Chemical propulsion technology

An overview of NASA's low thrust liquid chemical propulsion program is presented with particular emphasis on thrust system technology in the ten to one thousand pound thrust range. Key technology issues include high performance of cooled low thrust engines; small cryogenic pumps; multiple starts-shutdowns (10) with slow ramps (approximately 10 seconds); thrust variation - 4/1 in flight and 20/1 between flights; long life (100 hours); improved system weight and size; and propellant selection

Space chemical engines technology

The topics presented are covered in viewgraph form. The programmatic objective is to provide the technology necessary to proceed in the late 1990's with development of moderate-thrust LOX/LH2 expander cycle engines for various space transportation applications

Low thrust chemical rocket technology

An on-going technology program to improve the performance of low thrust chemical rockets for spacecraft on-board propulsion applications is reviewed. Improved performance and lifetime is sought by the development of new predictive tools to understand the combustion and flow physics, introduction of high temperature materials and improved component designs to optimize performance, and use of higher performance propellants. Improved predictive technology is sought through the comparison of both local and global predictions with experimental data. Predictions are based on both the RPLUS Navier-Stokes code with finite rate kinetics and the JANNAF methodology. Data were obtained with laser-based diagnostics along with global performance measurements. Results indicate that the modeling of the injector and the combustion process needs improvement in these codes and flow visualization with a technique such as 2-D laser induced fluorescence (LIF) would aid in resolving issues of flow symmetry and shear layer combustion processes. High temperature material fabrication processes are under development and small rockets are being designed, fabricated, and tested using these new materials. Rhenium coated with iridium for oxidation protection was produced by the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process and enabled an 800 K increase in rocket operating temperature. Performance gains with this material in rockets using Earth storable propellants (nitrogen tetroxide and monomethylhydrazine or hydrazine) were obtained through component redesign to eliminate fuel film cooling and its associated combustion inefficiency while managing head end thermal soakback. Material interdiffusion and oxidation characteristics indicated that the requisite lifetimes of tens of hours were available for thruster applications. Rockets were designed, fabricated, and tested with thrusts of 22, 62, 440 and 550 N. Performance improvements of 10 to 20 seconds specific impulse were demonstrated. Higher performance propellants were evaluated: Space storable propellants, including liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer with nitrogen hydrides or hydrocarbon as fuels. Specifically, a LOX/hydrazine engine was designed, fabricated, and shown to have a 95 pct theoretical c-star which translates into a projected vacuum specific impulse of 345 seconds at an area ratio of 204:1. Further performance improvment can be obtained by the use of LOX/hydrogen propellants, especially for manned spacecraft applications, and specific designs must be developed and advanced through flight qualification

Novel reactor technology for chemical-looping combustion

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Nonaerospace uses of chemical rocket technology

Nonaerospace uses of chemical rocket technolog

Milestones chemical technology institute: our past and present

The article is devoted to the 95th anniversary of the Chemical technological Institute (CTI) of the Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin (UrFU), which will be held in October 2015. Over the years Chemical technological Institute (CTI) has undergone many structure transformations in accordance with the tasks which were set before it the time and the development of our country. Currently this is a fairly large educational and research Institute, which employs more than 100 lecturers including more than 70 associate professors – candidates (PhD), 30 professors – doctors of Sciences (Hb), 3 academics and 1 corresponding member of RAS, trained more than 850 students

Specialized technology suppliers, international spillovers and investment: evidence from the chemical industry.

In this paper we study how the development of specialized upstream technology suppliers in leading countries improves technology access and lowers investment costs for downstream firms in follower countries. We test this idea using a novel database covering all investments in chemical plants in less developed countries ŽLDCs. during the 1980s. We find that investments in chemical plants in the LDCs are greater, the greater is the number of technology suppliers that operate in the first world. A major contribution of this paper is to identify an important but understudied mechanism through which technology is made available.Market for technology; Specialization; Technology supply; Investment; Chemical industry;

The licensing dilemma: understanding the determinants of the rate of technology licensing.

The licensing of technology entails a trade-off: licensing payments net of transaction costs (revenue effect) must be balanced against the lower price-cost margin and/or reduced market share implied by increased competition (profit dissipation effect) from the licensee. We argue that the presence of multiple technology holders, which compete in the market for technology, changes such a trade-off and triggers more aggressive licensing behavior. To test our theory, we analyze technology licensing by large chemical firms during the period 1986-96 for 107 chemical products. We find that the rate of technology licensing displays an inverted U-shaped relationship with the number of potential technology suppliers and is negatively related to the licensor's market share and to the degree of technology-specific product differentiation.Licensing; Revenue effect; Profit dissipation effect; Chemical industry;

Low-thrust chemical propulsion system pump technology

Candidate pump and driver systems for low thrust cargo orbit transfer vehicle engines which deliver large space structures to geosynchronous equatorial orbit and beyond are evaluated. The pumps operate to 68 atmospheres (1000 psi) discharge pressure and flowrates suited to cryogenic engines using either LOX/methane or LOX/hydrogen propellants in thrust ranges from 445 to 8900 N (100 to 2000 lb F). Analysis of the various pumps and drivers indicate that the low specific speed requirement will make high fluid efficiencies difficult to achieve. As such, multiple stages are required. In addition, all pumps require inducer stages. The most attractive main pumps are the multistage centrifugal pumps