What would a LF2 (Liquid Fluorine) exhaust plume look like?

[KeaKaka]

Title is fairly self explanatory

I can't seem to find any good sources online, so might as well ask here

[Nuke]

the bowels of hell's inferno. 

[kerbiloid]

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.1952.0028#:~:text=The hydrocarbons methane%2C ethane%2C ethylene,initially blue- green in colour.

Quote

What Colour does fluorine burn?

 

The hydrocarbons methane, ethane, ethylene, acetylene, benzene and toluene all react with fluorine with the production of a bright flame which is initially blue- green in colour.

[darthgently]

What materials would be required for the combustion chamber and throat?  Bell?  Fuel tank,  lines, and pump?

[StrandedonEarth]

3 hours ago, darthgently said:

What materials would be required for the combustion chamber and throat?  Bell?  Fuel tank,  lines, and pump?

More important, what materials are needed for any human going near the stuff?

From reading Ignition! (the Kerbal bible) I recall that the best solution is to passivate the hardware by slowly and carefully fluoridating the surfaces, preventing further reactions

[darthgently]

11 minutes ago, StrandedonEarth said:

More important, what materials are needed for any human going near the stuff?

From reading Ignition! (the Kerbal bible) I recall that the best solution is to passivate the hardware by slowly and carefully fluoridating the surfaces, preventing further reactions

Yeah, I was thinking the tank and lines would be glass, and no clue about pumps, chamber, cone etc

[kerbiloid]

https://ru-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/РД-301?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ru&_x_tr_pto=wapp

[cubinator]

41 minutes ago, darthgently said:

Yeah, I was thinking the tank and lines would be glass, and no clue about pumps, chamber, cone etc

I think the vibration would shatter normal glass.

[magnemoe]

7 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

https://ru-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/РД-301?_x_tr_sl=ru&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=ru&_x_tr_pto=wapp

Was about to say none was crazy enough to try this and was wrong. 
Now I say if you use fluorine why not use hydrogen as fuel, its not that hydrogen add much complexity at this stage  
And it was quite an complex engine but probably more like the first raptors with tons of sensors. 

[kerbiloid]

7 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Now I say if you use fluorine why not use hydrogen as fuel, its not that hydrogen add much complexity at this stage  

It's a restartable upper stage engine. Density and storability on the way to GSO.

Also, Glushko was disliking LH2 due to its poor exploitation properties.

[Spacescifi]

9 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Was about to say none was crazy enough to try this and was wrong. 
Now I say if you use fluorine why not use hydrogen as fuel, its not that hydrogen add much complexity at this stage  
And it was quite an complex engine but probably more like the first raptors with tons of sensors. 

I betcha the Russians have. They are willing to try mad rocket scientist stuff. I still remember that radioactive disaster a few years ago that on the forums people suspected was a nuclear powered rocket of sorts.

Ha! I was right! Before I even bothered to check kerbaloids link lol.

Reputation precedes lol.

[KSK]

On 8/19/2023 at 1:02 PM, StrandedonEarth said:

More important, what materials are needed for any human going near the stuff?

Canvas, leather, and polyurethane…

Or whatever else goes into a good pair of running shoes.

Incidentally, it appears that there’s a reprint of Ignition! out - I got a paperback copy for my birthday.

 

 

[NFUN]

you just gave derek lowe a heart attack

[kerbiloid]

I would suggest pentaborane.

[KSK]

4 hours ago, kerbiloid said:

I would suggest pentaborane.

I think we should ask ourselves…

What would Streng do?

[kerbiloid]

8 hours ago, KSK said:

What would Streng do?

He should try the proposed semi-stable xenon octafluoride.