Patent ID: 9422889
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: F02C,F02K,Y02T

Claim Text:
1. A combined turbojet and ramjet engine configured to avoid using liquid oxygen, comprising: an outer casing having an upstream air inlet and a downstream exhaust nozzle where a downstream direction is defined by an air flow from the upstream air inlet to the downstream exhaust nozzle; a central body connected to the outer casing by structural arms and co-operating with the outer casing to form an air inlet sleeve and an air flow passage; at least one first air compressor stage comprising a first supersonic turbine arranged in the central body and a first rotor comprising blades arranged in the air flow passage, the first rotor being driven by the first supersonic turbine to operate the engine in a turbojet mode and the blades of the first rotor being feathered to operate the engine in a ramjet mode, the first supersonic turbine rotating around a longitudinal axis of the central body; an annular hydrogen injection tube connected to an inlet of the first supersonic turbine, the annular hydrogen injection tube located inside the central body and downstream of the first supersonic turbine; a first collection tubes connected to an outlet of the first supersonic turbine, the first collection tubes located upstream of the first supersonic turbine; a turbopump comprising a pump that is fed with liquid hydrogen from a hydrogen tank to inject the liquid hydrogen into a heater arranged in the outer casing downstream from the central body and a subsonic turbine driving the pump, the subsonic turbine receiving a partially-expanded hydrogen collected at an outlet from the heater; and a 3-port T-valve arranged at an outlet of the subsonic turbine to, in a first position, supply a hydrogen that is further expanded in the subsonic turbine to the annular hydrogen injection tube and then to the first supersonic turbine to operate the engine in the turbojet mode, the hydrogen from the outlet of the first supersonic turbine then being collected in the first collection tubes inside the central body to be sent to a combustion chamber defined inside the outer casing downstream from the central body, in a second position, the 3-port T-valve switches the hydrogen that is further partially expanded in the subsonic turbine directly into the combustion chamber by injectors to operate the engine in the ramjet mode.