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.

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.

To manage propellant in a spacecraft, the method of this disclosure includes storing propellant in a tank as a mixture of liquid and gas; transferring the propellant out of the tank; converting the mixture of liquid and gas propellant into a single phase, where the single phase is either liquid or gaseous; and supplying the single phase of the propellant to a thruster.

Integrated chemical propellant and cold gas propulsion systems and methods are provided. A storage or fuel tank containing the chemical propellant is pressurized by a pressurant. The chemical propellant is selective passed to a propellant thruster through a first port of the storage tank and a propellant valve. The pressurant is selectively passed to a cold gas thruster through a second port of the storage tank and a cold gas valve. In addition, a pressurant tank can be provided. Pressurant contained within the pressurant tank can be selectively placed in communication with the pressurant contained within the storage tank via a pressurant valve, or can be selectively passed to the cold gas thruster through the cold gas thruster valve. Systems can also include bi-propellant thrusters, with a first and second chemical compounds and volumes of pressurant stored in first and second storage tanks respectively.

Concurrent rocket engine pre-conditioning and tank filling is disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus includes an inlet valve to supply a rocket propellant tank that is associated with a rocket engine with rocket propellant, and a flow director to direct at least a portion of a flow of the rocket propellant from the inlet valve to a chill line of the rocket engine to thermally condition the rocket engine as the rocket propellant tank is being filled with the rocket propellant.

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.

The present disclosure comprises a thrust augmentation device for liquid rocket engines that will enable higher thrust throttling when launch vehicles require the additional thrust and be turned off when the additional thrust is no longer required. The present disclosure provide a higher mission-average engine specific impulse (Isp) performance by offering a greater nozzle exit area ratio and option of MR-shift in main combustion chamber. The present disclosure retains the technology advancements made in historical rocket engine development where cost and technical challenges were great, that is in the turbopump and main injector/combustion chamber, and take advantage of engine component that is least developed and understood, the nozzle section by providing a secondary propellant injection port and combustion zone to optimize liquid rocket engine performance required by launch vehicles.

The present disclosure comprises a thrust augmentation device for liquid rocket engines that will enable higher thrust throttling when launch vehicles require the additional thrust and be turned off when the additional thrust is no longer required. The present disclosure provide a higher mission-average engine specific impulse (Isp) performance by offering a greater nozzle exit area ratio and option of MR-shift in main combustion chamber. The present disclosure retains the technology advancements made in historical rocket engine development where cost and technical challenges were great, that is in the turbopump and main injector/combustion chamber, and take advantage of engine component that is least developed and understood, the nozzle section by providing a secondary propellant injection port and combustion zone to optimize liquid rocket engine performance required by launch vehicles.

A method for managing propellant in a spacecraft is disclosed. The method includes storing liquid propellant in a tank under an operating pressure controlled using a product of chemical decomposition of the propellant. The method may include transferring the liquid propellant out of the tank and chemically decomposing a portion of it using, for example electrolysis. Thus generated one or more gas components may be introduced to the tank to control the operating pressure in the tank.

A method for managing propellant in a spacecraft is disclosed. The method includes storing liquid propellant in a tank under an operating pressure controlled using a product of chemical decomposition of the propellant. The method may include transferring the liquid propellant out of the tank and chemically decomposing a portion of it using, for example electrolysis. Thus generated one or more gas components may be introduced to the tank to control the operating pressure in the tank.