Dual Contour Rocket Nozzle for Altitude-Adaptive Thrust
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional rocket engine nozzles with single contours struggle to optimize gas expansion at sea-level and higher altitudes, limiting their effectiveness in both take-off and landing operations.
Innovation Solution
A rocket engine with a dual contour nozzle featuring an inner conical contour and an outer bell contour, including a transition region with a specific radius of curvature and tangency angle, and propellant injection orifices positioned downstream of the transition region, allowing for secondary combustion to enhance thrust during take-off and landing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional single contour nozzle is used, then the nozzle structure is simple, but the gas expansion cannot be optimized for both sea-level and high-altitude operations
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is divided into two separate contour nozzles (first contour nozzle and second contour nozzle) with different geometries. Each nozzle is optimized for different operating conditions: one for sea-level and one for high-altitude operations. This segmentation allows the system to achieve adaptability across different environments without requiring a single complex adjustable nozzle structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The two contour nozzles are arranged in a nested configuration where the first contour nozzle is positioned within or adjacent to the second contour nozzle. This nesting arrangement allows both nozzles to be integrated into a single engine structure, achieving versatile gas expansion optimization while maintaining relatively compact and manageable structural complexity.
2Productivity
If a dual contour nozzle with transition region is implemented, then thrust efficiency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dual contour nozzle design segments the expansion paths into distinct first and second contours, each with defined transition regions. This segmentation allows manufacturers to focus on creating two well-defined geometric profiles rather than one complex adaptive profile, potentially simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining high thrust efficiency across different operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition regions between the two contours are designed with specific local geometric properties (defined radius of curvature and tangency angle) to optimize flow characteristics. By concentrating the complexity into specific local transition zones rather than throughout the entire nozzle, the overall manufacturability is improved while maintaining high performance in the critical transition areas.
3Power
If propellant injection orifices are added downstream of transition region, then secondary combustion enhances thrust, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The propellant injection orifices are integrated into the existing dual contour nozzle structure at strategic locations downstream of the transition regions. This merging combines the secondary combustion function with the primary nozzle structure, achieving enhanced thrust through propellant injection without requiring a completely separate injection system, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The propellant injection orifices act as intermediaries that introduce additional propellant into the exhaust flow downstream of the transition regions. This intermediary injection point allows secondary combustion to occur in a controlled manner where the flow conditions are already favorable, enhancing thrust while using a relatively simple injection mechanism rather than a complex multi-point injection system.
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 dual contour nozzle design improves thrust efficiency by enabling optimized gas expansion and secondary combustion, facilitating effective rocket take-off and landing operations.
Implementation Method 1
as gases flow therethrough, the gases are expanded to an area ratio (AR) that is lower than ambient pressure
Implementation Method 2
secondary combustion to enhance thrust during take-off and landing
Data Source
AI summary
A rocket engine includes a primary chamber and a double contour nozzle attached to the primary chamber. The double contour nozzle includes an inner contour nozzle, an outer contour nozzle, and a transition region between the inner contour nozzle. The inner contour nozzle includes a conical contour. The outer contour nozzle includes a bell contour and at least one propellant injection orifice. The contour break point includes a radius of curvature that is less than 0.75 and a tangency angle that is in a range of from 40 degrees to 90 degrees.