The Boeing Company

Boeing North American, Inc.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc.

United Technologies Corporation

Aerojet Rocketdyne of De, Inc.

Steven C Fisher

James J Fang

Robert J Jensen

Shahram Farhangi

Maynard Leo Stangeland

Brian Leigh Wherley

Shinjiro Miyata

James M McKinnon

Amardeep Litt

Paul R Winans

Jacob Rietdyk

Theodore C Adams

Tim Brodeur

Joshua E Elvander

A method of generating a test sequence diagram includes: linking a first action of the plurality of actions with a second action of the plurality of actions and generating a test sequence diagram which maintains the linking.

Sequence diagram system

There is provided an injector assembly having two or more oxidizer manifolds and/or two or more fuel manifolds for delivery of liquid propellants to a combustion chamber such that combustion instability is reduced or eliminated during throttling. Delivery of the oxidizer to the oxidizer manifolds is controlled by an oxidizer valve, which may comprise an integral valve. The oxidizer passes from the oxidizer manifolds into the oxidizer element and then into the combustion chamber. The multiple oxidizer manifolds allow the oxidizer to be provided through selective openings of the oxidizer element thus reducing the change in pressure drop across the oxidizer element to thereby reduce or eliminate combustion instability and other problems. Additionally, the injector assembly may also include a lift-off seal or a filler fluid source to fill any temporarily unused oxidizer manifolds with an oxidizer or filler fluid.

Injector assembly having multiple manifolds for propellant delivery

A bi-propellant injector includes first and second injector elements and a spark exciter assembly. The first injector element has a conductive layer electrically connected to the spark exciter assembly and a nonconductive layer disposed on an exterior portion of the conductive layer. The second injector element comprises a conductive material and has an opening therethrough in fluid communication with a combustion chamber. An end of the first injector element is positioned at or near the opening in the second injector element. The spark exciter assembly can generate an electrical arc between the conductive layer of the first injector element and the second injector element.

Coaxial ignition assembly

A gaseous oxygen resonance igniter includes a body with a first inlet for gaseous oxygen incorporating a supersonic nozzle. An outlet from the body incorporates an orifice of predetermined size to maintain a desired pressure in the body. An aperture in the body opposite the first inlet provides a port to a ceramic resonance cavity. A ceramic bleed disc is engaged at a second end of the resonance cavity. An end cap incorporates a plenum adapted to receive high temperature oxygen flow from the resonance cavity through the bleed disc. An exhaust port is connected to the plenum for the high temperature oxygen which flows to a mixing chamber which introduces pilot fuel for ignition as a combustion initiation torch.

Gaseous oxygen resonance igniter

A bi-propellant injector () includes a first injector element () and a second injector element () injecting a first propellant () and a second propellant (), respectively, into a combustion chamber (). A flame-holding zone igniter () is adjacent to and ignites recirculation of at least a portion of the first propellant () and at least a portion of the second propellant () within a flame-holding zone ().

Bi-propellant injector with flame-holding zone igniter

A combustion apparatus including a structural jacket, a forward liner, and an aft liner, and an associated method of constructing the same are provided. The structural jacket defines a passage including a first end, a second end, and a neck. The neck is positioned between and separates the first and second ends of the passage. The forward liner is positioned within the first end of the passage and has a throat fitted within the neck of the passage. The aft liner is positioned within the second end of the passage and has an upstream potion abutting the throat of the forward liner. The forward and aft liners are brazed together, and are bonded to the passage of the structural jacket, to form a longitudinal combustion chamber so that combustion of the propellant is contained and directed through the combustion chamber from the forward liner to the aft liner.

Combustion chamber having a multiple-piece liner and associated assembly method

A method for using an injector to combust a first fluid and a second fluid comprises a directing the first fluid step and a shrouding step. The directing step comprises directing the first fluid in a central coaxial flow generally perpendicularly through a first fluid passage that extends through an injector faceplate, and into a combustion chamber. In the shrouding step, a length of the central coaxial flow adjacent to the injector faceplate is shrouded with an outer coaxial flow. The shroud is formed by directing a portion of the second fluid through an annular/conical passage in the injector faceplate that surrounds the first fluid passage. The annular/conical passage is arranged such that the outer coaxial flow is directed radially inward and impinges on the central coaxial flow a distance after the central coaxial flow has exited the first fluid passage and after the outer coaxial flow has exited the annular/conical passage. Transpiration of either of the fluids through the injector faceplate permits combustion a higher temperatures. The combustion at higher temperatures permits the use of precombusted first and/or second fluids. Further, the shroud may be discontinuous to enable inter injection combustion of shrouded fluid by the shrouded fluid passing through gaps in the shroud. Temperature of 1300 degrees Fahrenheit and higher may be obtained with the method.

Convective and turbulent shear mixing injector

A method of fabricating a rocket engine combustion chamber comprising assembling a liner having cooling channels, a plurality of throat support sections, and a structural jacket having inlet and outlet manifolds. Then heating the assembly in a pressurized furnace to bond the assembled parts to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Simi Valley, CA, United States of America

Steven C Fisher