METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR CHARGING ON-ROAD HELIUM BOTTLES OF LAUNCH VEHICLES AND SPACECRAFT Russian patent published in 2005 - IPC

FIELD: space vehicles.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method includes cooling of gaseous helium in cryostat to harmful freeze-out temperature. Then helium is filter and heated to temperature tolerable for serviceability of sealing members of on-board systems. Cryostat inlet and outlet pressure is monitored. Then triple filling of bottles with helium, thus obtained, is carried out, and their venting is done after which bottles are charged to operating pressure. If pressure differential at cryostat inlet and outlet exceeds 1 MPa, cryostat is disconnected and second cryostat is connected in its place. Proposed method is implemented by helium charging system consisting of helium receiver connected by main line with electric heater, pipeline, tank, nitrogen and additional helium receiver and at least two cryostats connected with electric heater. Each helium receiver is connected with one of cryostats and, through pipelines with fitted-in shutoff valves, with tank. Electric heater including at least three coils is connected by manifold with fitted-in shutoff-and-control valves, with on-board bottles. One coil of electric heater communicates nitrogen receiver with each cryostat. Each of remaining coils is located between corresponding cryostat manifold. Each manifold is furnished with check valve, manifolds being connected into common output manifold with fitted-in shutoff valves. Shutoff-and-control valves of manifold are essentially electropneumatic valves, one of which is normally open and the other, normally closed. Check valves are installed between manifolds and common output manifold.

EFFECT: dispensing with expensive frost-resistant materials in launch vehicles joint units, simplified design and dispensing with insulating materials to prevent heat losses in manifolds.

3 cl, 3 dwg