NACA's Rocket Propulsion Advancements with Hydrogen and Fluorine
Key Ideas
- NACA's Cleveland lab expanded rocket research in the late 1940s, focusing on hydrogen and fluorine for rocket engines, leading to successful liquid hydrogen engine tests in 1957.
- Research on oxidizers like liquid oxygen and fluorine was conducted, with fluorine showing better performance but posing handling challenges due to toxicity and corrosiveness.
- An eight-year program in the 1950s at the Rocket Lab aimed to address combustion oscillations, with findings showing that hydrogen-oxygen combination reduced screeching in engines.
- Hydrogen's high combustion temperatures and nontoxic exhaust made it a promising rocket fuel, leading NACA researchers to transition to hydrogen for rocket propulsion advancements.
In the late 1940s, the NACA's Cleveland laboratory, later renamed the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory, intensified its rocket research, particularly focusing on hydrogen and fluorine for rocket engines. By 1957, successful tests of liquid hydrogen engines with liquid oxygen and liquid fluorine were achieved. The researchers explored oxidizers like liquid oxygen and fluorine, with the latter showing superior theoretical performance but posing challenges due to its toxicity and corrosiveness. Despite handling issues, the NACA engineers designed innovative solutions like cryogenic trailers for gaseous fluorine transportation to the lab. A program in the 1950s at the Rocket Lab addressed combustion oscillations in engines, attributing lower screeching levels to the hydrogen-oxygen combination. Eventually, NACA transitioned to hydrogen as a promising rocket fuel due to its high combustion temperatures and safe exhaust. This shift marked a significant advancement in rocket propulsion research at NACA.