Novel Engine Cycles for Booster Stage Liquid Rocket Engines

The Air Force wants to develop novel cycles for liquid rocket engines that either exceed the performance of modern pressure-fed, expander, or gas generator cycles, and provides an overall system benefit such as reduced complexity or lower cost. In Phase I, we propose to compare quantitatively the thermodynamic cycles of a Rotating Detonation Engine with that of a conventional constant pressure combustion rocket engine over a range of conditions. This comparison will determine the efficiency and pumping work requirement for each cycle for key propellants including cryogenic LH2/LOX and a hydrocarbon-based such as RP1-LOX. The RDE cycle will reduce the required fluid pressure entering the combustion chamber and consequently the work required by the turbopump. This has the potential of replacing the turbopump with a simpler electrically-driven pump powered by a battery. The pro and cons on the two cycles will be evaluated from a system point of view. In Phase II we will develop and perform risk reduction testing to demonstrate the potential performance increases and the operability/cost improvements for the new engine.