Claims
- 1. A method for determining one or more off-design performance characteristics for a vehicle powered by a closed cycle thermal propulsion system, said method comprising:providing design characteristics of said closed cycle thermal propulsion system; inputting off-design requirements for said closed cycle thermal propulsion system, wherein said off-design requirements comprise one or more curve segments of a selected speed-versus-time plot of a run for a vehicle powered by closed cycle thermal propulsion system, and providing a speed and a time duration for each of said one or more curve segments; and determining said one or more off-design performance characteristic of said closed cycle thermal propulsion system in response to said off-design requirements.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining propellant consumption for said one or more curve segments.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein a different speed is utilized for each of at least two curve segments.
- 4. A method for determining one or more off-design performance characteristics for a closed cycle thermal propulsion system, said method comprising:providing design characteristics of said closed cycle thermal propulsion system; inputting off-design requirements comprising one or more curve segments of a selected speed-versus-time plot of a run for a vehicle powered by said closed cycle thermal propulsion system, and providing an off-design speed and a time duration for each of said one or more curve segments; and determining said one or more off-design performance characteristics of said closed cycle thermal propulsion system in response to said off-design requirements.
- 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining propellant consumption for said one or more curve segments.
- 6. The method of claim 5 wherein a different off-design speed is utilized for each of at least two curve segments.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
US Referenced Citations (3)