Why is kerosene used as rocket nozzle coolant instead of oxygen?

The specific heat capacity of the fuel is higher than that of the liquid oxygen at the operating temperature/pressure, hence for the same rate of flow, using the fuel cools better and apart from any of the above-mentioned liquid/vapour/pressure issues.

Why don t rockets engines melt from the heat during takeoff?

How are rocket engine nozzles able to survive very high temperatures without melting? The temperature of the gaseous products exiting from the nozzle is higher than the melting point of the nozzle material.

Why would an oxidizer be needed in such rockets?

An oxidizer is a type of chemical which a fuel requires to burn. Most types of burning on Earth use oxygen, which is prevalent in the atmosphere. However in space there is no atmosphere to provide oxygen or other oxidizers so rockets need to carry up their own oxidizers.

Does SpaceX use solid rocket fuel?

While powerful, solid motors can’t be turned off once ignited. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 uses only liquid propellants, rocket-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, and the result, the astronauts said, was a relatively fluid flight. “It was a very smooth ride. You could see it on the webcast,” Musk said after the launch.

Which oxidizer is used in rockets?

Ammonium perchlorate is commonly used for high performance rockets; ammonium nitrate is usually preferable for gas generators and slow-burning propellants. Gas produced by the oxidizer other than that formed by the reaction of oxygen with fuel components.

What is the principle of regenerative cooling?

Regenerative cooling is a method of cooling gases in which compressed gas is cooled by allowing it to expand and thereby take heat from the surroundings. The cooled expanded gas then passes through a heat exchanger where it cools the incoming compressed gas.

What is the best cooling method for a rocket engine?

For high-pressure and high- thrust rocket engines, regenerative cooling is the most preferred cooling method. In regenerative cooling, a coolant flows through passages formed either by constructing the chamber liner from tubes or by milling channels in a solid liner.

Why replace kerosene regenerative cooling with oxygen?

Analysis of existing oxygen/kerosene engines showed that replacing of kerosene regenerative cooling with oxygen allows a significant increase of achievable specific impulse, via optimization of mixture ratio.

Why not use liquid oxygen instead of hydrocarbon fuel to cool engine?

Since both of these engines use liquid oxygen as their oxidizer, why would they use the fuel to cool the engine. Why not use the very cold liquified oxygen instead of the room temperature hydrocarbon fuels? Whatever you use as a coolant will become hot.

What fuel is used to cool the Merlin engine?

As I was watching Tom Mueller describe the Merlin engine, he said that the RP-1 propellant is pumped through ribs in the nozzle to regeneratively cool the engine. Also, a video about Copenhagen suborbital’s TM65 rocket engine shows how the alcohol fuel is used to cool the engine.