4 ms·
The reason this is important is not the really the few % savings in fuel weight. Any small improvement in exhaust velocity of the engine makes a huge differenc
by nisten 8y ago
The reason this is important is not the really the few % savings in fuel weight.
Any small improvement in exhaust velocity of the engine makes a huge difference(sort of exponential) in the amount of payload it can take to orbit. In this case the 2 pre-burners also make relighting the engine in a vacuum a lot more reliable.
For more on the math:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation
- avmich 8y agoRight, another reason to use full-flow scheme is that both components get into chamber in the gaseous form - the heated gaseous form. And fuel usually doesn't have a problem igniting in the hot oxygen flow, especially if that fuel is in gas form itself, within milliseconds.