Self-Pressurizing Fluid Supply System for Rocket Propellant
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rocket engines face challenges in reducing weight and ensuring durability due to the need for high-pressure propellant supply systems, which often require mechanical pumps that convert thermal energy into kinetic energy, leading to inefficiencies and complexity, especially in moving bodies like rockets.
Innovation Solution
A self-pressurization system that uses a heat source to generate operative gas, which then increases the pressure of the raw fluid without converting thermal energy into kinetic energy, employing pistons with different diameters to maintain mass flow rate and reduce vessel weight by utilizing the internal energy of the operative gas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a mechanical pump is used to increase the pressure of raw fluid to supercritical state, then the fluid can be supplied to heat exchanger without boiling, but the system complexity and weight increase due to energy conversion requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the high-pressure operative gas itself as the pressurant for the raw fluid, eliminating the need for external mechanical pumps. The operative gas automatically pressurizes the raw fluid through pressure differential, achieving self-service pressurization without additional energy conversion devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the operative gas storage system with the raw fluid pressurization system into a single integrated system. The same high-pressure gas serves dual purposes: as the operative gas for its intended function and as the pressurant for raw fluid supply, merging two systems into one.
2Stress or pressure
If thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy to drive mechanical pump, then fluid pressure can be increased, but energy efficiency decreases due to conversion losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pump system with a direct pressure differential system. Instead of converting thermal energy to kinetic energy to drive a mechanical pump, the system directly utilizes the pressure differential between high-pressure operative gas and low-pressure raw fluid to achieve pressurization, eliminating mechanical energy conversion losses.
3Stress or pressure
If pressure of operative gas is increased to match objective fluid pressure, then direct utilization is possible, but the mass of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts to pressure differentials rather than maintaining constant high pressure. The raw fluid is pressurized by the pressure differential between operative gas and raw fluid, allowing the system to operate effectively without requiring the operative gas pressure to always match the objective fluid pressure, thus reducing overall system mass requirements.
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 approach enhances weight reduction and durability by directly utilizing the internal energy of the operative gas to achieve supercritical pressure, improving efficiency and simplifying the system configuration.
Implementation Method 1
A process of vaporizing liquid by heat exchange is a technology widely and commonly utilized in a thermal power plant, a nuclear power plant, a boiler, and the like
Implementation Method 2
Gas obtained by vaporizing liquid is hereinafter referred to as operative gas or pressurant
Implementation Method 3
Operative gas can be manufactured from supercritical fluid having the increased temperature by reduction in pressure in a evaporator
Implementation Method 4
Between the both sides, pistons having different diameters are provided. A large diameter side is set to a low pressure side, and a small diameter side is set to a high pressure side
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger generally employs a method for supplying liquid having critical pressure or higher or high pressure in order to suppress boiling. However, gas obtained by a evaporator behind the heat exchanger has relatively low pressure, and therefore supplying the liquid to the heat exchanger requires a system for converting an energy form of the obtained gas into kinetic energy or electrical energy, and increasing the pressure by a mechanical pump. Thus, the complicated system involving an efficiency loss is only solution, and it is difficult to achieve simplification of a system or reduction in the weight of a propellant supply device in a moving body, specifically, a flying object.