THIS ROCKET ENGINE WASN’T DESIGNED BY HUMANS

Quick Overview

The rocket engine featured, designed by students from the University of Sheffield's LEAP 71 program, utilizes complex, 3D-printed copper and Inconel components and relies on regenerative cooling—using liquid oxygen internally and fuel externally—to survive the extreme temperatures generated during testing with kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants.

Key Points: The engine design, created by the University of Sheffield's LEAP 71 team, features a complex geometry 3D-printed in copper and Inconel. The engine employs regenerative cooling: liquid oxygen cools the inside walls, while the fuel (kerosene) cools the outside walls to prevent meltdown. The copper component has a melting point of 660°C, while the Inconel component withstands up to 1400°C. The engine uses liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene as propellants. The complex internal channels were manufactured using selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printing technology by Aconity3D. Improper cleaning of the cooling channels (leaving residual oil) can cause the engine to self-ignite upon startup. The design goal was to test small, aerospike-style engines, gathering data to feed back to Noiron for smarter future designs.

Context: This video documents the development and testing of advanced, small-scale rocket engines, specifically those featuring an aerospike design, created by students associated with the University of Sheffield's LEAP 71 program, in collaboration with companies like Noiron, Airborne Engineering, AMCM, and Aconity 3D. The core focus is on the materials science and advanced cooling techniques required to manage the intense heat generated by burning liquid oxygen and kerosene.

Detailed Analysis

The video showcases a highly advanced, small rocket engine, specifically an aerospike design, which was not conventionally designed but rather created using additive manufacturing (3D printing) by students from the University of Sheffield's LEAP 71 program. The engine utilizes two primary materials: copper for the section shown cooling with frost, and Inconel for another variant. The copper part has a relatively low melting point of 660°C, while the Inconel part can handle temperatures up to 1400°C. The critical technology enabling these materials to survive the extreme combustion temperatures (using liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants) is regenerative cooling, where the liquid oxygen is circulated through the inner cooling channels, and the fuel is circulated through the outer channels. The video highlights that the complex internal geometries needed for this cooling were only possible via metal 3D printing (SLM) by Aconity 3D. A key operational warning is issued: failure to clean the cooling channels properly, leaving residual oil, will cause the engine to self-ignite upon firing. The data collected from these tests is fed back to Noiron to refine and improve subsequent engine designs.