Propellant tank for spacecraft and spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10604279-B2
Application number	US-201615561636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

To provide a propellant tank such as a fuel tank and an oxidant tank for a spacecraft, the propellant tank discharging propellant such as liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen accumulated therein toward a rocket engine by pressurizing an inside thereof by operating gas. The propellant tank includes a tank body that accumulates therein the propellant in a liquid state, and a holding container that is provided inside the tank body and disposed with a predetermined gap from an inner wall of the tank body, so that the propellant in a liquid state can be held therein, when the inside of the tank body is in a microgravity state or a zero-gravity state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propellant tank for a spacecraft, the propellant tank being operable to discharge propellant to an engine by pressurizing an inside of the propellant tank with operating gas, the propellant tank comprising:
a tank body;
a holding container provided inside the tank body and disposed with a predetermined gap from an inner wall of the tank body, wherein the holding container is configured to hold the propellant in a liquid state when the inside of the tank body is in a zero-gravity state; and
a reservoir container provided in the holding container on a discharge side of the tank body, the reservoir container being configured to hold the propellant in the liquid state,
wherein the holding container and the reservoir container are formed of a mesh material having a mesh pattern,
wherein surface tension of the propellant, in the liquid state, acts on the mesh material of the holding container, and
wherein, when the inside of the tank body is in a zero-gravity state and is not pressurized by the operating gas, passage through the holding container of the propellant suspended in the holding container is suppressed due to the surface tension of the propellant in the liquid state so that the propellant in the liquid state will be held in the holding container.

2. The propellant tank for a spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the holding container allows passage of the propellant in a liquid state at a time of pressurization by the operating gas.

3. The propellant tank for a spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the mesh material is wire mesh.

4. The propellant tank for a spacecraft according to claim 1 , wherein the mesh material is a net configuration comprised of polytetrafluoroethylene.

5. The propellant tank for a spacecraft according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one spacer that connects the inner wall of the tank body and the holding container with each other by connecting a first side of the at least one spacer to the inner wall of the tank body and connecting a second side of the at least one spacer to the holding container, wherein
the at least one spacer is comprised of a low heat-conducting material.

6. The propellant tank for a spacecraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a relief valve in the reservoir container for discharging the propellant when the propellant is in a gaseous state inside the reservoir container.

7. A spacecraft comprising:
a propellant tank including a tank body, a holding container provided inside the tank body and disposed with a predetermined gap from an inner wall of the tank body, wherein the holding container is configured to hold propellant in a liquid state when an inside of the tank body is in a zero-gravity state, and a reservoir container provided in the holding container on a discharge side of the tank body, the reservoir container being configured to hold the propellant in the liquid state; and
a gas reservoir configured to supply operating gas for pressurizing the inside of the propellant tank to discharge the propellant,
wherein the holding container and the reservoir container are formed of a mesh material having a mesh pattern,
wherein surface tension of the propellant, in a liquid state, acts on the mesh material of the holding container, and
wherein, when the inside of the tank body is in a zero-gravity state and is not pressurized by the operating gas, passage through the holding container of the propellant suspended in the holding container is suppressed due to the surface tension of the propellant in a liquid state so that the propellant in the liquid state will be held in the holding container.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Ishikawa Keitaro
• Aoyama Taichi
• Kinefuchi Kiyoshi
• Okita Koichi
• Sarae Wataru

Classifications

• F17C3/04 Primary

  by insulating layers (F17C3/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F17C2270/0194

  for use under microgravity conditions, e.g. space · CPC title

• F17C2201/0109

  with exteriorly curved end-piece · CPC title

• F17C2265/066

  for feeding engines for propulsion · CPC title

• F17C2203/0629

  Two walls · CPC title