Low-Cost Manufacturing Technique for Advanced Regenerative Cooling for In-Space Cryogenic Engines

The goal of the proposed effort is to demonstrate feasibility of using selective laser melting (SLM, an emerging manufacturing technique) to manufacture a subscale combustion chamber liner that features an advanced regenerative cooling technique that combines high performance with low pressure drop. SLM enables the ability to "print" the advanced regenerative liner in mere hours, despite the liner's inherent flow passage complexity. This reduction in manufacturing lead time, combined with the fact that SLM manufacturing costs are driven almost exclusively by the amount of raw powder used during fabrication, results in a substantial cost reduction for future regeneratively-cooled rocket engines. Considering that the proposed regenerative cooling approach features heat transfer coefficients 3-10 times higher and pressure drops 2-10 times lower than traditional axial channels, the proposed effort demonstrate one of the highest performing, lowest cost combustion chambers in the world.