Propellant control system for a rocket engine

Claim 1

A PROPELLANT CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A ROCKET ENGINE COMPRISING: A SOURCE OF FLUID PROPELLANT UNDER PRESSURE, AND A SOURCE OF FLUID OXIDIZER UNDER PRESSURE, EACH SOURCE CONNECTED BY A FLUID FEED CONDUIT TO A COMMON PROPELLANT COMBUSTION CHAMBER; AND A CONSTANT RATE FLOW REGULATOR IN EACH FEED CONDUIT, FOR MAINTAINING THE FLUID FLOW THERETHROUGH AT A CONSTANT PRESELECTED RATE, DESPITE CHANGES IN SYSTEM OPERATING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS; FIRST MEANS FOR ADJUSTING EACH OF SAID PRESELECTED RATES SO AS TO OBTAIN A PRESELECTED CONSTANT RATIO THEREBETWEEN, EACH SAID REGULATOR HAVING A FIXED AREA METERING RESTRICTION, ARRANGED IN UPSTREAM FLOW SERIES WITH A VARIABLE AREA RESTRICTION; AND SECOND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY VARYING THE AREA OF SAID VARIABLE RESTRICTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FLUID PRESSURE DROP ACROSS ITS CORRESPONDING FIXED RESTRICTION; WHEREBY THE FLUID FLOW THROUGH EACH SAID CONDUIT IS MAINTAINED AT A PRESELECTED CONSTANT RATE, WITH CONSEQUENT CONSTANT MIXTURE RATIO OF SAID FLUIDS, DESPITE CHANGES IN SYSTEM OPERATING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.