Propellant volume and mixture ratio control
AssigneeBlue Origin, LLC
InventorsMatthew R. Jardin, Thomas S. Koch
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for determining bi-propellant volume and adjusting a mixture ratio are discussed herein. A controller can calculate an adjusted mixture ratio and command the rocket engine to implement the adjusted mixture ratio by opening or closing valves of the propellant tanks, which changes the volumetric flow rates of each of the propellants. The adjusted mixture ratio can be calculated by an algorithm based on sensed or calculated data associated with each propellant. The adjusted mixture ratio can be used to evenly deplete the propellants to reduce the amount of each propellant remaining after a mission and to improve propellant use, which allows for an increase in a non-propellant payload.
Claims20
A method for depleting bi-propellants of a rocket engine propulsion system, the method comprising:
- measuring, at a first time, respective first-measured volumes of a first propellant within a first propellant tank and a second propellant within a second propellant tank;
- measuring, at a second time, respective second-measured volumes of the first propellant within the first propellant tank and the second propellant within the second propellant tank;
- based on a comparison between the first-measured volumes and the second-measured volumes, determining respective current volumetric flow rates of the first propellant and the second propellant that are each being pumped to a combustion chamber;
- determining an adjusted mixture ratio to concurrently deplete the first propellant and the second propellant, the adjusted mixture ratio being based on the volumetric flow rates of the first propellant and the second propellant;
- and
- adjusting the volumetric flow rate of the first propellant by outputting a signal to cause the first propellant tank to release the first propellant at an adjusted volumetric flow rate based on the adjusted mixture ratio.
A system for depleting bi-propellants of a rocket engine propulsion system at a same time, the system comprising:
- a first propellant tank including a first propellant;
- a second propellant tank including a second propellant;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- measure, at a first time, respective first-measured volumes of the first propellant within the first propellant tank and the second propellant within the second propellant tank;
- measure, at a second time, respective second-measured volumes of the first propellant within the first propellant tank and the second propellant within the second propellant tank;
- based on a comparison between the first-measured volumes and the second-measured volumes, determine current volumetric flow rates of the first propellant and the second propellant being pumped to a combustion chamber;
- determine an adjusted mixture ratio to deplete the first propellant and the second propellant at a same time, the adjusted mixture ratio being based on the volumetric flow rates of the first propellant and the second propellant;
- and
- output a signal to the first propellant tank to cause the first propellant tank to release the first propellant at an adjusted volumetric flow rate based on the adjusted mixture ratio.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.