Electric Motor Booster Pump for Liquid Rocket Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid rocket engines with turbopumps require high internal pressures in propellant tanks to prevent cavitation, leading to increased weight due to thicker tank designs and complexity in booster pump systems driven by hydraulic turbines.
Innovation Solution
A liquid rocket engine design featuring a booster pump driven by an electric motor, with the motor cooled by a propellant through a cooling line, allowing operation at reduced tank pressures and reducing tank weight by installing the booster pump between the propellant tank and pump.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high internal pressure is maintained in propellant tanks to prevent cavitation, then pump reliability is improved, but tank weight increases due to thicker design
Solution Approach 1:
The propellant delivery system is segmented into two stages: a booster pump that performs initial pressurization from the tank, and a main pump that maintains delivery pressure. This segmentation allows the tank to operate at lower pressure while still achieving the required inlet pressure for the main pump, thereby reducing tank weight while maintaining pump reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The booster pump performs preliminary pressurization of the propellant before it enters the main pump. By pre-pressurizing the propellant to a moderate level, the main pump receives adequate inlet pressure without requiring the tank to maintain high pressure, thus reducing tank weight while ensuring reliable pump operation.
2Weight of moving object
If booster pump is installed to reduce tank pressure requirements, then tank weight is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The booster pump and main pump are integrated into a unified propellant delivery system with coordinated control. The booster pump is positioned upstream of the main pump, and both pumps work together as a combined system to achieve the required propellant delivery pressure, simplifying the overall system architecture while reducing tank weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The electric motor driving the booster pump is designed to provide multi-functional capability by controlling propellant flow rate and pressure according to different flight phases. This universal motor design reduces the need for separate control systems for different operating conditions, thereby reducing system complexity while achieving weight reduction.
3Adaptability or versatility
If electric motor is used to drive booster pump, then system adaptability is improved, but motor cooling becomes a challenge
Solution Approach 1:
The electric motor utilizes the propellant fluid itself as a cooling medium. The propellant passes through or around the motor housing, absorbing heat generated by the motor during operation. This self-service cooling approach eliminates the need for separate cooling systems while managing motor temperature effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system employs hydraulic principles by using the liquid propellant as a coolant. The propellant flows through cooling channels in the motor housing, transferring heat from the motor to the propellant through convection and conduction, thereby effectively managing motor temperature without adding complex cooling infrastructure.
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 electric motor-driven booster pump efficiently cools the motor using propellants, enabling operation at lower tank pressures, thus reducing the weight and complexity of the propellant tank while maintaining necessary inlet pressures for the pump.
Implementation Method 1
the electric motor configured to drive the booster pump may be efficiently cooled through a propellant, a cooling line, and the like
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a liquid rocket engine using a booster pump driven by an electric motor, and more particularly, to a liquid rocket engine using a booster pump driven by an electric motor in which a booster pump is installed between a propellant tank and a propellant pump so that a requirement for an inlet pressure of the propellant pump may be met even in a state in which an internal pressure of the propellant tank is reduced, resulting in reduced amount of a propellant and reduced weight of the propellant tank, and the electric motor configured to drive the booster pump may be efficiently cooled through an oxidant, a cooling line, and the like.