An apparatus configured with two subsystems comprising a torus tube, linear flow, and turboplant assemblies that form of cavity for externally supplied and rotating subsonic working fluid. The working fluid rotation is provided by turboplant assemblies with throttle control. The rotating working fluid inside the cavities will conserve angular momentum. As a result of the conservation of angular momentum, poinsot flow fields are seen within the working fluid. A stable, resultant force is generated from the pressure and area forces inside the cavity. The apparatus usage is either with manual operation or as an unmanned, autonomous vehicle.

A cooling architecture in a geared turbofan engine can include a longitudinally extending radially inner shaft, a radially outer support, and a bearing assembly. The longitudinally extending radially inner shaft can include an inner race. The inner race can define an inner circumferential chamber configured to carry an inner working fluid. The radially outer support can include an outer race. The bearing assembly can include a plurality of roller bearings disposed radially between the inner race and the outer race. The bearing assembly can be configured to radially align the inner shaft with respect to the outer support.

An aerospace turbofan engine that injects oxygen-enriched gas from an inlet includes an oxygen-enriched gas injection component, a body structure, an afterburner middle portion and a first afterburner outer ring. An aerospace turbofan engine that injects oxygen-enriched gas from an inlet and an afterburner individually or simultaneously includes an oxygen-enriched gas injection component, a body structure, an afterburner middle portion and a second afterburner outer ring. The aerospace turbofan engines which fully utilize oxygen in the atmosphere for combustion and work in various flight altitude ranges adopt regenerative cooling-type afterburners with acoustic cavity and baffle plates, so that an aircraft can fly to an altitude of 20-50 km and reach a speed of Mach 2-5. Variants of the aerospace turbofan engines are disclosed.

An aerospace turbofan engine that injects oxygen-enriched gas from an inlet includes an oxygen-enriched gas injection component, a body structure, an afterburner middle portion and a first afterburner outer ring. An aerospace turbofan engine that injects oxygen-enriched gas from an inlet and an afterburner individually or simultaneously includes an oxygen-enriched gas injection component, a body structure, an afterburner middle portion and a second afterburner outer ring. The aerospace turbofan engines which fully utilize oxygen in the atmosphere for combustion and work in various flight altitude ranges adopt regenerative cooling-type afterburners with acoustic cavity and baffle plates, so that an aircraft can fly to an altitude of 20-50 km and reach a speed of Mach 2-5. Variants of the aerospace turbofan engines are disclosed.

A satellite has thrusters that are integral parts of its frame. The frame defines cavities therein where thrusters are located. The thrusters may include an electrically-operated propellant and electrodes to activate combustion in the electrically-operated propellant. The frame may be additively manufactured, and the propellant and/or the electrodes may also be additively manufactured, with the frame and the propellant and/or the electrodes also being manufactured in a single process. In addition the thrusters may have nozzle portions through which combustion gases exit the thrusters. The thrusters may be located at corners and/or along edges of the frame, and may be used to accomplish any of a variety of maneuvers for the satellite. The satellite may be a small satellite, such as a CubeSat satellite, for instance having a volume of about 1 liter, and a mass of no more than about 1.33 kg.

A satellite has thrusters that are integral parts of its frame. The frame defines cavities therein where thrusters are located. The thrusters may include an electrically-operated propellant and electrodes to activate combustion in the electrically-operated propellant. The frame may be additively manufactured, and the propellant and/or the electrodes may also be additively manufactured, with the frame and the propellant and/or the electrodes also being manufactured in a single process. In addition the thrusters may have nozzle portions through which combustion gases exit the thrusters. The thrusters may be located at corners and/or along edges of the frame, and may be used to accomplish any of a variety of maneuvers for the satellite. The satellite may be a small satellite, such as a CubeSat satellite, for instance having a volume of about 1 liter, and a mass of no more than about 1.33 kg.

A nuclear thermal propulsion rocket engine. A source of fissionable material such as plutonium is provided utilizing a carrier fluid having neutron moderating constituents, such as hydrogen and/or carbon, therein. A carrier fluid may be methane, or ethane, or a combination thereof. A neutron source is provided, such as from a neutron beam generator. Reactor design geometry provides containment of fissionable material in the reactor during acceleration. Collisions occur between neutrons and fissionable material injected by way of the carrier fluid. Impact of neutrons on fissionable material results in a nuclear fission in sub-critical mass reaction conditions in the reactor, resulting in release of heat energy to fluids provided to the reactor. The reactor is sized and shaped to receive the reactants and expandable fluids such as hydrogen, and to confine heated and pressurized gases for discharge out through a throat, into a rocket engine expansion nozzle for propulsive discharge, The design provides a rocket engine with a specific impulse in the range of from about eight hundred (800) seconds to about twenty five hundred (2500) seconds.

A nuclear thermal propulsion rocket engine. A source of fissionable material is provided in a bed of fuel pebbles located in a reactor. A fluid having neutron moderating constituents, such as hydrogen and/or carbon, therein, is provided, which may be in the form of methane, or ethane, or a combination thereof, or may further include various isotopes of hydrogen. An external neutron source is provided using a neutron beam generator. Reactor design geometry provides containment of fissionable material, and for any byproducts of fission reactions, in the reactor during acceleration of the rocket. Impact of neutrons on fissionable material results in a nuclear fission reaction conditions in the reactor, resulting in release of heat energy to fluids provided to the reactor. The reactor is sized and shaped to contain fuel pebbles containing fissionable material, and to confine expandable fluids as they remove heat from fuel pebbles. the heated fluids are discharged out through a throat, into a rocket engine expansion nozzle for propulsive discharge, The design provides a rocket engine with a specific impulse in the range of from about eight hundred (800) seconds to about twenty five hundred (2500) seconds.

The invention provides a method for computational fluid dynamics and apparatuses making enable an efficient implementation and use of an enhanced jet-effect, either the Coanda-jet-effect, the hydrophobic jet-effect, or the waving-jet-effect, triggered by specifically shaped corpuses and tunnels. The method is based on the approaches of the kinetic theory of matter providing generalized equations of fluid motion and is generalized and translated into terms of electromagnetism. The method is applicable for slow-flowing as well as fast-flowing real compressible-extendable generalized fluids and enables optimal design of convergent-divergent nozzles, providing for the most efficient jet-thrust. The method can be applied to airfoil shape optimization for bodies flying separately and in a multi-stage cascaded sequence. The method enables apparatuses for electricity harvesting from the fluid heat-energy, providing a positive net-efficiency. The method enables generators for practical-expedient power harvesting using constructive interference of waves due to the waving jet-effect.

A thruster control device has an opening degree estimating section and an opening degree control section. The opening degree estimating section calculates an estimated opening degree of a valve showing a rate at which the valve is opened, based on a balance of an acting force applied to a valve element of the valve to adjust a quantity of combustion gas to be ejected from a thruster and a fluid force applied to the valve element by the ejected combustion gas. The opening degree control section determines a target opening degree based on the estimated opening degree to control the opening degree of the valve.