate exemplary embodiments of the utility model. The drawings, together with the description in the specification, are used to illustrate the principles of the utility model.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid oxygen methane propellant adjustment test system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0021] 1-Oxygen storage tank pressurization gas; 2-Oxygen storage tank; 3-First oxygen path shut-off valve; 4-Oxygen path subcooler; 5-Oxygen path heater; 6-Oxygen inlet temperature sensor; 7-Oxygen discharge valve; 8-Second oxygen path shut-off valve; 9-Thrust chamber; 10-Second methane path shut-off valve; 11-Methane inlet temperature sensor; 12-Methane path heater; 13-Methane path subcooler; 14-First methane path shut-off valve; 15-Methane storage tank; 16-Methane storage tank pressurization gas; 17-Methane discharge valve. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this utility model will be described in detail below. To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain this utility model and to exemplarily illustrate the principles of this utility model, and are not configured to limit this utility model. In addition, the structural components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some structural components or regions in the drawings may be enlarged for other structural components or regions to aid in the understanding of the embodiments of this utility model.

[0023] The directional terms used in the following description refer to the directions shown in the figures and are not intended to limit the specific structure of the embodiments of this utility model. In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0024] Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a structure or component that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other structural elements that are not expressly listed or inherent to the structure or component. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the article or apparatus that includes the element.

[0025] Spatial relation terms such as "below," "under," "under," "low," "above," "on," and "high" are used for descriptive convenience to explain the positioning of one element relative to a second element, indicating that these terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device, in addition to those different from those shown in the figure. Furthermore, phrases such as "one element on / below another element" can indicate that two elements are in direct contact, or that there are other elements between the two elements. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" are also used to describe individual elements, areas, parts, etc., without specifically indicating order or sequence, and should not be considered restrictive. Similar terms are used throughout the description to represent similar elements.

[0026] In the following description of this utility model, the terms "rocket," "launch vehicle," "spacecraft," "space launch vehicle," or "missile" may be used in certain scenarios for ease of description only, and their connotations are not limited to the specific terms used. Generally, the spacecraft in this utility model includes launch vehicles used to launch satellites, spacecraft, or other probes, as well as various missiles, rockets, and other weapons used to carry payloads, and similar products capable of sending payloads into the air. Those skilled in the art, when interpreting the above specific terms, should not limit the spacecraft to only one of launch vehicles or missiles based on the specific terms used in the description, thereby narrowing the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0027] For those skilled in the art, this invention can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of the invention by illustrating examples.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a liquid oxygen methane propellant adjustment test system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model provides a liquid oxygen-methane propellant conditioning test system, including: an oxygen storage tank 2, an oxygen circuit heater 5, a methane storage tank 15, a methane circuit heater 12, and a thrust chamber 9. The oxygen storage tank 2 is used to store oxidizer. The oxygen storage tank 2 is connected to the thrust chamber 9 via an oxygen circuit to supply oxidizer to the thrust chamber 9. The oxygen circuit heater 5 is located in the oxygen circuit to heat the oxidizer flowing in the oxygen circuit. The methane storage tank 15 is used to store fuel. The methane storage tank 15 is connected to the thrust chamber 9 via a methane circuit to supply oxidizer to the methane thrust chamber 9. The methane circuit heater 12 is located in the methane circuit to heat the fuel flowing in the methane circuit.

[0030] In this embodiment, for example, the oxidizer can be liquid oxygen and the fuel can be liquid methane. By setting up an oxygen circuit heater 5 and a methane circuit heater 12, the test system can control the oxidizer and fuel (e.g., liquid oxygen and liquid methane) to be in any state between supercooled and saturated, allowing the test system to meet various propellant testing conditions. This test system is suitable for auxiliary power system ground testing. For example, the thrust chamber 9 can mix and combust liquid oxygen and liquid methane propellants to generate thrust.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the methane circuit heater 12 are electric heaters.

[0032] According to one embodiment of this utility model, in addition to the oxygen storage tank 2, oxygen circuit heater 5, methane storage tank 15, methane circuit heater 12, and thrust chamber 9, the test system also includes a control system. The control system is electrically connected to the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the methane circuit heater 12 to control the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the methane circuit heater 12 to turn on or off.

[0033] In this embodiment, the control system can control the activation of the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the methane circuit heater 12 (e.g., an electric heater) to adjust the propellant from a supercooled state to the required temperature, so as to meet the experimental verification requirements of different temperature combination modes of oxygen and methane.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen path is provided with at least one oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6. The oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6 is disposed between the oxygen path heater 5 and the thrust chamber 9 to measure the temperature of the oxidant. The methane path is provided with at least one methane inlet temperature sensor 11. The methane inlet temperature sensor 11 is disposed between the methane path heater 12 and the thrust chamber 9 to measure the temperature of the fuel.

[0035] In this embodiment, the oxygen path can be equipped with multiple oxygen inlet temperature sensors 6, and the methane path can be equipped with multiple methane inlet temperature sensors 11 to accurately measure the propellant temperature at the oxygen and methane inlets of the thrust chamber. This test system can prevent erroneous propellant temperature measurements at the thrust chamber inlet due to abnormal parameter acquisition by a single point oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6 or methane inlet temperature sensor 11. For example, the oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6 and methane inlet temperature sensor 11 can be located near the inlet of the thrust chamber 9 to measure the temperature of the oxidizer and fuel at the inlet of the thrust chamber 9.

[0036] For example, the control system receives temperature data transmitted from the oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6 and the methane inlet temperature sensor 11, and processes and judges the temperature data. When the thrust chamber inlet temperature detected by the oxygen inlet temperature sensor 6 and the methane inlet temperature sensor 11 is lower than a set threshold, the control system can automatically switch the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the methane circuit heater 12 to electric heating mode, and use a PID algorithm to control the electric heating power to achieve ±1℃ precision adjustment of the propellant. This test system, through the control system, can achieve precise control of the propellant in the supercooled to saturated state range, providing favorable support for the auxiliary power test verification of liquid oxygen methane rocket engines.

[0037] According to one embodiment of this utility model, the oxygen path is equipped with five oxygen inlet temperature sensors 6. The methane path is equipped with five methane inlet temperature sensors 11.

[0038] In this embodiment, for example, five oxygen inlet temperature sensors 6 and five methane inlet temperature sensors 11 can respectively measure the propellant temperature at five locations in the oxygen path and methane path, and transmit the temperature data to the control system as calculation parameters for data processing or judgment.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present invention, an oxygen subcooler 4 is provided in the oxygen path. The oxygen subcooler 4 is disposed between the oxygen storage tank 2 and the oxygen heater 5 to subcool the oxidant in the oxygen path. A methane subcooler 13 is provided in the methane path. The methane subcooler 13 is disposed between the methane storage tank 15 and the methane heater 12 to subcool the fuel in the methane path.

[0040] According to one embodiment of this utility model, a first oxygen circuit shut-off valve 3 can be provided between the oxygen storage tank 2 and the oxygen circuit subcooler 4, and the first oxygen circuit shut-off valve 3 is used to control the opening and closing of the oxygen circuit. A first methane circuit shut-off valve 14 can be provided between the methane storage tank 15 and the methane circuit subcooler 13, and the first methane circuit shut-off valve 14 is used to control the opening and closing of the methane circuit.

[0041] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the oxygen subcooler 4 circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the oxidant. The methane subcooler 13 circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the fuel.

[0042] In this embodiment, cryogenic liquid nitrogen is used as the working medium for the oxygen path subcooler 4 and the methane path subcooler 13, which can reduce the temperature of the propellant (e.g., oxygen and methane) to a preset subcooled state and increase the density of the propellant.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the oxygen storage tank 2, oxygen circuit heater 5, methane storage tank 15, methane circuit heater 12 and thrust chamber 9, the test system also includes an oxygen storage tank pressurization system and a methane storage tank pressurization system, which are used to pressurize the oxygen storage tank 2 and the methane storage tank 15 respectively.

[0044] In this embodiment, the oxygen tank pressurization system and the methane tank pressurization system respectively supply oxygen tank pressurization gas 1 and methane tank pressurization gas 16 to oxygen tank 2 and methane tank 15 to ensure that oxygen tank 2 and methane tank 15 supply propellant to thrust chamber 9.

[0045] According to one embodiment of this utility model, in addition to the oxygen storage tank 2, oxygen circuit heater 5, methane storage tank 15, methane circuit heater 12, and thrust chamber 9, the test system also includes an oxygen discharge pipeline and a methane discharge pipeline. The oxygen discharge pipeline is connected to the oxygen circuit and is located between the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the thrust chamber 9. The oxygen discharge pipeline is equipped with an oxygen release valve 7 to control the discharge of oxidant from the oxygen circuit to the outside. The methane discharge pipeline is connected to the methane circuit and is located between the methane circuit heater 12 and the thrust chamber 9. The methane discharge pipeline is equipped with a methane release valve 17 to control the discharge of fuel from the methane circuit to the outside.

[0046] In this embodiment, for example, during the test, if the propellant temperature or saturation at the oxygen inlet and / or methane inlet of the thrust chamber cannot meet the preset conditions, the propellant can be discharged through the oxygen vent valve 7 and the methane vent valve 17, while maintaining the propellant in a flowing state.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a second oxygen circuit shut-off valve 8 is provided in the oxygen circuit. The second oxygen circuit shut-off valve 8 may be disposed near the thrust chamber 9 (e.g., between the oxygen circuit heater 5 and the thrust chamber 9) to control the oxidant supplied to the thrust chamber 9. A second methane circuit shut-off valve 10 is provided in the methane circuit. The second methane circuit shut-off valve 10 may be disposed near the thrust chamber 9 (e.g., between the methane circuit heater 12 and the thrust chamber 9) to control the fuel supplied to the thrust chamber 9.

[0048] In this embodiment, for example, the second oxygen circuit shut-off valve 8 and the second methane circuit shut-off valve 10 can be solenoid valves.

[0049] The oxidant flow in the oxygen path of one embodiment of this utility model is as follows: oxygen storage tank pressurization gas 1 is supplied to oxygen storage tank 2 through oxygen storage tank pressurization system, so that oxygen storage tank 2 reaches the target pressure. Oxygen flows out from the bottom of oxygen storage tank 2, flows through the first oxygen path shut-off valve 3, oxygen path subcooler 4 and oxygen path heater 5 in sequence, and flows into the thrust chamber 9 through the oxygen inlet of the thrust chamber 9 or is discharged through the oxygen discharge valve 7.

[0050] The fuel flow in the methane path is as follows: Methane booster gas 16 is supplied to the methane storage tank 15 through the methane storage tank pressurization system, so that the methane storage tank 15 reaches the target pressure. Methane flows out from the bottom of the methane storage tank 15, flows through the first methane path shut-off valve 14, the methane path subcooler 13 and the methane path heater 12 in sequence, and flows into the thrust chamber 9 through the methane inlet or is discharged through the methane discharge valve 17.

[0051] The above embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other and have corresponding technical effects.

[0052] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model shall be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A liquid oxygen-methane propellant conditioning test system, characterized in that, include: Oxygen storage tank, oxygen circuit heater, methane storage tank, methane circuit heater, and thrust chamber; The oxygen storage tank is used to store oxidants; The oxygen storage tank is connected to the thrust chamber via an oxygen path to supply oxidant to the thrust chamber; the oxygen path heater is located in the oxygen path to heat the oxidant flowing in the oxygen path; the methane storage tank is used to store fuel; the methane storage tank is connected to the thrust chamber via a methane path to supply oxidant to the methane thrust chamber; the methane path heater is located in the methane path to heat the fuel flowing in the methane path.

2. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater are electric heaters.

3. The testing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a control system; the control system is electrically connected to the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater to control the oxygen circuit heater and the methane circuit heater to turn on or off.

4. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen circuit is equipped with at least one oxygen inlet temperature sensor; the oxygen inlet temperature sensor is located between the oxygen circuit heater and the thrust chamber to measure the temperature of the oxidant; the methane circuit is equipped with at least one methane inlet temperature sensor; the methane inlet temperature sensor is located between the methane circuit heater and the thrust chamber to measure the temperature of the fuel.

5. The testing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The oxygen circuit is equipped with five oxygen inlet temperature sensors; the methane circuit is equipped with five methane inlet temperature sensors.

6. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oxygen circuit is equipped with an oxygen circuit subcooler; the oxygen circuit subcooler is located between the oxygen storage tank and the oxygen circuit heater to subcool the oxidant in the oxygen circuit; The methane path is equipped with a methane path subcooler; the methane path subcooler is located between the methane storage tank and the methane path heater to subcool the fuel in the methane path.

7. The testing system according to claim 6, characterized in that, A first oxygen circuit shut-off valve is provided between the oxygen storage tank and the oxygen circuit subcooler, and the first oxygen circuit shut-off valve is used to control the opening and closing of the oxygen circuit; a first methane circuit shut-off valve is provided between the methane storage tank and the methane circuit subcooler, and the first methane circuit shut-off valve is used to control the opening and closing of the methane circuit.

8. The testing system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The oxygen circuit subcooler circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the oxidant; the methane circuit subcooler circulates liquid nitrogen to subcool the fuel.

9. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an oxygen tank pressurization system and a methane tank pressurization system, used to pressurize the oxygen tank and the methane tank respectively.

10. The testing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an oxygen discharge pipeline and a methane discharge pipeline; the oxygen discharge pipeline is connected to the oxygen circuit and is located between the oxygen circuit heater and the thrust chamber; the oxygen discharge pipeline is equipped with an oxygen release valve to control the discharge of oxidant in the oxygen circuit to the outside; The methane emission pipeline is connected to the methane circuit and is located between the methane circuit heater and the thrust chamber. The methane emission pipeline is equipped with a methane vent valve to control the emission of fuel from the methane circuit to the outside.

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