Launch vehicle and system and method for economically efficient launch thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617016-B2
Application number	US-201414211779-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a launch system, a launch vehicle for use with the launch system, and methods of launching a payload utilizing the launch vehicle and/or the launch system. The disclosure can provide for delivery of the payload at a terrestrial location, an Earth orbital location, or an extraorbital location. The launch vehicle can comprise a payload, a propellant tank, an electrical heater wherein propellant, such as a light gas (e.g., hydrogen) is electrically heated to significantly high temperatures, and an exhaust nozzle from which the heated propellant expands to provide an exhaust velocity of, for example, 7-16 km/sec. The launch vehicle can be utilized with the launch system, which can further comprise a launch tube formed of at least one tube, which can be electrically conductive and which can be combined with at least one insulator tube. An electrical energy source, such as a battery bank and associated inductor, can be provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A launch vehicle adapted for high velocity delivery of a payload, the launch vehicle comprising:
a payload container;
a propellant tank containing a propellant;
an electrical heater in fluid connection with the propellant tank and adapted for electrical heating of the propellant to form an exiting exhaust; and
one or more electrical conductors comprising sliding electrical contacts and configured to direct flow of electrical current from an external source to the electrical heater, and comprising arms positioned between the sliding electrical contacts and the electrical heater.

2. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising an expansion nozzle in fluid communication with the exiting exhaust from the electrical heater.

3. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical heater is a resistive heater.

4. The launch vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the resistive heater comprises at least one electrically heated porous cylinder inside a containment vessel.

5. The launch vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the electrically heated porous cylinder comprises carbon walls.

6. The launch vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the carbon walls include a coating material selected from the group consisting of diamond, tungsten, hafnium carbide, and combinations thereof.

7. The launch vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the electrically heated porous cylinder is a transpiring tungsten-containing cylinder.

8. The launch vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein the resistive heater comprises a discharge port in fluid communication with a chamber that is internal to the containment vessel and external to the electrically heated porous cylinder.

9. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical heater is an arc heater.

10. The launch vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the arc heater comprises a swirl chamber within a containment vessel.

11. The launch vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the containment vessel comprises transpiration cooled walls.

12. The launch vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the swirl chamber is configured to establish a swirl stabilized electrical vortex arc.

13. The launch vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the arc heater comprises coaxial electrical terminals spaced apart by the swirl chamber.

14. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding electrical contacts comprise an inner conductor at least partially surrounded by an outer rim.

15. The launch vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the outer rim is configured for transpiration cooling.

16. The launch vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein the outer rim is porous.

17. The launch vehicle according to claim 16 , wherein pores in the porous outer rim are at least partially filed with a cooling material.

18. The launch vehicle according to claim 17 , wherein the cooling material is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, sulfur hexafluoride, and combinations thereof.

19. The launch vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the sliding electrical contacts further comprise one or more of a magnetic rim, an ablative shield, an inner cooled rim, and an ablative rim between the inner conductor and the outer rim.

20. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding electrical contacts are configured to receive the electrical current from a plasma arc.

21. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical conductors comprise elongated conductive elements attached to or integral with one or both of the payload container and the propellant tank.

22. The launch vehicle according to claim 21 , wherein the elongated conductive elements are configured to receive the electrical current from a plasma arc.

23. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the propellant tank comprises one or more sliding contact strips on at least a portion of an outer surface of the propellant tank.

24. The launch vehicle according to claim 23 , wherein the sliding contact strips are configured to be vaporizable.

25. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the payload container comprises one or more of a human or animal passenger, a satellite, a vehicle, a commodity, and a weapon.

26. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein one or all of the payload container, the propellant tank, and the electrical heater are reusable.

27. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the propellant is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, diborane, ammonia, methane, and combinations thereof.

28. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to provide a specific impulse (Isp) of at least 500 sec.

29. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical heater is configured to heat the propellant to a temperature of about 1,000 K to about 100,000 K.

30. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the exiting exhaust is selected from the group consisting of molecular hydrogen, atomic hydrogen, hydrogen plasma, and combinations thereof.

31. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the payload container comprises a heat shield.

32. The launch vehicle according to claim 31 , wherein at least a portion of the heat shield is configured for transpiration cooling.

33. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is configured to provide a thrust to weight ratio of greater than 10:1.

34. The launch vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a propellant pump in fluid communication with the propellant tank and the electrical heater.

35. The launch vehicle according to claim 34 , wherein the propellant pump is a pyrotechnically driven pump or is an electrically driven pump.

36. A launch system comprising:
1) a launch tube comprising at least one tube configured for transmission of energy therethrough
2) a launch vehicle comprising:
a payload container;
a propellant tank containing a propellant;
an electrical heater in fluid connection with the propellant tank and adapted for electrical heating of the propellant to form an exiting exhaust;
a propellant pump in fluid communication with the propellant tank and the electrical heater; and
one or more electrical conductors configured to direct flow of electrical current to the electrical heater; and
3) an electrical energy source;
wherein the launch tube is configured for propulsion of the launch vehicle therethrough.

37. The launch system according to claim 36 , wherein the launch tube comprises an inner electrically conductive tube and an outer electrically conductive tube separated by a coaxial insulator tube.

38. The launch system according to claim 37 , wherein the inner electrically conductive tube comprises one or more slotted tracks extending at least partially along the length thereof.

39. The launch system according to claim 38 , wherein the one or more slotted tracks are configured to receive the electrical conductors of the launch vehicle.

40. The launch system according to claim 37 , wherein the ratio of the radius of the outer electrically conductive tube to the radius of th

Assignees

• Palmer Labs Llc
• 8 Rivers Capital Llc

Inventors

• Palmer Miles R
• Brown Jr Glenn William

Classifications

• B64G1/002 Primary

  Launch systems · CPC title

• F41B6/00

  Electromagnetic launchers {; Plasma-actuated launchers (projectiles for electromagnetic or plasma guns F42B6/006)} · CPC title

• B64G1/00 Primary

  Cosmonautic vehicles · CPC title

• F42C11/00

  Electric fuzes ({in combination with other fuzes F42C9/14}; proximity fuzes F42C13/00; {safety or arming effected by electric means F42C15/40; electric contact parts for fuzes F42C19/06}; electric igniters F42C19/12, {F42B3/12 - F42B3/18; optical initiators F42B3/113}) · CPC title

• F02K9/95

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