Potential Applications of the Ceramic Thrust Chamber Technology for Future Transpiration Cooled Rocket Engines

Abstract

The long-term development of ceramic rocket engine thrust chambers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) currently leads to designs of self-sustaining, transpiration-cooled, fiber-reinforced ceramic rocket engine chamber structures. This paper discusses characteristic issues and potential benefits introduced by this technology. Achievable benefits are the reduction of weight and manufacturing cost, as well as an increased reliability and higher lifetime due to thermal cycle stability. Experiments with porous Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) materials for rocket engine chamber walls have been conducted at the DLR since the end of the 1990s. This paper discusses the current status of DLR's ceramic thrust chamber technology and potential applications for high thrust engines. The manufacturing process and the design concept are explained. The impact of variations of engine parameters (chamber pressure and diameter) on the required coolant mass flow are discussed. Due to favorable scaling effects a high thrust application utilizes all benefits of the discussed technology, while avoiding the most significant performance drawbacks.