Rocket engine

摘要

A rocket engine (10) comprises first (76) and second (142) rotary injectors for injecting respective fuel (20) and oxidizer (18) propellant components into a first combustion chamber (34), and the effluent (38) therefrom drives a turbine (40) that rotates the rotary injectors (76, 142). The mixture within the first combustion chamber (34) is preferably fuel-rich so as to reduce the associated combustion temperature, and the fuel-rich effluent mixes in a second combustion chamber (36) with additional oxidizer injected by a third rotary injector (182) so as to generate a high temperature effluent (214) suitable for propulsion. The rotary injectors (76, 142, 182) are adapted with associated rotary pressure traps (86, 146, 174) so as to isolate the low pressure propellant supply (22', 24') from the relatively high pressures in the respective combustion chambers (34, 36). A portion of the fuel-rich effluent from the first combustion chamber (34) is directed through an annular passage (198, 204) surrounding the combustion chambers (34, 36) to provide effusion cooling of a surface (218) of the second combustion chamber (36).