Reservoir assembly for a spacecraft
AssigneeFinis Terrae S.R.L.
InventorPaolo Bellomi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reservoir assembly for a rocket engine of a spacecraft includes a first reservoir defining a first inner volume, a second reservoir having walls defining a second inner volume and comprising first walls fixed to the first reservoir, and an elastic membrane delimiting the second inner volume from the first inner volume, wherein the second reservoir comprises an outlet to allow a liquid propellant to flow out toward a propulsion apparatus of the rocket engine, characterized in that it further comprises a connecting means coupled to the first and second reservoirs and adapted to connect the first and second reservoirs.
Claims12
A reservoir assembly for a rocket engine of a spacecraft, the reservoir assembly comprising
- a first reservoir defining a first inner volume,
- a second reservoir having a plurality of walls defining a second inner volume and comprising first walls of the plurality of walls fixed to the first reservoir, and an elastic membrane arranged to delimit the second inner volume from the first inner volume, thereby defining a boundary between the first and second inner volumes,
- wherein the second reservoir comprises an outlet port to allow a liquid propellant contained in the second reservoir to flow out toward a propulsion apparatus of the rocket engine,
- the reservoir assembly further comprising a connecting means coupled to the first and second reservoirs and adapted to connect the first and second reservoirs, wherein the connecting means comprises:
- a first duct having first and second opposite ends connected to the first and second reservoirs at a first orifice of the first reservoir and at a second orifice of the second reservoir, respectively, and
- a first valve device coupled to the first duct and controllable to regulate a first flow of fluid from the first reservoir to the second reservoir,
- wherein the second orifice defines an inlet port of the second reservoir separate from the outlet port.
A reservoir assembly for a rocket engine of a spacecraft, the reservoir assembly comprising:
- a first reservoir defining a first inner volume;
- a second reservoir having a plurality of walls defining a second inner volume and comprising first walls of the plurality of walls fixed to the first reservoir, and an elastic membrane arranged to delimit the second inner volume from the first inner volume, thereby defining a boundary between the first and second inner volumes, wherein the second reservoir comprises an outlet port to allow a liquid propellant contained in the second reservoir to flow out toward a propulsion apparatus of the rocket engine;
- a connecting means coupled to the first and second reservoirs and adapted to connect the first and second reservoirs, wherein the connecting means comprises:
- a first duct having two opposite ends respectively connected to the first and second reservoirs, and
- a first valve device coupled to the first duct and controllable to regulate a first flow of fluid from the first reservoir to the second reservoir;
- a second duct extending from the outlet port to convey liquid propellant from the second reservoir toward the propulsion apparatus;
- a second valve device coupled to the second duct and controllable to regulate a second flow of fluid from the second reservoir toward the propulsion apparatus;
- and
- a control unit configured to;
- determine a state of free surface formation, in which a liquid propellant contained in the first reservoir collects in the first reservoir so as to form a free surface,
- control, for the purpose of starting the propulsion apparatus, the second valve device so as to admit the second fluid flow, and
- control the first valve device so as to prevent the first fluid flow if the state of free surface formation is not determined.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.