RU2351511C2 - Orbiting space craft protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: aircraft engineering.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to safety devices of spacecraft used, in particular, in emergent explosion-dangerous conditions. In compliance with this invention, proposed system comprises thermally isolated divided fuel tank with a cooling circuit, looped fuel lines running to engines, draining line, safety and anti-explosion valves. The said valve jettison furl from emergency tank sections into the said draining line. It incorporates also airflow armored spinner and spreaders. The latter represent armored rods arranged on the fuel tank bottom. Aforesaid elements ensure protection of fuel tank against an ingress of foreign objects and high-intensity air waves than can originate in spacecraft launching and entering dense atmosphere.

EFFECT: better protection of spacecraft fuel tank against effects that can cause explosion in spacecraft launching and entering dense atmosphere.

1 dwg

Description

The invention relates to protective devices of spacecraft (SC), used, in particular, in an emergency explosive situation.

Known KK protection systems that solve the problems of fixing costs, temperature, static dielectric constant and other fuel parameters - see patents RU 2191142, RU 2191141. However, these systems do not provide reliable protection for KK in an explosive emergency.

An explosive situation can occur if the thermal insulation of the spacecraft’s fuel tank is damaged by foreign objects, meteorites, or from exposure to intense (shock) air waves when the ship starts or when it enters the atmosphere.

The closest analogue of the invention is a system for protecting a spacecraft from accidents, comprising a thermally insulated sectional fuel tank with a cooling circuit, looped fuel lines to engines, a drain pipe, safety and explosion-proof valves that automatically discharge fuel from emergency sections of the tank into a drain pipe, a fairing and air flow splitters - see application RU 2003134848.

However, this system does not describe the specific design of the said fairing and dividers, which provide reliable protection of the fuel tank from the aforementioned foreign objects and intense air waves.

The objective of the present invention is the appropriate performance of the fairing and the air flow dividers to achieve a technical result: ensuring reliable protection of the spacecraft fuel tank from factors causing the danger of explosion when the spacecraft starts and enters into the atmosphere.

The solution of this problem and the achievement of the technical result are ensured by the fact that in the known KK protection system, the closest analogue, the fairing is made armored, and these dividers are made in the form of armored pins on the bottom of the fuel tank.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing, which schematically shows a system for protecting a spacecraft from accidents according to the invention.

KK 1 includes a sectional insulated fuel tank 2 with a cooling circuit 3, temperature sensors 4, air flow dividers 5 in the form of armored pins on the bottom of the fuel tank 2, safety and explosion-proof valves 6 (with electric actuators), a drain pipe 7, fuel pipelines 8 to engines 9 and an armored fairing 10.

The security system QC works as follows.

In an emergency on QC 1, temperature sensors 4, according to the temperature of the fuel vapor in the emergency section of the fuel tank 2, give a command to the safety and explosion-proof valves 6, which open the drain of fuel from the emergency section to the drain pipe 7. The cooling circuit 3 of the section fuel tank 2 regulates and maintains the required temperature in the tank sections. The fuel pipe system 8 to the engines 9 does not require high pressures and is hydraulically designed so that the calculated lengths of its sections for all consumers (engines 9) are the same.

Fairing 10 reduces the aerodynamic resistance of the tank and protects it from environmental influences (foreign objects and meteorites). The dividers 5 on the bottom of the tank, like breakwaters, extinguish intense air (shock) waves when starting and entering the spacecraft in the dense layers of the atmosphere, and also protect the tank from foreign objects.

Claims (1)

A spacecraft accident protection system comprising a heat-insulated sectional fuel tank with a cooling circuit, looped fuel lines to the engines, a drain pipe, safety and explosion-proof valves that automatically discharge fuel from the emergency sections of the tank into the drain pipe, a cowl and air flow splitters, characterized in that the fairing is made armored, and these dividers are made in the form of armored pins on the bottom of the fuel tank.