Liquid fuel metering in a hybrid rocket-like liquid rocket motor
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorsJerome Keith Fuller, John D DeSain
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hybrid-like liquid fuel motor (the “motor”) may include a port surrounded by a wall. Surrounding the wall are a plurality of chambers and segmented walls to separate the chambers. In some instances, a single helix chamber may surround the wall, and may operate similar to that of a segmental chamber. During operation of the motor, gas flows from one end of the port to another end of the port. As the walls surrounding the port begin to disintegrate, liquid fuel within chambers begins to begin to mix with the flow of gas. As the segmented walls between the chambers begin to disintegrate, liquid from the other chambers begin to mix with the flow of gas, creating a metering of the liquid fuel.
Claims18
A liquid rocket motor fuel grain configured to meter flow of a liquid propellant, comprising:
- a motor casing comprising a port and a chamber surrounding the port, the chamber comprises a plurality of chambers;
- a wall separating the port and chamber comprises wax, plastic, polymeric, rubber, elastomeric, metal or composite material configured to burn away, allowing liquid fuel stored within the chamber to be metered into the port as the wall burns away, wherein
- the wall separating the port and chamber is tapered from a head end to a nozzle end to prevent inefficient mixing of the liquid fuel with the oxidizer in, and metering the flow of the liquid fuel into, the port, and
- the tapered port wall is configured to burn in an outward direction and downward direction, wherein
- each of the plurality of chambers are separated by a tapered wall to form conical helix shaped chambers surrounding the port wall, eliminating combustion instability by allowing the liquid fuel to be educted into the port in a prescribed manner when the motor burns radially outward and as top burning surface of the motor regresses towards the nozzle.
A liquid rocket motor fuel grain, comprising:
- a liquid-filled fuel grain having a central port, allowing oxidizer to flow through the central port of the liquid-filled fuel grain, wherein
- upon ignition of the liquid-filled fuel grain, a surface surrounding the central port begins to regress, exposing a plurality of chambers comprising liquid fuel, the regression of the surface meters the flow of the liquid fuel into the central port, thereby mixing the liquid fuel with the oxidizer to produce a combustion,
- the surface surrounding the central port is tapered from a head end to a nozzle end to prevent inefficient mixing of the liquid fuel with the oxidizer in, and metering the flow of the liquid fuel into, the central port, and
- the surface is configured to burn in an outward direction and downward direction, wherein
- each of the plurality of chambers are separated by a tapered wall to form conical helix shaped chambers surrounding the port wall, eliminating combustion instability by allowing the liquid fuel to be educted into the port in a prescribed manner when the motor burns radially outward and as top burning surface of the motor regresses towards the nozzle.
The liquid rocket motor fuel grain of 7, wherein each of the plurality of chambers are separated by a segmented wall, separating each of the one or more chambers.
The liquid rocket motor fuel grain of 11, wherein the segmented wall between each of the plurality of chambers comprises a thickness, the thickness being tapered from the head end to the nozzle end, preventing the segmented wall between each of the one or more chambers from regressing from a head end to a nozzle end.
A liquid rocket motor fuel grain (“motor”), comprising:
- a liquid-filled fuel grain comprising a central port with a tapered wall to prevent the tapered wall from regressing during ignition of the motor;
- a plurality of chambers comprising liquid fuel surrounding the central port, wherein
- the liquid fuel is metered into the central port, mixing with oxidizer to produce a combustion, as the tapered wall is regressing during the ignition of the motor, the regression of the tapered wall is outwards and downwards, wherein
- each of the plurality of chambers are separated by a tapered wall to form conical helix shaped chambers surrounding the port wall, eliminating combustion instability by allowing the liquid fuel to be educted into the port in a prescribed manner when the motor burns radially outward and as top burning surface of the motor regresses towards the nozzle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.