High pressure LOx/H₂ rocket engine combustion.

Abstract

This thesis describes a study based on propellant injection conditions which was performed with a single shear coaxially injected liquid rocket engine combuster. Steady state operation was closely examined with the thrust chamber operating at sub critical, near critical and supercritical pressure levels with respect to the thermodynamic critical pressure of oxygen. It was found that unstable combustion could not be triggered whatsoever with LOx/H₂ propellants at near or supercritical pressure, irrespective of operating conditions. Such findings illustrate that operating near or above the critical pressure of propellants (oxygen) results in inherently stable combustion process over a broad range of operating conditions.