SPACE SHUTTLE ORBIT MANEUVERING ENGINE REUSABLE THRUST CHAMBER PROGRAM TASKS V AND VIII DATA DUMP OME DEMONSTRATOR THRUST CHAMBER TEST REPORT

摘要

A total of 112 tests were conducted on the regenerative cooled demonstration chamber for an accumulated duration of 1042 seconds (Fig. 1) at Rocketdyne's Component Test Laboratory IV (CTL-IV), and NASA's White Sands lest Facility (WSTF). Initial checkout tests at CTL-IV were conducted with bypass cooling to allow independent control of regenerative jacket coolant flow and injector fuel flow. The chamber was then replumbed to provide completely regenerative cooling for the remainder of the tests. A total of 32 tests were conducted at CTL-IV for a total duration of 439 seconds, including one test of 185 seconds duration. These tests demonstrated thrust chamber operation over the nominal ranges of chamber pressure and mixture ratio. Variations in auxiliary film coolant flowrate were also demonstrated.nThe remaining 80 tests were conducted at the White Sands Test Facility, where a total duration of 603 seconds was accumulated. These tests were conducted with both MMH and 50-50 fuels, and demonstrated performance, safety, and stability over the nominal chamber pressure and mixture ratio ranges. The effects of helium saturation were demonstrated with both propellants. Several tests were conducted without boundary layer cooling over the range of chamber pressures and mixture ratios. Operation under conditions simulating a vehicle propellant tank pressurization system failure was also demonstrated. Finally, high pressure tests at the facility upper pressure limit were conducted to demonstrate thrust chamber operation at conditions approaching the design chamber pressure for an OME derivative Space Tug application, designed to operate with NTO/MMH propellants.