THERMOSTATIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR LIQUID COMPONENT OF ROCKET PROPELLANT OF SPACECRAFT ENGINE PLANT Russian patent published in 2004 - IPC

FIELD: rocketry and space engineering; protracted storage of liquid propellant on board spacecraft in space. SUBSTANCE: proposed system includes propellant tank provided with heat insulation, heat-transfer agent circulating loop with heat exchanger and supercharger, heat accumulator and radiator-cooler. Circulating loop includes heat accumulator connected in series with supercharger and heat exchanger and communicated with radiator-cooler by means of thermal line. Thermoelectric battery is mounted on external surface of tank whose cold plate forms thermal contact over entire external surface with external surface of tank and hot plate forms thermal contact with heat exchanger. Accumulator is mounted in said loop between heat exchanger and supercharger outlet. Supercharger and battery are switched-on in passive sections of flight and only supercharger is switched-on in active sections of flight. Temperature of accumulator is maintained equal to nominal temperature of delivery of propellant to engines. EFFECT: increased term of storage of propellant in flight with no change in spacecraft engine characteristics. 2 cl, 1 dwg