A Study on the 2-Stage Startup of Liquid Rocket Engine

액체로켓엔진의 2단 시동에 관한 연구

Two stage startup of high thrust liquid rocket engine can reduce the abrupt impulse to the vehicle and engine by changing oxidizer flow rate to the combustion chamber. Also it ensures stable ignition of combustion chamber against hard start and to prevent pump stall by the sudden supply of large mass flow rate. However high discharge pressure of oxidizer pump or temperature rise in gas generator may be a problem in applying the preliminary stage. To solve this problem, we analyzed the effect of the slope of oxidizer pump's head curve and the oxidizer mass flow rate to combustion chamber during preliminary stage using the rocket engine startup analysis code. A moderate slope(${\circleddash}{\sim}$-3) of head curve and 80% mass flow rate during preliminary stage can reduce the oxidizer pump discharge pressure by 15 to 20% comparing with the condition of ${\circleddash}$=-4.37 head curve and 70% mass flow rate. Also it can maintain the turbine inlet temperature rise within 50K from the nominal value.