Patent ID: 6644015
Filing Date: 2003-11-11
Classification: F02K

Abstract:
A method of thrust augmenting a jet turbine engine on an aerospace vehicle, comprising the steps of:injecting liquid oxidizer into a duct upstream of an engine compressor section, and evaporating to injected liquid oxidizer, to create oxidizer vapor, in a stream of air containing oxygen flowing into the engine compressor section; compressing the stream of air, and the oxidizer vapor in the engine compressor section; burning a portion of the oxidizer vapor, and oxygen in the air with an oxidizable fuel, to create an oxidizer rich combustion stream within a combustion chamber downstream of the engine compressor section; extracting energy from the oxidizer rich combustion stream with a power turbine downstream of the combustion chamber, and driving the compressor section with the output of the power turbine; afterburning the oxidizer rich combustion stream with additional oxidizable fuel, to create an exhaust gas stream in an afterburner chamber downstream of the power turbine; and accelerating the exhaust gas stream through a nozzle to develop thrust, wherein sufficient liquid oxidizer is injected into the duct upstream of the engine compressor section to increase the unaugmented thrust of the engine by approximately five times when said injected sufficient liquid oxidizer is combusted with the oxidizable fuel and the additional oxidizable fuel.