Cryogenic Turbopump Feed Line With Secondary Channels for Faster Cooldown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cryogenic turbopump supply lines face challenges such as prolonged cooling durations, propellant consumption, and material embrittlement due to thermal shocks, which affect the performance and reliability of cryogenic propulsion systems.
Innovation Solution
A cryogenic turbopump supply pipe design featuring a main channel surrounded by multiple secondary channels, which reduces the volume to be cooled and minimizes thermal conductance, allowing for more efficient cooling and reduced propellant usage, while also facilitating easier manufacturing and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If additional parts and coatings are used to reduce thermal conditioning time, then cooling duration is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases and coating may tear off causing pollution
Solution Approach 1:
The feed line is segmented into a main channel and multiple secondary channels arranged in parallel. This segmentation allows the cooling fluid to flow through multiple pathways simultaneously, increasing the effective heat transfer surface area and reducing thermal conditioning time without requiring additional coatings or complex modifications to the main channel structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary channels are nested within the wall structure of the feed line, with channels arranged concentrically around the main channel. This nesting approach integrates the cooling function directly into the structural geometry of the pipe wall, eliminating the need for separate cooling components or coatings while reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
2Temperature
If propellant is used for cooldown, then cooling is achieved, but propellant cannot be used to generate thrust and payload is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the feed line into multiple parallel channels, the total surface area for heat transfer is increased. This allows more efficient use of the propellant used for cooling, as the cooling fluid can contact more surface area simultaneously, thereby reducing the total amount of propellant needed to achieve the required cooling effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary channels are arranged in a radial pattern around the main channel, creating a three-dimensional cooling structure. This spatial arrangement maximizes the heat transfer surface area within the available wall thickness, enabling more effective cooling with reduced propellant consumption.
3Productivity
If secondary channels are added to reduce mass to be cooled, then cooling efficiency improves, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary channels are nested within the wall structure of the feed line, utilizing the existing wall material as the structural framework. This approach integrates the cooling function into the structural geometry itself, so that the wall serves dual purposes: providing mechanical strength and facilitating heat transfer, thereby minimizing additional structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed line wall structure serves multiple functions: it provides mechanical support for the channel and simultaneously acts as the heat transfer medium through which cooling occurs. The secondary channels are formed within this multi-functional structure, eliminating the need for separate cooling components and reducing overall structural complexity.
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 accelerates the cooling process, reduces propellant consumption, and enhances the structural integrity of the pipe, thereby improving the performance and reliability of cryogenic propulsion systems.
Implementation Method 1
at the beginning of the cooling phase, when the temperature difference is maximum between the walls at ambient temperature and the propellant, the propellant vaporizes, forming a film of gas insulating the wall from the liquid core (film boiling)
Implementation Method 2
reducing the thermal conductance between the main channel and a periphery external to the secondary channels
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4A
Figure 4B~5A
AI summary
Disclosed is a cryogenic turbopump feed line (20) comprising a main channel (21) capable of conducting a cryogenic fluid, a plurality of secondary channels (22) which run parallel to and are disposed around the main channel (21), wherein the plurality of secondary channels is disposed at the periphery of an outer perimeter of the main channel.