Questions tagged [fuel]
Questions about rocket oxidizer, propellant, reactive mass, or other fuels used in spacecraft or rockets.
325
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1answer
68 views
At what time is the Falcon 9 loaded with fuel?
How long before launch are the fuel and oxidizer loaded into a Falcon 9 rocket?
And how much time does it take to load it?
2
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2answers
181 views
Will mining water on Bennu not be more economical than collecting it near the south pole of the Moon?
Bennu is a carbonaceous asteroid that is currently accompanied by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft that will take samples from it to return to Earth.
Its diameter is 490 m. and it is slightly denser than ...
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59 views
Could the issue of engine coking be solved with corrosive additives?
Many fuels will start to coke, that is they solidify when they're exposed to heat, such as in a regenerative cooling loop, particularly those that are commercially available like petroleum. Are there ...
8
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1answer
1k views
Have there been rocket engines designed for diesel? What ISP theoretically possible?
Have there been rocket engines or even test engines that have used diesel as a fuel? If so, what oxidizer had they used and what ISP did they achieve? If not, is it possible to say what ISP is at ...
7
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2answers
995 views
In what ways is helium used on modern launch vehicles?
Helium is a fairly rare material and does not remain in the atmosphere.
I'd like to know the uses of helium on modern launch systems?
Do most launch vehicles use helium in several different ways, or ...
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3answers
792 views
Getting back from the Moon
This link describes the way back from the Moon surface to the orbiting spacecraft. But how could that spacecraft get back to the Earth?
It is a long journey. How much rocket fuel would be needed, in ...
6
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2answers
167 views
Did rockets use turbopumps prior to the V-2?
Did the liquid propellant rockets before V-2 use turbopumps or were their fuel tanks pressurized with gas? Or perhaps were their engines gravity-fed?
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1answer
59 views
When was liquid hydrogen used for the first time in rocket engines?
When it was the first time the liquid hydrogen was used in a rocket engine? I mean for space launches, but it would be interesting to also know about first uses in experimental engines, in military, ...
8
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2answers
1k views
When was liquid methane used for the first time in rocket engines?
When it was the first time the liquid methane was used in a rocket engine? I mean for space launches, but it would be interesting to also know about first uses in experimental [rocket] engines, in ...
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0answers
57 views
Can Chemical Engineer work on something related to space?
I am an undergraduateĀ student (scientific section) living in Qatar. I have a big interestĀ in astronomy and astrophysics and have participated in the IOAA (International Olympiad on Astronomy and ...
2
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0answers
49 views
Design of propellant tanks of a rocket [duplicate]
I understand that the propellants (e.g. LOX & LH2) are stored in a rocket tank which is pressurized by Helium or a neutral gas, so as to push the propellants towards the tank outlet, to the turbo-...
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34 views
Where could I find more propellant combustion charts for more different/more broad examples/numbers?
So after asking how I could calculate this kind of propellant combustion charts for different fuels/oxidizers and other ratios and other stuff and getting some really good answers, especially from ...
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6answers
5k views
Sending rockets to space will eventually consume all of our resources?
Imagine that we somehow manage to maintain frequent trips Earth <-> Mars. I'm not sure what fuel we use but I've read somewhere that it's methane due to its cheap cost.
As the trip goes on for 6 ...
5
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2answers
177 views
Why is rocket engine flame usually clear/transparent at the nozzle?
This is a followup to a question about why the Falcon 9 second stage flame was invisible when out of the atmosphere. See: Why is the flame of the Falcon 9's 2nd stage invisible?.
That was well ...
7
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3answers
249 views
Can Falcon 9 be fueled slowed to delay the instantaneous launch window?
DM-2's first launch attempt was scrubbed at about Tā17 minutes due to bad weather at the instantaneous launch window, even though the weather was predicted to clear up as early as T+10. It was ...
3
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0answers
38 views
Storage density of a Deuterium-Helium 3 fusion pellet
in a series I am working on I will be using a D-He3 fusion drive system (similar to the one in the expanse according to Project RHO). I am under the assumption that the fuel will be stored in a pellet ...
2
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1answer
71 views
Delta V/Fuel Cost for Satellite Rotation
How would you figure out the fuel cost or delta V for spinning up a S/C to match the orbital period of 27.32 days (moon orbit)? Given that the S/C is initially not rotating about any axes.
For ...
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0answers
35 views
Was General Doolittle involved in the invention of RP-1?
James Doolittle is most famous for leading the 1942 air raid on Tokyo. However, between the world wars, he earned a doctorate in aeronautical engineering from MIT, became the manager of Shell Oil's ...
3
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0answers
44 views
How is fuel measured in spacecraft? [duplicate]
On something like a gravity-bound automobile, fuel is measured with a float that moves a variable resistor but I would think this would not be possible on a rocket, one because of extreme G-forces ...
2
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1answer
107 views
How is fuel distributed in multi engine rocket stages?
How is fuel distributed evenly to multi-engine rockets like the Falcon 9, Electron, or multi-engined Centaurs? I would presume that there is only one main propellant line that goes down the raceway ...
4
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0answers
73 views
Cooling an aerospike spike via “fuel diversion”?
My question is, could an aerospike be cooled via diverting a very small quantity of your fuel (fuel used since it has a higher heat capacity than oxidizer and won't, you know, turn your engine into an ...
2
votes
1answer
88 views
How is Cryogenic fuel kept… Cryogenic in rockets [duplicate]
How is cryogenic fuel & oxidizer kept at cryogenic temperatures in rockets? I am mostly interested in the first stage of launch vehicles rather than something like a Centaur that keeps hydrolox ...
9
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2answers
861 views
Is it correct that the Saturn V RP1 tank was pressurized by high pressure helium and the LOX tanks were pressurised by oxygen?
I understand from many sites that in the first stage of the Saturn V, the RP1 tank was pressurized by high pressure Helium tanks, but the LOX tanks were pressurized using gaseous oxygen. Is this ...
2
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1answer
100 views
rocket engine design
Do we need to preheat both the fuel e.g. LH2, and the oxidizer e.g. LOX, by running conduits around the nozzle? I presume both being cryogenic, preheating would be a must otherwise, engines will have ...
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4answers
4k views
Why can't cryogenic oxygen and cryogenic kerosene be “stored” together?
This question, to my knowledge, is only applicable to Rocket Lab's Electron, pressure-fed engines that use non-hypergolic fuels, and other engine cycles that don't use a fuel/oxygen-rich preburner. My ...
7
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1answer
499 views
Why is RP-1 dyed red?
I was interested to learn that RP-1 is at least sometimes dyed to a red color.
What is the reason for doing this / what benefit does it give compared to leaving it the usual hydrocarbon clear-to-...
14
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1answer
276 views
What is the MXP-351 storable bipropellant?
Masten Space Systems has a proprietary hypergolic bipropellant called MXP-351 intended for use in the XL-1 lunar lander. We seem to know the following information:
Non-cryogenic, with storage life of ...
7
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0answers
126 views
Why do Russian rocket engineers call CāHāNā “heptyl”?
Unsymmetrical dimethlyhydrazine or "UDMH" is a propellant which has been used by Russian, American, European, Chinese, and Indian rockets.
Russian rocket engineers nickname it "heptyl". Why was this ...
23
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1answer
2k views
What actually is RP-1, and how is it different from any other hydrocarbon liquid fuel?
Related: Russian "kerosene" versus American "RP-1", however that's more about the details of specific rocket kerosene specs than rocket kerosene in the context of hydrocarbon and ...
3
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2answers
149 views
Would symmetrical dimethylhydrazine work as a hypergolic fuel?
Hydrazine and its various derivatives have been used as hypergolic fuels.
hydrazine
monomethylhydrazine (MMH)
unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine (UDMH)
Aerozine 50 is a mixture of 50% hydrazine and ...
10
votes
1answer
651 views
How are fuel/hydraulics pipes coupled in spacecraft?
How are pipes coupled in spacecraft?
I found Shape memory alloy pipe couplings (SCoup, see image taken from link) are sometimes used.
-Is this still the case and in what quantity are they used?
-...
4
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2answers
276 views
Hydrocarbon + Nitrous Oxide: Is this a “friendly” alternative propellant system to hydrazine and NTO?
Even if you don't care about hypergolicity, there's the serious problem that most storeable chemical fuels are either horrifically toxic (like N2O4), dangerously unstable (like high-test peroxide), or ...
9
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1answer
930 views
Was metastable solid metallic hydrogen really debunked as viable future fuel?
In this thread about Kerbal Space Program 2 authors says they are building gameplay based on technologies that are potentially viable in the near, or ar future. Main topic there is metallic hydrogen.
...
2
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0answers
67 views
Is there any way to get better performance from an NTR with non-H2 propellant?
Related: Is there some fundamental limitation that would prevent steam-powered rockets from reaching space?
Thermal rockets, including nuclear thermal rockets, work best with minimal molecular weight ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views
Is present-day plumbing technology enough to make refueling of hypergol rockets safe? What about only in space?
Sadly, all of the currently commonly used chemical rocket fuels that are either hypergolic or storable are horribly toxic/corrosive/explosive. RP-1 is so safe you can pour it out of a gas can, but ...
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0answers
67 views
Could rocket fuel be mass produced in Ceres?
According to
NASA rocket fuel Mars
Liquid methane could be used as the fuel, produced from carbon dioxide
and water found on Mars.
If NASA is "working on it", there has to be many technical ...
4
votes
1answer
354 views
How long does it take to refuel a rocket?
I've been wondering how long the refueling of a rocket, say the falcon 9 takes.
That's it.
3
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2answers
148 views
Bio-Fuel for Rocket Science
In season 1 of the 2018 Lost In Space Series which aired on Netflixā the last Episode has the Robinson family using the by-products of living beings (faeces) as biofuel. If we were to use the same ...
5
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1answer
165 views
Why does it take Spaceway 1 (satellite) two or three months to dump 73 kg of bipropellant?
I read on https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/01/directv-races-to-decommission-broken-boeing-satellite-before-it-explodes/ (mirror):
In the time available, DirecTV said "it will be ...
2
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2answers
176 views
Acceleration and reaction mass?
somewhere in a galaxy a long time ago I was informed that accelerating a spaceship at one gravity (Earth value) would result in near relativistic velocity after only one day (Earth value) - I was ...
0
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1answer
181 views
Need help with 'Tsiolkovsky's Rocket Equation': What's the maximum weight of my rockets command module?
A civilization wants to transport a command module towards another planet that is passing by. Their planet has a radius of 6'800 kilometers and weighs about 9 Ć 10^24 kg. They have no stronger engines ...
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6answers
4k views
Is it possible to use gases instead of liquids as fuel in a rocket engine?
Im reading about rocket engines and I have a question about is it possible to use fuels in the form of gases than a liquid in a rocket engine?
4
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3answers
238 views
Ion Drives specific impulse somewhat of a false economy?
I've been working through a thought experiment with a friend of mine, with some of my previous questions already being (very helpfully) answered on here :)
Here's the current issue I have though - ...
12
votes
1answer
715 views
VASIMR - Propellant usage data?
So I am using the VASIMR data of approximately 5N of force per 250kw of power draw. As far as I can see, this scales fairly linearly, so 500kw would result in 10N of force. (Might require two engines, ...
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2answers
105 views
Looking for fuel mass per kg payload data for Ion drives
I'm looking for some information on what the fuel/propellant mass per kg of payload is for ion drives. Hall X3 or VASIMR or whichever is currently the 'best' that we have available.
This isn't for ...
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2answers
135 views
Looking for figures for contemporary interstellar engine options
So I have already done... a lot of reading on this subject lately. A lot. You wouldn't believe. My maths is... functional, probably far above 'average', but when it gets into the realms of the 'rocket ...
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0answers
46 views
Would it be possible to use electrically charged plasma to drive a vehicle to space? [duplicate]
Electrically charged plasma is not extremely difficult, at least in materials needed. I was wondering if it would be a practical substance due to its high energy. I also thought that, if it remained ...
14
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1answer
958 views
Why is the Space Shuttle's External Tank fuelled through the Orbiter's main engine plumbing system?
This answer states that Space Shuttle's External Tank (ET) was fuelled (this process is known as Tanking) through the Orbiter's main engine plumbing system with the Tail Service Masts (TSM). One ...
4
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0answers
157 views
Are there examples of a spacecraft designed for transitions from supercritical to liquid+gas mixtures?
The question What happens when supercritical fuel tanks deplete below critical point? suggests some possible scenarios when the pressure of a tank is in danger of dropping below the supercritical ...
21
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3answers
5k views
Why would oxygen be stored as a super critical fluid?
Organic Marble just answered a question about Apollo 13 in terms of the storage of Oxygen, and posted some fascinating stuff, including the fact that Oxygen was stored as a super-critical fluid.
I ...
