Advanced aerospike design and manufacture

[Rhinocrates]

Aerospike engines offer a great deal of flexibility in the environments that they can be used compared to bell nozzles but managing heat on the spike itself is tricky.

Here's a quick look at using AI to design an aerospike that can cool itself more effectively and additive manufacturing (3-D printing) to build it. It still needs testing to see if it actually works and is economical but my, what a piece of sculpture.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cms_v_OUXco


Further links under the video, such as

Additive manufacturing for space propulsion

EOS and Hyperganic: design process for additive manufacturing with algorithmic model. 3D printed aerospike engine

www.eos.info

Mods, feel free to move this to an existing thread - I couldn't find one that suited it exactly.

 

[Orionblamblam]

It looks cool, and has definite potential... but *look* at the surface finish quality. BLEEEUUUURGH.

Improving that surface finish is certainly possible, but at the expense of... expense. Lots of expense.

 

[Prophet141]

It looks cool, and has definite potential... but *look* at the surface finish quality. BLEEEUUUURGH.

Improving that surface finish is certainly possible, but at the expense of... expense. Lots of expense.

I imagine that much of that would be development cost, but once you have the expertise, you have it.

Maybe a robot using the same system as those pneumatic rescue robots developed at Stanford? Wonder how difficult it would be to mount sanding/polishing equipment on the tip of this thing. And even accounting for the ability of this robot to infiltrate small spaces, that AI designed engine is a true labyrinth and very narrow.

Stanford researchers develop a new type of soft, growing robot | Stanford News

A newly developed vine-like robot can grow across long distances without moving its whole body.

news.stanford.edu

 

[robunos]

But does the surface need to be improved ? It will remove some weight, which is good, but will that rough surface increase the surface area, which in turn will improve the cooling effect, and it wouldn't surprise me if there's some micro-turbulence stuff going on in the fluid flow, to also increase cooling . . .
Besides, who doesn't like the 'sand cast' look, very industrial.

cheers,
Robin.

 

[Prophet141]

It might slow the speed of the propellants, and therefore reduce the flow rate. Forgive me if I am wrong, but wouldn't a faster flow-rate mean a greater thrust? In this case that would just be a free increase in the thrust/weight ratio.

 

[Nik]

I think I've seen an additive manufacture system that had a second arm, with a 'polishing / buffing' tool...

Other thought is tiny corrugations 'done right' will enhance heat exchange by both increasing surface area and suppressing 'stagnant' wall layer...

On the gripping hand, I've seen additive manufacture using multiple heads, each laying down a much narrower, thinner 'bead'. Like putting multiple engine units on a long train, such subdivision provides flexibility and economies...

 

[Prophet141]

You can build the engine from the inside out and have a second arm polish/buff it before it covers those sections up.

 

[publiusr]

Rubbia’s Americium engine needed a lot of surface area as well as I recall.

Now…can an annular exhaust “ring” serve as a combustion chamber for a hotter inner core of combustion…jacketed thrust?

 

[Prophet141]

Are you talking about a system similar to that being developed by Stoke Space? It's essentially a series of small bell nozzles leading into that aerospike/reentry shield.

And what is this americium engine that you're talking about? Do you have any links to material talking about it? Thanks.

 

[Nicknick]

Aerospike nozzles have on fixed wall and one adaptive wall formed out of the atmosphere they are moving in. As we know, this allows for a variable expansion ratio, since the atmosphere will narrow the “air wall” in high pressure and widen it in low pressure.

There is a possible side aspect coming in my mind and this is the oxidation of fuel rich gases along the boundary layer of air to exhaust gases. To a certain degree, there will an exothermic reaction with the remaining fuel in the gas stream which will contribute a bit to the exhaust trust. This is especially the case, if film cooling is used in the combustion chamber, so that a layer of unburned fuel is surrounding the main gas stream. The burning of this fuel will increase the total trust by increasing the pressure on the inner (spike wise) gases due to expansion, so that the rocket will partially make use of ambient oxygen for propulsion.

It is clear that a combination of a fast-burning fuel like Hydrogen in combination with film cooling would create the biggest effect. It might be an option to use chevrons to increase the surface area between air and exaust gases.

 

[Deleted member 4286]

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