An exoatmospheric vehicle uses a control system that includes a thrust system to provide thrust to control flight of the vehicle. A regenerative heat system is used to preheat portions of the thrust system, prior to their use in control of the vehicle. The heat for preheating may be generated by con
An exoatmospheric vehicle uses a control system that includes a thrust system to provide thrust to control flight of the vehicle. A regenerative heat system is used to preheat portions of the thrust system, prior to their use in control of the vehicle. The heat for preheating may be generated by consumption of a fuel of the vehicle, such as a monopropellant fuel. The fuel may be used to power a pump (among other possibilities), to pressurize the fuel for use by thrusters of the thrust system. The preheated portions of the thrust system may include one or more catalytic beds of the thrust system, which may be preheated using exhaust gasses from the pump. The preheating may reduce the response time of the thrusters that have their catalytic beds preheated. Other thrusters of the thrust system may not be preheated at all before operation.
대표청구항▼
1. A control system for an exoatmospheric vehicle, the control system comprising: a fuel supply containing a monopropellant fuel;a thrust system for providing thrust for controlling the course of the exoatmospheric vehicle by decomposing the monopropellant fuel from the fuel supply in the presence o
1. A control system for an exoatmospheric vehicle, the control system comprising: a fuel supply containing a monopropellant fuel;a thrust system for providing thrust for controlling the course of the exoatmospheric vehicle by decomposing the monopropellant fuel from the fuel supply in the presence of a catalyst; anda regenerative heat system that is used to preheat a preheated portion of the thrust system by using heat from decomposition of the monopropellant fuel, prior to providing the monopropellant fuel to the portion of the thrust system;wherein the thrust system includes: a set of attitude control thrusters that are used to change attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, wherein the set of attitude control thrusters includes at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed for decomposing the monopropellant fuel passing therethrough, and respective attitude control thruster control valves for separately controlling the thrust produced by the attitude control thrusters; anda set of divert thrusters that are used provide lateral acceleration to the exoatmospheric vehicle without substantially changing the attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, wherein the set of divert thrusters includes at least one divert thruster catalytic bed for decomposing the monopropellant fuel passing therethrough, and respective divert thruster control valves for separately controlling the thrust produced by the divert thrusters;wherein the preheated portion includes the at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed and the at least one divert thruster catalytic bed; andwherein the at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed is a single attitude control thruster catalytic bed that is upstream of and operatively coupled to all of the attitude control thruster control valves. 2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one divert control thruster catalytic bed includes multiple divert thruster catalytic beds, one for each of the divert thrusters, that are downstream of respective of the divert thruster control valves. 3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the thrust system also includes an additional set of attitude control thrusters that are also used to change the attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, wherein the preheated portion do not include any portion of additional set of attitude control thrusters. 4. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a pump to pump fuel from the fuel supply to the thrust system; wherein the regenerative heat system directs waste heat in the form of hot exhaust gasses from the pump to the preheated portion of the thrust system. 5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the pump operates by consuming some of the monopropellant fuel; andwherein the regenerative heat system directs hot exhaust gasses from the pump to the preheated portion of the thrust system. 6. The control system of claim 4, wherein at least some of the exhaust gasses are directed first through the at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed, and then through the at least one divert thruster catalytic bed. 7. The control system of claim 4, further comprising an accumulator operatively coupled to the pump to maintain fuel pressure in the thrust system. 8. The control system of claim 1, wherein the monopropellant fuel is an ionic monopropellant fuel. 9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the ionic monopropellant fuel includes hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) or ammonium dinitramide (ADN). 10. A control system for an exoatmospheric vehicle, the control system comprising: a fuel supply containing a monopropellant fuel; anda thrust system for providing thrust for controlling the course of the exoatmospheric vehicle by decomposing the monopropellant fuel from the fuel supply in the presence of a catalyst;a regenerative heat system that is used to preheat a preheated portion of the thrust system; anda pump to pump fuel from the fuel supply to the thrust system;wherein the thrust system includes a set of divert thrusters that are used to provide lateral acceleration to the exoatmospheric vehicle without substantially changing the attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, wherein the set of divert thrusters includes multiple divert thruster catalytic beds, one for each of the divert thrusters;wherein the thrust system also includes a set of attitude thrusters that are used to change attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, wherein the set of attitude control thrusters includes at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed; andwherein the regenerative heat system directs waste heat in the form of hot exhaust gasses from the pump to the thrust system, wherein at least some of the exhaust gasses are directed first through the at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed and then through the multiple divert thruster catalytic beds. 11. The control system of claim 10, wherein the monopropellant fuel is an ionic monopropellant fuel. 12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the ionic monopropellant fuel includes hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) or ammonium dinitramide (ADN). 13. The control system of claim 10, further including attitude control thruster control valves each for separately controlling the thrust produced by a respective attitude control thruster, and divert thruster control valves each for separately controlling the thrust produced by a respective divert thruster, wherein the at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed is upstream of the attitude control thruster control valves, and wherein each one of the multiple divert thruster catalytic beds is downstream of a different respective divert thruster control valve. 14. The control system of claim 10, further comprising an accumulator operatively coupled to the pump to maintain fuel pressure in the thrust system. 15. A method of operating an exoatmospheric vehicle, the method comprising: preheating catalytic beds of a thrust system using heat from decomposition of a monopropellant fuel, prior to providing the monopropellant fuel to the portion of the thrust system, wherein the preheating includes preheating using heat in the form of hot exhaust gasses formed from decomposition of the monopropellant fuel outside of the thrust system;controlling the course of the exoatmospheric vehicle using the thrust system, wherein the controlling includes directing the monopropellant fuel to the portions of the thrust system that were previously preheated, in order to produce thrust; anddirecting at least some hot exhaust gasses first through at least one attitude control thruster catalytic bed of an attitude control thrusters for changing attitude of the exoatmospheric vehicle, and then through at least one divert control thruster catalytic bed of a divert thruster for providing lateral acceleration to the exoatmospheric vehicle. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the preheating includes using exhaust gases from operation of a pump to preheating the portions of the thrust system. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the portions of the thrust system includes catalytic beds; andwherein the controlling includes decomposing the monopropellant fuel in the catalytic beds to produce the thrust. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the catalytic beds include catalytic beds for both attitude control thrusters and divert thrusters; andwherein the controlling includes controlling using both the attitude control thrusters and the divert thrusters. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the thrust system includes additional attitude control thrusters that are fired without preheating. 20. The method of claim 15, further including maintaining fuel pressure in the thrust system via an accumulator operatively coupled to the thrust system.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (6)
Schmidt Eckart W. (Bellevue WA) Gavin David F. (Cheshire CT), Catalytic decomposition of hydroxylammonium nitrate-based monopropellants.
Morris Joseph W. (Rancho Cordova CA) Carlson Russell W. (Folsom CA) Peterson Kevin L. (Sacramento CA) Reich Edward M. (Orangevale CA), Multiple pintle nozzle propulsion control system.
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