Valve timing system for liquid fuel rockets
AssigneeAerojet Rocketdyne, Inc.
InventorLarry Coady
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid fuel rocket engine according to one example includes a combustor, a liquid fuel repository connected to the combustor via a fuel line and a first valve, an oxidizer repository connected to the combustor via an oxidizer line and a second valve, a valve controller configured to output a valve control current to the first valve, the valve controller storing instructions for determining at least one actual minimum impulse bit of a valve based on a current profile and a voltage profile of a single operation of the first valve, and to adjust valve controls to account for the at least one actual minimum impulse bit.
Claims18
A valve controller comprising:
- at least one current sensor input;
- at least one voltage sensor input;
- a processor and a memory, the processor being connected to the at least one current sensor input and the at least one voltage sensor input, wherein the valve controller is configured to determine at least one actual minimum impulse bit of a valve based on a current profile and a voltage profile of a single valve operation, and wherein the valve controller is configured to adjust valve controls to account for the at least one actual minimum impulse bit.
A method for determining a minimum impulse bit of a valve comprising:
- monitoring a current profile and a voltage profile of a valve control signal;
- determining an initial valve open time to be a beginning of a dip in a current ramp up and determining a valve fully closed time to be a voltage spike of the valve control signal;
- and
- determining the minimum impulse bit of the valve to be a length of time from the initial valve open time to the valve fully closed time.
A liquid fuel rocket engine comprising:
- a combustor;
- a liquid fuel repository connected to the combustor via a fuel line and a first valve;
- an oxidizer repository connected to the combustor via an oxidizer line and a second valve;
- and
- a valve controller configured to output a valve control current to the first valve, the valve controller storing instructions for determining at least one actual minimum impulse bit of a valve based on a current profile and a voltage profile of a single operation of the first valve, and to adjust valve controls to account for the at least one actual minimum impulse bit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.