Technical Innovation of LH2/LOX Rocket Engines in China

This paper provides a detailed introduction to and analysis of the course of China's technological innovation in liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen(LH2/LOX)rocket engines from a historical point of view.It starts with the investigation of LH2/LOX rocket engines by relevant departments of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the 1960s and their preliminary achievements.Then,the policy decision concerning LH2/LOX engine development,the project approval of the Long March-3(Chang Zheng-3,CZ-3)rocket,and the process of developing LH2/LOX engines are analyzed in detail,followed by an introduction to and summary of the development situation and technical innovation characteristics of China's LH2/LOX engines as they grew from 4 tons to 8 tons,and finally to 50 tons.Finally,the paper briefly analyzes the innovation experience connected with China's LH2/LOX engines.

Progress in Technology of Main Liquid Rocket Engines of Launch Vehicles in China

Liquid propellant rocket engines for a launch vehicle are an essential aerospace technology, representing the advanced level of hi-tech in a country. In recent years, China’s aerospace industry has made remarkable achievements, and liquid rocket engine technology has also been effectively developed. In this article, the development processes of China’s liquid rocket engines are discussed. Then, the performance features of China’s new generation liquid rocket engines as well as the flight tests of the new-generation launch vehicles are introduced. Finally, the development direction and the most recent progress of the next generation large-thrust liquid rocket engine is presented.

Research on Key Technologies for Reusable Liquid Rocket Engines

Based on current research,the development trend of reusable liquid rocket engines was analyzed.Key technologies and research focuses of the reusable liquid rocket engine have been analyzed and summarized,and then suggestions on the development of future key technologies are proposed.

Experimental Investigation on Performance of Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine Model

The PDRE test model used in these experiments utilized kerosene as the fuel, oxygen as oxidizer, and nitrogen as purge gas. The solenoid valves were employed to control intermittent supplies of kerosene, oxygen and purge gas. PDRE test model was 50 mm in inner diameter by 1.2 m long. The DDT （deflagration to detonation transition） enhancement device Shchelkin spiral was used in the test model. The effects of detonation frequency on its time-averaged thrust and specific impulse were experimentally investigated. The obtained results showes that the time-averaged thrust of PDRE test model was approximately proportional to the detonation frequency. For the detonation frequency 20 Hz, the time-averaged thrust was around 107 N, and the specific impulse was around 125 s. The nozzle experiments were conducted using PDRE test model with three traditional nozzles. The experimental results obtained demonstrated that all of those nozzles could augment the thrust and specific impulse. Among those three nozzles, the convergent nozzle had the largest increased augmentation, which was approximately 18%, under the specific condition of the experiment.

An Experiment on Cavitating Flow in Rocket Engine Inducer

An experiment for rocket engine inducer cavitating flow is conducted on a new experimental platform.The experiment platform,using water as working medium,can be used to investigate the steady and unsteady flows of cavitating and noncavitating turbopumps.The experimental platform is designed as a flexible and versatile apparatus for any kind of fluid dynamic phenomena relating to high performance liquid rocket engine turbopumps.Design details for the platform is introduced.Various extend of cavitation images and dynamic pressure impulse are obtained,which provides a reference for cavitating flow study in rocket engine inducer.

Ignition characteristics and combustion performances of a LO_2/GCH_4 small thrust rocket engine

A 500 N model engine filled with LO2/GCH4 was designed and manufactured.A series of ignition attempts were performed in it by both head spark plug and body spark plug.Results show that the engine can be ignited but the combustion cannot be sustained when head spark plug applied as the plug tip was set in the gaseous low-velocity zone with thin spray.This is mainly because flame from this zone cannot supply enough ignition energy for the whole chamber.However,reliable ignition and stable combustion can be achieved by body spark plug.As the O/F ratio increases from 2.61 to 3.49,chamber pressure increases from 0.474 to 0.925 MPa and combustion efficiency increases from 57.8%to 95.1%.This is determined by the injector configuration,which cannot produce the sufficiently breakup of the liquid oxygen on the low flow rate case.

Brief Review of N2O Decomposition Catalysts for Engines

A brief review of nitrous oxide decomposition catalysts was presented.The features of catalyst operating conditions in low-thrust engines of space vehicles and requirements to monopropellant(hydrogen peroxide,hydrazine,nitrous oxide)decomposition catalysts were considered.A scientific basis for development of a nitrous oxide decomposition catalyst and general principles for selection of efficient catalysts were formulated.The results of selecting catalyst systems for the development of decomposition catalysts for N2O as a monopropellant were presented.Preliminary selection of catalyst systems for the development of a catalyst designed for low-thrust rocket engines(LTREs)was carried out:supporter—Al2O3 and ZrO2;active substances—Co,Ni,Fe,Pd,Rh,Pt,Ru,Ir,NiO,Fe2O3,RuO2,Rh2O3,PdO,IrO2,PtO2,CoO,Al2O3,La2NiO4,Nd2NiO4,Pr 2NiO4,La2O3,TiO2,NiO,La2O3,TiO2,ZnO.With 71 references.

Based on Fluent Numerical Calculation of Refractive Index on Rocket Engine Nozzle Plume

Numerical 2D simulation and research on internal flow field and external flow field of rocket motor nozzle using FLUENT software. Analyze the flow condition of internal flow field and external flow field, and according to add in the amount of the different gas components, obtain the clear distribution of contour of density flow field, pressure flow field and various material components and so on. Simulation results agree with the results observed from the test on the ground, and provide reference for solid rocket motor development.

Safety Analysis of Liquid Rocket Engine Using Bayesian Networks

Safety analysis for liquid rocket engine has a great meaning for shortening development cycle, saving development expenditure and reducing development risk. The relationship between the structure and component of liquid rocket engine is much more complex, furthermore test data are absent in development phase. Thereby, the uncertainties exist in safety analysis for liquid rocket engine. A safety analysis model integrated with FMEA(failure mode and effect analysis) based on Bayesian networks (BN) is brought forward for liquid rocket engine, which can combine qualitative analysis with quantitative decision. The method has the advantages of fusing multi-information, saving sample amount and having high veracity. An example shows that the method is efficient.

Numerical and Experimental Characterizations of SiFRP Ablator for the Application to Liquid Rocket Engine Combustors

The ablative material is supposed to be one of good candidates for LRE （liquid rocket engine） combustion chamber to achieve both high reliability and low cost and a numerical analysis for the ablator is considered to be a potentially efficient tool to reduce cost as well. So far, ablators have been successfully applied for many SRM （solid rocket motors）, but the application to LRE is still quite limited in Japan. The authors believe that this is primarily because of the unpredictable nature of the heat load from combustion gases to the combustor wall. Indeed, reliable thermal design of ablative combustion chamber, namely reliable prediction of thermal performance, needs both reliable heat load model and reliable ablator response model. This paper elaborates our research activities and our recent research findings.

An Electro-Hydraulic Actuator for the TVC of a Throttlable Kerolox Rocket Engine

An electro-hydraulic actuator for the thrust vector control(TVC)of a throttlable kerolox rocket engine is introduced in this paper.The creative feature is an integrated hydraulic power drive unit,where a constant speed kerosene motor is used to draw high pressure kerosene from the engine and to drive a constant pressure variable displacement piston pump,acting as the power supply for the actuator.Its operational mechanism,to accommodate the varying pressure from the turbo-pump of a throttling engine,lies in a pressure-reducing flow regulator inserted at the motor inlet.Another key point is that the displacement of the motor is reasonably bigger than the pump so that a sufficiently wide range of pressures can be adapted.Modeling analysis and flight test results were well matched,which show the outstanding performance of this novel type actuator.

A New Simulation Method for 3D Propellant Grain Burn Analysis of Solid Rocket Motor

Describes a new computer program (Regress-3D) to simulate the regression of complex 3D grain cavity and calculate the burning surface area. It has a large region of applicability in solid rocket motor design and has made new improvements compared with other available codes. User can easily and rapidly build his initial grain shapes and then obtain geometric information of his design. Considering with the calclulting results, redesigning can be performed as desire until reaching at the satisfied result. Advantages and disadvantages of this method are also discussed.

Underwater Explosion Technology for Offshore Engineering Applications

- This article briefs how to improve the holding power of a drilling vessel's anchor and to remove those unreasonable structures by such a technology - underwater-explosion technology. The article gives details of the structure, characteristics and applications of a rocket-launched anchor; as well as the principle, properties, applications of directional explosion cutting.

Elimination of the Potentially Dangerous Asteroid “Apophis” Using Electric Rocket

A project of elimination of potentially dangerous asteroid Apophis which April 13, 2029 year approaches to Earth at a distance of 36,000 km is considered. The elimination is carried out by means of asteroid disintegration into small fragments as a result of nuclear explosion, which is produced 133 days before the moment of maximal convergence of the asteroid Apophis with Earth. In the project, a method of phased timely delivery of nuclear charge on the surface of the asteroid is proposed. In the first stage, the nuclear charge using carrier rocket “Delta” is delivered into Earth orbit. In the second stage, the charge using electric rocket is transferred from Earth orbit into the orbit of asteroid Apophis and is descended onto its surface. For implementation of the project, the design of electric rocket ER-7, which uses electric rocket engines type MARS and solar panels based on gallium arsenide is developed. Design of landing capsule, which has a chemical rocket engine and the container in which located the nuclear charge of 6 megaton is developed.

Experimental and Theoretical Research Review of Hybrid Rocket Motor Techniques and Applications

A hybrid rocket motor combines components from both solid fuel and liquid fuel rocket motors. The fuel itself is a solid grain, (often paraffin or hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, known as HTPB) while the oxidizing agent is liquid (often hydrogen peroxide or liquid oxygen). These components are combined in the fuel chamber which doubles as the combustion chamber for the hybrid motor. This review looks at the advances in techniques that have taken place in the development of these motors since 1995. Methods of testing the thrust from rocket motors and of measuring the rocket plume spectroscopically for combustion reaction products have been developed. These assessments allow researchers to more completely understand the effects of additives and physical changes in design, in terms of regression rates and thrust developed. Hybrid rocket motors have been used or tested in many areas of rocketry, including tactical rockets and large launch vehicles. Several additives have shown significant improvements in regression rates and thrust, including Guanidinium azotetrazolate (GAT), and various Aluminum alloys. The most recent discoveries have come from research into nano-particle additives. The nano-particles have been shown to provide enhancements to many parameters of hybrid rocket function, and research into specific areas continues in the sub-field of nano-additives for fuel grains.

助推段火箭发动机喷焰红外辐射特性数值计算

助推段火箭发动机尾喷焰具有显著的红外辐射特性,成为天基红外预警系统重点关注的对象。以三组元固体发动机为研究对象,建立连续流域和过渡流域的尾喷焰反应流场计算模型,采用两级助推段质心弹道法确定飞行弹道,通过反向寻优法完备发动机型谱参数,基于等效单喷管法简化流场计算,基于窄谱带法和视在光线法计算尾喷焰的红外辐射特性。研究结果表明:复燃效应使得尾喷焰红外辐射光谱强度升高约20倍,谱带积分强度升高约10倍;尾喷焰红外光谱存在2.7μm和4.3μm的特征峰值;低空流域的光谱强度较高,且不同谱带内积分强度随高度的升高呈现出波动规律和暗区现象;助推段尾喷焰辐射强度差值高达3个量级,尤其在4.3μm较为明显。所得成果可为火箭在助推段的探测和识别提供一定的理论参考。

重复使用运载火箭液体动力技术发展

重复使用是未来运载火箭更新换代的技术发展趋势,是降低航天发射成本、实现规模化航天发射的有效途径。重点概述了国内外垂直起降重复使用运载火箭动力技术的发展现状,分析了垂直起降重复使用运载火箭发射和回收全任务剖面,总结了垂直起降重复使用运载火箭动力技术的特点,包括宽范围入口压力多次启动技术、大范围快速高精度推力调节技术、故障诊断及健康管理技术、状态检测与维修维护技术等。

基于Hessian局部线性嵌入和MLP-Mixer的液体火箭发动机涡轮泵轻量化故障诊断框架

作为液体火箭发动机推进剂输送系统的关键部件,涡轮泵的运行状态直接影响着整个运载系统的性能,然而,现有的故障诊断方法往往面临特性参数选择片面及计算复杂度高等问题。针对上述局限,提出了面向涡轮泵的轻量化故障诊断框架。所提方法利用Hessian局部线性嵌入算法对信号时域、频域及时频特征进行降维,并引入一种轻量化的深度学习模型MLP-Mixer作为分类器,进而实现不同故障状态的辨识。采用某型号涡轮泵试车数据验证了所提方法的有效性,结果表明,该方法能够在保障诊断精度的同时有效降低计算复杂度,提高诊断效率。

液体火箭发动机健康监控技术研究进展

液体火箭发动机健康监控技术作为保障运载火箭安全、可靠发射的核心关键技术,经过几十年的发展,有力推动了航天事业的进步。介绍了液体火箭发动机健康监控技术中故障检测与诊断、容错控制与健康监控系统研制等技术的研究现状与发展趋势;梳理了健康监控领域面临的重难点问题,并提出相应的解决方案。分析展望了液体火箭发动机健康监控技术未来发展趋势,为从事火箭发动机健康监控技术研究的科研人员提供参考。

China's Largest Thrust Solid Engine Hot Firing Test Succeeded

On March 5,a 200 t-thrust advanced solid engine completed its ground hot firing test with success.The engine was developed by the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology(AASPT),aiming at future commercial space launch service market.It is a solid fuel rocket engine with the maximum capacity and the largest thrust among the existing Chinese solid fuel engines.