SYSTEM AND A METHOD FOR FEEDING A ROCKET ENGINE
The invention relates to the field of rocket engines, and more particularly to a system for feeding a rocket engine ( 2 ) with propellant, the system comprising a first tank ( 3 ), a second tank ( 4 ), a first feed circuit ( 6 ) connected to the first tank ( 3 ), and a second feed circuit ( 7 ) connected to the second tank ( 4 ). In order to cool the propellant contained in the second tank ( 4 ), the first circuit ( 6 ) includes a branch ( 12 ) passing through a first heat exchanger ( 14 ) incorporated in the second tank ( 4 ). The invention also provides a method of feeding the rocket engine ( 2 ).
1 . A system for feeding a rocket engine with propellants, the system comprising:
a first tank;
a second tank;
a first feed circuit connected to the first tank for feeding a first liquid fuel to the rocket engine and including, downstream from said first tank, a branch passing through a first heat exchanger incorporated in the second tank; and
a second feed circuit connected to the second tank for feeding a second liquid propellant to the rocket engine, the second liquid propellant having a saturation point substantially higher than the first liquid propellant;
wherein said branch is also connected to said first tank downstream from the first heat exchanger.
2 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein the second feed circuit includes a pump.
3 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein said branch further includes a bypass duct bypassing said first heat exchanger.
4 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein said feed circuit includes a pump upstream from said branch.
5 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein said branch includes a forced flow device.
6 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein said first heat exchanger is incorporated in an outlet funnel from the second tank.
7 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein the first circuit further includes at least one second heat exchanger incorporated in the second tank.
8 . The feed system according to claim 7 , wherein said second heat exchanger is incorporated in an outlet funnel from the second tank.
9 . The feed system according to claim 8 , wherein said first circuit further includes a third heat exchanger incorporated in the second tank, upstream from the second heat exchanger.
10 . The feed system according to claim 1 , wherein the first feed circuit further includes, upstream from said branch, another heat exchanger suitable for being connected to a heat source.
11 . The feed system according to claim 10 , wherein said first feed circuit further includes a buffer tank, said other heat exchanger being incorporated in said buffer tank.
12 . A method of feeding a rocket engine with liquid propellants, the method comprising the following steps:
extracting a flow of a first liquid propellant from a first tank through a first feed circuit;
bleeding a portion of said flow of the first liquid propellant through a branch of the first feed circuit;
passing the first liquid propellant bled through said branch into the gaseous state in a heat exchanger incorporated in a second tank containing a second liquid propellant at a temperature higher than the saturation temperature of the first liquid propellant in the branch; and
extracting a flow of the second liquid propellant from the second tank via a second feed circuit.
13 . The feed method according to claim 12 , wherein at least a portion of the first liquid propellant bled through said branch is reinjected in the gaseous state into the first tank.
14 . A feed method according to claim 12 , wherein the first liquid propellant is liquid hydrogen and the second liquid propellant is liquid oxygen.