Air-breathing Rocket Engine Hourglass Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current rocket engines require carrying both fuel and oxidizer into space, increasing weight and maintenance needs due to moving parts, whereas jet engines use ambient air as oxidizer, reducing weight and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A rocket engine design with no moving parts, utilizing an hourglass-shaped outer shell with a funnel-shaped intake and toroidal combustion chamber, where fuel and oxidizer are injected through circumferential ports, and ambient fluid is used as reaction mass, reducing oxidizer requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rocket engine carries both fuel and oxidizer into space, then combustion can be maintained in the vacuum of space, but the weight and volume of the engine increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the oxidizer from the carried substances and obtains it from the ambient environment (air or other planetary atmospheres). The engine carries only fuel and an oxidizer container for initial operation, but uses ambient oxidizer during atmospheric flight phases, thereby reducing the total oxidizer load that must be carried into space.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine is designed to operate in multiple environments (atmospheric and vacuum) by switching between different oxidizer sources. The same combustion chamber and fuel system serve both atmospheric combustion (using ambient air) and space combustion (using carried oxidizer), making the system multi-functional without requiring separate systems for each environment.
2Use of energy by moving object
If jet engine moving parts such as impellers or compressors are used, then efficient combustion can be achieved, but manufacturing and maintenance costs increase and performance risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical compression system (impellers, compressors, turbines) with a pressure differential-based system. Fuel is injected and ignited in a combustion chamber, creating high-pressure exhaust gases that naturally drive the vehicle forward without requiring mechanical compression of intake air. The system uses pressure differentials created by the combustion process itself rather than mechanical compression.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes all moving parts (impellers, compressors, turbines, bearings) from the engine design. The combustion chamber is a simple static structure with fuel injectors and ignition sources, eliminating the complex mechanical systems found in conventional jet engines and thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and maintenance requirements.
3Reliability
If a closed manifold system with fuel and oxidizer tanks is used, then reliable combustion is ensured, but the device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the oxidizer tank from the carried substances and obtains oxidizer from the ambient environment during atmospheric flight. The fuel system remains simplified with direct injection into the combustion chamber, eliminating the need for complex dual-tank manifold systems while maintaining combustion reliability through the use of ambient oxidizer.
Solution Approach 2:
The engine uses the ambient environment (air or planetary atmosphere) as a free source of oxidizer during atmospheric operation. Rather than carrying all oxidizer needed for operation, the system services itself by drawing oxidizer from the surrounding environment, reducing the burden on the carried propellant system and simplifying the overall architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design eliminates the need for moving parts, reduces oxidizer carrying requirements, and simplifies maintenance, while achieving efficient combustion and thrust through the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's principle, enhancing fuel efficiency and structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
achieving efficient combustion and thrust through the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's principle
Implementation Method 2
both types of engines produce thrust through an internal pressure difference, and both eject exhaust gases in a direction that is opposite to that of the path of travel of the engine
Implementation Method 3
achieving efficient combustion and thrust through the Venturi effect and Bernoulli's principle
Data Source
AI summary
An air-breathing rocket engine with an hourglass-shaped outer shell and an interior portion situated entirely within the front end of the outer shell. The interior portion includes a funnel-shaped intake that terminates in a floor and an inner front wall that forms a first circumferential gap between the inner front wall and the outer surface of the funnel-shaped intake. The intake has a central aperture that is in fluid communication with the throat and exhaust areas within the outer shell. A second circumferential gap is formed between the outer surface of the front inner wall and the inner surface of the front end of the outer shell and is in fluid communication with the throat and exhaust areas within the outer shell. One or more injector ports and one or more ignition ports are situated at the front end of the second circumferential gap.