Propulsion method based on liquid carbon dioxide phase change and propulsion device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11858666-B2
Application number	US-202117514887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 25, 2019
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a propulsion method based on liquid carbon dioxide phase change and a propulsion device. The method includes the following steps of: accommodating carbon dioxide in a thermally insulated container in a liquid phase form; transiently heating to convert the carbon dioxide from a liquid phase to a gas phase; and jetting carbon dioxide gas after the phase change in a predetermined direction by a predetermined jet-out amount so as to obtain a propulsion force.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A propulsion method based on liquid carbon dioxide phase change, comprising the following steps:
in a first step (S 1 ), accommodating carbon dioxide in a thermally insulated container of a propulsor ( 1 ) in a liquid phase form, wherein the carbon dioxide is injected into and accommodated in the thermally insulated container in the liquid phase form at a predetermined temperature, and the predetermined temperature is lower than a liquid-gas phase change temperature of carbon dioxide; the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is a high-pressure-resistant closed container; and
the thermally insulated container is provided with electrodes ( 4 ),
and a jetting module ( 3 ) comprising release valves ( 5 ) arranged at a tail of the the thermally insulated container;
an inner diameter of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is adjustable within a range of 5 cm to 50 cm, and the height of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ), from a plane where the jetting module ( 3 ) is positioned to a position where a curvature radius of a head of the propulsor is the minimum, is adjustable within a range of 10 cm to 150 cm;
the head of the propulsor is of an ellipsoid shape, the length of the short axis of the ellipsoid is adjustable within a range of 5 cm to 50 cm, and the length of the semi-major axis of the ellipsoid is adjustable within a range of 6 cm to 100 cm; and wind resistance is reduced so as to benefit to formation of the stable flow field and heat loss in the propulsion process;
in a second step (S 2 ), transiently heating by a transient heating module ( 2 ) comprising the electrodes using a micro current and a highly thermo-sensitive material, or a high-voltage discharge to convert the carbon dioxide from a liquid phase to a gas phase, wherein time consumption of transient heating is in a millisecond grade and a temperature rise of transient heating does not exceed 21° C., the transient heating module ( 2 ) is arranged at a distance of 1 cm to 4 cm to a wall of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ); and the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is provided with a protection structure comprising an insulator sleeve for protecting the transient heating module ( 2 ), a strength of the protection structure is higher than a pressure difference generated by the phase change, and the pressure difference is 10 MPa to 500 MPa and is adjusted according to different demands, the protection structure and the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) are integrally formed; and the protection structure further comprising is an arc shielding structure; and
in a third step (S 3 ), jetting carbon dioxide gas after the phase change in a predetermined direction by a predetermined jet-out amount so as to obtain a propulsion force, wherein the release valves are commanded such that carbon dioxide gas after the phase change is controlled to be jetted through the release valves ( 5 ) so as to obtain the propulsion force,
the jetting module ( 3 ) further includes jet nozzles ( 6 ) connected with the release valves ( 5 ), and a pressure release threshold of the release valves is adjustable within a range of 15 MPa to 100 MPa and the pressure release threshold is automatically controlled according the required propulsion force; and
the inner diameter of each jet nozzle ( 6 ) is adjustable within a range of 1 cm to 15 cm, each jet nozzle ( 6 ) is designed with a geometrical shape including a conical shape, a bell shape, a plug-type shape, or an expansion-bias current shape, and each jet nozzle ( 6 ) is adjustable in angle at the tail of the propulsor for guiding the gas-phase carbon dioxide released from the corresponding release valve ( 5 ) to generate the directional propulsion force.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the third step (S 3 ), the propulsion force is a continuous action force lasting for a predetermined time.

3. The propulsion method of claim 2 , wherein the head of the propulsor is a half of the ellipsoid shape connected to a cylindric shape, transient heating module ( 2 ) comprises a micro current and a highly thermo-sensitive material; wherein the highly thermo-sensitive material is of an inverted U shape, and ends of two electrodes ( 4 ) inside the thermally insulated container are connected with a bottom of the highly thermo-sensitive material; wherein when the micro current flows through the highly thermo-sensitive material, the highly thermo-sensitive material transiently emits heat for heating the liquid carbon dioxide so as to implement the phase change; and wherein the jet nozzle has an expansion-bias current shape.

4. A propulsion device, comprising:
a thermally insulated container of a propulsor, which accommodates injected carbon dioxide in a liquid phase form, wherein the carbon dioxide is accommodated in the thermally insulated container in the liquid phase form at a predetermined temperature, and the predetermined temperature is a temperature lower than a liquid-gas phase change temperature of carbon dioxide; the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is a high-pressure-resistant closed container; and
the thermally insulated container 1 , is provided with electrodes ( 4 ) and a Jetting module ( 3 ) comprising release valves ( 5 ) are arranged at a tail of the thermally insulated container;
an inner diameter of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is adjustable within a range of 5 cm to 50 cm, and the height of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ), from a plane where the jetting module ( 3 ) is positioned to a position where a curvature radius of a head of the propulsor is the minimum, is adjustable within a range of 10 cm to 150 cm;
the head of the propulsor is of an ellipsoid shape, the length of the short axis of the ellipsoid is adjustable within a range of 5 cm to 50 cm, and the length of the semi-major axis of the ellipsoid is adjustable within a range of 6 cm to 100 cm; and the wind resistance is reduced so as to benefit to formation of the stable flow field and heat loss in the propulsion process;
a transient heating module comprising the electrodes, the electrodes are configured to use a micro current and a highly thermo-sensitive material, or a high-voltage discharge, which transiently heats the carbon dioxide in the liquid phase form in the thermally insulated container to convert the carbon dioxide from a liquid phase to a gas phase, wherein time consumption of transient heating is in a millisecond grade and a temperature rise of transient heating does not exceed 21° C., the transient heating module ( 2 ) is arranged at a distance of 1 cm to 4 cm to a wall of the thermally insulated container ( 1 ); and the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) is provided with a protection structure comprising an insulator sleeve for protecting the transient heating module ( 2 ), a strength of the protection structure is higher than a pressure difference generated by the phase change, and the pressure difference is 10 MPa to 500 MPa and is adjusted according to different demands, the protection structure and the thermally insulated container ( 1 ) are integrally formed; and the protection structure further comprising an arc shielding structure; and
the jetting module configured to command the release valves to controllably jet carbon dioxide gas through the release valves ( 5 ) after the phase change so as to obtain a propulsion force,
the jetting module ( 3 ) further include jet nozzles ( 6 ) connected with the release valves ( 5 ), and a pressure release threshold of the release valves is adjustable within a range of 15 MPa to 100 MPa and the pressure release threshold is automatically controlled according the required propulsion force; and
the inner diameter of each jet nozzle ( 6 ) is adjustable within a range of 1 cm to 15 cm, each jet nozzle ( 6 ) is designed with a geometrical shape including a conical shap

Assignees

• Univ Xi An Jiaotong

Inventors

• Chang Zhengshi
• Wang Cong
• Zhang Guanjun

Classifications

• F03H1/0093 Primary

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