Hydrocarbon-fueled rocket engine with endothermic fuel cooling

摘要

A rocket engine utilizes a kerosene-based fuel in a supercritical state which is catalytically converted to lighter hydrocarbons with heat from a thrust chamber assembly which operates as a heat exchanger. This process is facilitated by a fuel stabilization deoxygenator system which removes dissolved oxygen and/or by inerting the internal surfaces of the fuel-cooled combustion chamber wall passages by applying a zeolite-based catalyst coating to permit the fuel to be heated beyond normal temperature ranges. The supercritical kerosene-based fuel is passed through a turbine and injected into the combustion chamber to burn with the gaseous oxidizer. An increased mixing efficiency between the gaseous components results in an increase in combustion efficiency and increased stability of combustion.