How does the most advanced rocket engine

Output rocket into space — not an easy task. But scientists have found a way to make it easier.

The Space industry is extremely conservative. This is true not only of the Russian space Agency, and space programs in other countries. Only with his SpaceX tried to show that everything can be dandy and it worked, but the costumes and ship design in the style of the movie interstellar is more of an exception. In any case, it's more the outer shell. Inside the rocket is based on the same principles as in other similar devices. Most importantly, there is nothing new and everything has already been invented by Soviet and American scientists decades ago. Long been invented and the technology type engines, which are now considered to be new and promising.

How does a rocket engine

The Work of any modern rocket engine based on jet propulsion, which is generated due to the combustion of large amounts of fuel. If not limited to space launch, and to talk more about the weapons, the engines are divided into several types depending on fuel used. More about this and delve into it is not worth it.

To describe the operation of a rocket engine in simple language, we can say that when fuel burns, it creates a constant thrust due to the jet. This can be compared to deflate the ball, which flies away if you let it go. Only rocket the pressure is created in any other way and the power ”slightly” higher.

the Disadvantages of rocket engines

The Conservatism of the people who work in the missile industry, is understandable. They create a complex technical tool that tames the energy of the highly volatile fuel. In this mode of operation the slightest changes can lead to disaster. So it's easier not to change anything. There are even sayings in the spirit of ”let the machine work in peace”.

If the power works, maybe you really shouldn't disturb her?

This approach leads to the fact that there are no revolutions over the last decades. Little has changed fuel, little has changed engines, but the fundamental change was not. However, the efficiency of a rocket engine in tens and hundreds times lower than it could be. This does not mean that the rocket can fly faster or lift a hundred times more cargo. Materials simply will not sustain such a thrust.

Instead, you can just significantly reduce the amount of fuel and take the extra payload. So the launches will be much cheaper and saving on re-entry modules SpaceX seem ”extreme savings”.

The Main drawback of modern technology is that the fuel burns progressively. Under normal conditions, the speed of combustion is approximately 10-15 meters per second. It is called slow combustion, as it is subsonic. There is even a term — deflagration. So called normal ignition of the fuel, when it just erupted.

When the light is so — it is a deflagration.

There is another method of fuel combustion, called detonation. With this inflammation there is an explosion, not a gradual combustion. In this case, the fuel burns faster, but the efficiency of such combustion by several orders of magnitude higher, and the rate of fire exceeds the speed of sound.

the Engine is rotating with constant explosions

The Technology of this engine was described in the 60-ies of the last century. It needs to bring the device in motion through a series of constant small explosions of the mixture. These explosions can't be created by one source. In order to be many sources on a circle, and the frequency of successive explosions is very high and they go in a circle. In the end, this achieves a very high uniformity of thrust.

So the engine is running with the rotating explosions.

Even for a second is a lot of such explosions, but all together they consume much less fuel than the process of maintaining combustion in a conventional engine. Hence, savings.

Any engine before applying must go through many trials.

If everything is so good and the technology is so effective, why is it not used with the 60-ies, when it was first proposed? As usual, there are several reasons.

One of those reasons is . It is not always immediately clear how one should aspire to achieve something, and that it will give the output. Another reason is the difficulty in supply of fuel.

the Design of the described engine looks like.

In order to support this mode of detonation, it is necessary to supply fuel to strictly at some point. Butgiven that such explosions occur every second, and make it extremely difficult.

If you fail to provide fuel supply strictly at the right moments of time, i.e. several thousand times per second, the process of detonation will turn into defloration and combustion efficiency will be even lower than that of the classical engine.

Now this problem is kind of solved and scientists have already begun testing of similar engines. When they will bring their research to the end, we get a motor that will be , and then to fly into space will become much cheaper. Not even because of the economy that burns less fuel, and due to the fact that the same thrust can be taken into orbit tons of additional cargo. Because of this, the output of each kilogram will be much cheaper.