Propulsion system with initiators for selective activation of multiple rocket motors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11846252-B2
Application number	US-202117466113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2021
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

A power generation system includes a manifold having multiple plenums, capable of receiving multiple solid rocket motors. Initiators are coupled to the manifold, and are operatively coupled to respective of the plenums, to selectively fire different groups of the rocket motors coupled to respective of the plenums. The rocket motors act in parallel, to provide thrust in a single direction. The initiators may activate ignition charges that are in the plenums. The plenums may be annular plenums, which may be located in an annular manifold. The plenums may be lined with an insulator material. A cover may be used to cover the plenums, and also to receive the rocket motors. The rocket motors may be solid-fuel rocket motors, with propellant grains and nozzles. The individual rocket motors may have separate ignition booster charges coupled to the plenum, which are ignited by the ignition charge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion system comprising:
a manifold; and
multiple initiators operatively coupled to the manifold;
wherein the manifold has multiple plenums therein to which multiple rocket motors may be coupled, to provide ignition to different of the multiple rocket motors, wherein the multiple plenums are separated from each other and are not in fluid communication; and
wherein the initiators are to coupled to respective of the multiple plenums, with the multiple plenums coupled to different respective combinations of one or more of the multiple rocket motors.

2. The propulsion system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the multiple plenums is an annular plenum.

3. The propulsion system of claim 1 , wherein the multiple plenums include a first annular plenum and a second annular plenum, with the first annular plenum radially inward from the second annular plenum.

4. The propulsion system of claim 1 , wherein the manifold is in an annular manifold.

5. The propulsion system of claim 1 , further comprising ignition material in respective of the multiple plenums, configured to be ignited by the initiators.

6. The propulsion system of claim 1 , further comprising a cover on the manifold.

7. The propulsion system of claim 6 , wherein the cover has mounts for receiving the rocket motors.

8. The propulsion system of claim 6 , wherein the mounts have chambers therein, with ignition boosters in the chambers.

9. The propulsion system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the multiple plenums is a non-annular plenum.

10. The propulsion system of claim 1 , further comprising an insulator on inner surfaces of the multiple plenums.

11. The propulsion system of claim 1 , further comprising the rocket motors, operatively coupled to the multiple plenums.

12. The propulsion system of claim 11 , wherein the rocket motors are circumferentially spaced around the manifold.

13. The propulsion system of claim 11 , wherein each of the rocket motors is only coupled to a single plenum of the multiple plenums.

14. The propulsion system of claim 11 , wherein the multiple plenums include a first plenum and a second plenum; and
wherein the rocket motors include a first pair of diametrically-opposed rocket motors coupled to the first plenum, and a second pair of diametrically-opposed rocket motors coupled to the second plenum.

15. The propulsion system of claim 11 , wherein the initiators are configured to be fired independently from one another.

16. The propulsion system of claim 11 ,
wherein the rocket motors include first rocket motors coupled to a first plenum of the multiple plenums, and second rocket motors coupled to a second plenum of the multiple plenums; and
wherein the first rocket motors have different propulsion characteristics than the second rocket motors.

17. A flight vehicle comprising:
a fuselage; and
a propulsion system coupled to the fuselage, the propulsion system including:
a manifold; and
multiple initiators operatively coupled to the manifold;
wherein the manifold has multiple plenums therein to which multiple rocket motors may be coupled, to provide ignition to different of the multiple rocket motors, wherein the multiple plenums are separated from each other and are not in fluid communication; and
wherein the initiators are to coupled to respective of the multiple plenums, with the multiple plenums coupled to different respective combinations of one or more of the multiple rocket motors.

18. A method of operating a propulsion system, the method comprising:
selectively igniting ignition charges in any of multiple plenums in a manifold, wherein the multiple plenums are separated from each other and are not in fluid communication; and
using pressurized gasses from the multiple plenums in which ignition charges have been ignited, to ignite multiple rockets that are operatively coupled to individual of the multiple plenums in which ignition charges have been ignited.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the selectively igniting includes igniting multiple of the ignition charges sequentially.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the selectively igniting includes igniting multiple of the ignition charges simultaneously.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Little Iii Edward
• Chanes Bryce
• Pinello-Benavides Jacob
• Meschberger John

Classifications

• F02K9/30 Primary

  with the propulsion gases exhausting through a plurality of nozzles · CPC title

• F02K9/26

  Burning control {(F02K9/10, F02K9/34, F02K9/86, F02K9/92 and F02K9/94 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F02K9/763

  with solid propellant · CPC title

• F02K9/94

  Re-ignitable or restartable rocket- engine plants; Intermittently operated rocket-engine plants · CPC title

• F02K9/95 Primary

  characterised by starting or ignition means or arrangements (safety devices F02K9/38) · CPC title