Hybrid staged combustion-expander topping cycle engine

Abstract

A thrust engine is disclosed in the form of a hybrid staged combustion-expander topping cycle engine. The engine comprises a mixed cycle, one cycle being an expander cycle (14) operating at low temperatures and the other being a staged combustion cycle (12) operating at a higher temperature. A portion of liquid hydrogen from a fuel pump (16) is passed in heat exchange relation with the engine nozzle (22) for cooling same and heating the hydrogen, and the heated hydrogen is passed to an oxidizer turbine (28) for driving a liquid oxygen pump (81). Another portion of the liquid hydrogen from the fuel pump is passed in heat exchange relation with the engine thrust chamber (21) and combustor (20), and a portion of the resulting heated hydrogen is introduced, together with a portion of the pressurized liquid oxygen from the liquid oxygen pump, into a preburner (20) for combustion therein, and passage of the combustion gasses to a fuel turbine (26) for driving the fuel pump. A portion of the liquid hydrogen discharged from heat exchange relation with the thrust chamber and combustor is introduced into the combustor, together with a portion of the liquid oxygen discharged from the liquid oxygen pump, for combustion and passage of the combustion gases to the thrust chamber and expansion in the nozzle. The combustion gases discharged from the fuel turbine are mixed with the hydrogen gases discharged from the oxidizer turbine, and such mixture is also introduced into the combustor.