A liquid rocket engine integrates tap-off openings at a combustion chamber wall to direct exhaust from the combustion chamber to a tap-off manifold that provides the exhaust to one or more auxiliary systems, such as a turbopump that pumps oxygen and/or fuel into the combustion chamber. The tap-off opening passes through a fuel channel formed in that combustion chamber exterior wall and receives fuel through a fuel opening that interfaces the fuel channel and tap-off opening. The tap-off manifold nests within a fuel manifold for thermal management. The fuel channel directs fuel into the combustion chamber through fuel port openings formed in the combustion chamber, the fuel port openings located closer to a headend of the combustion chamber than the tap-off openings.

A combustion chamber including a diverging portion. The combustion chamber extends along a longitudinal axis and includes a fluid injection system from which there extends in a downstream direction a wall presenting a throat and a diverging portion situated downstream from the throat. The chamber further includes a tubular element surrounding the wall at least in part and configured to take up most of forces generated during operation of the chamber on the downstream end of the wall to transfer the forces to a structure situated upstream from the chamber.

A combustion chamber including a diverging portion. The combustion chamber extends along a longitudinal axis and includes a fluid injection system from which there extends in a downstream direction a wall presenting a throat and a diverging portion situated downstream from the throat. The chamber further includes a tubular element surrounding the wall at least in part and configured to take up most of forces generated during operation of the chamber on the downstream end of the wall to transfer the forces to a structure situated upstream from the chamber.

A rocket engine having a co-axial, bidirectional flow arrangement is described herein. The rocket engine receives fuel and an oxidizer into the rocket engine in a first direction, whereby a portion of the fuel is combusted in a pre-burner. The flow direction of the partially combusted fuel/oxidizer mixture is reversed, whereby the mixture is introduced into a combustion chamber. The fuel and oxidizer are combusted in the combustion chamber. The combustion products exit a throat and an expansion plenum in a direction similar to the first direction, whereby the combustion products exit a nozzle of the rocket engine, providing thrust.

According to one contemplated embodiment of the rocket engine invention, water is first pumped from a water tank through a rocket nozzle cooling heat exchanger wherein it is evaporated into said superheated steam. A generator supplies electricity to an electrolyzer that electrolyzes superheated steam into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen is employed for forming an annular curtain of secondary combustion in a divergent rocket engine. The secondary combustion gas surrounds a central thrust of combustion gas produced in an upstream combustion chamber by a primary injection of hydrogen/oxygen supplied from a liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. The rocket liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are pressurized by gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen generated by the electrolyzer.

According to one contemplated embodiment of the rocket engine invention, water is first pumped from a water tank through a rocket nozzle cooling heat exchanger wherein it is evaporated into said superheated steam. A generator supplies electricity to an electrolyzer that electrolyzes superheated steam into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen is employed for forming an annular curtain of secondary combustion in a divergent rocket engine. The secondary combustion gas surrounds a central thrust of combustion gas produced in an upstream combustion chamber by a primary injection of hydrogen/oxygen supplied from a liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. The rocket liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are pressurized by gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen generated by the electrolyzer.

Omnivorous solar thermal thrusters and adjustable cooling structures are disclosed. In one aspect, a solar thermal rocket engine includes a solar thermal thruster configured to receive solar energy and one or more propellants, and heat the one or more propellants using the solar energy to generate thrust. The solar thermal thruster is further configured to use a plurality of different propellant types, either singly or in combination simultaneously. The solar thermal thruster is further configured to use the one or more propellants in both liquid and gaseous states. Related structures can include valves and variable-geometry cooling channels in thermal contact with a thruster wall.

A high density, generally recognized as safe, hybrid rocket motor is described, having a density-specific impulse similar to a solid rocket motor, with good performance approaching or equal to a liquid rocket motor. These high density hybrid motors resolve the packaging efficiency/effectiveness problems limiting the application of safe, low cost hybrid motor technology.

A vehicle comprising a structure, a plurality of heating sources, and a transport mechanism. The structure is comprised of multiple materials, a composite such that some of the material constituents can be extracted leaving behind others via application of energy (such as de-alloying). The extracted material or materials are configured to be re-purposed into a propellant. The plurality of heating elements surrounds or is embedded within the structure configured to convert the material into the propellant. The transport mechanism is configured to transport the propellant from the structure to a reservoir or to the propulsion system.

A multi-redundancy electromechanical servo system for regulating a liquid rocket engine, comprising a triple-redundancy servo controller (1), a double-redundancy servo driver (2), double-winding electromechanical actuators (4, 5), a triple-redundancy position sensor (6), a thrust regulator (8) and a mixed ratio regulator (9). Engine thrust, a mixed ratio regulation instruction and a feedback signal of the triple-redundancy position sensor are inputted to the triple-redundancy servo controller, and the triple-redundancy servo controller outputs thrust and mixed ratio regulation PWM wave control signals to the double-redundancy servo driver. The double-redundancy servo driver outputs a three-phase variable-frequency variable-amplitude sine wave current to drive the double-winding electromechanical actuators to drive the thrust regulator and the mixed ratio regulator to move, thus achieving engine thrust and mixed ratio regulation. The present servo system has a simple system and excellent control characteristics, has the ability to “control a two-degree fault operation and drive a one-degree fault operation”, and significantly improves the reliability and usage maintainability of the thrust and mixed ratio regulation of the liquid rocket engine. Also disclosed is a method for implementing the foregoing multi-redundancy electromechanical servo system.