Potential Applications of the Ceramic Thrust Chamber Technology for Future Rocket Propulsion

The long-term development of ceramic rocket engine thrust chambers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) currently leads to designs of self-sustaining, transpiration-cooled, fibre-reinforced ceramic rocket engine chamber structures. This paper discusses characteristic issues and potential benefits introduced by this technology. Achievable benefits are the reduction of weight and manufacturing cost, as well as an increased reliability and higher lifetime due to thermal cycle stability. Experiments with porous Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) material for rocket engine chamber walls are conducted at the DLR since the end of the 1990ies. This paper discusses the current status of DLR’s ceramic thrust chamber technology and potential applications for high performance engines. Parametric variations of engine sizing (such as chamber pressure and diameter) are performed. This paper furthermore describes applications of similar materials- and design-concepts to radiation cooled thrust chambers. The wall heat flux is analysed for different materials