Questions tagged [methalox]
The methalox tag has no usage guidance.
7
questions
1
vote
1
answer
139
views
Is an open expander cycle rocket engine driven by a gasified oxygen turbine technically feasible?
Is an open expander (bleed-off) cycle engine that uses the gasified cryogenic oxidizer instead of the gasified fuel to drive the turbo pumps technically feasible?
I was thinking of a first stage open ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
96
views
Could it be more cost-effective to refuel with on the lunar south pole produced methalox instead of refueling methalox in LEO, on the way to Mars?
In the article Prominent volcanic source of volatiles in the south polar region of the Moon it is calculated that 8 x 109 kg $CO_2$ has been vented billions of years ago by pyroclastic events in the ...
- 7,545
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
What rockets use a methalox propellant?
I’ve found that the SpaceX Raptor rocket engine and the BE-4 rocket engine use methalox (Liquid Methane and Liquid Oxygen), is there any other rocket engines that use a methalox.
7
votes
0
answers
254
views
Tory Bruno mentioned "unsolvable combustion instability" of "large methane engines". What, why, how?
Relevant tweet, an hour ago: https://twitter.com/torybruno/status/1405210138189864960?s=19
a Tweeted Question: Why wasn't methane used in the 2000s, when it was readily available unlike the time ...
- 10.7k
1
vote
1
answer
2k
views
How does one determine the optimal CH4:O2 ratio in a methane-LOX rocket engine?
The SpaceX Raptor uses a 78:22 O2:CH4 ratio.
It also has combustion chamber pressures higher than any other rocket engine ever built.
My questions are:
What's the math / chemistry that determines ...
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How does SpaceX plan to deal with possible methane buildup around Starship?
Starship is going to be fueled with cryogenic liquid methane. Before launch, the vehicle will spend some time fully loaded on the launchpad. Although methane is lighter than air at normal temperature, ...
- 2,321
2
votes
2
answers
192
views
Has combustion of premixed LCH4 and LH2 with LOX been investigated for larger rocket engines?
I can only find two papers on blended methane/hydrogen combustion not related to internal combustion engines, and both of those (Mento et al. 2009 and Rosen et al. 2011) are very limited in scope. I ...
- 10.7k