Combustion Chamber Cooling Webs with Cover Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current combustion chambers in rocket and satellite engines face manufacturing complexity and high thermal stress due to high combustion temperatures, requiring double-walled structures with integrated cooling channels that are difficult to produce and maintain.
Innovation Solution
A combustion chamber design with separate cooling channel webs that are integrated with the combustion chamber wall using welding or soldering, and covered by positively connected cover elements, eliminating the need for wax filling and melting, and allowing for easier and more cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the inner wall and cooling channel webs are formed as a single piece with integrated cooling channels, then the structural integrity and thermal management are improved, but the manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion chamber is divided into separate components: the inner wall (first wall) and the cooling channel webs are manufactured independently and then joined together. This segmentation allows each component to be produced using optimized manufacturing processes without the extreme complexity of forming a fully integrated single-piece structure with internal cooling channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling channels are formed by creating cavities within the inner wall structure, with the cooling channel webs extending from the inner wall to define these channels. The outer wall is then applied over this structure, effectively nesting the cooling channel system within the combustion chamber wall assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If wax is used to fill gaps between cooling channel webs to create a flat application surface, then the manufacturing process can proceed with electroplating, but additional disposal steps and process complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using wax as a temporary filling material that must be removed later, the invention applies outer wall material directly to fill the gaps between cooling channel webs during the electroplating process itself. The outer wall material serves both as the electroplated coating and as the gap-filling substance, eliminating the need for separate wax application and removal steps.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the combustion chamber uses high thermal conductivity material for the inner wall, then heat transfer to coolant is improved, but thermal stress from high combustion temperatures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The combustion chamber employs a composite structure with the inner wall made of high thermal conductivity material (such as copper or copper alloy) for efficient heat transfer, while the outer wall provides structural strength and thermal insulation. This composite arrangement allows the inner wall to effectively conduct heat to the coolant while the overall wall structure manages thermal stress through the combined properties of different materials.
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
The design simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces thermal stress through effective heat management, and provides a robust and efficient cooling system without the need for tight tolerances, enhancing the durability and performance of the combustion chamber.
Implementation Method 1
The reaction heat generated during combustion in the combustion chamber can then be transferred to the coolant flowing through the cooling channels via the combustion chamber's inner wall, which is made of a thermally conductive material, such as a copper alloy.
Implementation Method 2
A combustion chamber design with separate cooling channel webs that are integrated with the combustion chamber wall using welding or soldering
Implementation Method 3
A combustion chamber design with separate cooling channel webs that are integrated with the combustion chamber wall using welding or soldering
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a)~3c)
AI summary
A combustion chamber (10), particularly suitable for use in an engine, comprises a combustion chamber (12), a combustion chamber wall (14) delimiting the combustion chamber (12), and a plurality of cooling channel webs (16) extending from a surface (18) of the combustion chamber wall (14) facing away from the combustion chamber (12) and separating adjacent cooling channels (20) from one another. Each cooling channel web (16) is provided with a projection (22) extending from an end face (24) of the cooling channel web (16) facing away from the combustion chamber (12).Furthermore, the combustion chamber (10) comprises a plurality of cover elements (26), each cover element (26) extending along a longitudinal axis (L) of a cooling channel (20) bounded by two adjacent cooling channel webs (16) between the projections (22) of the adjacent cooling channel webs (16) and being positively connected to the projections (22) of the two adjacent cooling channel webs (16) to cover the cooling channel (20).