Innovative, Inexpensive Regeneratively Cooled Combustion Chamber and Nozzle Extension Fabrication Techno

Even with new advances in high temperature materials, large (>1000 lb. thrust) liquid propellant combustion chambers require cooling to prevent temperatures from reaching levels at which chamber strength is no longer adequate to support the chamber pressure. This cooling requirement imposes severe cost penalties on the chamber fabrication process. In addition, to satisfy IHPRPT objectives, these cooling requirements will increase further still. Obtaining a significant reduction in fabrication cost will require an innovative redesign of the chamber/heat exchanger. Ultramet has conceived such an innovative design, and will demonstrate its feasibility in this Phase I project. It is expected that this new design will greatly improve heat transfer performance, resulting in decreased propellant feed system size and reduced weight while lowering overall chamber fabrication costs by 50%.