CRYOGENIC ROCKET ENGINE BY USING

HYDROGEN FUEL SYSTEM

A SEMINAR REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR IN TECHNOLOGY
In
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Submitted By
LOKESH KUMAR LENKA
Regd. No: 1501304074

Under the Guidance of

Dr. Arun Ku. Parida

GANDHI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND

MANAGEMENT
BHUBANESWAR (ODISHA)-752054
2018-19
 Certificate
This is to certify that Lokesh Kumar Lenka of 7th Semester,
Mechanical Engineering bearing Regd. No. 1501304074 has satisfactory
completed the seminar report on “Cryogenic Rocket Engine By Using
Hydrogen Fuel System” in the partial fulfilment of the Bachelor of

Technology Degree in Mechanical Engineering under Biju Pattanaik

University of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha.
I recommended this piece of work for acceptance as the seminar report in
the academic curriculum.

Dr. Arun Ku. Parida Prof. Sabyasachi Singh

Seminar Guide HOD, Dept. of ME
 Acknowledgement
I convey my sincere gratitude to my supervisor and guide Dr. Arun Ku.
Parida, GITAM, Bhubaneswar for his kind guidance, constant supervision, valuable
suggestions, co-operations and affectionate encouragement which enabled me to
complete this seminar report in time. His stimulating words, constant encouragement
and dedication for work highly motivated me to do better and gave me the chance to
improve myself in the field of study.

I am also thankful to Prof. Sabyasachi Singh, Department of ME,

GITAM, Bhubaneswar for her timely advice, inspiration and help. I am grateful to all
the members of GITAM, Bhubaneswar for their kind suggestions and help for the
seminar work.

Last but not the least, I express my deep sense of gratitude to all my friends
who stood behind me to undertake this venture.

Again, I am thankful to their valuable suggestions and with whom I shared

many ideas through the problem

Place: Lokesh Kr. Lenka

Date: Regd. No: 1501304050
Branch: ME
Sem: 7th Sem
CRYOGENIC ROCKET ENGINE BY USING HYDROGEN FUEL
SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

— This paper is all about Cryogenic Technology used in rocket’s engine for allit's space
missions& it's

applications. This technology consists ofuse of two basic elements of universe Liq.
Hydrogen(-253°C)&Liq.

Oxygen(-183°C ).This engine follows engine follows Newton’s basic 3

rd law of motion. This is the only engine

that gives 100% efficiency without any green house emissions or pollutionup to the date
on earth. This engine

gives a trust of 15000 lb. when basic methods are used. This trust can be increased to
great extent if research in

proper field is done.

When these fuels are mixed at theircryogenic temperatures they give out huge energy
which is can be utilised

to:

Take off of a Space vehicle it's escape velocity.

Launch a missile across continents.

Generate electric energy.

 Contents

Sl. No. Particulars Page No.

1 Introduction 1-2
2 History 3
3 Space Propulsion System 4
4 Rocket Engine Power Cycle 4-7
5 Combustion In Thrust Chamber 8
6 Fuel Injection 9
7 Phases Of Combustion In Thrust Chamber 10-12
8 Liquid Propellant 13
9 Working Principle 14-15
10 Advantages 15
11 Disadvantages 16
12 Application 17
13 Conclusion 18
14 References 19-20
1. INTRODUCTION:-

Cryogenics originated from two Greek words “kyros” which means cold or
freezing and “genes” which means born or produced. Cryogenics is the study of very
low temperatures or the production of the same. Liquefied gases like liquid nitrogen
and liquid oxygen are used in many cryogenic applications. Liquid nitrogen is the
most commonly used element in cryogenics and is legally purchasable around the
world. Liquid helium is also commonly used and allows for the lowest temperatures
to be reached. These gases can be stored on large tanks called Dewar tanks, named
after James Dewar, who first liquefied hydrogen, or in giant tanks used for
commercial applications.

Another use of cryogenics is cryogenic fuels. Cryogenic fuels, mainly oxygen

and nitrogen have been used as rocket fuels. The Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO) is set to flight-test the indigenously developed cryogenic engine
by early 2006, after the engine passed a 1000 second endurance test in 2003. It will
form the final stage of the GSLV for putting it into orbit 36,000 km from earth.

Cryogenic Engines are rocket motors designed for liquid fuels that have to be
held at very low "cryogenic" temperatures to be liquid - they would otherwise be gas
at normal temperatures. All the current Rockets run on Liquid-propellant rockets. The
first operational cryogenic rocket engine was the 1961 NASA design the RL-10 LOX
LH2 rocket engine, which was used in the Saturn 1 rocket employed in the early
stages of the Apollo moon landing program.

The major components of a cryogenic rocket engine are:

 the thrust chamber or combustion chamber


 pyrotechnic igniter

 fuel injector

 fuel turbo-pumps

 gas turbine

 cryo valves

 Regulators

 The fuel tanks

 rocket engine

 nozzle

Among them, the combustion chamber & the nozzle are the main components of the
rocket engine.

The engine components are also cooled so the fuel doesn't boil to a gas in
the lines that feed the engine. The thrust comes from the rapid expansion from
liquid to gas with the gas emerging from the motor at very high speed. The energy
needed to heat the fuels comes from burning them, once they are gasses.
Cryogenic engines are the highest performing rocket motors. One disadvantage is
that the fuel tanks tend to be bulky and require heavy insulation to store the
propellant. Their high fuel efficiency, however, outweighs this disadvantage.

The Space Shuttle's main engines used for liftoff are cryogenic engines.
The Shuttle's smaller thrusters for orbital maneuvering use non-cryogenic
hypergolic fuels, which are compact and are stored at warm temperatures.
Currently, only the United States, Russia, China, France, Japan and India have
mastered cryogenic rocket technology.

.
2. HISTORY:-

The only known claim to liquid propellant rocket engine experiments in the
nineteenth century was made by a Peruvian scientist named Pedro Paulet. However,
he did not immediately publish his work. In 1927 he wrote a letter to a newspaper in
Lima, claiming he had experimented with a liquid rocket engine while he was a
student in Paris three decades earlier.

Historians of early rocketry experiments, among them Max Valier and Willy
Ley, have given differing amounts of credence to Paulet's report. Paulet described
laboratory tests of liquid rocket engines, but did not claim to have flown a liquid
rocket.
The first flight of a vehicle powered by a liquid-rocket took place on March 16,
1926 at Auburn, Massachusetts, when American professor Robert H. Goddard
launched a rocket which used liquid oxygen and gasoline as propellants. The rocket,
which was dubbed "Nell", rose just 41 feet during a 2.5-second flight that ended in a
cabbage field, but it was an important demonstration that liquid rockets were
possible.
3. SPACE PROPULSION SYSTEM:-
Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and
artificial satellites. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks
and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research. However,
most spacecraft today are propelled by forcing a gas from the back/rear of the
vehicle at very high speed through a supersonic de Laval nozzle. This sort of engine
is called a rocket engine.

All current spacecraft use chemical rockets (bipropellant or solid-fuel) for

launch, though some have used air-breathing engines on their first stage. Most
satellites have simple reliable chemical thrusters. Soviet bloc satellites have used
electric propulsion for decades, and newer Western geo-orbiting spacecraft are
starting to use them for north-south station keeping. Interplanetary vehicles mostly
use chemical rockets as well, although a few have used ion thrusters to great
success.

4. Rocket Engine Power Cycles:-

4.1 Gas pressure feed system

A simple pressurized feed system is shown schematically below. It consists of

a high-pressure gas tank, a gas starting valve, a pressure regulator, propellant tanks,
propellant valves, and feed lines. Additional components, such as filling and draining
provisions, check valves, filters, flexible elastic bladders for separating the liquid from
the pressurizing gas, and pressure sensors or gauges, are also often incorporated.
After all tanks are filled, the high-pressure gas valve is remotely actuated and admits
gas through the pressure regulator at a constant pressure to the propellant thanks. .
The check valves prevent mixing of the oxidizer with valves. When the propellants
are completely consumed, the pressurizing gas can also scavenge and clean lines
and valves of much of the liquid propellant residue. The variations in this system,
such as the combination of several valves into one or the elimination and addition of
certain components, depend to a large extent on the application. If a unit is to be
used over and over, such as space-maneuver rocket, it will include several additional
features such as, possibly, a thrust-regulating device and a tank level gauge.
4.2 Gas-Generator Cycle

The gas-generator cycle taps off a small amount of fuel and oxidizer from the
main flow to feed a burner called a gas generator. The hot gas from this generator
passes through a turbine to generate power for the pumps that send propellants to
the combustion chamber. The hot gas is then either dumped overboard or sent into
the main nozzle downstream. Increasing the flow of propellants into the gas
generator increases the speed of the turbine, which increases the flow of propellants
into the main combustion chamber (and hence, the amount of thrust produced). The
gas generator must burn propellants at a less-than-optimal mixture ratio to keep the
temperature low for the turbine blades. Thus, the cycle is appropriate for moderate
power requirements but not high-power systems, which would have to divert a large
portion of the main flow to the less efficient gas-generator flow.
4.3 Staged Combustion Cycle

In a staged combustion cycle, the propellants are burned in stages. Like the gas
generator cycle, this cycle also has a burner, called a preburner, to generate gas for
A turbine. The pre-burner taps off and burn a small amount of one propellant and a
large amount of the other, producing an oxidizer-rich or fuel-rich hot gas mixture that
is mostly unburned vaporized propellant. This hot gas is then passed through the
turbine, injected into the main chamber, and burned again with the remaining
propellants. The advantage over the gas-generator cycle is that all of the propellants
are burned at the optimal mixture ratio in the main chamber and no flow is dumped
overboard. The staged combustion cycle is often used for high-power applications.
The higher the chamber pressure, the smaller and lighter the engine can be to
produce the same thrust. Development cost for this cycle is higher because the high
pressures complicate the development process.
5. COMBUSTION IN THRUST CHAMBER:-

The thrust chamber is the key subassembly of a rocket engine. Here the liquid
propellants are metered, injected, atomized, vaporized, mixed, and burned to form
hot reaction gas products, which in turn are accelerated and ejected at high velocity.
A rocket thrust chamber assembly has an injector, a combustion chamber, a
supersonic nozzle, and mounting provisions. All have to withstand the extreme heat
of combustion and the various forces, including the transmission of the thrust force to
the vehicle. There also is an ignition system if non-spontaneously ignitable
propellants are used.
6. FUEL INJECTION:-

The functions of the injector are similar to those of a carburetor of an internal

combustion engine. The injector has to introduce and meter the flow of liquid
propellants to the combustion chamber, cause the liquids to be broken up into small
droplets (a process called atomization), and distribute and mix the propellants in
such a manner that a correctly proportioned mixture of fuel and oxidizer will result,
with uniform propellant mass flow and composition over the chamber cross section.

This has been accomplished with different types of injector designs and
elements. The injection hole pattern on the face of the injector is closely related to
the internal manifolds or feed passages within the injector. These provide for the
distribution of the propellant from the injector inlet to all the injection holes. A large
complex manifold volume allows low passage velocities and good distribution of flow
over the cross section of the chamber. A small manifold volume allows for a lighter
weight injector and reduces the amount of "dribble" flow after the main valves are
shut. The higher passage velocities cause a more uneven flow through different
identical injection holes and thus a poorer distribution and wider local gas
composition variation.
Dribbling results in afterburning, which is an inefficient irregular combustion
that gives a little "cutoff" thrust after valve closing. For applications with very accurate
terminal vehicle velocity requirements, the cutoff impulse has to be very small and
reproducible and often valves are built into the injector to minimize passage volume.

Impinging-stream-type, multiple-hole injectors are commonly used with

oxygen-hydrocarbon and storable propellants. For unlike doublet patterns the
propellants are injected through a number of separate small holes in such a manner
that the fuel and oxidizer streams impinge upon each other. Impingement forms thin
liquid fans and aids atomization of the liquids into droplets, also aiding distribution.
The two liquid streams then form a fan which breaks up into droplets.
7. PHASES OF COMBUSTION IN THRUST
CHAMBER:-

7.1 Rapid Combustion Zone:-

In this zone intensive and rapid chemical reactions occur at increasingly higher
temperature; any remaining liquid droplets are vaporized by convective heating and
gas pockets of fuel-rich and fuel-lean gases are mixed. The mixing is aided by local
turbulence and diffusion of the gas species. The further breakdown of the propellant
chemicals into intermediate fractions and smaller, simpler chemicals and the
oxidation of fuel fractions occur rapidly in this zone. The rate of heat release
increases greatly and this causes the specific volume of the gas mixture to increase
and the local

7.2 Injection/Atomization Zone:-

Two different liquids are injected with storable propellants and with liquid
oxygen/hydrocarbon combinations. They are injected through orifices at velocities
typically between 7 and 60 m/sec or about 20 to 200 ft/sec. The injector design has a
profound influence on the combustion behavior and some seemingly minor design
changes can have a major effect on instability. The pattern, sizes, number,
distribution, and types of orifices influence the combustion behavior, as do the
pressure drop, manifold geometry, or surface roughness in the injection orifice walls.
axial velocity to increase by a factor of 100 or more.

7.3 Stream Tube Combustion Zone:-

In this zone oxidation reactions continue, but at a lower rate, and some
additional heat is released. However, chemical reactions continue because the
mixture tends to be driven toward an equilibrium composition. Since axial velocities
are high (200 to 600 m/sec) the transverse convective flow velocities become
relatively small. Streamlines are formed and there is relatively little turbulent mixing
across streamline boundaries. Locally the flow velocity and the pressure fluctuate
somewhat. The residence time in this zone is very short compared to the residence
time in the other two zones. The streamline type, inviscid flow, and the chemical
reactions toward achieving chemical equilibrium persist not only throughout the
remainder of the combustion chamber, but are also extended into the nozzle.
Actually, the major processes do not take place strictly sequentially, but several
seem to occur simultaneously in several parts of the chamber. The flame front is not
a simple plane surface across the combustion chamber

7.4 Primary Ignition


begins at the time of deposition of the energy into the shear layer and ends when
the flame front has reached the outer limit of the shear layer



starts interaction with the recirculation zone.



phase typically lasts about half a millisecond



it is characterised by a slight but distinct downstream movement of the flame .



The flame velocity more or less depends on the pre-mixedness of the shear layer
only.
7.5 Flame Propagation

This phase corresponds to the time span for the flame reaching the edge of
the 
shear layer, expands into in the recirculation zone and propagates until it
has

consumed all the premixed propellants.
 
This period lasts between 0.1 and 2 ms.


It is characterised by an upstream movement of the upstream  flame front until
it reaches a minimum distance from the injector face plate.


It is accompanied by a strong rise
 of the flame intensity and by a peak in the
combustion chamber pressure.
8. LIQUID PROPELLANT:-

 In a liquid propellant rocket, the fuel and oxidizer are stored in separate tanks,
and are fed through a system of pipes, valves, and turbo pumps to a
combustion chamber where they are combined and burned to produce thrust.
Liquid propellant engines are more complex than their solid propellant
counterparts, however, they offer several advantages. By controlling the flow
of propellant to the combustion chamber, the engine can be throttled,or
restarted.
9. WORKING PRINCIPAL:-
• It involves a complicated ‘staged combustion cycle' to increase the engine
efficiency.
• Hydrogen is partially burnt with a little oxygen in a gas generator. The hot
gases drive a turbo-pump and are then injected at high pressure into the
thrust chamber where the rest of oxygen is introduced and full combustion
takes place.
• Before going to the gas generator, the incredibly chilly liquid hydrogen is used
to cool the thrust chamber where temperatures rise to over 3,0000 ° Celsius
when the engine is fired.
10. ADVANTAGES:-

 High Energy per unit mass:

Propellants like oxygen and hydrogen in liquid form give very high
amounts of energy per unit mass due to which the amount of fuel to be carried
aboard the rockets decreases.

 Clean Fuels:

Hydrogen and oxygen are extremely clean fuels. When they combine, they
give out only water. This water is thrown out of the nozzle in form of very hot vapour.
Thus the rocket is nothing but a high burning steam engine.

 Economical:

Use of oxygen and hydrogen as fuels is very economical, as liquid oxygen

costs less than gasoline.
11. DISADVANTAGES:-

 Highly reactive gases:-

o Cryogens are highly concentrated gases and have a very high

reactivity. Liquid oxygen, which is used as an oxidizer, combines with
most of the organic materials to form explosive compounds. So lots of
care must be taken to ensure safety.

 Leakage :-

o One of the most major concerns is leakage. At cryogenic temperatures,

which are roughly below 150 degrees Kelvin or equivalently (-190oF).

 Hydrogen Embrittlement:-

o Due to cryogenic propellants, various significant thermal stresses are

introduced into the launch vehicle. These stresses can damage the
structural integrity.

 Zero Gravity conditions :-

o The cryogenic propellants certainly have their own disadvantages. But

their advantages outweigh the disadvantages by far. Thus they are
preferred for use in rockets.
o The next liquid propellant is hypergolic propellant.
12. APPLICATIONS:-

 The 300 N cryogenic engines enable the simplicity of a pressure fed

propulsion system whilst offering the performance of a turbo-pump
propulsion system.

 Being pressure fed, the engine does not require an additional turbo-
pump, with its associated complexity.

 The 300 N cryogenic engines may be used as a main engine in dedicated

stages for orbital insertion, orbital transfer, orbital, and interplanetary
applications, including:

• Upper stages

• Kick stages

• Vernier stages
• Transfer stages

 The 300 N cryogenic engines may also be used as a thruster, or thruster

cluster with existing cryogenic turbo-pump propulsion systems and stages for
such applications as performance augmentation, upgrades, roll control.

 Developments in the field of Rocket Engineering.

 Cryo propelled rocket engines are having a great demand in the field of
space exploration.

 Can be used for orbital insertion, orbital transfer, orbital and

interplanetary application
13. CONCLUSION:-

The area of Cryogenics in Cryogenic Rocket Engines is a vast one and it

cannot be described in a few words. As the world progress new developments are
being made more and more new developments are being made in the field of Rocket
Engineering. Now a day cryo propelled rocket engines are having a great demand in
the field of space exploration. Due to the high specific impulse obtained during the
ignition of fuels they are of much demand.

 The area of Cryogenics in Cryogenic Rocket Engines is a vast one.

 Developments in the field of Rocket Engineering.

 Cryo propelled rocket engines are having a great demand in the field of space
exploration.

 Due to the high specific impulse obtained during the ignition of fuels they are
of much demand.
14. REFERENCES:-

 
 “Rocket propulsion elements” by G. P. Sutton, 7th edition.
 
 “Advances in propulsion” by K. Ramamurthy.
 
 “Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion” by M. J. Turner.

“Ignition
 of cryogenic H2/LOX sprays” by O. Gurliat, V. Schmidt, O.J. Haidn,
 M.
 Oschwald.
 
 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Of America

 
Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram

o Cryogenic Technology Development for Exploration Missions by David J.
Chato

o Challenges in Cryogen Development Present & Future by N. K. Gupta

 Cryogenic engines,www.astronautix.com

 www.ijpret.com

 www.isro.com

 www.gslv.com

 www.cre.com

 Eds.M.S.Dresselhaus,G.Dresselhaus,“Cryogenic ”,(2001),Springer,

 Berlin.

 MarcelDekker,Eds.J.Shinaretal,“Opticaland mechanicalPropertiesof

 FullerenesandFullerene-BasedMaterials”,Inc(1999).

 M.S.Dresselhaus,G.DresselhausandP.C.Eklund,“ScienceofFullerenesand

 Cryogenic rocket engine”,(1996),AcademicPress.

 Shuhab-u Tariq,“Carbon Nanotubes”,Siddganga Institute OfTechnology,

 (2007).

 G.D.Rai,“NonConventionalEnergyResources”,2008,ISBNNo.81-7409~073-8.

 FrankFisher,CateBrinson,“Cryogen– Review”,Northwestern

 University,(2001).

 Dr.JayeshkumarPitroda,BansriJethwa,Dr.S.K.Dave,“ACriticalReview On

 Cryogen”,IJCRCEJournalPaper.

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