Plausible Engine Design

[AtomicTech]

So I spent a bit of time sketching out a design

Spoiler

It's an open cycle engine that redirects the exhaust from the Turbopumps to the nozzle.

So here's how it works,

1. The turbopumps are spun up using electricity from a cable connecting the rocket to the launch tower.
2. Then, the pressurized UDMH and Amyl are used to start the preburner of the turbo pumps before being very quickly being handed off to the proper Kerosene and LOx in the tanks.
3. Then, more of the UDMH and Amyl are used to start the ignition in the combustion chamber. With the Kerolox flowling freely into the combustion chamber, actual thrust is achieved and the rocket leaves the launch site.
4. Due to the nature of storing the two hypergols, this engine could be used similarly to SpaceX's Merlin to restart and land propulsively.

[jimmymcgoochie]

I’m not too sure how the addition of an electric motor and two hypergolic propellants would outperform the tried and tested TEATEB, which is storable, hypergolic with liquid oxygen and has been used for decades for exactly this purpose, including in the massive F-1s of the Saturn V.

[AtomicTech]

2 minutes ago, jimmymcgoochie said:

I’m not too sure how the addition of an electric motor and two hypergolic propellants would outperform the tried and tested TEATEB, which is storable, hypergolic with liquid oxygen and has been used for decades for exactly this purpose, including in the massive F-1s of the Saturn V.

Perhaps, it was just a thought exercise to myself to come up with a plausibly buildable engine design that might actually be useful. As for the TEATEB, I didn't recall it until I saw your post.

[Nazalassa]

On 2/2/2022 at 4:29 PM, jimmymcgoochie said:

hypergolic

Hyperbolic?

[jimmymcgoochie]

Just now, Nazalassa said:

Hyperbolic?

Huh?

Hypergolic refers to something that will spontaneously combust in contact with a suitable fuel/oxidiser, they're commonly used in rocketry in everything from RCS thrusters to entire launch rockets e.g. Proton. TEATEB (tetraethyl aluminium tetraethyl boron) is commonly used to start up kerolox rocket engines as the TEATEB will spontaneously ignite on contact with liquid oxygen, spinning up the turbopumps and getting the kerosene flowing to produce thrust.