AUGMENTED EXPANDER CYCLE
A rocket engine includes a thrust chamber having a cooling channel, which is adapted to provide sustained cracking conditions for a fluid (e.g., kerosene) within the cooling channel under steady-state engine operating conditions. An augmenter having a fluid input communicates with an output of the cooling channel, and an output of the augmenter is in fluid communication with a turbine. A pump is mechanically coupled to the turbine, and provides fluid flow to the inlet of the cooling channel.
1 . An engine, comprising:
a thrust chamber having a cooling channel, wherein the cooling channel is adapted to provide sustained cracking conditions for a fluid within the cooling channel under steady-state engine operating conditions;
an augmenter having a fluid input in fluid communication with an output of the cooling channel;
a turbine having an input in fluid communication with an output of the augmenter;
a pump mechanically coupled with the turbine, where the pump is in fluid communication with an inlet of the cooling channel.
2 . The engine of claim 1 , where the thrust chamber comprises a combustion chamber.
3 . The engine of claim 1 , where the thrust chamber comprises a nozzle.
4 . The engine of claim 1 , where the thrust chamber comprises a main combustion chamber and a nozzle.
5 . The engine of claim 1 , where the pump is in fluid communication with the cooling channel.
6 . The engine of claim 1 , where the output of the cooling channel is in fluid communication with the input of the augmenter.
7 . An engine, comprising:
a thrust chamber having a cooling channel;
an augmenter having a fluid input in fluid communication with an output of the cooling channel, wherein the augmenter is adapted to provide sustained cracking conditions for a fluid within the cooling channel under steady-state engine operating conditions;
a turbine having an input in fluid communication with an output of the augmenter;
a pump mechanically coupled with the turbine, where the pump is in fluid communication with the cooling channel.
8 . The engine of claim 7 , where the thrust chamber comprises a main combustion chamber.
9 . The engine of claim 7 , where the thrust chamber comprises a nozzle.
10 . The engine of claim 7 , where the thrust chamber comprises a main combustion chamber and a nozzle.
11 . The engine of claim 7 , where the pump is in fluid communication with the cooling channel.
12 . The engine of claim 7 , where the output of the cooling channel is in fluid communication with the input of the augmenter.
13 . A rocket engine, comprising:
a first pump that receives liquid oxidizer and provides pressurized liquid oxidizer;
a second pump that receives liquid kerosene and provides pressurized liquid kerosene;
a combustion chamber and nozzle assembly having coolant flow passages arranged in its peripheral wall, where the passages receive the pressurized liquid kerosene via a coolant inlet, circulate and heat the pressurized liquid kerosene and output cracked kerosene via a coolant outlet;
an augmenter that receives the cracked kerosene and a portion of the pressurized liquid oxidizer to add energy to the cracked kerosene flow, and outputs a high energy kerosene flow; and
a turbine assembly that receives and extracts energy from the high energy kerosene flow to drive the first and second pumps, and provides a turbine output kerosene flow;
where the combustion chamber and nozzle assembly receives and mixes the turbine output kerosene flow and the pressurized liquid oxidizer to provide a resultant mixture, and combusts the resultant mixture to provide thrust.
14 . The rocket engine of claim 13 , comprising a shaft driven by the turbine assembly and connected to the first pump and the second pump.
15 . The rocket engine of claim 13 , where the turbine assembly comprises a first turbine that drives the first pump and a second turbine that drives the second pump.
16 . The rocket engine of claim 13 , where the turbine assembly comprises a turbine that drives both the first pump and the second pump.
17 . The rocket engine of claim 13 , where combustion chamber and nozzle assembly comprises a convergent/divergent nozzle.
18 . The rocket engine of claim 17 , where the combustion chamber outputs a sustained flow of cracked kerosene via the coolant outlet during steady-state operation of the engine.