Thermally coupled liquid oxygen and liquid methane storage vessel
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsGary D. Grayson, Michael L. Hand, Edwin C. Cady
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cryogenic propellant storage tank system and method are disclosed that thermally couple LO2 and LCH4 tanks together by using either a single tank compartmentalized by a common tank wall or two separate tanks that are coupled together with one or more thermal couplers having high thermal conductivity. Cryogenic cooling equipment may be located only in the LO2 tank while the LCH4 is cooled by the LO2 tank interface. Embodiments of the invention may employ both LO2 and LCH4 liquid acquisition devices (LADs) for low-gravity use. In further embodiments, only the LO2 LADs may be integrated with thermal cooling equipment.
Claims19
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first tank comprising a first liquid propellant;
- a second tank comprising a second liquid propellant;
- and
- a thermal couplet between the second tank and the first tank for transferring heat energy between the first tank and the second tank to substantially maintain the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant at a substantially similar temperature;
- wherein the first tank, the second tank and the thermal coupler are employed in a space vehicle having a propulsion system using the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant and wherein the thermal coupler comprises one or more metal bands coupling the first tank to the second tank.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first tank comprising a first liquid propellant;
- a second tank comprising a second liquid propellant;
- and
- a thermal coupler between the second tank and the first tank for transferring heat energy between the first tank and the second tank to substantially maintain the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant at a substantially similar temperature;
- wherein the first tank, the second tank and the thermal coupler are employed in a space vehicle having a propulsion system using the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant and wherein the first tank and the second tank each comprise a liquid acquisition device (LAD) for acquiring the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant as single phase liquids from the first tank and the second tank, respectively.
A method, comprising:
- filling a first tank with a first liquid propellant;
- filling a second tank comprising a second liquid propellant;
- and
- transferring heat energy between the second tank and the first tank to substantially maintain the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant at a substantially similar temperature with a thermal coupler disposed between the first tank and the second tank;
- acquiring the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant each as single phase liquids from the first tank and the second tank, respectively, with a liquid acquisition device (LAD) within each of the first tank and the second tank;
- wherein the first tank, the second tank and the thermal coupler are employed in a space vehicle having a propulsion system using the first liquid propellant and the second liquid propellant.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.