Russia develops ammonia rocket engineMay 6th, 2012 - 10:30 am ICT by IANS
Moscow, May 6 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A leading Russian manufacturer of equipment for power industries has started developing a new rocket engine that could reduce the cost of rocket launches and avoid the need to produce hydrogen for fuel.
The new rocket engine, which will be around 30 percent more efficient than exising designs, works on a completely novel fuel mixture of acetylene and ammonia (called atsetam), its manufacturer Energomash said.
“A mixture of acetylene and ammonia is 20 times cheaper than hydrogen as one kg of hydrogen costs about two thousand rubles ($67) and one kg of atsetam is maximum of 100 rubles ($3.35),” Anatoly Likhvantsev, Energomash’s director of innovative technology, told Izvestiya newspaper.
“Using five to seven tonnes of this mixture, we can save a considerable amount of money. In addition, the components that are included in atsetam can be easily stored and transported, whereas hydrogen requires special storage and transportation conditions,” he said.
The developers plan to launch rockets with the new engine in 2017-2018, dependent on funding.
Once the optimal ratio of acetylene and ammonia is found, the designers will specify the parameters of the engine.
According to preliminary calculations, the atsetam engine will not require major structural changes to existing rocket motors since the physical properties of atsetam do not differ much from kerosene.
An upper stage with the new engine will be installed on existing rocket carriers, which will be more profitable than developing an entirely new rocket with it.
- Russian company accused of selling rocket engines to U.S. at half cost - May 12, 2011
- Space industry a priority for Russia: Putin - May 01, 2011
- India, Russia to make multiple rocket systems - Sep 06, 2012
- Russia plans to send piloted rocket to Mars - Jan 26, 2011
- Space factory worker held for making weapons - May 31, 2012
- Russian court declines returning seized money during raids - Sep 11, 2012
- Russia to raise liquor, cigarette tax - Apr 29, 2012
- Medvedev orders to build new aircraft plant - Jun 10, 2012
- Pakistan may buy new Sukhoi superjets - May 09, 2012
- 'Mars flight possible after 2035' - Apr 14, 2011
- Russia to spend $44 bn on Arctic projects - Apr 06, 2012
- Belarus to build vertical takeoff drones - Apr 05, 2012
- Joint Russia-India missile to be ready by 2017 - Jun 28, 2012
- Thriving wolf population threatens northern Russia - Apr 20, 2012
- Ukrainian court jails radioactive metal thieves - Aug 28, 2012
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,