Chrysler Studies for Hydrogen/Fluorine/Lithium upperstage 1970

[Michel Van]

In 1970 made Chrysler Coperation Space Division
a Study for Upper stage for Various Rockets: Atlas, Titan IIID and Solid 260 inch/S-IVB
using very nasty stuff: Hydrogene and Fluorine and Lithium !

the liquid Lithium and Fluorine burns in Combustion chamber
that's cooled by hydrogen, who goes true the Combustion chamber taking more heat of Lithium and Florine reaction.

Also they study Hydrogene and Fluorine and Beryllium
this more a Hybrid rocket were the Beryllium is solid rocket fuel, burned by Fluorine or mixture of Oxygen and Fluorine
again cooled by hydrogen who goes true the Combustion chamber taking the heat of reaction.

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19700022573.pdf

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19700022572.pdf

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Wow... that is a NASTY propellant mix!

 

[Michel Van]

alone the combination Fluorine and Beryllium

Beryllium so extrem toxic, they banned it use 10 years ago in the industry.
only one who use Beryllium is in nuclear application because of Neutron absorbing property.

On toxic fuel, I guess that this combination top them all: CIF5/MHF-5.
CIF5 is Chlorine pentafluoride,
MHF-5 is 55% Monomethylhydrazine, 26% Hydrazine and 19% Hydrazinium Nitrate

that stuff was consider as fuel for deep space probe main engine and RCS
it was even consider as RCS fuel for manned Mars space craft and it's Lander MEM in 1969 !

 

[AndrewN]

What were they planning for the materials used in the tanks and engines? That mix would rot virtually anything (including glass)!

 

[Aeaeea]

What were they planning for the materials used in the tanks and engines? That mix would rot virtually anything (including glass)!

They wouldn't have the unholy Trinity mixed into one fuel tank, they would have three separate tanks with their own containment. Fluorine and liquid hydrogen are easy, that's been done for a while. The molten lithium though, is obviously molten and it'd need to stay at a high temperature, and nothing I can think of off the top of my head is gonna keep it insulated from the cryogenics. It'd also need a constant current of electricity to keep the liquid helium cold and the molten lithium hot.
edit: Unless you're using the TOXMAX, which is a whole other nightmare that uses cesium to keep the lithium toasty.

 

[Michel Van]

Unless you're using the TOXMAX, which is a whole other nightmare that uses cesium to keep the lithium toasty.

Oh yes that concept use Radioactive caesium 137 to keep lithium liquid in tanks.
with Fluorine and Hydrogen it's extrem toxic, now with combination of nuclear fallout !

Rocketdyne work on Tripropellant engine (Hydrogene and Fluorine and Lithium)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX-0Xw6kkrc

 

[Scott Kenny]

Lithium+Fluorine in the reaction, with hydrogen as "coolant"

What the heck were those rocket engineers smoking?!?

 

[aim9xray]

Lithium+Fluorine in the reaction, with hydrogen as "coolant"

What the heck were those rocket engineers smoking?!?

All of the above!

 

[Jcking]

Lithium+Fluorine in the reaction, with hydrogen as "coolant"

What the heck were those rocket engineers smoking?!?

Not enough. The triprop had a poor enough mass fraction to offset the 10% gain to isp over basic hydrogen/fluorine. The pentaprop (hydrogen, oxygen, fluorine, lithium, beryllium) did even worse, largely due to the hybrid setup used.

 

[Archibald]

The pentaprop (hydrogen, oxygen, fluorine, lithium, beryllium)

Oh gosh, talk about the alliance of evillest rocket propellants !