Design, Fabrication and Test of a Full Scale Copper Tubular Combustion Chamber
Abstract
This paper presents the design fabrication and test of a full scale copper tubular combustion chamber as an enabling technology for future application in a high thrust upper-stage expander-cycle engine. The advanced expander combustor (AEC) was developed by Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion under contract with the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to support the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) initiative. The AEC copper tubular design combines high material thermal conductivity and large effective surface area in a structurally compliant coolant channel configuration to achieve significant heat pick-up from the combustion gases to he coolant AEC hot fire test data analysis confirmed the ability to achieve high trust in an expander-cycle engine using a copper tubular construction. Heat transfer enhancement resulting from the tubular chamber liner construction was shown to be in the range of 29 to 46 percent at typical operating conditions compared to a smooth wall copper liner design. The technology developed during the AEC fabrication and test program is currently being used by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) in the development of the RL60, a high performance 60,000-lb thrust expander-cycle engine.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 10, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA410586
Entities
People
- Christine Cooley
- Steve Fentress
- T. Jennings
Organizations
- Pratt & Whitney