Persistent vortex generating high regression rate solid fuel grain for a hybrid rocket engine

Abstract

A cylindrically-shaped hybrid rocket engine solid fuel grain defines an axial combustion port. A fuel grain material comprises a compounded blend of thermoplastic fuel and aluminum. The fuel grain comprises fused stack layers, each layer comprising a plurality of fused abutting concentric beaded structures arrayed to define the combustion port; the port exhibits a rifling pattern or rifling inducing geometry along the port wall. When an oxidizer is introduced into the combustion port combustion occurs along the exposed port wall. Each beaded structure defines a geometry that increases the combustion surface area while inducing a vortex flow of oxidizer and fuel gas. As each layer ablates, an abutting layer exhibiting a similar geometry, is revealed, undergoes a gas phase change, and ablates. This process repeats and persists until oxidizer flow is terminated or the fuel grain material is exhausted. The fuel grain may be manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A fuel grain for a hybrid rocket, the fuel grain comprising:
 a plurality of layers of fuel grain material, each layer comprising a plurality of concentric ring-shaped beaded structures of different radii fused together to form a disc defining a central opening therein; 
 the plurality of layers stacked and bonded to form a cylindrical fuel grain with the central opening of each one of the plurality of layers aligned to form a combustion port extending axially through the fuel grain and bounded by a boundary wall; 
 wherein the fuel grain material comprises a combustible substance; and 
 an inner circumferential surface of each ring-shaped beaded structure comprising an irregular surface, such that as a ring-shaped bead forming the boundary wall ablates due to combustion in the combustion port, an inner circumferential wall of an adjacent ring-shaped bead comprising an irregular surface presents to form the boundary wall. 
 
     
     
       2. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the irregular surface of the boundary wall provides a larger surface area and an increased regression rate of the fuel grain relative to a fuel grain lacking an irregular surface while simultaneously inducing oxidizer/fuel gas flowing through the combustion port to continually trip, thereby creating a consistent eddy current and enabling improved combustion and higher Isp. 
     
     
       3. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the plurality of layers of fuel grain material comprises an inner layer forming the boundary wall prior to combustion in the combustion port, an outer layer forming an outer layer of the fuel grain, and a plurality of intermediate layers disposed therebetween, wherein progressing from the inner layer to the outer layer an irregularity in the irregular surface is less pronounced. 
     
     
       4. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the irregular surface comprises projections configured to form a progressive axial twist through the combustion port, the axial twist for inducing a swirling gaseous flow within the combustion port. 
     
     
       5. The fuel grain of  claim 4  wherein the progressive axial twist comprises a helical grooved rifling pattern of projections. 
     
     
       6. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the progressive axial twist comprises a polygonal rifling geometry. 
     
     
       7. The fuel grain of  claim 1  produced by an additive manufacturing process. 
     
     
       8. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the grain material comprises Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic and a plurality of micron scale or nanoscale elemental aluminum particles or a plurality of nanoscale elemental aluminum core particles capped with an oligomer polymer. 
     
     
       9. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the grain material comprises Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic by mass ranging from 80% to 95% and aluminum powder by mass correspondingly ranging from 20% to 5%, the particle size of which can vary from 15 nanometers to 44 microns. 
     
     
       10. The fuel grain of  claim 1  further comprising a thermally insulating material encasing the fuel grain. 
     
     
       11. The fuel grain of  claim 1  the irregular surface comprising one or more of a plurality of ribs, a plurality of undulations, a plurality of protrusions and recesses, a plurality of depressions. 
     
     
       12. The fuel grain of  claim 1  the irregular surface comprising one or more of a corrugation pattern, a truncated pyramidal pattern, a rifled truncated pyramidal pattern, or a rifled polygonal pattern. 
     
     
       13. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein a shape of the combustion port comprises a circular shape, an oval shape, an elliptical shape, a polygonal shape, a quatrefoil shape, a star shape, or an irregular shape. 
     
     
       14. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the fuel grain defines an outer diameter of 19.0 inches and the combustion port has an initial diameter of 4 inches prior to consumption of fuel grain material during combustion. 
     
     
       15. A plurality of fuel grain segments each according to  claim 1  further comprising ABS material between a surface of a first fuel grain segment and an abutting surface of a second fuel grain segment thereby creating a fusion bond between the first and second fuel grain segments. 
     
     
       16. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein a composition of the fuel grain material of each one of the concentric ring-shaped beaded structures is substantially uniform. 
     
     
       17. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the combustible substance comprises a formulation of thermoplastic and passivated nanoscale metallic material. 
     
     
       18. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the irregular surface of each ring-shaped beaded structure comprises a sustaining internal topological pattern as each ring-shaped beaded structure ablates and another ring-shaped beaded structure is revealed due to combustion and ablation to the combustion port wall. 
     
     
       19. The fuel grain of  claim 1 , wherein the irregular surface of each ring-shaped beaded structures forms a sustaining rifling pattern or geometry for both increasing the surface area of the combustion port wall and for generating a vortex flow of oxidizer and fuel gas flowing through the combustion port. 
     
     
       20. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein a material of each ring-shaped beaded structure comprises a solidified material, further comprising a polymer or a solidified polymer-metal blend formulation suitable for combusting in a hybrid rocket engine. 
     
     
       21. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein a material of each ring-shaped beaded structure comprises a blend of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and aluminum powder. 
     
     
       22. The fuel grain of  claim 1  wherein the combustion port defines a polygonal shape in a cross section with an orientation of each layer adjusted to create a progressive helical twist axially through the combustion port, forming a rifling pattern to induce a swirling oxidizer/fuel gaseous flow within the center combustion port. 
     
     
       23. A fuel grain for a hybrid rocket, the fuel grain comprising:
 a first fuel grain section comprising:
 a first plurality of concentric ring-shaped beads of different radii fused together to form a first disc, the first disc defining a first combustion port; 
 an inner circumferential surface of each of the first plurality of circular ring-shaped beads comprising an irregular surface, such that as a ring-shaped bead forming a first combustion port wall ablates due to combustion in a combustion port, an inner circumferential surface of an adjacent ring-shaped bead comprising an irregular surface presents to form the first combustion port wall; 
 a material of the first fuel grain section comprising a combustible substance; 
 
 a second fuel grain section comprising:
 a second plurality of concentric ring-shaped beads of different radii fused together to form a second disc, the second disc defining a second combustion port; 
 an inner circumferential surface of each of the second plurality of circular ring-shaped beads comprising an irregular surface, such that as a ring-shaped bead forming a second combustion port ablates due to combustion in a combustion port, an inner circumferential wall of an adjacent ring-shaped bead comprising an irregular surface presents to form the second combustion port wall; 
 a material of the second fuel grain section comprising a combustible substance; and 
 
 the first and second fuel grain sections bonded together and the first and second combustion ports aligned to form the fuel grain. 
 
     
     
       24. The fuel grain of  claim 23  further comprising a first connecting member in a lower surface of the first fuel grain section for mating with a second connecting member in an upper surface of the second fuel grain section. 
     
     
       25. A hybrid rocket engine comprising:
 a fuel grain further comprising:
 a plurality of layers of fuel grain material each layer comprising a plurality of concentric ring-shaped beaded structures of different radii fused together to form a disc, the disc defining a central opening; 
 the plurality of layers stacked and bonded to form a cylindrical fuel grain such that the central opening of each one of the plurality of layers is aligned to form a combustion port extending axially through the fuel grain and bounded by a boundary wall; 
 wherein the fuel grain material includes at least one combustible substance; 
 an inner circumferential surface of each ring-shaped beaded structure comprising an irregular surface, such that as a ring-shaped bead forming the boundary wall ablates due to combustion in the combustion port, an inner circumferential wall of an adjacent ring-shaped bead comprising an irregular surface presents to form the boundary wall; 
 
 an oxidizer source, the oxidizer for flowing through the combustion port during engine operation; 
 a valve for controlling flow of oxidizer through the combustion port; 
 a nozzle in fluid communication with the combustion port; and 
 a shell for housing the fuel grain, the oxidizer source, and the valve, the nozzle extending from the shell. 
 
     
     
       26. The hybrid rocket engine of  claim 25  further comprising an insulating film surrounding the fuel grain. 
     
     
       27. A fuel grain for a hybrid rocket, the fuel grain comprising:
 multiple beads of fuel grain material, in which the beads are fused together to form a generally cylindrical fuel grain defining a combustion port extending axially through the generally cylindrical fuel grain, in which the combustion port is bounded by a boundary wall,   in which the fuel grain material comprises a combustible substance, and   in which the boundary wall is formed of a subset of the beads of combustible fuel grain material, and in which the boundary wall is configured to induce an eddy current in a fluid flowing through the combustion port.    
     
     
       28. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the fuel grain is configured such that when the boundary wall ablates due to combustion in the combustion port, a new surface of fuel grain material is exposed to the combustion port.  
     
     
       29. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the boundary wall presents a larger surface area to the combustion port relative to a boundary wall that is not formed of beads of fuel grain material.  
     
     
       30. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the boundary wall is textured with one or more of ribs, dimples, undulations, protrusions, or depressions.  
     
     
       31. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which when viewed along a longitudinal axis of the combustion port, the boundary wall defines alternating protrusions and depressions.  
     
     
       32. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the fuel grain is fabricated in an additive manufacturing process.  
     
     
       33. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the fuel grain material comprises an Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic.  
     
     
       34. The fuel grain of claim 27, in which the fuel grain material comprises a mixture of a hybrid rocket fuel material and a nanoscale metallic material.  
     
     
       35. The fuel grain of claim 34, in which the fuel grain material comprises between 80% and 95% by mass of the hybrid rocket fuel material and between 5% and 20% by mass of the nanoscale metallic material.  
     
     
       36. The fuel grain of claim 27, comprising a thermally insulating material encasing the fuel grain.  
     
     
       37. A fuel grain assembly comprising:
 multiple of the fuel grains of claim 28,   in which an end of fuel grain is bonded to an end of an adjacent fuel grain to form an elongated, generally cylindrical fuel grain assembly, and   in which the combustion ports of the multiple fuel grains are aligned to define an elongated combustion port of the fuel grain assembly.    
     
     
       38. A hybrid rocket engine comprising:
 the fuel grain of claim 28;   an oxidizer source configured to provide a flow of an oxidizer through the combustion port during operation of the hybrid rocket engine;   a valve configured to control the flow of the oxidizer through the combustion port;   a nozzle in fluid communication with the combustion port; and   a casing, in which the fuel grain, the oxidizer source, and the valve are housed within the casing, and in which the nozzle extends beyond an end of the casing.    
     
     
       39. A fuel grain for a hybrid rocket, the fuel grain comprising:
 a generally cylindrical body formed of a fuel grain material comprising a combustible substance, in which a combustion port extends axially through the body, in which the combustion port is bounded by a boundary wall,   in which the boundary wall is formed of the fuel grain material, and in which the boundary wall is configured to induce an eddy current in the combustion port in a fluid flowing through the combustion port, and   in which the fuel grain is configured such that when the boundary wall ablates due to combustion in the combustion port, a new surface of fuel grain material is exposed to the combustion port.    
     
     
       40. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which the body comprises beads of the fuel grain material, in which the beads are fused together to form the body.  
     
     
       41. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which the boundary wall is textured with one or more of ribs, dimples, undulations, protrusions, or depressions.  
     
     
       42. The fuel grain of claim 41, in which the boundary wall presents a larger surface area to the combustion port relative to a boundary wall that is not textured.  
     
     
       43. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which when viewed along a longitudinal axis of the combustion port, the boundary wall defines alternating protrusions and depressions.  
     
     
       44. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which the fuel grain is fabricated in an additive manufacturing process.  
     
     
       45. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which the fuel grain material comprises an Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) thermoplastic.  
     
     
       46. The fuel grain of claim 39, in which the fuel grain material comprises a mixture of a hybrid rocket fuel material and a nanoscale metallic material.  
     
     
       47. The fuel grain of claim 46, in which the fuel grain material comprises between 80% and 95% by mass of the hybrid rocket fuel material and between 5% and 20% by mass of the nanoscale metallic material.  
     
     
       48. The fuel grain of claim 39, comprising a thermally insulating material encasing the fuel grain.  
     
     
       49. A fuel grain assembly comprising:
 multiple of the fuel grains of claim 39,   in which an end of fuel grain is bonded to an end of an adjacent fuel grain to form an elongated, generally cylindrical fuel grain assembly, and   in which the combustion ports of the multiple fuel grains are aligned to define an elongated combustion port of the fuel grain assembly.    
     
     
       50. A hybrid rocket engine comprising:
 the fuel grain of claim 39;   an oxidizer source configured to provide a flow of an oxidizer through the combustion port during operation of the hybrid rocket engine;   a valve configured to control the flow of the oxidizer through the combustion port;   a nozzle in fluid communication with the combustion port; and   a casing, in which the fuel grain, the oxidizer source, and the valve are housed within the casing, and in which the nozzle extends beyond an end of the casing.