Reuse the liquid rocket power system, where is the next step?

Recently, a type of liquid oxygen and oil engine independently developed in my country has successfully completed the repeated flight test. Therefore, for the first time in China, the reuse of the liquid rocket power system marks the enrollment technology of my country's liquid rocket engine to enter the engineering application stage.

Looking at the world, with the increasingly mature use of rocket technology, technical difficulties have been gradually conquered, and countries have set off a new wave of development. So what are the current models that can be reused? What will happen in the future?

Recycling and reuse are more difficult

As the main power device of the aerospace carrier, the liquid rocket engine has the characteristics of high performance, strong task adaptation, high technical difficulty, and long development cycle. It is one of the most complex products on the aerospace carrier. Therefore, the reuse of the liquid rocket power system is one of the key technologies that must be made in the reuse of aerospace carrier.

具体来说，液体火箭发动机想实现重复使用，需要突破多次启动、低入口压力启动、大范围推力调节、状态评估检测及健康管理、快速简化处理、高温组件结构抗疲劳寿命评估及延寿、全The complex power thermal environment and control of the task and the control of key technologies are far more difficult to develop more than the liquid rocket engine that is used at one time.

Among the world's major aerospace power, the United States has the strongest scientific research strength in the field of rocket power in the United States and has the most application experience. As early as the 1980s, the United States had successfully developed the large -pushing liquid rocket engine that could be reused and used as the main engine of the spacecraft.

The main engine of the aerospace aircraft uses liquid hydrogen oxygen pushing agent, which provides a total of more than 600 tons of thrust, and the thrust can be adjusted in the range of 65%to 109%. This design is to allow the spacecraft to get greater thrust at the ignition and the initial upward stage, and it is easier to fly and accelerate. In the final rising phase, the maintenance opportunity will be used to reduce the thrust and facilitate the precise control of the speed of track.

After the retirement of the aerospace aircraft in 2011, the new American commercial aerospace forces assumed the heavy responsibility of "reuse, heaven and earth rounds". Among them, SpaceX's Falcon 9 Rockets revolutionaryly realized the first -level recycling and reuse of the rail -level carrier rocket.

In December 2015, the Falcon 9 Rockets successfully recovered one child for the first time. In March 2017, the Falcon 9 Rockets reused the launch for the first time. As of September 2022, the Rockets successfully recovered more than 130 times, and a single rocket had a maximum of 14 times. The high launch intensity, reliability, and significant economy were amazing.

The technical foundation for the achievement of the Falcon 9 Rockets is 9 Merlin 1D engines. This engine is specially designed for reusable use of rockets. It uses liquid oxygen and oil pushing agent. A single sea seabed plane thrust is 87 tons, which is 275 seconds than rushing. It has multiple ignition capabilities.

Compared with the traditional liquid rocket engine, the most special point of the Merlin 1D engine is to achieve the adjustment of thrust in the range of 39%to 100%, and 9 merges can realize the total thrust in the range of 4.3%to 100%to recycle the rocket recycling And repeated use laid a solid power foundation.

In addition, the Merlin 1D engine is also applied to the Falcon Heavy Rockets, which consolidates the first level by 27 parallel units, which has achieved the most active carrier capacity of the rocket. The near -ground rail carrying capacity reaches 63 tons. Since 2018, the Falcon heavy rocket has successfully launched three times, but the recycling work is not very smooth. It can be seen that the complexity of the power recovery and reuse of liquid rockets.

The heroes fight for challenges

Looking at all countries, the reuse of the liquid rocket power system has attracted many aerospace companies to join them, and they will not hesitate to challenge greater difficulties and pursue higher indicators.

According to public information, a certain type of liquid oxygen and oil engine in my country participated in the first flight test as an active power device of a certain aircraft in 2021. After testing and maintenance, it has recently participated in repeated flight test tasks.

In addition, my country has exposed a variety of liquid rocket power system recycling schemes and repeated spacecraft plans to use different promotional agents and configuration. Some engine testing news reports have also confirmed that the reuse technology of liquid rocket engines in my country is steadily promoting.

The American SpaceX company is developing the "Star Ship", and its near -ground track capacity reaches 160 tons. Synchronized projects are the liquid oxygen methane engine code -named "Raptor". The latest model of sea level thrust is 300 tons, 334 seconds than rushing, and can be regulated within 20%to 100%.

The "Raptor" is the most difficult and the best potential indicator is the ultra-high voltage of the combustion room, which has exceeded the most outstanding liquid rocket engine in this regard, the Russian RD-180. The ultra -high combustion chamber pressure can make the "Raptor" a higher push -to -weight ratio. The current version reaches 107: 1, and the subsequent improvement space is still very large.

At present, the second level of the "Star Ship" has completed a limited height test flight many times, and the first level of 33 "Raptors" will soon conduct a comprehensive ignition test, promoting the "Star Ship" to try to launch for the first time as soon as possible.

The American Blue Origin Corporation has also successfully developed reusable rockets. The new Shepade Rockets first flew and recovered in November 2015. As of September 12 this year, it successfully flew 21 times and performed 6 manned flight missions. New Shepade Rockets currently can only fly in sub-orbit, using BE-3 liquid hydrogen oxygen engine, and blue origin companies are developing the BE-4 liquid oxygenne engine. Rockets, carry out track launching business. The United States can repeatedly use rockets to severely squeeze the market share of traditional Russian and European and Air Bureau, forcing Russia and Europe to attach importance to the development of reused rockets and its liquid engines.

The Amur Rockets is a reused two -class medium -sized rocket developed by Russia. It is expected to fly from Oriental Astronautics in 2026. According to the design, the rocket can be reused 10 times in the first level, and 5 RD-0169 liquid oxygen methane engines are connected in parallel. At the first level of reuse, the Amur Rockets are expected to send 9.5 tons of load into a near -ground orbit. When used at one time, the near -ground rail carrying capacity is about 12 tons.

Based on the Ali An 6 rocket, the European Air Bureau planned reusable rockets. The first level will use 7 or 9 Puromus liquid oxygen methane engines. The diameter of the rocket configuration in the argument is 5.4 meters and 4.6 meters, respectively, which can be bundled with liquid booster to further increase the carrier capacity.

Three -legged trend

The emergence of repeated use of carrier rockets has far changed the pattern and development direction of the world of aerospace transportation. The pursuit of liquid rocket power system pursuing can be reused, taking into account low cost and high reliability, which has become the consensus of developing a new generation of liquid rocket engines in various countries.

So what kind of promoter will the future liquid rocket power system choose? From the perspective of development trends, liquid oxygne methane seems to be the mainstream choice for the new generation of reusable use of rocket power systems. Because liquid oxygen methane pushing agent has the advantages of higher rushing, low cost, clean environmental protection, convenient maintenance and use, etc., it is suitable for large -scale production and repeated launch of the engine. It is also convenient for long -term storage in space, which can effectively reduce the engine size and quality of the engine. Essence Especially in recent years, it has become more and more popular on the earth and Mars. The liquid oxygen methane engine may benefit from the Mars' original resource utilization test, and the potential is huge.

However, the advantages of high -ratio and liquid oxygen and oil engines of liquid hydrogen liquid oxygen engines still cannot be ignored. It is indispensable in certain tasks, so the technical route of liquid rockets can be reused. The pattern.

As the reusable use of rockets gradually become the mainstream in the future, the research and development, manufacturing, and maintenance of the existing liquid rocket power system also face changes. Starting from benefits, the engine may use more high -intensity and low -weight new materials to innovate low cost and quickly manufacture processes, and rapidly starting performance has also become a new demand for engines.

In short, the advantages of the reuse of the liquid rocket power system and the bright future can not only reduce the cost of space launch, better serve the production and life, but also be expected to open up a new field of space exploration. (China Aerospace News)

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