Turbopump Drain With Variable Depth Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Turbopumps for liquid propellant rocket engines face challenges in ensuring complete drainage of residual fuel when tilted from a vertical to a horizontal orientation, requiring multiple drains around the collection region to prevent fuel entrapment, which complicates storage and transport.
Innovation Solution
A liquid propellant rocket engine design featuring a purge system with a collection annulus having a variable depth channel and a drain that opens at the end wall, where the channel depth varies circumferentially, ensuring fuel flows to the drain's lowest point, facilitating efficient drainage regardless of orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple drains are installed around the circumference of the collection region to ensure complete drainage when horizontal, then fuel drainage reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The channel depth varies circumferentially around the collection region, creating different drainage characteristics at different locations. The maximum depth is positioned to optimize gravitational flow paths, allowing a single drain to effectively handle fuel drainage from all orientations without requiring multiple drains.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional planar drainage approach (multiple drains around circumference) to a three-dimensional volumetric approach (variable depth channel). By varying the depth dimension circumferentially, the system creates optimized drainage pathways that work for both vertical and horizontal orientations using only one drain opening.
2Loss of substance
If the engine is tilted from vertical to horizontal orientation, then residual fuel is temporarily freed from entrapment, but fuel loss during storage and transport increases
Solution Approach 1:
The variable depth channel is pre-configured with its maximum depth at a specific circumferential position to anticipate and prevent fuel entrapment before it occurs. This preliminary geometric configuration ensures that fuel naturally flows toward the drain opening regardless of whether the engine is in vertical or horizontal orientation, eliminating the need for tilting operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage system uses the fuel's own gravitational potential energy and the channel's geometric configuration to drive fuel flow to the drain opening. The system requires no external actuation, tilting, or additional energy input - the variable depth channel itself creates the conditions for continuous passive drainage in any orientation.
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 effectively prevents fuel entrapment by ensuring gravitational flow to the drain, reducing the need for multiple drains and enhancing fuel removal when the engine is tilted, thus minimizing fuel loss during storage and transport.
Implementation Method 1
the channel depth varies circumferentially, ensuring fuel flows to the drain's lowest point, facilitating efficient drainage regardless of orientation
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid propellant rocket engine includes a pump that is disposed along a central axis. The pump includes a purge system, a collection annulus in fluid communication with the purge system, and a drain. The collection annulus has an outer diameter wall, an inner diameter wall, and an end wall. The end wall defines an annular channel that has a channel depth that varies circumferentially. The drain opens to the collection annulus. At the drain, the annular channel has a lowest point at which the channel depth is maximum depth.