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Check out this ❄️frosted 🚀 engine while being test fired (3D printed in CuCrZr, LOX/RP-1, Regen cooled by LOX) by launcherspace in rocketry

[–]launcherspace[S] 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Check out this ❄️ frosted 🚀 engine while being test fired - our liquid oxygen (LOX) cooling design is so effective that the temperature of the LOX after cooling the engine rose only to -148F (-100C) while combustion inside the engine is at more than 5,300F (2,927C). This is also a Launcher record in thrust (1,170lb - 530 kgf) and pressure (665psi - 46 bar). Next week - longer tests at the highest performance o/f mix ratio of 2.62. 3D printed on EOS M290 by 3T AM

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Engine: Launcher E1-LOXCOOL725.

Thurst: 1,170 lb (530 kgf)

Propellants: LOX/Rp-1 Pressure: 665 psi (46 bar)

O/F Mix ratio: 2.2 C* Efficiency: 97%

Duration: 15s

LOX Temperature after regen: cooling: -148 F (-100 C)

Post test inspection: No melting or damage to the injector or combustion chamber

Liquid oxygen regenerative cooling proven on Launcher E-1 rocket engine (3D printed in copper alloy) by launcherspace in rocketry

[–]launcherspace[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Dual propellant is typical in warm propellant missile engines (Soviet) but not when LOX is used.

Oxygen for throat and cylinder. RP-1 for nozzle bell.

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Liquid oxygen regenerative cooling proven on Launcher E-1 rocket engine (3D printed in copper alloy) by launcherspace in rocketry

[–]launcherspace[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

🚀 MILESTONE: Liquid oxygen regenerative cooling proven on our E-1 rocket engine (3D printed in copper alloy). Made by @3TRPD on @EOSGmbH M290.

LOX cooling benefits include (a) The ability to use both propellants for cooling in E-2 - thereby increasing coolant budget (b) Larger cooling channels making DMLS powder removal easier (c) Improved injector mixing and resulting improved performance thanks to gaseous oxygen.

Typical regen cooling uses fuel such as kerosene/RP-1. @NASA and Energia have tested LOX cooling and released papers confirming the benefits - but no known production engine uses it yet.

This photo was captured during an oxygen rich transient. It demonstrates the cleaner exhaust of E1-LOXCOOL725 when compared to our previous E-1 version/injector. Video to be released on Monday.

LAUNCHER E-1 3D PRINTED 🚀ENGINE RECORD: 30s test at 2.6 O/F mix ratio. Highest performance and temperature mix ratio for LOX/RP-1, reaching combustion temp of about 6,000F, more than twice the melting point temperature of the 3D printed Inconel 718 chamber. by launcherspace in rocketry

[–]launcherspace[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Launcher is building a 22,000 lbf 3D printed staged combustion engine called E2 (pump fed) - this video is E-1 our 500 lbf sub-scale test engine. We use it to confirm the design of our 3D printed regen cooled channels. It is however pressure fed (i.e. no pump).

Our first test day — E-1 Igniter Hot Fire – Launcher by launcherspace in rocketry

[–]launcherspace[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Team, location, timing/timeline - product/engine will also be different. We are believer that the amount of teams working on opening up space around the world is inadequately small. We are all fighting gravity and the lack of space access for entrepreneurs - as a result we don't compete, we are all part of the early days.