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Pre-regenerated staged-combustion rocket engine

  • US 4,589,253 A
  • Filed: 04/16/1984
  • Issued: 05/20/1986
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1984
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for increasing the power and thrust output of a staged-combustion rocket engine, said engine having a preburner which receives a portion of an output flow of fuel from a fuel tank, said preburner having an output flow for providing a source of energy for a high-pressure turbine of a high-pressure turbopump the output flow of said high-pressure turbine combining with the output flow of a low-pressure turbine of a low-pressure turbopump, said low-pressure turbine receiving the output flow of the cooling jacket of an engine combustion chamber, said cooling jacket having received another portion of the flow from said fuel tank, said combined flow from said high-pressure turbine and from said low-pressure turbine providing a propellant supply for the combustion chamber of said rocket engine, comprising the steps of:

  • operating said preburner at a temperature, which is high enough so that damage to the blades of said high-pressure turbine would ordinarily occur; and

    sending said output flow of the cooling jacket through heat-exchange means prior to being received by said low-pressure turbine, said heat-exchange means in heat exchange relationship with said preburner to extract heat energy from said preburner so that the temperature of the flow being received by said low-pressure turbine is raised, thereby allowing said low-pressure turbopump to be operated at a higher pressure to provide a higher flow rate of fuel through said low-pressure turbopump, and the temperature of the output flow of the preburner is lowered to a level which is below that which will damage the blades of said high-pressure turbine.

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