How does the expander cycle work?

In this cycle, the fuel is used to cool the engine’s combustion chamber, picking up heat and changing phase. The now heated and gaseous fuel then powers the turbine that drives the engine’s fuel and oxidizer pumps before being injected into the combustion chamber and burned.

What is a closed cycle rocket engine?

Full Flow means that all of the propellant (fuel and oxidizer) flows through the turbines that power the fuel and oxidizer pumps. Closed Cycle means that all of the pump turbine motor exhaust goes into the rocket engine combustion chamber.

What does a turbo expander do?

These devices can play a useful role for recovering energy. A turbo-expander, also referred to as an expansion turbine, is a centrifugal or axial flow turbine in which a high pressure gas expands to produce useful work, generally to drive equipment or machinery.

How do liquid rocket engines work?

Liquid rocket engines operate by transferring fuel and oxidizer through pipes (feed lines) that run from the bottom of tanks to the inlet of the engine turbo pumps. The turbo pumps raise the pressure before the fuel and oxidizer enter the combustion chamber.

What liquid fuel is used in rocket engines?

liquid hydrogen
Most liquid chemical rockets use two separate propellants: a fuel and an oxidizer. Typical fuels include kerosene, alcohol, hydrazine and its derivatives, and liquid hydrogen. Many others have been tested and used. Oxidizers include nitric acid, nitrogen tetroxide, liquid oxygen, and liquid fluorine.

What are the major components of a cryogenic rocket engine?

The major components of a cryogenic rocket engine are the combustion chamber, pyrotechnic initiator, fuel injector, fuel and oxidizer turbopumps, cryo valves, regulators, the fuel tanks, and rocket engine nozzle. In terms of feeding propellants to the combustion chamber, cryogenic rocket engines are almost exclusively pump-fed.

How do expander cycle engines work?

Typically, expander cycle engines use cryogenic propellants so that when these propellants are heated they change from liquid-like fluids to gas-like fluids. Turbines very efficiently make use of gas-like drive fluids.

What are some examples of cryogenic propellants?

Cryogenic propellants. RL-10 is an early example of cryogenic rocket engine. Rocket engines need high mass flow rates of both oxidizer and fuel to generate useful thrust. Oxygen, the simplest and most common oxidizer, is in the gas phase at standard temperature and pressure, as is the simplest fuel hydrogen.

Is the combustion chamber of a rocket engine open or closed?

First, it is closed. That means that all of the propellants that come into the engine leave by going through the throat of the main combustion chamber thereby yielding the greatest chemical efficiency available. Later, we’ll see that the opposite of “closed” is “open.” Second, it is an expander.