Combined air-hydrogen turbo-rocket power plant
AssigneeSociete Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation "S.N.E.C.M.A."
InventorFrancois J. Mirville
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Abstract
A combined air-hydrogen turbo-rocket engine is disclosed having a simplified construction in which the hydrogen driven turbine is formed integrally with the rotor wheel of the axial air compressor stages. The rotor stages are located downstream of a stator vane structure and are driven by gaseous hydrogen passing across the turbine blades. The hydrogen is subsequently injected into an air duct surrounding the axial air compressor and defining an airflow path having an air inlet. The hydrogen-air mixture is ignited and the burned gases are expanded through a converging-diverging exhaust nozzle.
Claims20
An airbreathing, liquid hydrogen turbo-rocket engine comprising:
- (a) an air duct defining an air intake;
- (b) an axial air compressor having at least one pair of compressor rotor stages, each having a rotor stage wheel with a plurality of compressor blades disposed within the air duct;
- (c) nozzle means operatively associated with the air duct to exhaust gases therefrom;
- (d) means defining at least one annular chamber extending around the air duct in the plane of the rotor stages;
- (e) turbine means disposed in the at least one annular chamber comprising:
- (i) at least one durbine stator vane stage;
- and,
- (ii) at least one turbine rotor blade stage with at least one turbine blade operatively associated with each of the compressor blades of each of the compressor stages such that rotation of the turbine rotor stages causes rotation of the at least one pair of compressor rotor stages;
- (f) a source of hydrogen;
- (g) pump means to pump the hydrogen from the source into the annular chamber so as to rotate the turbine rotor stage;
- and,
- (h) exhaust means to exhaust hydrogen from the annular chamber into the air duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.