SOLAR HEAT ROCKET ENGINE AND METHOD OF ITS OPERATION Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: interorbital vehicles. SUBSTANCE: proposed invention is designed for use in engine plants of interorbital vehicles. Solar heat rocket engine with electrically heated accumulator heat exchanger supplied by solar battery and containing tanks with liquid hydrogen and oxygen, and systems to deliver hydrogen and oxygen into engine chamber is furnished with compressor and receiver of gaseous hydrogen, oxygen gasifier and gaseous oxygen receiver with electric heater. Moreover, proposed solar heat rocket engine can be furnished with hydrogen electric heating low- thrust engines. Main peculiarity of operation of solar heat rocket engine operating at combustion of "cold" or "hot" hydrogen and on "hot" hydrogen without its combustion consists in the following: starting and operation of engine at all conditions are provided by delivery of oxygen and hydrogen in gaseous phases into engine chamber, and hydrogen evaporating in tank owing to action of external heat flows is pumped out of tank by compressor and is delivered into hydrogen receiver and is used for engine starting. Invention provides high degree of combustion and low losses of specific thrust pulse, simple and reliable multiple starting of engine at zero-G, effective usage of hydrogen vapors and minimization of pressure in hydrogen tank. If hydrogen electric heating low-thrust engines are used in solar heat rocket engines, high utilization of solar energy for heating hydrogen and reduced time of interorbital flight are provided. EFFECT: improved reliability in operation. 5 cl, 3 dwg