United Technologies Corporation

Donald R Connell

Fred L Honeycutt, Jr

William B Watkins

Robert G Carroll

Jeremy P Cuffe

A catalyst bed assembly, comprising: an outer housing having an open interior, an inlet leading to the open interior, and an outlet from the open interior; a catalyst bed in the open interior; and a gap between the outer housing and the catalyst bed. The open interior receives material from the inlet. A portion of the material enters the catalyst bed to expose said material to a catalyst so that the material and the catalyst react and create heat within the catalyst bed assembly. A remainder of the material enters the gap between the outer housing and the catalyst bed to cool the catalyst bed assembly. The catalyst bed assembly could be part of a turbopump assembly. The turbopump assembly would further include a nozzle downstream of the outlet; a turbine downstream of the nozzle; and a pump driven by said turbine.

Catalyst bed

For a liquid rocket engine including the SSME the gaseous heat exchanger that is in the liquid oxygen turbopump exit flow path that serves to gasify the liquid oxygen for pressurizing the liquid oxygen tank and the POGO is modified by changing the flow circuit to replace the liquid oxygen with high pressure hydrogen tapped off of the low pressure fuel turbopump so that hydrogen/hydrogen at a favorable pressure differential is in indirect heat relation for providing a safe environment and avoiding what may result in a catastrophic failure in the event the heat exchanger fails. An external heat exchanger in communication with the heat exchanger in the liquid oxygen turbopump is provided to gasify the liquid oxygen for the pressurizing purposes.

Growing community of inventors

Jupiter, FL, United States of America

Donald R Connell