Rocket propellant mixing and fueling systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10934030-B2
Application number	US-201615216129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2016
Priority date	Jul 21, 2016
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

A rocket fueling system includes an insulated jacket configured to removably couple to at least a portion of a rocket and form an enclosed space between the insulated jacket and the at least the portion of the rocket. The rocket fueling system also includes a cryogen inlet in the insulated jacket. The cryogen inlet is configured to receive a cryogen into an interior chamber of the insulated jacket. The rocket fueling system further includes a cryogen outlet in the insulated jacket. The cryogen outlet is configured to provide the cryogen from the interior chamber in the insulated jacket to the at least the portion of the rocket in the enclosed space. The rocket fueling system still further includes a gas outlet in the insulated jacket configured to exhaust the cryogen from the enclosed space, and a flammable gas sensor configured to detect a flammable gas at the gas outlet.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rocket fueling system comprising:
an insulated jacket configured to removably couple to at least a portion of a rocket and form an enclosed space between the insulated jacket and the at least the portion of the rocket;
a cryogen inlet in the insulated jacket, wherein the cryogen inlet is configured to receive a cryogen into an interior chamber of the insulated jacket;
a cryogen outlet in the insulated jacket, wherein the cryogen outlet is configured to provide the cryogen from the interior chamber in the insulated jacket to the at least the portion of the rocket in the enclosed space;
a gas outlet in the insulated jacket configured to exhaust the cryogen from the enclosed space;
a gas sensor configured to detect a flammable gas at the gas outlet;
a plurality of gas containers configured to store a plurality of respective gas components;
a gas-mixing system coupled to the plurality of gas containers, wherein the gas-mixing system is configured to mix the plurality of gas components to form a gas mixture;
a fuel-supply conduit for transferring a flow of the gas mixture from the gas-mixing system to the rocket, wherein the gas-mixing system and the fuel-supply conduit are configured to operate simultaneously;
a first controller communicatively coupled to the gas sensor and gas-mixing system, wherein the first controller is configured to increase or decrease the flow of the gas mixture from the gas-mixing system to the rocket; and
an alarm system coupled to the gas sensor, wherein the alarm system is configured to cause, in response to the gas sensor detecting the flammable gas at the gas outlet, the first controller to terminate the flow of the gas mixture from the gas-mixing system to the rocket.

2. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein the cryogen is configured to cool the rocket to a temperature that is less than a liquefaction temperature of a gaseous fuel for the rocket.

3. The rocket fueling system of claim 2 , wherein the cryogen outlet comprises a plurality of cryogen outlets along a longitudinal axis of the insulated jacket for providing the cryogen along a length of the at least the portion of the rocket.

4. The rocket fueling system of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of cryogen outlets are along a circumferential axis of the insulated jacket for providing the cryogen around a circumference of the at least the portion of the rocket.

5. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein the insulated jacket includes a conduit for directing the cryogen from the cryogen inlet to the cryogen outlet.

6. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein the alarm system is configured to generate at least one of a visual alarm or an audio alarm in response to the gas sensor detecting the flammable gas at the gas outlet.

7. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor coupled to the insulated jacket, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of an exterior surface of the at least the portion of the rocket.

8. The rocket fueling system of claim 7 , further comprising a second controller communicatively coupled to the temperature sensor and a cryogen source, wherein the second controller is configured to control, based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor, a flow rate of the cryogen provided from the cryogen source to the at least the portion of the rocket.

9. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein the cryogen is inert.

10. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the insulated jacket comprises a plurality of spacers configured to form the enclosed space between the inner surface of the insulated jacket and an exterior surface of the at least the portion of the rocket.

11. The rocket fueling system of claim 1 , wherein the insulated jacket comprises a flexible material, and wherein the insulated jacket is configured to removably couple to the at least the portion of the rocket by wrapping around an exterior surface of the at least the portion of the rocket.

12. A method of fueling a rocket, comprising:
coupling an insulated jacket to an exterior surface of the rocket;
cooling the exterior surface of the rocket by transferring, via the insulated jacket, a cryogen from a cryogen source to the exterior surface of the rocket;
transferring a gas mixture from an external fuel source to a fuel chamber in the rocket by:
transferring a first gas component from a first gas source to a mixing compartment of a gas-mixing system;
transferring a second gas component from a second gas source to the mixing compartment;
mixing the first gas component and the second gas component in the mixing compartment to form the gas mixture; and
transferring the gas mixture from the mixing compartment to the fuel chamber in the rocket, wherein (i) mixing the first gas component and the second gas component and (ii) transferring the gas mixture are performed simultaneously;

detecting, via a gas sensor in the insulated jacket, a portion of the gas mixture; and
responsive to detecting the portion of the gas mixture, terminating transferring the gas mixture to the fuel chamber in the rocket; and
liquefying the gas mixture in the fuel chamber to form a liquid rocket fuel in the fuel chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein cooling the exterior surface comprises cooling the exterior surface to a temperature below a liquefaction temperature of the gas mixture.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein cooling the exterior surface of the rocket comprises cooling the exterior surface of the rocket prior to and during transferring the gas mixture to the fuel chamber.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising transporting the rocket from a storage location to a launch location, wherein cooling the exterior surface of the rocket is performed while transporting the rocket.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising transporting at least two gas containers, each containing a different gas component of the gas mixture, from the storage location to the launch location while transporting the rocket from the storage location to the launch location.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein cooling the exterior surface of the rocket comprises directing, via a conduit of the insulated jacket, the cryogen from a cryogen inlet in the insulated jacket to a cryogen outlet of the insulated jacket.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising, responsive to detecting the portion of the gas mixture, generating at least one of a visual alarm or an audio alarm.

19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising measuring a temperature of the exterior surface of the rocket.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising controlling, based on the temperature of the exterior surface of the rocket, a flow rate of the cryogen provided from the cryogen source to the exterior surface of the rocket.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Watts Daniel A
• Jenkins David S

Classifications

• B64G1/402

  Propellant tanks; Feeding propellants · CPC title

• B64G1/401

  Liquid propellant rocket engines (Ion or plasma engines B64G1/413; Arcjets and other resistojets B64G1/415) · CPC title

• F02K9/60

  Constructional parts; Details not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F02K9/44 Primary

  Feeding propellants · CPC title

• F02K9/972

  Fluid cooling arrangements for nozzles (F02K9/64 takes precedence) · CPC title